Name: Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom
Born: January 13, 1977
Birthplace: Canterbury, Kent, England

Orlando Bloom was not a very academic child (due to mild dyslexia) nor was he athletic. With the encouragement from his mother, he began to study poetry and prose which led him towards acting. He had a love for the arts including drawing, scupturing, pottery and photography.

In 1993, Bloom moved to London to join the National Youth Theatre and spent two seasons before earning a scholarship to attend the British American Drama Academy.

Orlando soon began acting professionally with small television roles in episodes of Casualty and Midsomer Murders, and in 1997 made his film debut in the film Wilde. He then entered the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he studied acting further as well as scupture and photography. In 1998, Bloom hit a major set-back; he had broken is back while trying to reach the roof terrace of a friend’s house. Doctors believe that he would never walk again, but he made a miraculous recovery and walked out of the hospital on crutches after 12 days.

Just days after graduating from Guildhall in 1999, Bloom was cast in his first major film role, the Elfin Prince, Legolas Greenleaf in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003). The role made him a household name and has earned recognition such as: 2002 Teen People’s “25 Hottest Stars Under 25″, and in 2004, Hollywood’s Hottest Bachelor.

Since Lord of the Rings, the actor has been going non-stop and has starred in the 3 Pirates of the Caribbean films, Kingdom of Heaven, Troy, Haven, and Elizabethtown. In 2007, he said he wants to go back-to-basics and act in stage roles for a while before returning to films. He was cast in the west end stage production by David Storey, In Celebration, which premieres on July 5th, 2007 and officially opens on July 12th.

Orlando is a practicing Buddhist, and in 2004 became a member of Soka Gakkai International, a lay Buddhist association affiliated with the teachings of Nichiren. He is also an environmentalist and is part of the Global Green company. He even renovated his London home to include solar panels, incorporate recycled materials and use energy efficient lightbulbs.

Bloom was in an on-again/off-again relationship with actress Kate Bosworth for several years until officially calling it quits in September 2006. Since then, he’s been linked with several Hollywood beauties such as Uma Thurman, Kirsten Dunst, Sienna Miller, Jessica Biel and Penélope Cruz.