Eric Bana

Eric Bana (born 9 August, 1968, in Melbourne to a German mother and a Croatian father, as Eric Banadinović) is an Australian actor and comedian. Eric Bana began his career as a stand-up comic, first coming to national attention in the comedy sketch series Full Frontal. Later, he was the star and/or anchor for two short-running TV shows; Eric (1996) (a sketch comedy show that he wrote, coproduced and starred), and The Eric Bana Show Live (1997) (variety entertainment). His most enduring character from his early career is the highly 'Aussie' character of Poida.

Aside from a small role in the Australian independent-hit The Castle, Bana disappeared from Australia's entertainment screens for several years, only to make a re-appearance in the gritty black comedy Chopper (2000), about the infamous Australian underworld figure Mark "Chopper" Read.

Chopper garnered world-wide attention, winning three international awards, three AFI awards, and several more nominations. Bana himself won three Best Actor gongs for his scarily realistic portrayal of the title character.

After this, his international reputation skyrocketed, starring in a supporting role in Black Hawk Down and took the title role in Ang Lee's 2003 movie Hulk (see 2003 in film). He has also played alongside Brad Pitt in the Grecian movie epic Troy. He's alleged to be currently in talks for a role as the next James Bond, although he dismisses such reports as gossip.