Eric Bana

Australian actor and comedian.
Born: 9 August 1968, Melbourne, Australia.
Original Name: Eric Banadinovich.

Eric Bana began his career as a stand-up comic, first coming to national attention in the comedy sketch series Full Frontal. Later, he was the star and/or anchor for two short-running TV shows; Eric (1996) (a sketch comedy show), and The Eric Bana Show Live (1997) (variety entertainment). His most enduring character from his early career is the highly 'Aussie' character of Poida.

Aside from a small role in the Australian indie-hit The Castle, Bana disappeared from Australia's entertainment screens for several years, only to make a stunning re-appearance in the gritty black comedy Chopper (2000), about an infamous Australian underworld figure.

Chopper garnered world-wide attention, winning 3 international awards, 3 AFI awards, and several more nominations. Bana himself won 3 Best Actor gongs for his scarily realistic portrayal of the title character.

After this, his international reputation skyrocketed, starring in a supporting role in Black Hawk Down and winning the title role in Ang Lee's highly-anticipated movie The Hulk (2003). He is also currently slated to play alongside Brad Pitt in the Grecian movie epic Troy.