Eric Bana

Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana, is an Australian actor and comedian.

Eric Banadinović was born on 9 August 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria.

His father Ivan was Croatian, born in Zagreb, and worked as a logistics manager for Caterpillar Inc., and his German mother, Eleanor, was a hairdresser, originally from near Mannheim in Germany.

He has one older brother, Anthony.

He has stated: "I have always been proud of my origin, which had a big influence on my upbringing. I have always been in the company of people of European origin".

He was raised Catholic.

Bana was raised in Melbourne's Tullamarine, a suburban area on the northern edge of the city, and attended Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School.

Showing acting skill early in life, Bana began doing impressions of family members at the age of six or seven, first mimicking his grandfather's walk, voice and mannerisms.

In school, he mimicked his teachers as a means to get out of trouble.

As a teen, he watched the Mel Gibson film Mad Max, and decided he wanted to become an actor.

However, he did not seriously consider a career in the performing arts until 1991, when he was persuaded to try comedy while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel.

His stand-up gigs in inner-city pubs did not provide him with enough income to support himself, however, so he continued his work as a barman and waiting on tables.

In 1993, Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's late-night talk show, Tonight Live.

His performance gained the attention of producers from the sketch comedy series, Full Frontal, who invited him to join the show as a writer and performer.

During his four years on the show, Bana wrote much of his own material, and based some of his characters on members of his family.

His impressions of Columbo, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise and Australian TV personality Ray Martin made Bana popular with the show's audience.

This success led him to record the comedy album Out of Bounds in 1994 and to host his own television special, titled Eric, in 1996.

The show, a collection of sketches featuring everyday characters, prompted him to launch a sketch comedy series The Eric Bana Show.

The series, written and performed by Bana, featured skits, stand-up and celebrity guests, but failed to attract a substantial audience and was cancelled after only eight episodes due to low ratings.

He began his career in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining notice in the comedy drama The Castle (1997).

Even so, in 1997, he received a Logie Award for "Most Popular Comedy Personality" for his work on the show.

In that same year, Bana made his film debut in the Australian film The Castle, which tells the story of a Melbourne-based family's struggles to keep their home by Melbourne's airport as the airport authority force them to move.

He was featured in a supporting role as Con Petropoulous, a kickboxing accountant who is the householder's son-in-law.

The Castle was a surprise critical and financial success, earning A$10,326,428 at the box office in Australia.

In 1997, despite his inexperience with dramatic roles, Bana was approached by director Andrew Dominik to appear in the film Chopper (2000), a biographical film based on the life of infamous Australian criminal Chopper Read.

Dominik had been working on the project for five years, but was unable to find an actor to portray Read.

Only after Read himself suggested Bana, having seen him perform a skit on television, did Dominik consider him for the part.

For the role, Bana shaved his head, gained 30 lb, and spent two days with Read to perfect his mimicry.

During filming he arrived on set at four in the morning and spent five hours being covered in Read's trademark tattoos.

In spite of the film's limited release outside of Australia, Bana's performance received positive reviews.

He achieved further critical recognition for starring in the biographical crime film Chopper (2000), and as the titular character in Hulk (2003).

After a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Bana gained Hollywood's attention for his performance in the war film Black Hawk Down (2001).

He played Hector in the war epic Troy (2004), and took a leading role in Steven Spielberg's historical thriller Munich (2005).

In 2009, he played the villain Nero in the science-fiction film Star Trek, which was a critical and commercial success.

Bana continued to work steadily in the 2010s, portraying Lieutenant commander Erik S. Kristensen in Lone Survivor (2013), and playing police sergeant Ralph Sarchie in the horror film Deliver Us from Evil (2014).

In 2018, Bana played the title role in a true crime miniseries, Dirty John.

Bana was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for his services to drama.

In 2020, he returned to Australia to star in outback thriller The Dry.

Bana is the recipient of several Australian Film Institute awards and has performed distinctive lead and character roles across a wide spectrum of genres—from epics, to science fiction and action thrillers.

In addition to acting, Bana is a motor racing enthusiast, and has participated in various racing competitions in Australia.