Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law is an English actor. He began his career in British theatre before landing small roles in various television productions and feature films. Law gained international recognition for his role in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award in the same category.
Law found further critical and commercial success in Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition, Minghella's Cold Mountain, for which he earned Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, in addition to the drama Closer and the romantic comedy The Holiday. His subsequent roles were as Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, a young Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel ; all of which rank among his highest-grossing releases. Other notable films include Contagion, Hugo, Side Effects, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Spy, as well as the television series The Young Pope, The New Pope, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, earning a Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performer nomination for the latter.
In addition to his film work, Law has performed in several West End and Broadway productions including Les Parents terribles in 1994, Hamlet in 2010, and Anna Christie in 2011. These earned him nominations for two Tony Awards. He has also been awarded the Honorary César and was named a knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.
Early life and education
David Jude Heyworth Law was born on 29 December 1972 in the London borough of Lewisham. to Peter Robert Law and Margaret Anne Heyworth, both teachers who had married five years earlier. His father later became, according to Law, "the youngest headmaster in London". He is of Welsh descent through his maternal grandmother, who had originally been "long lost" from his family because Law's mother had been put up for adoption as a child. Law was given the first name David after the best friend of his father, but has always been referred to by his middle name, Jude, which was taken both from the protagonist of Thomas Hardy's novel Jude the Obscure and the Beatles' song "Hey Jude". He grew up in Blackheath, an area in the borough of Greenwich, with his older sister, Natasha, where he was educated, first at John Ball Primary School, then briefly at Kidbrooke School, and then at Alleyn's School.Career
1987–1999: Early work and breakthrough
Law began acting in 1987 with the National Youth Music Theatre, though his interest in performing began during his childhood, having been previously cast in a Saint George and the Dragon rendition as a five-year-old. Having grown a dislike for school, Law dropped out at age 17 to pursue acting, playing various roles in the Edinburgh Fringe-awarded play The Ragged Child. One of his first major stage roles was Foxtrot Darling in Philip Ridley's The Fastest Clock in the Universe, which he performed at the Hampstead Theatre in London. Law went on to appear as Michael in the 1994 West End rendition of Jean Cocteau's tragicomedy Les Parents terribles, directed by Sean Mathias. This performance earned him a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Newcomer, as well as a Ian Charleson Award under the same category title. Following a title change to Indiscretions, the play was reworked and transferred to Broadway in 1995, where Law acted opposite Kathleen Turner, Roger Rees and Cynthia Nixon. This role earned him a Tony Award nomination for best supporting actor, and the Theatre World Award.In 1989, Law received his first television role in a film based on the Beatrix Potter children's book, The Tailor of Gloucester. Following this, he took on minor roles in various British television series, including a two-year stint in the Granada TV produced ITV soap opera Families. He also appeared in the episode "Shoscombe Old Place" in ITV's Sherlock Holmes, and he played the leading role in the BFI/Channel 4 short The Crane.
In 1994, Law appeared in his first major leading film role with the British crime drama Shopping, which also starred his then future wife, Sadie Frost. He later gained prominence for his role in the Oscar Wilde biopic Wilde, for which he won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer as well as a London Film Critics Circle Award for his portrayal of Lord Alfred Douglas, the glamorous young lover of Stephen Fry's Wilde. The New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin noted that Law's "voluptuous beauty and mocking, boyish petulance gives a rock star's presence." Other reviewers including William Gallagher also complimented Law's appearance as the character. In Andrew Niccol's science fiction film Gattaca, Law took on the role of a disabled former swimming star living in a eugenics-obsessed dystopia. In Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, he played the role of Billy Hanson, a male prostitute killed by his partner, an art dealer portrayed by Kevin Spacey. Law also played Steven Grlscz, a vampire and an expert seducer, in The Wisdom of Crocodiles.
In 1999, Law starred alongside Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the psychological thriller film The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed by Anthony Minghella. Law learned to play the saxophone for his role in the film, and his performance earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, as well as nominations for the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw commented on Law giving "a very stylish and charismatic performance as the exquisite Dickie, all cruelty and caprice."
At this time, Law and his then-wife Sadie Frost were members of the Primrose Hill set, which, along with other members such as Jonny Lee Miller, led to the 1996 creation of production company Natural Nylon, which he would later leave in 2003.
