Early life
Law was born in Lewisham, South London, England to teachers Peter and Maggie Law, who run a drama school in France. His sister Natasha is a well regarded illustrator and artist. He was educated at `John Ball` Primary school in Blackheath and Kidbrooke School in Kidbrooke then Alleyn`s School in Dulwich. He started acting with the National Youth Music Theatre at the age of 12 and, at 17, dropping out of school completely.


[edit] Career
Law`s first major stage role was as Foxtrot Darling, the sexually ambiguous and manipulative teenager in Philip Ridley`s The Fastest Clock In The Universe. Law went on to appear as Michael in the West End production of Indiscretions, an imaginative re-working of Jean Cocteau`s tragicomedy Les parents terribles directed by Sean Mathias, a role he subsequently played on Broadway opposite Kathleen Turner, Roger Rees and Cynthia Nixon.

After minor roles in British television, including a two year stint in the Granada TV soap opera Families in 1990, Law had his breakthrough with the British ram-raiding drama Shopping which also featured his future wife Sadie Frost. He shot to fame in Britain upon the release of Wilde, in which he played Lord Alfred Douglas, the glamorous lover of Stephen Fry`s Oscar Wilde.

He subsequently moved to Hollywood; his performances include Gattaca, as a frustrated Olympic medalist bound by a wheelchair, in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil as the ill-fated lover of Kevin Spacey`s character, and in Road to Perdition as a sadistic hitman in a critically-praised performance. He has been nominated for an Academy Award twice; once as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Talented Mr. Ripley in 2000, and then again as Best Actor in a Leading Role for Cold Mountain in early 2003.

In 1997 he set up a film company, Natural Nylon, with Sadie Frost and fellow friends and thespians Jonny Lee Miller, Ewan McGregor, Sean Pertwee, Damon Bryant and Bradley Adams.

He portrayed the lead character in Alfie, the remake of Bill Naughton`s 1966 drama. He also acted opposite Michael Caine in the 2007 remake Sleuth. In both films, he plays the role originally played by Caine. In Sleuth Michael Caine played Laurence Olivier`s role. Law is an admirer of Olivier and it was Law`s idea to use archive footage of Olivier (who died in 1989) in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow so the deceased actor could "play" the film`s villain.

Jude Law is on the latest Top Ten List from the 2006 A-list of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. The list was created by James Ulmer, he calls his method "The Ulmer Scale". He was honored with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government on March 1, 2007 in recognition of his contribution to World Cinema Arts. He was named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres .

He is a fan of the graphic novel Watchmen, by Alan Moore, so much so he has a tattoo of the Rorschach character. He has maintained an interest in being involved in a feature film production of the series, especially if it were directed by Darren Aronofsky. He has said that he would most likely play the character Ozymandias. He was, at one point, courted to play either Batman or Superman in Batman Begins, Batman vs. Superman, and/or General Zod in Superman Returns. In 2005, he was one of many actors rumored to be a possible choice to assume the role of James Bond, as MGM decided not to renew Irish actor Pierce Brosnan`s c

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