Background

Ethnicity: Eric Bana's father, named Ivan Banadinovic, hailed from Zagreb, Croatia and his mother, named Eleanor Banadinovic, came from Mannheim, Germany.

Eric Bana was born on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Australia, and was raised in Melbourne's Tullamarine suburb. His father Ivan Banadinovic was a Croatian and came from a South Slavic ethnic group, worked as a logistics manager for Caterpillar Inc., while his mother, Eleanor Banadinovic, was from Mannheim in Germany, worked as a hairdresser. In an interview, Eric said that his family had suffered from racist taunts, and were called "wog.” He has an elder brother Anthony.

Eric loves motor racing, and at the age of 14, he wanted to leave school to become a motor mechanic, but his father convinced him to complete school. When he was 15, he purchased a 1974 XB Ford Falcon coupé for A$1100.

Inspired by comedian Richard Pryor, he became interested in showbiz at a very young age. At the age of six, he used to mimic his grandfather's walk, voice, and mannerisms, and in school, he mimicked his teachers. When he was a teen, he watched the Mel Gibson film ‘Mad Max,’ and decided to become an actor.

Education

Eric Bana attended Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School. Upon graduating from high school, he studied classical acting in Sydney as well as classical text where he began to perform in several Shakespearian plays. Soon after, under the advice of one of his drama teachers, he auditioned and was accepted to the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.

Career

After high school, Eric Bana took up very different works: he washed cars at a service station, was a trolleyer at Coles New World, worked as a barman and a waiter at Melbourne's Castle Hotel (1991), hauled cargo on the Melbourne docks, cleaned up glasses at a nightclub, steamcleaned carpets and so on.

Eric Bana began a career as a stand-up comedian in 1991 while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel. In 1993, Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's Tonight Live with Steve Vizard talk show, then joined the Full Frontal (1993) TV-series garnered him critical acclaim and earned him an award. The character played by him, Poida, went on to become one of the most popular characters of the series.

He gained popularity for making impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise and "Columbo." In 1996, he started his own show titled Eric (1997), then launched a comedy series titled The Eric Bana Show Live (1997). The show was canceled for the lack of a substantial audience. However, in 1997, Bana received the Logie Award for Most Popular Comedian for his work on The Eric Bana Show Live (1997).

He made his film debut in The Castle (1997), in a supporting comic role. That same year, he was cast to portray Mark "Chopper" 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, plump, 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. His portrayal of the title character in this movie established him as a force to reckon with in the Australian entertainment industry.

Eric Bana, who had become a household name in Australia by now, eyed Hollywood, and the right opportunity came with Ridley Scott’s film Black Hawk Down (2001) in which he played an American sergeant. The 2001 Oscar-nominated film was about a US military mission in Somalia.

He was the first choice to play Xander Cage in the action movie xXx (2002), which he turned down to do The Nugget (2002). The role went to Vin Diesel.

In 2003, he became an international craze after director Ang Lee offered him the role of Dr. Bruce Banner in the adaptation of Marvel Comics The Hulk (2003).

In 2002, he was cast as the 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. He proceeded to showcase his talent in the 2007 romantic comedy Lucky You (2007), and the Australian drama Romulus, My Father (2007).

In 2008 and 2009, he had a hectic schedule, working on a number of films, and in each, he enacted versatile roles. In The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), he portrayed a librarian afflicted with a paranormal genetic disorder. In The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), he played King Henry VIII, and in the science fiction Star Trek (2009) he played the villain Nero.

In 2011, he was featured in the action thriller film Hanna (2011), which proved to be a success for him. He appeared in the 2013 film Lone Survivor (2013), as Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen. In 2014, he played a police sergeant who investigated paranormal cases in the horror film Deliver Us from Evil (2014).

In 2016, he starred as a struggling radio journalist in Special Correspondents (2016) on Netflix. He then starred in Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword in 2017, where he portrayed Uther Pendragon, King of Britain and the father of King Arthur. In 2018, Eric starred in television series Dirty John (2018).