2000–2008: Expansion and critical recognition
In 2001, Law starred as Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsev in the film Enemy at the Gates, and learned ballet dancing for the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence. In 2002, Law played a mob hitman in Sam Mendes's 1930s period drama Road to Perdition. In 2003, he again collaborated with director Minghella for the period war film Cold Mountain opposite Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger, for which he received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and the Academy Award for Best Actor.Law, an admirer of Laurence Olivier, suggested the actor's image be included in the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Using computer graphics technology, footage of the young Olivier was merged into the film, playing Dr. Totenkopf, a mysterious scientific genius and supervillain. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow would be the final film produced by Natural Nylon, which had folded with the departure of its founding members, including Law. The company did not see major successes. Also in 2004, Law portrayed the title character in Alfie, a remake of Bill Naughton's 1966 film, playing the role originated by Michael Caine; the remake received negative reviews and flopped at the box office. Law later took on another of Caine's earlier roles in the 2007 film Sleuth, adapted by Nobel Laureate in Literature Harold Pinter and playing opposite Caine himself, who took on the mentor role originated by Laurence Olivier. People magazine named Law the Sexiest Man Alive in their November 2004 issue, with his I Heart Huckabees co-star Naomi Watts quoted as saying "He's the most beautiful man who ever walked the earth — an absolutely perfect oil painting".
In 2006, he portrayed the role of a single parent in the American romantic comedy film The Holiday, written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. In 2007, Law starred alongside Norah Jones in the romantic drama My Blueberry Nights, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, he received the Honorary César at the 32nd César Awards, and was named a knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by Gerard Errera, the French ambassador. By the end of the year, Law was one of the Top Ten A-list of the most bankable film stars in Hollywood, according to the Ulmer Scale.
2009–present: Return to theatre and other projects
In May 2009, Law returned to the London stage to portray the title role in William Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Donmar Warehouse West End season at Wyndham's Theatre. The BBC reported "a fine and solid performance" but included other reviews of Law's interpretation that were mixed. There was a further run of the production at Elsinore Castle in Denmark from 25–30 August 2009. In September 2009, the production transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City. The Washington Post felt the much-anticipated performance was "highly disappointing". Nonetheless, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play and at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards ceremony, he was presented with the John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance. Also in 2009, Law became one of three actors who took over the role of actor Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Along with Law, actors Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell portray "three separate dimensions in the film".In 2010, Law appeared opposite Forest Whitaker in the dark science fiction comedy Repo Men, and also starred as Dr. Watson in Guy Ritchie's adaption of Sherlock Holmes, alongside Robert Downey, Jr. and Rachel McAdams, as well as the 2011 sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. In 2009, Law starred as a drag-performing supermodel in Sally Potter's film Rage. He portrayed blogger Alan Krumwiede in the 2011 medical thriller Contagion. The Hollywood Reporter critic Todd McCarthy called the character "excellent" and praised the "compelling ferociousness" of Law's portrayal.
In May 2015, it was announced that Law would portray Lenny Belardo/Pius XIII, an American cardinal who becomes the pope. A ten-episode series titled The Young Pope was jointly produced by Sky Atlantic and Canal+ with HBO, and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The series began airing in various countries in October 2016. In their respective reviews for The Guardian and The New York Times, Rebecca Nicholson praised the "surprising charm" with which Law strikes a balance between the qualities of a "vindictive authoritarian and wounded man-child", while James Poniewozik described his role as "saddled with stiff dialogue". Law reprised in the role in the spin-off series The New Pope, which premiered on HBO on 13 January 2020. He also starred in the miniseries The Third Day, which premiered on HBO on 14 September 2020.
Law portrayed Albus Dumbledore, a wizard, in the fantasy film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It was released on November 16, 2018 to mixed reviews. Law acted as a screenwriter in Woody Allen's A Rainy Day in New York. Law also portrayed Yon-Rogg in the 2019 Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Captain Marvel, which was a global box office success, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. In 2023, Law played the villainous Captain Hook in Peter Pan & Wendy, a live-action adaptation of the animated film Peter Pan, which was released directly onto Disney+ on April 28, 2023. He is set to star in the limited series The Auteur.
Law next starred as pirate captain Jod Na Nawood in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, which premiered on Disney+ on December 2, 2024 to generally positive reviews. Law was attached to play artist Roland Penrose in Lee, a World War II-era drama film directed by Ellen Kuras, but was later replaced by Alexander Skarsgård. Also in 2024, he starred alongside Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, and Sydney Sweeney in Ron Howard's historical survival thriller film Eden, playing Dr. Friedrich Ritter. In 2025, Law played real-life Russian President Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas's political drama The Wizard of the Kremlin. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival.