Orlando Bloom

Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film series (2001–03), earning him three Actors Award nominations, winning once. He reprised his role in The Hobbit film series (2013–14). Considered by some to be the Errol Flynn of his time, he gained further notice appearing in epic fantasy, historical, and adventure films, including as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003–2007, 2017), Paris in Troy, Balian de Ibelin in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and the Duke of Buckingham in The Three Musketeers (2011).

Bloom appeared in Hollywood films such as the war film Black Hawk Down (2001), the Australian Western Ned Kelly (2003), the romantic comedy Elizabethtown (2005), and New York, I Love You (2007). In 2020, he gained acclaim for the Afghanistan war drama film The Outpost (2020). He also starred in the Amazon Prime Video series Carnival Row (2019–2023).

He made his professional stage debut in In Celebration at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in 2007 and starred in a Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in 2013. He returned to the theatre in a West End revival of Tracy Letts' Killer Joe in 2018. In 2009, Bloom was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In 2015, he received the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award.

Early life Bloom was born to Sonia Bloom (née Copeland) He has an older sister, Samantha Bloom. Bloom initially believed that his biological father was his mother's husband, the South African-born anti-apartheid novelist Harry Bloom, who died when Bloom was four years old. However, when he was thirteen, Bloom's mother revealed to him that his biological father was actually Colin Stone, Harry Bloom's student and family friend. became Orlando Bloom's legal guardian after Harry Bloom's death.

Bloom was brought up in the Church of England. He attended St Peter's Methodist Primary School, then the junior school of The King's School before proceeding to St Edmund's School Canterbury. Bloom was discovered to be dyslexic, and was encouraged by his mother to take art and drama classes. After the filming in 1996, he went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting in 1999.

Career Bloom's first appearance on the screen was in a small role, as a rent boy, in the 1997 film Wilde. Two days after graduating from Guildhall in 1999, he was cast in his first major role, playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003). At the same time, Bloom also played a brief role in Ridley Scott's war film Black Hawk Down as PFC Todd Blackburn. In 2002, he was chosen as one of the Teen People "25 Hottest Stars Under 25", despite him having turned 25, and was named People hottest Hollywood bachelor in the magazine's 2004 list.

Bloom next starred opposite Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was a blockbuster hit during the summer of 2003. After the success of Pirates, Bloom next took to the screen as Paris, the prince of Troy, in the 2004 spring blockbuster Troy opposite Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Peter O'Toole. He subsequently played the lead roles in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven and Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, both released in 2005, and starred in the 2006 film Haven, for which he also served as executive producer. In 2006, Bloom was one of the guest stars in the sitcom Extras, in which he portrayed an exaggeratedly arrogant, narcissistic version of himself who had a great loathing for Johnny Depp (his co-star in Pirates of the Caribbean). Bloom pushed for Extras to go further by making his persona very unlikable, and contributed to the gag about him admiring Depp out of sheer jealousy because Depp was far more talented than he was, not to mention rated higher than him on the 'top hottest' charts. In 2004, the second and third films of the Pirates of the Caribbean series were conceived, with screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio developing a story arc that would span both sequels, in which Bloom reprised his role as Will Turner. Filming for the projects took place in 2005; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest released in July 2006, with the worldwide collections of $1.066 billion, becoming the biggest financial hit of Bloom's career. The third installment in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, was released in May, the following year. Afterwards, Bloom repeatedly stated that he was done with the Pirates series, noting that there was closure for his character in At World's End. By 2010, both Bloom and Keira Knightley were quoted as saying they wanted to move on from the franchise.

In 2006, Bloom played as Auguste Berneau in 2006 television documentary film The Armenian Genocide, broadcast by PBS. That same year, Bloom was the most searched male on Google News. As of May 2007, Bloom has appeared in four of the top 15 highest-grossing films of all time. and is "avidly looking for the right sort of material that [he] can do something with" and to go "back to basics." During the summer of 2007, he appeared in a London revival of In Celebration, a play by David Storey. His character was one of three brothers returning home for their parents' 40th wedding anniversary. On 24 August 2007 he made his first ever TV commercial appearance on late-night Japanese TV, promoting the Uno brand of cosmetics maker Shiseido. A "one night only", 2-minute version of the Sci-Fi themed commercial kicked off the product's marketing campaign. In 2008 he signed on to play a small role in the British film An Education but dropped out to take the lead in Johnnie To's film Red Circle. Also in 2009, he was one of many stars to appear in New York, I Love You, which contained 12 short films in one.

