ORLANDO BLOOM first caught the attention of audiences and filmmakers alike as Legolas in Peter Jackson’s Academy Award-winning trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

Bloom was born in Canterbury, England. He joined the National Youth Theatre in London and earned a scholarship to train with the British American Drama Academy. Having completed his scholarship, Bloom made his feature film debut in Wilde, starring Stephen Fry and Jude Law. He was next accepted to London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he performed in many staged productions, including Peer Gynt and Twelfth Night. Upon graduation, a then-unknown Bloom was cast in The Lord of the Rings, the film that would ultimately launch his career.

In the summer of 2003, Bloom starred opposite Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Disney hit, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, directed by Gore Verbinski.

Having fortuitously worked with Ridley Scott on Blackhawk Down, Bloom went on to star in Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, written by William Monahan for 20th Century Fox. Bloom followed the epic Crusades film with his first contemporary American role opposite Kirsten Dunst in Cameron Crowe’s autobiographical film Elizabethtown.

Bloom reprised his role as Will Turner in the box-office record-breaking Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

In the wake of those blockbusters, Bloom made his debut on London’s West End in a revival of David Storey’s 1969 drama In Celebration. Produced by Sonia Friedman and directed by Anna Mackmin, the production and Bloom were well received by both critics and audiences.

Bloom’s additional film credits include Ned Kelly, opposite Heath Ledger; Wolfgang Peterson’s Troy, opposite Brad Pitt; and the Cayman Islands ensemble Haven, which he also executive produced. He then starred in New York, I Love You, a romantic drama featuring a lineup of acclaimed actors and filmmakers, from the producers of Paris, Je T’Aime.

Bloom will next be seen starring in Paul W.S. Anderson’s remake of The Three Musketeers, opposite Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz. He recently wrapped production on The Good Doctor, a black comedy in which Orlando starred and produced via his production company, Viddywell. The film also stars Michael Pena, J.K. Simmons, and Taraji P. Henson, and will have its world premiere in this year’s Tribeca film Festival.