Orlando Bloom – biography, photos, facts, family, affairs, height and weight 2020

Biography of Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom is a sex symbol of British and world cinema. Undoubtedly, the glory was brought to him by the part of the elf Legolas in the trilogy called «The Lord of the Rings» and Will Turner from «Pirates of the Caribbean».

Childhood

Orlando Bloom was born on January 13, 1977, in the British city of Canterbury, Kent. His mother, Sonia Bloom, was the founder and principal of a language school for foreign students, and besides, she was fond of writing.

Her husband, Harry Bloom, a Jew by nationality, was born in South Africa, struggled against apartheid for a long time, and was the lawyer of Nelson Mandela. After Bloom Sr. had written a number of books on racial segregation in the South African Republic, the country’s government began to persecute him. In 1963, the man was forced to emigrate to Great Britain. He subsequently became a professor at the University of Kent.

Photos from Orlando Bloom’s family archive

This undoubtedly outstanding man left this world when Orlando was 4 years old. In the next ten years, Sonia brought up the boy and his elder sister Samantha alone. However, Colin Stone, a close friend of Bloom’s, helped the lonely woman. And when the boy celebrated his 13th birthday, his mother bowled him over with news that Colin was not just a faithful friend, but Orlando’s biological father.

In childhood Orlando Bloom lost and found his father again

Sonia inculcated in her children a love for art from childhood, so at an early age, Orlando Bloom began to strive for the study of languages, photography, and theater. And besides this, in his youth, the young man was fond of horses and was a very good rider, which helped Bloom in his film career a lot. By the way, the desire to become an actor appeared in his head after watching the film «The Hustler», since he was so inspired by the game of Paul Newman.

Acting career

Orlando Bloom made his debut on the scene as a child. At school, he took part in several theatrical performances. In 1993, a 16-year-old boy went to London and played on the stage of the National Youth Theater for two seasons. After that, he received a grant to study at the British American Drama Academy. But he was to study only a year. However, it was worth it ‒ such stars as Jennifer El, David Schwimmer, and Oliver Platt graduated from this prestigious academy. At the Academy, Orlando played in the play called «A Walk in the Viennese Forest» and even got his own agent.

A selection of Orlando Bloom’s early roles

In 1996, Orlando Bloom first appeared on TV screens too. He was shot in several episodes of the television series «Casualty», and a year later already starred in the drama called «Wilde» with Jude Law and Stephen Fry, but so far only in the episodic and very specific role ‒ as a rentboy.

Young Orlando Bloom in the movie «Wilde» (1997)

Within the next three years, Bloom was learning acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. By the way, the careful study of plays by Chekhov, Shakespeare, and Milton helped the actor get rid of dyslexia, which Orlando suffered from childhood.

Orlando Bloom and «The Lord of the Rings»

In the third year of study, Orlando Bloom came to casting for the filming of the novel by Tolkien «The Lord of the Rings», which was directed by Peter Jackson. The actor planned to get the part of Faramir. But the desired character went to David Wenham. And for the best ‒ who knows what the ash-haired elf Legolas would look like…

Orlando Bloom was approved for the role of Legolas

Before going to New Zealand for 18 months, where the shooting took place, he appeared in one of the episodes of «Midsomer Murders». And yet, according to the actor himself, he came to the island as a completely callow youngster, over whom the whole film crew was joking.

After «The Lord of the Rings» Orlando Bloom became an excellent archer and surfer

Many things were waiting for him ahead: long days of shooting in a rather capricious climate of New Zealand, endless training in archery, helicopter flights with Viggo Mortensen, hours in the make-up chair ‒ turning the actor into an elf before each scene lasted 2 hours.

Orlando Bloom’s transformation into Legolas

After the shooting was over, Orlando Bloom left for India, and when he returned, he found out the taste of fruits of success. The premiere of the «Fellowship of the Ring» had already taken place and the film had become extremely popular, and Orlando’s name had entered the top 20 of the most popular Internet requests, and soon appeared in all sorts of ratings of the most sexual celebrities. The actor even joked that he himself was not loved so much as Legolas was loved, because in real life he, dark-haired and brown-eyed, did not look like an elf at all.

The real Orlando does not look like Legolas at all

In the same year, Orlando Bloom together with Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett took part in the shooting of the military drama called «Black Hawk Down» by Ridley Scott. The tragic film was based on real events (the operations of Americans in Somalia in 1993) and was oversaturated with battle scenes. It seemed that Orlando intentionally wanted to get rid of the image of the frail elf and therefore chose the diametrically opposite character, the skinhead rookie soldier. The role came out small, but pithy.

In 2002 and 2003, Orlando consolidated his success as Legolas in the final parts of the trilogy called «The Lord of the Rings» ‒ «The Two Towers» and «The Return of the King». In 2003, after the work on the final scenes, Orlando Bloom was no longer the same unfledged boy, as he was three years before that. But all the same, he could not hold his tears at parting with Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Ian McKellen, and the rest of the team that created the immortal movie masterpiece.

Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly about «The Hobbit»

Pirates of the Caribbean

In the same 2003, Orlando Bloom got one of the main roles in another franchise ‒ «Pirates of the Caribbean». However, when the actor was approved for the role of Will Turner, neither he nor the producers suspected that the film they shot would be one of the highest-grossing movies in history, its characters would become cult ones, and Disneyland would even open a thematic attraction in its honor. The movie about the adventures of crazy Captain Jack Sparrow and his team collected around 650 million dollars in the worldwide film distribution.

