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Film poster for Top Hat (1935)

The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate "production numbers". A subgenre of the musical film is the musical comedy, which also includes a strong element of humor.

The musical film was a natural development of the stage musical after the emergence of sound film technology. Typically, the biggest difference between film and stage musicals is the use of lavish background scenery and locations that would be impractical in a theater. Musical films characteristically contain elements reminiscent of theater; performers often treat their song and dance numbers as if there is a live audience watching. In a sense, the viewer becomes the deictic audience, as the performer looks directly into the camera and performs to it.

Musical films in the Western world[link]

The classical sound era[link]

The 1930s through the 1960s are considered to be the golden age of the musical film, when the genre's popularity was at its highest in the Western world.

The first musicals[link]

Musical short films were made by Lee De Forest in 1923-24. After this, thousands of Vitaphone shorts (1926–30) were made, many featuring bands, vocalists and dancers, in which a musical soundtrack played while the actors portrayed their characters just as they did in silent films: without dialogue.^[1] The Jazz Singer, released in 1927 by Warner Brothers, was not only the first movie with synchronized dialogue, but the first feature film that was also a musical, featuring Al Jolson singing "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face;" "Toot, Toot, Tootsie", "Blue Skies" and "My Mammy". Historian Scott Eyman wrote, "As the film ended and applause grew with the houselights, Sam Goldwyn's wife Frances looked around at the celebrities in the crowd. She saw 'terror in all their faces', she said, as if they knew that 'the game they had been playing for years was finally over.^[2] Still, only Jolson's sequences had sound; most of the film was silent.^[1] In 1928, Warner Brothers followed this up with another Jolson part-talkie, The Singing Fool, which was a blockbuster hit.^[1] Theatres scrambled to install the new sound equipment and to hire Broadway composers to write musicals for the screen.^[3] The first all-talking feature, Lights of New York, included a musical sequence in a night club. The enthusiasm of audiences was so great that in less than a year all the major studios were making sound pictures exclusively. The Broadway Melody (1929) had a show-biz plot about two sisters competing for a charming song and dance man. Advertised by MGM as the first "All-Talking, All-Singing, All-Dancing" feature film, it was a hit and won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 1929. There was a rush by the studios to hire talent from the stage to star in lavishly filmed versions of Broadway hits. The Love Parade (Paramount 1929) starred Maurice Chevalier and newcomer Jeanette MacDonald, written by Broadway veteran Guy Bolton.^[3]

Warner Brothers produced the first screen operetta, The Desert Song in 1929. They spared no expense and photographed a large percentage of the film in Technicolor. This was followed by the first all-color, all-talking musical feature which was entitled On with the Show (1929). The most popular film of 1929 was the second all-color, all-talking feature which was entitled Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929). This film broke all box office records and remained the highest grossing film ever produced until 1939. Suddenly the market became flooded with musicals, revues and operettas. The following all-color musicals were produced in 1929 and 1930 alone: The Show of Shows (1929), Sally (1929),The Vagabond King (1930), Follow Thru (1930), Bright Lights (1930), Golden Dawn (1930), Hold Everything (1930), The Rogue Song (1930), Song of the Flame (1930), Song of the West (1930), Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930), Under A Texas Moon (1930), Bride of the Regiment (1930), Whoopee! (1930), The King of Jazz (1930), Viennese Nights (1930), Kiss Me Again (1930). In addition, there were scores of musical features released with color sequences.

Hollywood released more than 100 musical films in 1930, but only 14 in 1931.^[4] By late 1930, audiences had been oversaturated with musicals and studios were forced to cut the music from films that were then being released. For example, Life of the Party (1930) was originally produced as an all-color, all-talking musical comedy. Before it was released, however, the songs were cut out. The same thing happened to Fifty Million Frenchmen (1931) and Manhattan Parade (1932) both of which had been filmed entirely in Technicolor. Marlene Dietrich sang songs successfully in her films, and Rodgers and Hart wrote a few well-received films, but even their popularity waned by 1932.^[4] The public had quickly come to associate color with musicals and thus the decline in their popularity also resulted in a decline.

Busby Berkeley[link]

The taste in musicals revived again in 1933 when director Busby Berkeley began to enhance the traditional dance number with ideas drawn from the drill precision he had experienced as a soldier during the First World War. In films such as 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Berkeley choreographed a number of films in his unique style. Berkeley's numbers typically begin on a stage but gradually transcend the limitations of theatrical space: his ingenious routines, involving human bodies forming patterns like a kaleidoscope, could never fit onto a real stage and the intended perspective is viewing from straight above.^[5]

Musical stars[link]

Musical stars such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were among the most popular and highly respected personalities in Hollywood during the classical era; the Fred and Ginger pairing was particularly successful, resulting in a number of classic films, such as Top Hat (1935), Swing Time (1936) and Shall We Dance (1937). Many dramatic actors gladly participated in musicals as a way to break away from their typecasting. For instance, the multi-talented James Cagney had originally risen to fame as a stage singer and dancer, but his repeated casting in "tough guy" roles and gangster movies gave him few chances to display these talents. Cagney's Oscar-winning role in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) allowed him to sing and dance, and he considered it to be one of his finest moments.

