Hugh Jackman is one of Hollywood's hottest properties. He has become an international superstar thanks to his role as Wolverine in the X-Men series, and is loved by fans worldwide thanks to his extremely varied career as an actor and producer in film, television and musical theatre. Born in Sydney, Australia, in 1968, Jackman was offered a role in Neighbours aged 24 but turned it down in order to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth. He then went on to star in several muscial theatre productions in Australia before gaining international recognition on London's West End in a critically acclaimed production of Oklahoma! for which he received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor. In 2000, Jackman's Hollywood break came as he was cast as Wolverine, a role that catapulted him to stardom. He has since reprised the role in box office hits X-Men 2, X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He has continued to combine a successful theatre career with his work on the big screen, winning a Tony Award for his 2004 Broadway performance in The Boy From Oz. Rumoured to have been shortlisted for the role of James Bond, Jackman then went on to star in 2006 animated film Happy Feet and alongside fellow Australian star Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann's epic film Australia. Named 'Sexiest Man Alive' by People magazine in 2008, Hugh Jackman's stock has continued to rise, and in 2009 he hosted the 81st Academy Awards.