Eric Bana

Name: Eric Bana
Date of Birth: August 09, 1968
Place of Birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Mini-bio: Eric Bana was born Eric Banadinovich on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the younger of two brothers. His father, named Ivan Banadinovic, came from Zagreb, Croatia, and worked ...( read more)as a manager for Caterpiller Inc. His mother, named Eleanor Banadinovich, came from a German family and was a hairdresser.

Young Bana grew up in suburban Melbourne. He was popular among his schoolmates for his talent of making comic impressions of his teachers. At that time he was fond of Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979) and also decided to become an actor. He moved to Sydney; there he studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), and worked odd jobs to support himself. In 1991 he began a career as a stand-up comedian, while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel. In 1993 Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's Tonight Live talk show, then joined the 'Full Frontal' TV-series. He gained popularity for making impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruse, and Colombo. In 1996 he started his own show titled 'Eric', then launched a comedy series titled 'The Eric Bana Show'. The show was canceled for the lack of substantial audience, however, in 1997, Bana received the Logie Award for "Most Popular Comedian" for his work on 'The Eric Bana Show' (1997).

He made his film debut in 'The Castle' (1997), in a supporting comic role. That same year he was cast to portray Read, the notorious Australian underworld figure. For the role, Bana gained 30 pounds, by eating junk food; he also spent a few days with Read in prison, in order to perfect his mimicry. Bana completely transformed himself into a bald, fat, disturbed criminal. He would arrive on the film set at four in the morning, spending several hours in makeup, being tattooed exactly like Read. Chopper (2000) became an international success and won three Australian Film Institute Awards. Bana won the Best Actor at the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival and also the AFI 2000 Best Actor Award. Then he co-starred in Black Hawk Down (2001), then starred in Hulk (2003). In 2002 he was cast as a Trojan Prince Hector in the historical epic Troy (2004), after being recommended by Brad Pitt, who admired Bana for his work in Chopper (2000). In 2005, Bana co-starred with Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush in the political drama Munich (2005) directed by Steven Spielberg.

In 1995 he began dating Rebecca Gleeson, a publicist and daughter of Australian High Court Chief Justice, Murray Gleeson. The following year he was named "Bachelor of the Year" by Cleo Magazine, and won a trip for two to the United States. He invited Gleeson, and proposed to her during that romantic trip. In 1997 the two were married; their son, Klaus, was born in 1999, their daughter, Sophia, was born in 2002. He currently resides in Melbourne with his wife and their two children. Bana is a passionate supporter of Australian football.

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Eric Bana

mini-bio: Eric Bana was born Eric Banadinovich on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the younger of two brothers. His father, named Ivan Banadinovic, came from Zagreb, Croatia, and worked as a manager for Caterpiller
Inc. His mother, named Eleanor Banadinovich, came from a German family and was
a hairdresser.

flixster.actor.pane.162662190 - flixster

Young Bana grew up in suburban Melbourne. He was popular among his
schoolmates for his talent of making comic impressions of his teachers.
At that time he was fond of Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979) and also decided to become an actor. He moved to Sydney; there he studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), and worked odd jobs to support himself. In 1991 he began a career as a stand-up comedian, while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel. In 1993 Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's Tonight Live talk show, then joined the 'Full Frontal' TV-series. He gained popularity for making impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruse,
and Colombo. In 1996 he started his own show titled 'Eric', then launched a comedy series titled 'The Eric Bana Show'. The show was canceled for the lack of
substantial audience, however, in 1997, Bana received the Logie Award for "Most Popular Comedian" for his work on 'The Eric Bana Show' (1997).

He made his film debut in 'The Castle' (1997), in a supporting comic role. That same year he was cast to portray Read, the notorious Australian underworld figure.
For the role, Bana gained 30 pounds, by eating junk food; he also spent a few days with Read in prison, in order to perfect his mimicry. Bana completely transformed himself into a bald, fat, disturbed criminal.

He would arrive on the film set at four in the morning, spending several hours in makeup, being tattooed exactly like Read. Chopper (2000) became an international success and won three Australian Film Institute Awards. Bana won the Best Actor
at the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival and also the AFI 2000 Best Actor Award.
Then he co-starred in Black Hawk Down (2001), then starred in Hulk (2003).
In 2002 he was cast as a Trojan Prince Hector in the historical epic Troy (2004), after being recommended by Brad Pitt, who admired Bana for his work in Chopper (2000).
In 2005, Bana co-starred with Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush in the political drama Munich (2005) directed by Steven Spielberg.

In 1995 he began dating Rebecca Gleeson, a publicist and daughter of Australian
High Court Chief Justice, Murray Gleeson. The following year he was named
"Bachelor of the Year" by Cleo Magazine, and won a trip for two to the
United States. He invited Gleeson, and proposed to her during that romantic trip. In 1997 the two were married; their son, Klaus, was born in 1999, their daughter,
Sophia, was born in 2002. He currently resides in Melbourne with his wife and their
two children. Bana is a passionate supporter of Australian football.

VITAL STATS

Eric Bana Information:

Eye color: Dark Brown

Height: 6' 3''

Notable feature(s): Boy next door good looks mixed with a rugged manliness

Education: National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia

Family :Married to Rebecca Gleeson and have two children, a son Klaus (born July 1998), and a daughter Sophia (born April 2001).

Personal interests/hobbies: He loves racing both bikes and cars in Australia, He made his motorsport debut in 1996's Targa Tasmania, driving that same 1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe. Other competitions include the 2002 and 2003 Classic Adelaide. Supports St. Kilda Australian rules football team. One of his most admired actors is Rade Serbedzija.

Charities/Causes:

The Australian Childhood Foundation	Childhood.org.au
Bone Marrow Donor's Institute	BMDI.org.au
FSID: Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths	Sids.org.uk
James Dean Road Safety	Daltech.com.au
Mental Illness Fellowship	MIFellowship.org
National Hemophilia Foundation	Hemophilia.org
SPCA: Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals	SPCA.com
RSPCA: Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals	RSPCA.org.uk
Endangered Tasmanian Devil	Ausemade.com.au
Toy Run	ToyRun.org.au
Youth Off the Streets	YouthOffTheStreets.com.au

Other: Began as a stand up comedian and then moved on to acting career by doing various jobes at the same time.

Last update: Mar 14 2009, 5:37 PM EDT by BorrowedHeart (content history | content tools) (help)

Keyword tags:

Eric Bana Biography Eric Bana Quotes Eric Bana Best Movies and Characters

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Comments

jamty4real85

u is the best and will always watch ur movies

posted 40 days ago
mahoonecharlsey

u are the best

posted 42 days ago
alidog1

i met eric bana when he did a film out on my farm.. he really nice and funny..
i got to be in a movie with him...
anyways it was nice to meet u eric
the movie was "Romulus my father"
good movie
bye

posted 51 days ago
tmagee43

hi eric, just want to say hello and keep up the good work

posted 65 days ago
angelove597

he is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo very hot 4 his age lol

posted 76 days ago
oforkajao

He is a nice guy,i like him nd his accting.Kuddos to him.

posted 102 days ago
mrynsa

eric, you one kind of a man. very cute, handsome and hot!!!!!

posted 303 days ago
LeadingMenCollection

There must be something in the water in Australia.

We've been after some of his wardrobe for years and finally got some back in July. We'll probably have it all cataloged and online before December.

posted 403 days ago
benoitkafe

bonjour eric moi ces benoit kafando je veux bien etre parmi tes fan j sui burkinabe .je d ecrit depuit le burkina faso . premier fan burkinabe .tu voix ces cool eric tu es simpa e gentil tous c que tu fais thank you bye .

posted 451 days ago
darknessroom34

You are one good actor...i love you...:)

posted 468 days ago

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Eric Bana Movies

The Time Traveler's Wife (PG-13, 2009)
Funny People (R, 2009)
Star Trek (PG-13, 2009)
Love the Beast (Unrated, 2009)
Mary and Max (Unrated, 2009)
The Other Boleyn Girl (PG-13, 2008)
Romulus, My Father (R, 2008)
Lucky You (PG-13, 2007)
Munich (R, 2005)
Troy (R, 2004)

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Eric Bana Trivia

What 2 actors star together in Black Hawk Down and Troy Answer »
In what movie did Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom and Brat Pitt star in? Answer »
In which movie did Brad Pitt and Eric Bana duke it out in a life or death sword fight? Answer »
Who stars in the movie 'Chopper' Answer »

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