Many comedies (and a few dramas) included their own musical numbers. The Marx Brothers' movies included a musical number in nearly every film, allowing the Brothers to highlight their musical talents. Their final film, entitled Love Happy (1949), featured Vera-Ellen, considered to be the best dancer among her colleagues and professionals in the half century.

The Freed Unit[link]

During the late 1940s and into the 1950s, a production unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer headed by Arthur Freed made the transition from old-fashioned musical films, whose formula had become repetitive, to something new. (However, they also produced Technicolor remakes of such musicals as Show Boat, which had previously been filmed in the 1930s.) In 1939, Freed was hired as associate producer for the film Babes in Arms. Starting in 1944 with Meet Me in St. Louis, the Freed Unit worked somewhat independently of its own studio to produce some of the most popular and well-known examples of the genre. The products of this unit include Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949), An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952) and The Band Wagon (1953). This era saw musical stars become household names, including Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, Donald O'Connor, Cyd Charisse, Mickey Rooney, Vera-Ellen, Jane Powell, Howard Keel, and Kathryn Grayson. Fred Astaire was also coaxed out of retirement for Easter Parade and made a permanent comeback.

The post-classical era[link]

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In the 1960s, 1970s and continuing up to today the musical film became less of a bankable genre that could be relied upon for sure-fire hits. Audiences for them lessened and fewer musical films were produced as the genre became less mainstream and more specialized.

The 1960s musical[link]

In the 1960s the success of the films West Side Story, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music suggested that the traditional musical was in good health. However popular musical tastes were being heavily affected by rock and roll and the freedom and youth associated with it, and indeed Elvis Presley made a few movies that have been equated with the old musicals in terms of form. Most of the musical films of the 1950s and 1960s such as Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music were straightforward adaptations or restagings of successful stage productions. The most successful musical of the 1960s created specifically for film was Mary Poppins, one of Disney's biggest hits.

Despite the success of these musicals, Hollywood also produced a series of musical flops in the late 1960s and early 1970s which appeared to seriously misjudge public taste. The commercially and/or critically unsuccessful films included Camelot, Finian's Rainbow, Hello Dolly!, Sweet Charity, Doctor Dolittle, Star!, Darling Lili, Paint Your Wagon, Song of Norway, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Man of La Mancha, Lost Horizon and Mame. Collectively and individually these failures crippled several of the major studios.

1970s[link]

In the 1970s, film culture and the changing demographics of moviegoers placed greater emphasis on gritty realism, while the pure entertainment and theatricality of classical era Hollywood musicals was seen as old-fashioned. Changing cultural mores and the abandonment of the Hays Code in 1968 also contributed to changing tastes in movie audiences. The 1973 film of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar was met with some criticism by religious groups, but was well received. By the mid-1970s filmmakers avoided the genre in favor of using music by popular rock or pop bands as background music, partly in hope of selling a soundtrack album to fans. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was originally released in 1975 and was a critical failure until it started midnight screenings in the 1980s where it achieved cult status. 1976 saw the release of the low-budget comic musical, The First Nudie Musical, released by Paramount. The 1978 film version of Grease was a smash hit; its songs were original compositions done in a 1950s pop style. However, the sequel Grease 2 bombed at the box-office. Films about performers which incorporated gritty drama and musical numbers interwoven as a diegetic part of the storyline were produced, such as All That Jazz, Saturday Night Fever, and New York, New York. Some musicals released in the New Hollywood period experimented with the form, such as Bugsy Malone and Lisztomania. The film musicals that were still being made were financially and critically less successful than in their heyday. They include The Wiz, At Long Last Love, Funny Lady (Barbra Streisand's sequel to Funny Girl), A Little Night Music and Hair amongst others. The critical wrath against At Long Last Love in particular was so strong that it was never released on home video.

1980s to 1990s[link]

By the 1980s, financiers grew increasingly confident in the musical genre, partly buoyed by the relative health of the musical on Broadway and London's West End. Productions of the 1980s and 1990s included The Apple, Xanadu, Annie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Victor Victoria, Little Shop of Horrors, Absolute Beginners, Evita and Everyone Says I Love You. However, Can't Stop the Music, starring The Village People, was a calamitous attempt to resurrect the old-style musical and was released to audience indifference in 1980. Little Shop of Horrors was based on an off-Broadway musical adaptation of a 1960 Roger Corman film, a precursor of later film-to-stage-to-film adaptations, including The Producers.

Many animated movies of the period - predominately from Disney - included traditional musical numbers. Howard Ashman, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz had previous musical theatre experience and wrote songs for animated films during this time, supplanting Disney workhorses the Sherman Brothers. Starting with 1989's The Little Mermaid, the Disney Renaissance gave new life to the Film Musical. Other successful animated musicals included Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas from Disney proper, The Nightmare Before Christmas from Disney division Touchstone Pictures, The Prince of Egypt from DreamWorks, Anastasia from Fox and Don Bluth, and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut from Paramount. (Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King were adapted for the stage after their blockbuster success.)

