Orlando Bloom became a star and instant heart-throb as elfin warrior Legolas in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy – not bad for someone who got the role just 48 hours before finishing his drama degree. "One minute I'm in school, the next I have my own action figure," says the star, who cites Christopher Reeve's Superman as his inspiration to act. "It's awesome."

Named after the 17-century composer Orlando Gibbons - rather than the Virginia Woolf novel, as is so often reported - Orlando Bloom was born in Canterbury, England, on January 13, 1977. As a youngster, Orlando believed South African lawyer and anti-apartheid activist Harry Bloom was his father. A friend and colleague of Nelson Mandela, who won great acclaim for his books Transvaal Episode and the boxing story "King Kong", Harry died in 1981 when Orlando was just four years old. It was later revealed, however, that Colin Stone, a family friend long-thought to be only Orlando's guardian, was in fact the actor's father. "Harry was a great man," says the actor. "It was as though he'd done his job and he left the world."

Raised by his mother along with elder sister Samantha, he left Canterbury's St Edmunds school aged 16 to pursue his dream with the National Youth Theatre. One year after receiving a scholarship to attend the British American Drama Academy in London in 1995 he entered the city's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1999, he graduated – and at the same time scooped a starring role in Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

His career soared following the high-profile part, but Orlando's big break actually came after his memorable 1997 feature film debut as a "rent boy" in Wilde, the Oscar Wilde biopic. The part was only one line, but his on-screen charisma drew a flurry of film and TV offers. However, the aspiring actor had other plans. "I wasn't influenced," he says. "I always planned to go to drama school. I suppose I could have trained in the industry more; but, instead, I chose an environment that would be more conducive to experimenting."

Later, during the filming of Lord Of The Rings the self-described "adrenalin junkie" would do some experimenting of his own, using his spare time to learn surfing, skydiving, white-water rafting and bungee jumping. He also courted danger on-set, cracking a rib during a stunt on horseback. However, the injury wasn't exactly a new experience; he's also broken his back, ribs, nose, both legs, arm, wrist, finger and toe, as well as fracturing his skull – three times – in past incidents. The broken back experience seems to have been his hairiest and most memorable. "Fell off a roof – I remember that one," he says. "For a few days it looked as though I would never walk again. Then they operated on me and I got up and walked out. I'm rather accident-prone, I have to admit," he says in an understatement.

Superman aside, Orlando freely admits to being a romantic. "I once flew to Dubai just to hang out with a girl," he recalls. "Another time I had a crush on this girl and sent her an airline ticket from Ireland to London so she could come and visit me." The tale comes to an unsurprising conclusion. "She came," he says.

After Lord Of The Rings wrapped, Orlando moved on to 2003's big budget flick Pirates Of The Caribbean also featuring Johnny Depp, Ned Kelly with Geoffrey Rush and Troy with Brad Pitt And with so much work in the pipeline, the handsome daredevil likes to take it a bit more easy these days when he's away from the set. "When I'm not working, I prefer to sit and do nothing," he says. "Go to a beach, go for a walk. The simple things have suddenly become more enjoyable."

Source: Hello Magazine

Bio Update:

March 19, 2002
Orlando got his first starring role in "The Calcium Kid", a mockumentary about a young milkman who gets a chance to fight a boxing world champion in his hometown. "I love doing big epics like 'Lord of the Rings,'" he says. "but it's great to play a character who's less cool. This milkman is just an everyday geezer, a bit naive, who's suddenly thrown into the public eye. I can relate to that." --- more details

November 13, 2002
Orlando joined the cast of "Troy," the adaptation of "The Iliad" being directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Orlando played the role of Paris, the character who instigates the Trojan War that triggers an epic battle between Achilles (Brad Pitt) and Hector (Eric Bana). --- more details

November 6, 2003
Orlando will star in and co-produce the crime drama "Haven" alongside co-stars Bill Paxton and Gabriel Byrne for El Camino Pictures and helmer Frank E. Flowers, who is making his feature debut on the project. From a script by Flowers, "Haven" takes place over the course of one weekend as two shady businessmen (Paxton and Byrne) flee to the Cayman Islands to avoid prosecution from the federal government. Their escape ignites a chain reaction that leads Bloom, a British native, to commit a crime that has enormous implications. --- more details

October 22, 2003
Orlando has signed to star in Ridley Scots's Kingdom of Heaven. The crusades-themed project will see Orlando play a blacksmith (again?) turned knight who defends Jerusalem from European invaders. "I've worked with Ridley once before [on Black Hawk Down]," Orlando told BBCi FILMS, "And I'm really excited to be working with him again". --- more details