In 2011, Bloom appeared in The Three Musketeers opposite Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Juno Temple and Christoph Waltz. Bloom also reprised his role as Legolas in parts two and three of The Hobbit, Peter Jackson's three-part prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He made his Broadway stage debut as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet in August 2013 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. The New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley described Bloom's performance as "a first-rate Broadway debut" in the title role: "For once, we have a Romeo who evolves substantively, from a posturing youth in love with love, to a man who discovers the startling revelation of real love, with a last-act descent into bilious, bitter anger that verges on madness." Bloom made statements about returning to the Pirates franchise as early as October 2011, and there were discussions for him to reprise his role as Will Turner by 2014. Although it was announced as a supporting role, Bloom ultimately made a cameo appearance in the fifth film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which was released in May 2017.

Bloom starred in the Trafalgar Studios production of Killer Joe in 2018. Bloom is currently starring in the Amazon Prime TV show Carnival Row, which was filming its second season in Prague before temporarily postponing production due to COVID-19. Together with a number of his Lord of the Rings co-stars (plus writer Philippa Boyens and director Peter Jackson), on 1 June 2020 he joined Josh Gad's YouTube series Reunited Apart which reunites the cast of popular movies through video-conferencing, and promotes donations to non-profit charities.

In July 2020, Bloom starred in the war film The Outpost in which he portrayed the character of captain Benjamin Keating. In 2023, he played Danny Moore, a Nissan marketing executive in the sports film Gran Turismo based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough.

In 2024, Orlando Bloom starred in and produced the boxing film The Cut, directed by Sean Ellis. To authentically portray his character, Bloom underwent a significant physical transformation, losing 35 pounds to depict a boxer's intense weight-cutting process. He described the film as focusing on "the battle to lose weight," offering a unique perspective on the challenges athletes face.

Personal life

Bloom has said that he tries "not to exclude himself from real life as much as possible."

In 2004, he became a full member of SGI-UK (the UK branch of Soka Gakkai International), a lay Buddhist association affiliated with the teachings of Nichiren.

Bloom has also been a part of Global Green, an environmental company, since the early 2000s.

Bloom has a tattoo of the Elvish word "nine" on his right wrist, written in fictional Tengwar Elvish script, a reference to his involvement in The Lord of the Rings as one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring. The other actors of "The Fellowship" (Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen and Elijah Wood) had the same tattoo with the exception of John Rhys-Davies whose stunt double had the tattoo instead.

On 12 February 2009, Bloom actively participated in the 'Australia Unites' fundraiser to raise support for the victims of the Australian bushfires on 7 February 2009.

On 12 October 2009, Bloom was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He has been involved in the organisation since 2007 and has visited schools and villages in Nepal in support of sanitation and education programmes. Bloom also visited the city of Sloviansk in the east of Ukraine in April 2016 to raise awareness of the education crisis facing children during the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014–2015. In 2023, Bloom returned to Ukraine again as a Goodwill Ambassador. Bloom met children affected by the war at a children's centre in Kyiv and met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Bloom has sustained a number of injuries: he broke his left arm and cracked his skull three times, broke his nose while playing rugby union, broke his right leg skiing in Switzerland, broke his left leg in a motorbike crash and broke his right wrist while snowboarding. He also broke some ribs while shooting The Lord of the Rings.

On 13 July 2009, four hooded teenagers broke into the Hollywood Hills home of Bloom and stole nearly half a million dollars' worth of possessions. The burglars, dubbed the "Bling Ring," targeted the homes of celebrities. Most of Bloom's stolen items were retrieved.

Relationships

Bloom had an "on-and-off relationship" with American actress Kate Bosworth, from 2003 until ending the relationship in September 2006.

In late 2007, Bloom began dating Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr. They announced their engagement in June 2010, and were married the following month. Kerr gave birth to their son on 6 January 2011 in Los Angeles. On 25 October 2013, Bloom and Kerr announced that they had separated several months earlier, and intended to end their marriage. They were divorced by the end of 2013.

In 2014, Bloom was in a relationship with French actress Nora Arnezeder.

Bloom began dating American singer and songwriter Katy Perry in January 2016; however, the couple confirmed in February 2017 that they had split. They resumed their relationship in February 2018, and became engaged on 14 February 2019. On 5 March 2020, it was revealed through the music video for Perry's song "Never Worn White" that the couple were expecting their first child together. Perry gave birth to their daughter on 26 August 2020. On 26 June 2025, it was reported that Bloom and Perry had separated.