The 2000s musical[link]

In the 2000s, the musical film began to rise in popularity once more, with new works such as Moulin Rouge!, Across the Universe, and Enchanted; film adaptations of stage shows, such as Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Fame, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Dreamgirls, Sweeney Todd, and Mamma Mia!; and even film versions of stage shows that were themselves based on non-musical films, such as The Producers, Hairspray, Reefer Madness, and Nine. Across the Universe, Moulin Rouge!, and Mamma Mia! continued the trend of incorporating familiar hit songs in the sub-genre known as jukebox musicals. Under the mainstream radar, there have been acclaimed independent musical films, such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Dancer in the Dark; and foreign musical films, such as 8 Women, The Other Side of the Bed and Yes Nurse! No Nurse!. Some musicals films of the decade became successes without receiving a theatrical release, like the first two made-for-television High School Musical films and the web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. In 2004, the New York Musical Theatre Festival presented a week-long festival of modern movie musicals that included 10 independent features made since 1996, as well as several programs of short movie musicals. In contrast to the 1990s, fewer major animated features of the 2000s included musical numbers, as the success of Pixar and DreamWorks computer animated films (which were not musicals) upset Disney's dominance. The 2009 film The Princess and the Frog was considered a throwback to the Disney musical style.

Musical films today[link]

Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Burlesque, Rio, and Tangled are films released in the 2010s that include musical numbers. Successful Broadway musicals will receive movie adaptations - such as Rock of Ages, American Idiot, Spring Awakening, Aida, Les Misérables, and The Book of Mormon. Remakes of classic musical films are also planned, including Annie, A Star Is Born for 2012, and Jesus Christ Superstar in 2014.

Spanish musical films[link]

Spain has a history and tradition of musical films that were made independent of Hollywood influence. The first films arise during the Second Spanish Republic of the 1930s and the advent of sound films. A few zarzuelas (Spanish operetta) were even adapted as screenplays during the silent era. The beginnings of the Spanish musical were focused on romantic Spanish archetypes: Andalusian villages and landscapes, gypsys, "bandoleros", and copla and other popular folk songs included in story development. These films had even more box-office success than Hollywood premieres in Spain. The first Spanish movie stars came from the musical genre: Imperio Argentina, Estrellita Castro, Florián Rey (director) and, later, Lola Flores, Sara Montiel and Carmen Sevilla. The Spanish musical started to expand and grow. Juvenile stars appear and top the box-office. Marisol, Joselito, Pili & Mili and Rocío Dúrcal was the major figures of musical films from 60's to 70's. Due to Spanish transition to democracy and rise of "Movida culture", the musical genre felt into a decadence of production and box-office, only saved by Carlos Saura and his flamenco musical films.

Indian musical films[link]

This section requires expansion.

An exception to the decline of the musical film is Indian cinema, especially the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), where the majority of films have been and still are musicals. The majority of films produced in the Tamil industry based in Chennai (formerly Madras) and Telugu industry based in Hyderabad are also musicals.

Influence on Western films[link]

In the 2000s, Bollywood musicals played an instrumental role in the revival of the musical film genre in the Western world.^{[citation needed]} Baz Luhrmann stated that his successful musical film Moulin Rouge! (2001) was directly inspired by Bollywood musicals.^[6] The film thus pays homage to India, incorporating an Indian-themed play based on the ancient Sanskrit drama The Little Clay Cart and a Bollywood-style dance sequence with a song from the film China Gate. The Guru and The 40-Year-Old Virgin also feature Indian-style song-and-dance sequences; the Bollywood musical Lagaan (2001) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; two other Bollywood films Devdas (2002) and Rang De Basanti (2006) were nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film; and Danny Boyle's Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008) also features a Bollywood-style song-and-dance number during the film's end credits.

Soviet musical film under Stalin[link]

Unlike the musical films of Hollywood and Bollywood, popularly identified with escapism, the Soviet musical was first and foremost a form of propaganda. Vladimir Lenin said that cinema was “the most important of the arts.” His successor, Joseph Stalin, also recognized the power of cinema in efficiently spreading Communist Party doctrine. Movies were widely popular in the 1920s, but it was foreign cinema that dominated the Soviet moviegoing market. Films from Germany and the U.S. proved more entertaining than Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein’s historical dramas.^[7] By the 1930s it was clear that if the Soviet cinema was to compete with its Western counterparts, it would have to give audiences what they wanted: the glamour and fantasy they got from Hollywood.^[8] The musical film, which emerged in the 1930s embodied the ideal combination of entertainment and official ideology.

A struggle between laughter for laughter’s sake and entertainment with a clear ideological message would define the golden age of the Soviet musical of the 1930s and 1940s. Then-head of the film industry Boris Shumyatsky sought to emulate Hollywood’s conveyor belt method of production, going so far as to suggest the establishment of a Soviet Hollywood.^[9]

[edit] The Jolly Fellows

In 1930 the esteemed Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein went to the United States with fellow director Grigori Aleksandrov to study Hollywood’s filmmaking process. The American films greatly impacted Aleksandrov, particularly the musicals.^[10] He returned in 1932, and in 1934 directed The Jolly Fellows, the first Soviet musical. The film was light on plot and focused more on the comedy and musical numbers. Party officials at first met the film with great hostility. Aleksandrov defended his work by arguing the notion of laughter for laughter’s sake.^[11] Finally, when Aleksandrov showed the film to Stalin, the leader decided that musicals were an effective means of spreading propaganda. Messages like the importance of collective labor and rags-to-riches stories would become the plots of most Soviet musicals.

