Orlando Bloom

Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom was born on January 13, 1977 in Canterbury, Kent, England, UK. Nicknames: Orli and OB.  Most people that I know know him as "Will Turner" from "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Peral", "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End".  When I saw the 3rd movie, and it was at the ending, I started balling my eyes out when Will left Elizabeth (Kiera Knightley), and I remember the music that was playing in the background, and it was just amazing, well besides the kissing scene, but overall it was fantastic.

Image Courtesy of: allpeoplesay.com/

The man he briefly knew as his father, Harry Bloom, was a fabled political activist who fought for civil rights in South Africa.  But he died fo a stroke when Orlando was only four years old.  After that, Orlando and his older sister, Samantha Bloom, were raised by their mother, Sonia, and family friend, Colin Stone.  When Orlando was thirteen, Sonia told him that Colin was actually his biological father.

Orlando attended St. Edmunds School in Canterbury but struggled in many course because of dyslexia.  He did embrace the arts, nonetheless, and enjoyed pottery, photography and sculpturing.  He also participated in school plays and was active at his local theater.  As a teen, he acquired his first job; he was a clay trapper at a pigeon shooting range.  Encouraged by his mother, he and his sister began studying poetry and prose, eventually giving readings at Kent Festival.  Him and his sister won many poetry and Bible reciting competitions.  Then Orlando, who admired larger-than-life characters, drifted towards serious acting.  At the age of sixteen, he moved to London and joined the National Youth Theatre, spending two seasons there and gaining a scholarship to train with the British American Drama Academy.

Image Courtesy of: ian-wooldridge.com

Image Courtesy of: wikimedia.org

Like lots of young actors, he also auditioned for lots of television roles to encourage his career, gaining bit parts in British television shows "Casualty" (1986), "Midsomer Murders" (1997), and "Smack the Pony" (1999).  He also appeared in the highly rated movie Wilde (1997).  He then attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.  It was there, in 1998, that Orlando fell three stories from a rooftop terrace and broke his back.  Despite fears that he would be permanently paralyzed, he quickly recovered and returned to the stage.  One night in 1999 there was a director named Peter Jackson, and after the show, he met with Orlando and asked him to audition for his new set of movies.  After graduating from Guildhall, he began work on the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, spending 18 months in New Zealand bringing to life "Legolas", a part which made him a household name.  Today, he is one the busiest and most sought-after actors in the industry, and is married to Miranda Kerr from July 22, 2010 to the present with one child.  Lets hope that he keeps up with his acting and doesn't fall from a tree story terrace and break his back again!

Image Courtesy of: wikimedia.org

Image Courtesy of: imdb.com

Image Courtesy of: englishmoviez.com