The London native hails from a family of teachers, but at age 13 he began appearing with the National Youth Music Theatre. After leaving secondary school, he appeared on stage in London's West End, and eventually worked with prestigious ensembles such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. For his work in Jean Cocteau's tragicomedy Les Parents terribles, he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Newcomer.
After parts in smaller films or independents, the breakthrough year of 1997 brought roles in the biopic Wilde (dir. Brian Gilbert), which screened in Karlovy Vary 1998, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (dir. Clint Eastwood), and in the sci-fi flick Gattaca (dir. Andrew Niccol).
A BAFTA Award and the actor's first Oscar nomination came with his portrayal of the son of an American shipbuilder, Dickie Greenleaf, in the adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's crime novel The Talented Mr. Ripley (dir. Anthony Minghella, 1999). This film will screen at the Karlovy Vary IFF on the occasion of Mr. Law receiving The Festival President's Award.
Subsequent roles confirmed Jude Law's star status in the world of film. He has worked with top directors including Steven Spielberg - A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) and Sam Mendes - the crime drama Road to Perdition (2002), and in Jean-Jacques Annaud's Enemy at the Gates (2001) he portrays Soviet sharpshooter Zaitsev during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. For his acting work in the drama Cold Mountain (dir. Anthony Minghella, 2003) he received his second Oscar nomination. He also captivated audiences in an exceptional film adaptation (dir. Mike Nichols, 2004) of the famous theater play Closer and as a bartender following the lives of various people in the emotive film My Blueberry Nights (dir. Wong Kar-wai, 2007).
Most recently viewers have seen Jude Law in Terry Gilliam's fantasy adventure The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) and in a new and hugely successful film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's world-famous Sherlock Holmes (dir. Guy Ritchie, 2009).
Jude Law is no less appreciated for his theater work: his role in the Broadway production of Indiscretions garnered him a 1995 Theatre World Award and a 1995 Tony nomination. In 2009 a London staging of Hamlet (in which he starred) also evoked enthusiastic praise. The production, which was subsequently staged on Broadway, earned the actor this year's Critics' Circle Theatre Award, the What's On Stage.com award, an Olivier nomination, the Broadway.com Favorite Leading Actor award and a Tony nomination, the results of which will be announced soon.
He has been awarded the prestigious French Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.
In addition to his rich creative portfolio, Jude Law is also involved in numerous charity projects and in peace activism.