"Movies for the Millions"[link]

The success of The Jolly Fellows ensured a place in Soviet cinema for the musical format, but immediately Shumyatsky set up strict guidelines to make sure the films promoted Communist values. Shumyatsky’s decree “Movies for the Millions” demanded conventional plots, characters, and montage to successfully portray Socialist Realism (the glorification of industry and the working class) on film.^[12]

The first successful blend of a social message and entertainment was Aleksandrov’s Circus (1936). It starred his wife, Lyubov Orlova (an operatic singer who had also appeared in The Jolly Fellows) as an American circus performer who has to immigrate to the USSR from the U.S. because she has a mixed race child, whom she had with a black man. Amidst the backdrop of lavish musical productions, she finally finds love and acceptance in the USSR, providing the message that racial tolerance can only be found in the Soviet Union.

The influence of Busby Berkeley’s choreography on Aleksandrov’s directing can be seen in the musical number leading up to the climax. Another, more obvious reference to Hollywood is the Charlie Chaplin impersonator who provides comic relief throughout the film. Four million people in Moscow and Leningrad went to see Circus during its first month in theaters.^[13]

Another of Aleksandrov’s more popular films was The Bright Path (1940). This was a reworking of the fairytale Cinderella set in the contemporary Soviet Union. The Cinderella of the story was again Orlova, who by this time was the most popular star in the USSR.^[14] It was a fantasy tale, but the moral of the story was that a better life comes from hard work. Whereas in Circus, the musical numbers involved dancing and spectacle, the only type of choreography in Bright Path is the movement of factory machines. The music was limited to Orlova’s singing. Here, work provided the spectacle.

Ivan Pyryev[link]

The other director of musical films was Ivan Pyryev. Unlike Aleksandrov, the focus of Pyryev’s films was life on the collective farms. His films, Tractor Drivers (1939), The Swineherd and the Shepherd (1941), and his most famous, Cossacks of the Kuban (1949) all starred his wife, Marina Ladynina. Like in Aleksandrov’s Bright Path, the only choreography was the work the characters were doing on film. Even the songs were about the joys of working.

Rather than having a specific message for any of his films, Pyryev promoted Stalin’s slogan “life has become better, life has become more joyous.”^[15] Sometimes this message was in stark contrast with the reality of the time. During the filming of Cossacks of the Kuban, the Soviet Union was going through a postwar famine. In reality, the actors who were singing about a time of prosperity were hungry and malnourished.^[16] The films did, however, provide escapism and optimism for the viewing public.

[edit] Volga-Volga

The most popular film of the brief era of Stalinist musicals was Alexandrov’s 1938 film Volga-Volga. The star, again, was Lyubov Orlova and the film featured singing and dancing, having nothing to do with work. It is the most unusual of its type. The plot surrounds a love story between two individuals who want to play music. They are unrepresentative of Soviet values in that their focus is more on their music than their jobs. The gags poke fun at the local authorities and bureaucracy. There is no glorification of industry since it takes place in a small rural village. Work is not glorified either, since the plot revolves around a group of villagers using their vacation time to go on a trip up the Volga to perform in Moscow.

Volga-Volga followed the aesthetic principles of Socialist Realism rather than the ideological tenets. It became Stalin’s favorite movie and he gave it as a gift to President Roosevelt during WWII. It is another example of one of the films that claimed life is better. Released at the height of Stalin’s purges, it provided escapism and a comforting illusion for the public.^{[10][citation needed]}

Lists of musical films[link]

• See List of musicals: A to L and List of musicals: M to Z for a list of musicals in alphabetical order; note that not all of these have been made into films.
• See List of musical films by year for a list of musical films in chronological order.
• See List of Bollywood films for a list of Bollywood musical films.

See also[link]

• List of movies based on stage plays or musicals
• AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

Mario Mims (born May 19, 1981), better known by his stage name Yo Gotti, is a southern rapper from the northern side of Memphis, Tennessee who was previously known as Lil Yo.

Music career[link]

Independent Albums[link]

Yo Gotti released a string of independent albums. From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game (2000),Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003) and Back 2 da Basics (2006) Yo Gotti became very well known in Memphis after the release of his album Life. The song "Dirty South Soldiers" featuring Lil Jon propelled Gotti into the higher ranks of Memphis rappers. The album Back 2 da Basics had even more success. The singles "I Got 'Em", "Full Time", "Shawty", & "Gangsta Party" featuring 8Ball & MJG solidified his status as one of the top rappers from the city.

[edit] Live from the Kitchen (2009-2012)

Yo Gotti's first studio album is called Live From The Kitchen. The album's original first single was titled ""5 Star"" and it was released on May 20, 2009. The single peaked at 79 on the Hot 100, 19 on U.S R&B and 11 on U.S Rap. "Women Lie, Men Lie" was the second official single released December 11, 2009. The song peaked at 81 on 100, 22 on the U.S R&B and 12 on the U.S Rap. "Look In the Mirror" was the third single released 7 months after his second single on July 27, 2010. The song peaked at 97 on the U.S R&B chart "For the Hood" featured rapper Gucci Mane it was released on October 1, 2010 and charted at 86 on the U.S R&B chart. "We Can Get It On" was released May 10, 2011, and the single featured R&B singer Ciara. It peaked at 40 on the U.S R&B Chart. "Single" was released on August 5, 2011. This song is said to be the first "official" single off the album, all the others would be cut from the album. The second single will be a song with rapper Drake, entitled by "All About Mine", produced by Giarad Fleetwood.

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• 2012: Live from the Kitchen

Independent albums

• 2000: From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game
• 2001: Self-Explanatory
• 2003: Life
• 2006: Back 2 da Basics

Mixtapes

• 2006: Full Time Hustlin'
• 2006: I Told U So (Gangsta Grillz)
• 2008: Cocaine Muzik
• 2009: CM2
• 2009: Cocaine Muzik 3
• 2010: Cocaine Muzik 4.5 (Da Documentary)
• 2010: CM5 (White Friday)
• 2011: CM6 (Gangster Of The Year)
• 2011: January 10th (The Mixtape)

Collaboration mixtapes

• 2008: Definition of a G (with Gucci Mane)
• 2010: Cocaine Muzik 4 (with Zedzilla)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Yo Gotti Official Site
• Yo Gotti RCA Label Site
• Yo Gotti | Features Artist | Global Hit Music
• Behind the Scenes, Yo Gotti, "Women Lie, Men Lie" in Los Angeles, February 4, 2010 by Streetgangs.com
• Yo Gotti Interview, Jan 18, 2010
• Non-commercial Yo Gotti mixtapes

Hugh Jackman
Jackman at the Sydney premiere for Real Steel, September 2011
Born	Hugh Michael Jackman (1968-10-12) 12 October 1968 (age 43) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994–present
Spouse	Deborra-Lee Furness (1996–present)

Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.

Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters. He is known for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series, as well as for his leads in Kate & Leopold, Van Helsing, The Prestige, Australia, and Real Steel. Jackman is a singer, dancer, and actor in stage musicals, and won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz.

In November 2008, Open Salon named Jackman one of the sexiest men alive.^[1] Later that same month, People magazine named Jackman "Sexiest Man Alive."^[2]

A three-time host of the Tony Awards, winning an Emmy Award for one of these appearances, Jackman also hosted the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February 2009.^[3]

Early life[link]

Jackman was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the youngest of five children of English parents Chris Jackman and Grace Watson, and the second child to be born in Australia (he also has a younger half-sister, from his mother's re-marriage).^[4] One of his paternal great-grandfathers was Greek.^[5] His parents divorced when he was eight, and he remained with his accountant father and siblings, while his mother moved back to England.^[6] As a child, Jackman liked the outdoors, spending a lot of time at the beach and on camping trips and vacations all over Australia. He wanted to see the world: "I used to spend nights looking at atlases. I decided I wanted to be a chef on a plane. Because I'd been on a plane and there was food on board, I presumed there was a chef. I thought that would be an ideal job."^[7]

Jackman went to primary school at Pymble Public School and later attended the all-boys Knox Grammar School, where he starred in its production of My Fair Lady in 1985, and became the captain of the school in 1986.^[8] Following graduation, he spent a gap year working at Uppingham School in England.^[9] On his return, he studied at the University of Technology, Sydney, graduating in 1991 with a BA in Communications.^[10] In his final year of university, he took a drama course to make up additional credits. The class did Václav Havel's The Memorandum with Jackman as the lead.^[4] He later commented, "In that week I felt more at home with those people than I did in the entire three years [at university]".^[11]

After obtaining his BA, Jackman completed the one-year course "The Journey" at the Actors' Centre in Sydney.^[4] About studying acting full-time, he stated, "It wasn't until I was 22 that I ever thought about my hobby being something I could make a living out of. As a boy, I'd always had an interest in theater. But the idea at my school was that drama and music were to round out the man. It wasn't what one did for a living. I got over that. I found the courage to stand up and say, 'I want to do it'."^[7] After completing "The Journey", he was offered a role on the popular soap opera Neighbours but turned it down^[12] to attend the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts of Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, from which he graduated in 1994.^[13]

Jackman has said he "always loved acting but when I started at drama school I was like the dunce of the class. It just wasn’t coming right to me. Everyone was cooler, everyone seemed more likely to succeed, everyone seemed more natural at it and in retrospect I think that is good. I think it is good to come from behind as an actor. I think it is good to go into an audition thinking 'Man I’ve got to be at my best to get this gig.'"^[14]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

On the night of his final Academy graduation performance, Jackman received a phone call offering him a role on Correlli: "I was technically unemployed for thirteen seconds." Correlli, devised by Australian actress Denise Roberts, was a 10-part drama series on ABC, Jackman's first major professional job, and where he met his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness: "Meeting my wife was the greatest thing to come out of it."^[7] The show lasted only one season.

After Correlli Jackman went on the stage in Melbourne. In 1996, Jackman played Gaston in the local Walt Disney production of Beauty and the Beast, and Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard.^[4] During his stage musical career in Melbourne, he starred in the 1998 Midsumma festival cabaret production Summa Cabaret. He also hosted Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight and Sydney's Carols in the Domain.

Jackman's early film work includes Erskineville Kings and Paperback Hero (1999), and his television work includes Law of the Land, Halifax f.p., Blue Heelers, and Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River.

[edit] Oklahoma!

Jackman became known outside of Australia in 1998, when he played the leading role of Curly in the Royal National Theatre's acclaimed stage production of Oklahoma!, in London's West End.^[4] The performance earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Jackman said "I totally felt like it can't get any better than this. On some level that production will be one of the highlights of my career."^[7] He also starred in the 1999 film version of the same stage musical, which has been screened in many countries.

[edit] X-Men

Jackman at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere, April 2009.

In 1999, Jackman was cast as Wolverine in Bryan Singer's X-Men (2000), replacing Dougray Scott. His co-stars included Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, Famke Janssen, and Ian McKellen. According to a CBS interview in November 2006, Jackman's wife Deborra-Lee Furness told him not to take the role, a comment she later told him she was glad he ignored.

Wolverine was tough for Jackman to portray because he had few lines, but a lot of emotion to convey in them. To prepare, he watched Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies and Mel Gibson in Road Warrior. "Here were guys who had relatively little dialogue, like Wolverine had, but you knew and felt everything. I'm not normally one to copy, but I wanted to see how these guys achieved it."^[7] Jackman was adamant about doing his own stunts for the movie. "We worked a lot on the movement style of Wolverine, and I studied some martial arts. I watched a lot of Mike Tyson fights, especially his early fights. There's something about his style, the animal rage, that seemed right for Wolverine. I kept saying to the writers, 'Don't give me long, choreographed fights for the sake of it. Don't make the fights pretty."^[7]

Jackman also had to get used to wearing Wolverine's claws. "Every day in my living room, I'd just walk around with those claws, to get used to them. I've got scars on one leg, punctures straight through the cheek, on my forehead. I'm a bit clumsy. I'm lucky I didn't tell them that when I auditioned."^[7]

Jackman, at 6 feet 2.5 inches (1.89 m),^[15] stands a foot taller than Wolverine, who is said in the original comic book to be 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m).^[16] Hence, the filmmakers were frequently forced to shoot Jackman at unusual angles or only from the waist up to make him appear shorter than he actually is, and his co-stars wore platform soles. Jackman was also required to add a great deal of muscle for the role, and in preparing for the fourth film in the series, he bench-pressed over 300 pounds.^[17] An instant star upon the film's release, Jackman later reprised his role in 2003's X2: X-Men United, 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, and 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He also cameos as Wolverine in 2011's X-Men: First Class.

2001[link]

Jackman starred as Leopold in the 2001 romantic comedy film Kate & Leopold, a role for which he received a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination.^[4] Jackman plays a Victorian English duke who accidentally time-travels to 21st-century Manhattan, where he meets Kate (Meg Ryan), a cynical advertising executive. In 2001, Jackman also starred in the action/drama Swordfish with John Travolta and Halle Berry. This was the second time Jackman worked with Berry, and the two have worked together twice more in the X-Men movies.

He hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 2001.^[18]

2002–2011 (Stage)[link]

Local advertising for the musical The Boy from Oz starring Jackman in New York City (2004)

In 2002, Jackman sang the role of Billy Bigelow in the musical Carousel in a special concert performance at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.

In 2004, Jackman won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his 2003–2004 Broadway portrayal of Australian songwriter and performer Peter Allen in the hit musical The Boy from Oz, which he also performed in Australia in 2006.^[4] In addition, Jackman hosted the Tony Awards in 2003, 2004, and 2005, garnering positive reviews. His hosting of the 2004 Tony Awards earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program.

Jackman co-starred with Daniel Craig on Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre in a limited engagement of the play A Steady Rain, which ran from 10 September 2009 to 6 December 2009.^[19]

He returned to Broadway in a new show, Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, which began performances on 25 October 2011 and concluded on 1 January 2012.^[20]

2003–2008 (Films)[link]

After 2003's X2: X-Men United, Jackman played the title role of monster killer Gabriel Van Helsing in the 2004 film Van Helsing.^[4] Jackman and the film were noted in Bruce A. McClelland's book "Slayers and Their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing the Dead".

Jackman was one of the choices to play James Bond in 2006's Casino Royale, but eventually lost out to Daniel Craig.^[21] Jackman starred in the 2006 film The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan and co-starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson. As Robert Angier, Jackman portrayed a magician who built up a rivalry with contemporary Alfred Borden in attempt to one-up each other in the art of deception. Jackman stated that his main reason for doing The Prestige was to work with the musician David Bowie, who played scientist Nikola Tesla.

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (right) at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere in Tempe, Arizona (2009)

Jackman portrayed three different characters in Darren Aronofsky's science-fiction film The Fountain: Tommy Creo, a neuroscientist, who's torn between his wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz) who is dying of a brain tumor, and his work at trying to cure her; Captain Tomas Creo, a Spanish Conquistador in 1532 Seville; and a future astronaut, Tom, travelling to a golden nebula in an eco-spacecraft seeking to be reunited with Izzi. Jackman said The Fountain was his most difficult film thus far due to the physical and emotional demands of the part.

Jackman also starred in Woody Allen's 2006 film Scoop opposite Scarlett Johansson. That year he also reprised the role of Wolverine in X-Men: The Last Stand. He rounded out 2006 with two animated films: Happy Feet, directed by George Miller, in which he voiced the part of Memphis, an emperor penguin; and Flushed Away, where Jackman supplied the voice of a rat named Roddy who ends up being flushed down a family's toilet into the London sewer system. Flushed Away co-starred Kate Winslet and Ian McKellen (Jackman's fourth time working with him).

In 2007, Jackman produced and guest-starred in the television musical-dramedy series Viva Laughlin, which was canceled by CBS after two episodes. Jackman's 2008 movies included Deception (which he starred in and produced), Uncle Jonny, and Australia.

[edit] Australia

In 2008, director Baz Luhrmann cast Jackman to replace Russell Crowe as the male lead in his much-publicized epic film, Australia, which co-starred Nicole Kidman. The movie was released in late November 2008 in Australia and the U.S.

Jackman played a tough, independent cattle drover, who reluctantly helps an English noblewoman in her quest to save both her philandering husband's Australian cattle station and the half-caste Aboriginal child she finds there.

Of the movie, Jackman said, "This is pretty much one of those roles that had me pinching myself all the way through the shoot. I got to shoot a big-budget, shamelessly old-fashioned romantic epic set against one of the most turbulent times in my native country's history, while, at the same time, celebrating that country's natural beauty, its people, its cultures.... I'll die a happy man knowing I've got this film on my CV."^[22]

2009 to present[link]

Jackman's X-Men sequel film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, opened in 2009.

Jackman had a one-man show at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco from 3–15 May 2011.^[23] The production was a mixture of his favorite Broadway and Hollywood musical numbers, backed by a 17-piece orchestra, from shows including Oklahoma and The Boy from Oz. The show had a run-time of approximately 100 minutes, and also included slide shows of Jackman's youth, family, and work, as well as some one-on-one interaction with the audience. Jackman was backed by fellow musical theatre veterans Merle Dandridge and Angel Reda.^[24][25]

Future projects[link]

• Director Lee Daniels has confirmed Jackman has joined the cast of his upcoming film Selma, a film about Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon Baines Johnson and the civil rights marches.^[26]
• On 27 January 2011, DreamWorks announced that Jackman will star in the film Rise of the Guardians, scheduled to be released on 21 November 2012.^[27]
• Jackman has been cast in Movie 43, an upcoming 2012 ensemble comedy.^[28]
• Jackman will star as Jean Valjean in the film Les Misérables, an adaptation of the musical.^[29][30][31]
• Jackman will reprise his role as Logan/Wolverine from the X-Men film series in the 2013 film "The Wolverine"^[32]
• Jackman will feature in the film "The Greatest Showman on Earth"^[33]

Production company[link]

In 2005, Jackman joined with longtime assistant John Palermo to form a production company, Seed Productions, whose first project was Viva Laughlin in 2007. Jackman's wife Deborra-Lee Furness is also involved in the company, and Palermo had three rings made with a "unity" inscription for himself, Furness, and Jackman.^[34] Jackman said, "I'm very lucky in the partners I work with in my life, Deb and John Palermo. It really works. We all have different strengths. I love it. It's very exciting."^[35]

The Fox-based Seed label has grown in size to include execs Amanda Schweitzer, Kathryn Tamblyn, Allan Mandelbaum and Joe Marino, with Alana Free operating the Sydney-based production office whose goal is to mount modest-budget films to harness local talent in Jackman's home country.

Other interests[link]

Charity work[link]

Jackman aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge in New York (2006)

As a philanthropist, Jackman is a longtime proponent of microcredit – the extension of very small loans to prospective entrepreneurs in impoverished countries. He is a vocal supporter of Muhammad Yunus, microcredit pioneer and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.^[36][37][38]

Jackman is a global advisor of the Global Poverty Project, for which he narrated a documentary;^[39] and he and the project's founder Hugh Evans visited the UN for the cause in 2009.^[40] Jackman hosted a preview of the Global Poverty Project Presentation in New York together with Donna Karran, Lisa Fox and his wife Deborra-Lee.^[41] He is also a World Vision ambassador and participated in the climate week NYC ceremony on 21 September 2009.^[42][43]

Jackman supports The Art of Elysium^[44] and the MPTV Fund Foundation,^[45] and he and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness are patrons of the Bone Marrow Institute in Australia.^[46] Jackman also narrated the 2008 documentary about global warming, The Burning Season.^[47]

Jackman also uses his Twitter account for charity. On 14 April 2009 Jackman posted on his Twitter page that he would donate $100,000 to one individual's favorite non profit organization.^[48] On 21 April 2009 he revealed his decision to donate $50,000 to Charity:Water and $50,000 to Operation of Hope.^[49][50]

Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig made a unique place for themselves in the history of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising 8 December 2009, when it was announced that they had raised $1,549,953 in the 21st annual Gypsy of the Year competition, from six weeks of curtain appeals at their hit Broadway drama, A Steady Rain.^[51]

Sports and other activities[link]

Jackman and Furness at Mumbai International Airport to attend FICCI – Frames film convention, 2011^[52]

Jackman has shown keen interest in sports. In high school, he played rugby union and cricket, took part in high jumping and was on the swimming team.^[4] He enjoys basketball and kayaking.^[53] He has expressed an interest in football, committing his support to Norwich City FC.^[54] In the United States, Jackman supports the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer, attending a game at PPL Park in June 2010.^[55] On 22 June 2011, Jackman again attended a home Union match against Sporting KC, sitting in front of the Sons of Ben supporters section, nicknamed "The River End".