Achievements

• Bana was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in the World (#61) (2007).
  
  Eric Bana was named Bachelor of the Year by Cleo magazine in 1996.
  
  Eric appeared twice on the cover of GQ magazine: July 2003 and March 2008.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Funny People

    (When seasoned comedian George Simmons learns of his termi...)

    2009
  • The Time Traveler's Wife

    (Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true...)

    2009
  • The Castle

    (There's no place like THIS Home! In the laugh-filled trad...)

    1997
  • Closed Circuit

    (Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall star in this conspiracy thrill...)

    2013
  • Troy

    (In ancient Greece, a passion of 2 of history's most legen...)

    2004
  • Star Trek

    (The greatest adventure of all time begins with Star Trek,...)

    2009
  • The Secret Scripture

    (Rose McNulty keeps a diary of her extended stay at a ment...)

    2016
  • Deliver Us From Evil

    (Tells the story of a New York police officer and unconven...)

    2014
  • Deadfall

    (Two siblings fend for themselves in the wake of a botched...)

    2012
  • Romulus, My Father

    (Despite their hardships in life, Romulus and his beautifu...)

    2007
  • Hanna

    (Hanna, it's an exuberant chase thriller that pulses with ...)

    2011
  • Black Hawk down

    (Based on the true story of a war waged in Mogadishu by th...)

    2001
  • Lucky You

    (The one aptitude Billie and Huck seem to share is a knack...)

    2007
  • The Other Boleyn Girl

    (An engrossing and sensual tale of intrigue, romance, and ...)

    2008
  • Lone Survivor

    (It's an incredible true story of four heroic Navy SEALs a...)

    2013
  • The Nugget

    (Three friends discover the world's largest nugget of gold...)

    2002
  • The Finest Hours

    (When a massive winter storm traps more than 30 sailors on...)

    2016
  • Finding Nemo

    (Nemo, a young clownfish is captured and taken to a dentis...)

    2003
  • Chopper 2000
  • The Hulk 2003
  • Munich 2005
  • Mary and Max 2009
  • Love the Beast 2009
  • King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 2017
  • The Forgiven 2018

• TV series

  • Top Gear Season 14

    (Now for the first time in HD, Series 14 of the world's bi...)

    2009
  • Full Frontal

    (Full Frontal: Series Three)

    1993
  • Full Frontal

    (Full Frontal: Series Four)

    1993
  • Full Frontal

    (Full Frontal: Series Five)

    1996
  • Full Frontal

    (Full Frontal: Series One)

    1993
  • Full Frontal

    (Full Frontal: Series Two)

    1993
  • Kath & Kim

    (Kath & Kim Series 4)

    2007
  • The Eric Bana Sketch Show 1996
  • Dirty John 2018

Views

Eric Bana is well known for his charitable works as well. Eric believes in charity and social work and has joined up with numerous global and local social organizations in his country and abroad. He is an ambassador for Youth off the Streets and supports homeless young people. He also supports the Mental Illness Fellowship in Australia. He campaigns with the Australian Childhood Foundation and the Bone Marrow Donor Institute and has worked with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Eric Bana was appointed Member of the Order of Australia at the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to the performing arts and to charitable organizations.

Eric Bana hates guns.

He made his motorsport debut in the 1996 Targa Tasmania, driving the same 1974 Ford Falcon XB Coupe. Other competitions include the 2002 and 2003 Classic Adelaide.

Quotations: "I wanted to be a mechanic. When I was 14, I wanted to quit school and go work on my car. But my dad said: Son, you shouldn't do that. You should stay in school until your education is finished, and when you're done, don't make your hobby your job."

"I race historic muscle cars back in Australia. And I try to race home as soon as I'm finished a movie but don't tell anyone."

"When I shoot, I'll take my family with me - one movie a year and then the rest of the time at home."

"I wasn't a religious follower of comic book activity as a kid, but I was a fanatical fan of the television show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. So my memories of The Hulk were very vivid."

"I could become characters and to me that's what acting was - I didn't want to shroud it in mystery."

"Early, it was Richard Pryor. I did stand-up for 10 years before acting. And the movie Mad Max (1979). It cemented in my mind that I wanted to be an actor."

"I love being at home, being with friends and family. I'm of European stock, brought up in Australia. I'm a passionate guy. I just love life."

"I think I've been fortunate, and right now I'm in an incredibly fortunate position, which I'm totally aware of. I think luck gets you on to the stage. But it has nothing to do with keeping you there."

"My favorite part of the interview is the 401 assumptions before you've even started speaking, based on what you're wearing, what you've chosen to eat, how the waiter looks at you."

"When I go on the plane to fly home, I'm literally capable of forgetting what I do for a job. That also comes about because I choose to take massive breaks between projects, and because I choose to do this ridiculous thing of keeping home, home."

"I wanted to be a racing driver but, you know - this will do."

"I hate to break it to you but actors really do love each other. It's a crazy job and we put ourselves in vulnerable positions. I don't care if it sounds corny but it's true: you're part of a brotherhood, and protect each other."

I've always been someone that sets achievable short-term goals. I've never been someone that's had a five-year plan, or a three-year plan. That just seems to lead to a lot of disappointment, and doesn't give you the chance to be flexible. So I've just always been someone that's sort of reassessed where I'm at, and set goals that are realistic. And luckily, I've had plenty of chances to recalibrate and adjust, and good fortune has come my way."

"My father endured a lot of racism. It was just that period in Australia. My dad is an unbelievably positive person, but I do know that he was called a wog, and probably had a hard time at work, and could speak very little "Inguish". My father battled on. I was probably on the cusp. I remember at school there were the Aussies and then there were the wogs. I was 50/50. Wog is such a terrible word. So I never really fitted into either camp, clearly."

Membership

• 

  Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , United States

Personality

Eric Bana is a teetotaler and does not smoke nor does he drink alcohol.

Physical Characteristics: Eric Bana has a height of 6 ft 3 in or 190 cm, and a weight of 165 lbs or 75 kg. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  St Kilda Football Club, Australian Football League, car race, motorbike rally

Connections

In 1995, Eric Bana 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. Eric invited Gleeson, and proposed to her during that romantic trip. In 1997, the two were married; their first child, son, Klaus, was born in 1999, their daughter, Sophia, was born in 2002.

Father:

Ivan Banadinovic

Mother:

Eleanor Banadinovic

Son:

Klaus Banadinović

Date of birth: 1999

Daughter:

Sophia Banadinović

Date of birth: 2002

Brother:

Anthony Banadinović

Date of birth: 1965

Wife:

Rebecca Gleeson

father-in-law:

Murray Gleeson

grandfather, paternal line:

Mate Banadinović

Bana's paternal grandfather, Mate Banadinović, fled to Argentina after the Second World War, and Bana's paternal grandmother emigrated to Germany and then to Australia in the 1950s with their son, Ivan Banadinović, Bana's father.

mother-in-law:

Robyn Gleeson (Paterson)

Friend:

Jude Law

Friend:

Charlie Hunnam

Friend:

Chris Pine

Friend:

Casey Affleck

Friend:

Saoirse Ronan

Friend:

Vera Farmiga

Friend:

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt personally requested Bana for the role of Prince Hector in Troy (2004) because he was a huge fan of Сhopper (2000)

Friend:

Winona Ryder

Friend:

Olivia Wilde

Friend:

Natalie Portman

Friend:

Orlando Bloom

References

• Eric Bana (@EricBana67) | Twitter The latest Tweets from Eric Bana (@EricBana67). All things 2 wheeled, 4 wheeled, and occasionally 1 wheeled. Part time Actor. Saints. Melbourne