FUNNY PEOPLE

ERIC BANA (Clarke) was first introduced to American audiences in the title role of Mark Brandon "Chopper” Read in the feature film Chopper, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, and was then released in the U.S. to critical notice after its Australian success. For his role, Bana earned awards from the Film Critics Circle of Australia and the Australian Film Institute.

In 2001, Bana was seen co-starring in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down as Delta Sgt. First Class "Hoot” Gibson, one of a group of elite U.S. soldiers, opposite Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor and Tom Sizemore. The war epic, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, was based on journalist Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the 1993 U.S. mission in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Bana also starred as Bruce Banner in Hulk for director Ang Lee, based on the Marvel Comics character, and as Hector, the prince of Troy, in Troy for director Wolfgang Petersen. The film was based on Homer's "The Iliad” and also co-starred Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom. He also starred in Steven Spielberg's Munich, about the aftermath of the 1972 Olympics.

Bana was most recently seen as the villain Nero in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, and in The Other Boleyn Girl, with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. He was also seen in Romulus, My Father, based on Raimond Gaita's bestselling memoir, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and in Curtis Hanson's Lucky You, in which he co-starred with Drew Barrymore.

Bana will next be seen in The Time Traveler's Wife, opposite Rachel McAdams, based on the bestselling novel by Audrey Niffenegger.

In April of this year, Bana's first film as a director, the drama documentary Love the Beast, had its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Starring Bana, Jay Leno, Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear) and Dr. Phil, the film explores the meaning of Bana's 25-year-long relationship with his first car and the importance of the bonds that form through a common passion. Bana currently resides in Australia with his wife and two children.

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