Happy Birthday, Jude Law! See His Career in 8 Clicks

Posted December 29, 2012, 6:30 am   •   2 comments

After nearly two decades in the spotlight, Jude Law is reaching a big milestone: his 40th birthday.

Since stepping on the scene in the early 1990s, the Academy Award-nominated actor has left his mark on Hollywood — through crime thrillers like The Talented Mr. Ripley, heart-wrenching romantic dramas like Closer and action-adventure flicks like Sherlock Holmes.

 

But before be began his long-running reign as one Britain's biggest movie stars, Law was just a little-known thespian working the theater circuit in England.

After beginning acting in the National Youth Music Theatre during the late 1980s, Law landed a role in a British television soap opera.

But before long, he was stepping into the bright lights of the stage in several London productions. By 1994, he earned himself a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Newcomer for his performance in Les Parents Terribles.

Though he appeared in low-budget British indies like Shopping, it wasn't until the late 1990s that Law first emerged in the American film industry. But his chiseled good looks and acting chops didn't earns raves right away.

In honor of his turning 40 on Saturday, look back at Law's rise to big-screen success. Then tell us in the comments section: which of Law's performances is your favorite?