Australian actor Hugh Jackman was BOTD in 1968. Born in Sydney to English immigrant parents, his parents separated when he was eight, and he was raised by his father after his mother returned to England. Educated at private schools, he studied at the University of Technology Sydney, appearing in amateur theatre productions. He trained at the Actors’ Centre and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. After graduating in 1995, he landed his first professional role in the TV prison drama Correlli, starring opposite his future wife Deborra Lee-Furness. In 1998, he starred in a London revival of the musical Oklahoma!, launching his international career. He became a global superstar in 2000 as furry muscle bear Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s film X-Men, a heavily queered adaptation of the Marvel comic book series. Multiple X-Men sequels followed, alongside an eclectic and uneven film career, including the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold, the mostly shirtless action film Swordfish, vampire thriller Van Helsing and historical drama The Prestige. He became the darling of Broadway in 2002, starring as gay Australian singer Peter Allen in the musical The Boy From Oz, winning a Tony Award. In 2012, he earned his first Oscar nomination for playing Jean Valjean in the screen adaptation of musical Les Miserables. He continued to alternate testosterone-heavy action films alongside stage musical appearances in The Music Man, and starred as P. T. Barnum in the musical film The Greatest Showman. Jackman and Furness married in 1996 and raised two adopted children, announcing their separation in 2023. Tall, obscenely handsome and unafraid to play gay, he has denied rumours about his sexuality throughout his career, to the disappointment of his legions of gay fans. As of 2024, he was in a relationship with American actress Sutton Foster.