Eric Bana

Eric Bana

  • Birthday: 1968-08-09
  • Place of birth: Melbourne, Australia
  • Also know as: Eric Banadinovich

Biography

Eric Bana is an Australian film and television actor. He began his career as a comedian in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining critical recognition in the biopic Chopper (2000). After a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Bana gained Hollywood's attention by playing the role of American Delta Force Sergeant Norm "Hoot" Hooten in Black Hawk Down (2001), the lead role as Bruce Banner in the Ang Lee directed film Hulk (2003), Prince Hector in the movie Troy (2004), the lead in Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005), and the villain Nero in the science-fiction film Star Trek (2009). An accomplished dramatic actor and comedian, he received Australia's highest film and television awards for his performances in Chopper, Full Frontal and Romulus, My Father. Bana performs predominantly in leading roles in a variety of low-budget and major studio films, ranging from romantic comedies and drama to science fiction and action thrillers. Eric Bana was the younger of two children; he has a brother, Anthony. He is of Croatian ancestry on his father's side. 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 her son, Ivan (Bana's father). His father was a logistics manager for Caterpillar, Inc., and his German-born mother, Eleanor, was a hairdresser. Bana grew up in Melbourne's Tullamarine, a suburban area on the western edge of the city, near the main airport. In a cover story for The Mail on Sunday, he told author Antonella Gambotto-Burke that his family had suffered from racist taunts, and that it had distressed him. "Wog is such a terrible word," he said. 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". 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 (1979), 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 stand-up 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, so he continued his work as a barman and bussing tables.

Filmography

Munich

2005

As Avner

Lucky You

2007

As Huck Cheever

Love the Beast

2009

As Self

The Nugget

2002

As Lotto

The Time Traveler's Wife

2009

As Henry DeTamble

Chopper

2000

As Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read

Romulus, My Father

2007

As Romulus

Deadfall

2012

As Addison

Closed Circuit

2013

As Martin Rose

Deliver Us from Evil

2014

As Ralph Sarchie

Hulk

2003

As Bruce Banner / Hulk

Great Barrier Reef 3D

2018

As Narrator (voice)

The Dry

2021

As Aaron Falk

Finke: There & Back

2018

As Narrator (voice)

Envoy: Shark Cull

2021

As Narrator (voice)

Force of Nature: The Dry 2

2024

As Aaron Falk

Making Mary and Max

2009

As Self

Berlin Nobody

0000

As Ben Monroe

Tempest at the Drop-In

2013

As Narrator (voice)

Black Hawk Down

2001

As SFC Norm 'Hoot' Gibson

Hanna

2011

As Erik Heller

Special Correspondents

2016

As Frank Bonneville

The Forgiven

2018

As Piet Blomfeld

Blueback

2022

As Mad Macka

Memoir of a Snail

0000

As James the Magistrate (voice)

Troy

2004

As Hector

Mary and Max

2009

As Damien Popodopolous (voice)

The Other Boleyn Girl

2008

As Henry Tudor

Back to the Outback

2021

As Chaz (voice)

Funny People

2009

As Clarke

Star Trek

2009

As Captain Nero

The Secret Scripture

2017

As Dr. William Grene

The Finest Hours

2016

As Daniel Cluff

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

2017

As Uther Pendragon

Lone Survivor

2013

As Lieutenant Commander Erik Kristensen

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

2022

As Monterey Jack (voice)

The Castle

1997

As Con Petropoulous

Being James Bond

2021

As Self (archive footage)

Finding Nemo

2003

As Anchor (voice)

Spielberg

2017

As Self

Production

Love the Beast

2009

As Director

Paper Planes

2014

As Executive Producer

The Dry

2021

As Executive Producer

Romulus, My Father

2007

As Associate Producer

Blueback

2022

As Executive Producer

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