Jackman is a longtime fan and supporter of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, a NRL club based in Sydney's north.^[56] He sang the national anthem at the 1999 NRL Grand Final.^[57]

Jackman also guest starred on the 19 September 2011 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, assisting Zack Ryder in a win over WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler. Jackman helped "Long Island Iced Z" get the 3 count in a non-title match by punching the champion in the jaw whilst the referee was not looking.^[58][59]

Jackman plays the piano,^[60] does yoga,^[61] and has been a member of the School of Practical Philosophy since 1992.^[62]

Personal life[link]

Jackman married Deborra-Lee Furness on 11 April 1996. They met on Correlli, an Australian television series. Jackman personally designed an engagement ring for Furness, and their wedding rings bore the Sanskrit inscription "Om paramar mainamar", translated as "we dedicate our union to a greater source".^[63]

Furness had two miscarriages,^[64] following which she and Jackman adopted two children, Oscar Maximillian (born 15 May 2000)^[65] and Ava Eliot (born 10 July 2005).^[66]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Awards[link]

Jackman's signature at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

• 1997 Variety Club Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sunset Boulevard
• 1998 Mo Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sunset Boulevard
• 1999 Australian Movie Convention, Australian Star of the Year
• 2000 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for Best Actor Erskineville Kings
• 2000 Saturn Award for Best Actor – X-Men
• 2001 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films - X-Men
• 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 Theatre World Award – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 Broadway Audience Award – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance of the Year – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 TDF-Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer in Theatre – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 Theater Fan's Choice Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
• 2004 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival – Short Film Award for Best Actor – "Making the Grade"
• 2004 Australian Showbusiness Ambassador of the Year
• 2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program – 58th Annual Tony Awards Ceremonies
• 2006 ShoWest Award for Male Star of the Year
  

  

  Jackman and Halle Berry visiting with sailors and Marines during the opening day of Fleet Week New York 2006
• 2006 Mo Award for Australian Performer of the Year
• 2008 WAAPA – Chancellor's Alumni Award for Excellence, UTS Towering Achievement Award
• 2008 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical – The Boy from Oz
• 2008 Australian Film Institute Award Readers' Choice
• 2008 People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive Award
• 2008 Australian GQ Man of the Year
• 2008 Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor in an Action Adventure X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2009 Jackman had his hand and footprint ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 21 April 2009.^[68]
• 2009 Best Performance By A Human Male at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2010 People's Choice Award for Favorite Action Star – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2011 Scream Award for Best Cameo - X-Men: First Class
• 2012 People's Choice Award for Favorite Action Movie Actor - Real Steel

Nominations[link]

• 1997 Mo Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Beauty and the Beast
• 1998 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Oklahoma!
• 1999 Australian Film Institute for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Erskineville Kings
• 2001 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Kate & Leopold
• 2001 CFCA Award for Most Promising Actor
• 2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for Favorite Male - X-Men
• 2001 MTV Movie Awards for Best On-Screen Team - X-Men
• 2001 MTV Movie Awards for Breakthrough Male Performance - X-Men
• 2002 Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Kate & Leopold
• 2003 Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor - X-Men 2
• 2004 Empire Awards for Best Actor - X-Men 2
• 2004 MTV Movie Awards for Best Fight - X-Men 2
• 2004 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Actor - Van Helsing
• 2004 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Chemistry - Van Helsing
• 2005 People's Choice Awards for Favorite Male Action Movie Star
• 2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program - [[58th Tony Awards|58th Annual Tony Awards Ceremonies
• 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program – 59th Annual Tony Awards Ceremonies
• 2006 Green Room Award for Best Male Artist in a Leading Role – The Boy from Oz
• 2006 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Actor - X-Men: The Last Stand
• 2006 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Liplock - X-Men: The Last Stand
• 2007 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Actor - The Fountain
• 2007 Australian Film Institute for Best Actor - The Prestige
• 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Programs - 81st Academy Awards
• 2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Drama Actor - Australia
• 2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Hissy Fit - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Rumble - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2010 MTV Movie Awards for Best Fight - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2010 People's Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor
• 2010 People's Choice Awards for Favorite On-Screen Team - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2010 SFX Awards for Best Actor - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• 2012 People's Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor

Mentions in popular culture[link]

• Jackman was chosen as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive of 2008.^[2]
• In the ABC comedy-drama Scrubs, one of the more prominent running gags is Dr. Cox's (John C. McGinley) seemingly irrational hatred of Jackman.
• In the 7th season of Punk'd, Jackman was led to believe that he had accidentally blown up director Brett Ratner's house.^[69]
• On the Season 6, Episode 13 of Will & Grace, which aired on 10 February 2004, the character Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes), mentions he is going to see The Boy From Oz, because he can not wait to see Hugh Jackman.^[70] He later discusses wanting to sue Jackman for stealing some of his dance moves.

References[link]