Achievements Bloom appeared in his home city of Canterbury on 13 July 2010 when he was presented with an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Kent at Canterbury Cathedral. For contributions to the film industry, Bloom was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 2 April 2014. His motion pictures walk of fame star is located at 6927 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1997 Wilde Rentboy 2001 Black Hawk Down PFC Todd Blackburn Legolas 2002 2003 Ned Kelly Joseph Byrne Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Will Turner The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Legolas 2004 Jimmy "The Calcium Kid" Connelly Troy Paris Haven Shy Also co-producer 2005 Kingdom of Heaven Balian de Ibelin Elizabethtown Drew Baylor 2006 Love and Other Disasters Hollywood Paolo Cameo Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Will Turner 2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Everest: A Climb for Peace Narrator Documentary 2009 New York, I Love You David Cooler Segment: "Shunji Iwai" 2010 Sympathy for Delicious The Stain Main Street Harris Parker 2011 The Good Doctor Dr. Martin E. Blake Also executive producer Fight for Your Right Revisited Johnny Ryall Short film The Three Musketeers George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham 2013 Zulu Brian Epkeen The Bling Ring Himself Archived footageRomeo and Juliet Romeo Theatrical release of the Broadway play he starred in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Legolas 2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 2015 Digging for Fire Ben 2017 UnlockedJack Alcott Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Will Turner Cameo Romans Malky S.M.A.R.T. Chase Danny Stratton 2019 The Outpost Captain Benjamin D. Keating 2021Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Himself Documentary Needle in a Timestack Tommy Hambleton 2023 Gran Turismo Danny Moore 2024 Red Right Hand Cash Peppa's Cinema Party Mr. Raccoon Voice role The Cut The Boxer 2025 Deep Cover Marlon Swift Post-production Gareth Mulroney Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 1994–1996 Casualty Noel Harrison Episodes: "Care in the Community", "Another Day in Paradise", "Made in Britain" 2000 Midsomer Murders Peter Drinkwater Episode: "Judgement Day" 2006 The Armenian Genocide Auguste Berneau Television documentary Extras Himself Episode: "Orlando Bloom" 2011 LA Phil Live Romeo Episode: "Dudamel Conducts Tchaikovsky" 2016 Easy Tom Episode: "Utopia" 2017 Tour de Pharmacy Juju Peppi Television film Stairway to Stardom Himself 3 episodes 2019–2023 Carnival Row Rycroft Philostrate Main role; also executive producer 2021 The Prince Prince Harry (voice) Main role CBeebies Bedtime Story Himself Reading Littlest Dreamer: A Bedtime Adventure by Suzanne Smith 2024 To The Edge Main role; also executive producer

Theatre

Video games Year Title Voice role Notes 2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Legolas 2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King archive sound 2004 The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age 2012 Lego The Lord of the Rings 2014 Lego The Hobbit 2015 Lego Dimensions 2016 Disney Magic Kingdoms Will Turner

Audiobooks Year Title Voice role Notes 2026 Hope Is Life's Treasure and Other Poems Narrator

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee Result2001 Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best CastThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Empire Awards Best Debut MTV Movie Awards Best Breakthrough Performance Saturn Awards Face of the Future – Male Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Teen Choice Awards Choice Breakout (Male) Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast Black Hawk Down 2002 Online Film Critics Society Awards Best CastThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Cast Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 2003 MTV Movie Awards Best Trans-Atlantic Performance Australian Film Institute Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Ned Kelly Broadcast Film Critics Association AwardsBest CastThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King National Board of Review Awards Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Empire Awards Best British Actor Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actor – Drama/Action Adventure Hollywood Film Festival Breakthrough Acting – MalePirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Chemistry Choice Movie Liplock 2004 MTV Movie Awards Mexico Sexiest Hero MTV Movie Awards Best On-Screen Team 2005 Jameson People's Choice Award Best European ActorKingdom of Heaven Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Liplock 2006 Teen Choice Awards Choice RumblePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Choice Liplock Choice Actor: Drama/Action Adventure 2007 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie RumblePirates of the Caribbean: At World's End National Movie Awards Best Performance by a Male Teen Choice Awards Choice Action Movie Actor Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Supporting Actor 2014 MTV Movie Awards Best Fight The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Best On-Screen Transformation 2015 Britannia Awards Britannia Humanitarian Award 2017 Teen Choice Awards Choice Liplock (shared with Keira Knightley) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales