David Jude Heyworth Law is a British actor and two time Oscar nominee. He is a common sight in many fundraising and charity events which are aimed at saving young children and fighting diseases.
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Personal Life
Jude Law was born on 29th December 1972 in Lewishman, a borough in South London. He was born to Margret Anne and Peter Robert Law who were both school teachers, who currently reside in France and own a drama school, which they run. He is the younger of their two children, his sister Natasha who is an artist and illustrator lives in London.
Law was raised in Blackheath and studied at John Ball Primary School, Blackheath and two other schools, Kidbrooke School and Alleyn’s School. His parents named him after the famous Beatles song titled ‘Hey Jude’ and the Thomas Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure.
In 1997, he married Sadie Frost with whom he had a daughter and two sons. He was engaged to actress Sienna Miller in 2004 which they broke off in 2006. Law was with Samantha Burke in 2008 for a short period and had a fourth child with her. Again in 2009, Miller and Law got back together and moved apart in 2011. He became a father for the fifth time in 2014 when his then-girlfriend Catherine Harding gave birth to Ada in 2015.
Career
Jude Law began his career as a theatre actor, for his role in Sean Mathias’s Les Parents Terribles he won the Ian Charleson Award, the Theatre World Award and gained a Tony Award nomination. Law’s entry into the small screen was the 1989 television film The Tailor of Gloucester as a stable boy. ‘Shopping’ the British crime drama was his major breakthrough on TV.
In 1997, he earned high praises and awards for his portrayal of Lord Alfred Douglas in ‘Wilde’ the Oscar Wilde biopic. He gained his Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Best Actor nomination for the 2003 film, Cold Mountain. Along with actors Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams he starred as Dr. Waston in Sherlock Homes and the sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
In 2009, Law went back to the theatre to play in Hamlet, for which he received mixed reviews from the critics. In spite of that, he was nominated for the Tony Award in 2010. One of Law’s greatest roles was as Pope Pius XIII in the TV series The Young Pope, directed by Paolo Sorrentino, an Oscar-winning director.
Being a big animal lover who advocates the need for protection of animals, he directed commercial promoting the anti-fur campaign. He has been the face of major companies namely Dunhill and Dior Homme Sport. Law has constantly been a part of fundraisings for UNICEF, AIDS campaigns, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, cancer research and rehabilitation of children without families. He is a strong advocate of taking steps for compacting climate change. Young Vic committee is an initiative of which he is the Chairman, aimed at helping budding young directors.
Last Modified: Mar 6, 2020
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