This time, Orlando did not have to pass long makeup procedure ‒ he appeared in front of the cameras in all his dark-haired and brown-eyed grandeur. But his character retained the manliness and loyalty of Legolas. He got work experience with eccentric Johnny Depp and, of course, the pleasure of starring together with Keira Knightley.

Return of Legolas

In 2013, Orlando Bloom had to again put on his eyes blue lenses and on his head ‒ a light wig. Legolas solemnly returned to the second part of «The Hobbit», the filming of the prehistory of «The Lord of the Rings».

In «The Hobbit» Orlando Bloom is again starring as Legolas

Make-up artists had to try their best ‒ after all, exactly 10 years had passed since the time of the release of the first part, and time took its toll. It would be strange if in prequel the immortal elf Legolas looked older than in «The Lord of the Rings». But as a result of their efforts, Legolas looked almost the same as in 2003 ‒ young and beautiful.

Shot from the movie «The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug»

Upon completion of the shooting of the third part of «The Hobbit», Bloom said that he was happy to forget about Legolas forever. ’’You cannot even imagine how I got bored with him,’’ the actor told the journalists.

In 2017, the final part of «Pirates of the Caribbean Sea» called «Dead Men Tell No Tales» was released, as well as a spy thriller called «Unlocked», in which starred Orlando Bloom and Noomi Rapace.

Orlando Bloom in the fifth part of «Pirates of the Caribbean»

Orlando Bloom’s personal life

For quite a long time Orlando Bloom, a recognized heartthrob, was in a romantic relationship with an American actress Kate Bosworth. Young people met in 2002 through a mutual friend. Having met again at the premiere of the movie called «The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers», they devoted to the mercy of passion. The love-affair lasted until 2006.

Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth shortly before parting

The handsome man did not finish his adventures on this. At different times Bloom was ascribed love-affairs with Kirsten Dunst, Uma Thurman, Sienna Miller, Penelope Cruz, Naomie Harris, and Jessica Biel. And after Orlando was noticed along with Jennifer Aniston on vacation in Mexico, they began to speak about their affair.

It was difficult to resist before the young Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom has been seen with Miranda Kerr since 2007. She for a long time refused the affair with the actor, on whom the reputation of a womanizer has long been stuck, but nevertheless, gave in under the onslaught of the romantic. In 2010 they got married, and a year later their common firstborn Flynn appeared.

Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr were married

In 2013, after three years of marriage, the star couple parted. As the tabloids claimed, the cause was Miranda’s unfaithfulness. The split was very painful for the actor. In 2014, he even had a fight with the singer Justin Bieber, who, figuratively speaking, touched him on a sore place. The young man whispered into Orlando’s ear: ’’I know your wife. She was hot!’’.

The drama of Orlando Bloom and Justin Bieber

In 2016, Bloom met with the singer Katy Perry, but both hid the love-affair from the public. But it was not possible to hide for a long time from the ubiquitous paparazzi.

Katy Perry on her boyfriend Orlando Bloom

In April 2017, the media trumpeted about the affairs between Orlando Bloom and the 28-year-old Nina Dobrev, the star of the series «The Vampire Diaries». ’’They have known each other for ages, but only recently they have gone beyond the frame of the friend zone,’’ said a source close to the actors then.

Orlando Bloom and Nina Dobrev began dating in 2017

However, in August 2017 it became known that the actor returned to Katy Perry. The couple was noticed at Ed Sheeran’s concert – they were holding hands and looking at each other tenderly, and in the spring of 2018 Katy announced the engagement. In 2020, it became known that lovers were expecting a baby. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom should have a baby girl.

Orlando Bloom is a famous Buddhist, a vegetarian, and an animal defender. During the shooting of the movie «Kingdom of Heaven» in Morocco, he saved and took to himself a stray dog ‒ a cross between a mongrel and a Saluki.

Orlando Bloom’s dog ‒ a «trophy» from the shooting

Membership in the environmental organization forced the actor to renovate his house in London: Bloom installed solar batteries, began distributing rubbish, and disposed of all used light bulbs.

Orlando Bloom is known as one of the most injured actors in Hollywood. But not all the trauma he got during the shooting. In 1998, Orlando was injured when he was repairing the roof of the terrace with his friend: «I broke my back. I fell out of the window ... my friends had a glazed roof at the site right under the apartment, and I rolled down onto the gutter. It could not stand, and I flew three floors. I was told that I might not be able to walk again. And then I underwent surgery, and I left the hospital in about 12 days». After a rather short period, Bloom rose to his feet and returned to a full life.

At different times his right arm was broken, he got the cranial injury after falling from a tree, and his nose was beaten out during a game of rugby. During skiing, the actor broke his right leg, and the left one suffered the same fate when the actor was riding a motorcycle. Bloom broke his right wrist when snowboarding.

The actor is actively engaged in charity work and is also the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, like, for example, Selena Gomez, Angelina Jolie and Lionel Messi. For example, in 2016 he flew to Ukraine to visit children.

Orlando Bloom visits schoolchildren in war-scarred Ukraine

Orlando Bloom now

In 2019, Orlando Bloom starred in the American fantasy television series "Carnival Row" as Rycroft Philostrate - this work has become one of the most anticipated in recent years.

In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Orlando Bloom self-insulated with his girlfriend, Katy Perry. During walks in the store lovers more than once managed to capture the paparazzi. In addition, during the period of self-isolation, Orlando participated in the legendary zoom-conference, which brought together many actors from The Lord of the Rings, including Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler.