Eric Bana

Eric Bana was first introduced to American audiences in the title role of Mark “Chopper” Read in the feature film Chopper, which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and was then released in the U.S. to critical notice after its Australian success. Bana earned awards from the Film Critics Circle of Australia and the Australian Film Institute for his portrayal of Chopper.

Bana was seen co-starring in Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down as Delta Sergeant First Class Norm “Hoot” Gibson, one of a group of elite U.S. soldiers, opposite Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Tom Sizemore. The war epic, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Sony, is based on journalist Mark Bowden’s best-selling account of the 1993 U.S. mission in Mogadishu, Somalia. Following the U.S. release of Black Hawk Down, Bana starred in the Australian comedy, The Nugget, a film in which he portrays a working class man whose life is suddenly changed by discovering a gold nugget that provides him and his two friends with instant wealth.

Shortly thereafter, Bana starred as the title role of Bruce Banner in Hulk for director Ang Lee and Universal Pictures, based on the Marvel Comics character. He was also featured as Hector the Prince of Troy in Warner Bros.’ Troy, for director Wolfgang Petersen. The film was based on Homer’s “The Iliad” and co-starred Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom. The following year, he starred in Steven Spielberg’s critically acclaimed Munich, about the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Bana also appeared as the title role in the Australian film, Romulus, My Father, based on Raimond Gaita’s best-selling memoir, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Next, he played the title role in Warner Bros.’ Lucky You, opposite Drew Barrymore. Following Lucky You, Bana starred as Henry Tudor, opposite Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson in The Other Boleyn Girl. Bana co-starred in J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster hit, Star Trek, as the villain, Nero. He was also featured in the Judd Apatow film, Funny People, opposite Adam Sandler, Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill, and in The Time Traveler’s Wife, opposite Rachel McAdams, based on the best-selling novel by Audrey Niffenegger.

His first film as a director, the drama-documentary Love The Beast, had its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009, starring Bana, Jay Leno, Dr. Phil and, from BBC TV’s Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson. The film explores the meaning of Bana’s 25-year-long relationship with his first car and the importance of the bonds that form through a common passion.

In the Focus Features action-thriller Hanna, he plays a father who has groomed a 14-year-old girl, played by Saoirse Ronan, to be a cold-blooded killer. Hanna was released in April 2011.

Trimark Pictures