- Born
- Birth nameEric Banadinovic
- Height6′ 2½″ (1.89 m)
- Eric Bana was born Eric Martin Andrew Banadinovic on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the younger of two brothers. His father, named Ivan Banadinovic, came from Zagreb, Croatia, and worked as a manager for Caterpillar Inc. His mother, named Eleanor Banadinovic, came from a German family and was a hairdresser.
Young Bana grew up in suburban Melbourne. He was popular among his schoolmates for his talent of making comic impressions of his teachers. At that time, he was fond of Mel Gibson in Mad Max (1979) and also decided to become an actor. He moved to Sydney and worked odd jobs to support himself. In 1991, he began a career as a stand-up comedian, while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle Hotel. In 1993, Bana made his television debut on Steve Vizard's Tonight Live with Steve Vizard (1990) talk show, then joined the Full Frontal (1993) TV-series. He gained popularity for making impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruse and "Columbo". In 1996, he started his own show titled Eric (1997), then launched a comedy series titled The Eric Bana Show Live (1997). The show was canceled for the lack of substantial audience. However in 1997, Bana received the Logie Award for "Most Popular Comedian" for his work on The Eric Bana Show Live (1997).
He made his film debut in The Castle (1997), in a supporting comic role. That same year, he was cast to portray Mark "Chopper" Read, the notorious Australian underworld figure. For the role, Bana gained 30 pounds, by eating junk food; he also spent a few days with Read in prison, in order to perfect his mimicry. Bana completely transformed himself into a bald, plump, disturbed criminal. He would arrive on the film set at four in the morning, spending several hours in makeup, being tattooed exactly like Read. Chopper (2000) became an international success and won three Australian Film Institute Awards. Bana won the Best Actor at the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival and also the AFI 2000 Best Actor Award. Then he co-starred in Black Hawk Down (2001), then starred in Hulk (2003). In 2002, he was cast as the Trojan Prince Hector in the historical epic Troy (2004), after being recommended by Brad Pitt, who admired Bana for his work in Chopper (2000). In 2005, Bana co-starred with Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush in the political drama Munich (2005) directed by Steven Spielberg.
In 1995, he began dating Rebecca Gleeson, a publicist and daughter of The Honourable Murray Gleeson, the 11th Chief Justice of Australia. The following year, he was named "Bachelor of the Year" by Cleo magazine, and won a trip for two to the United States. He invited Gleeson, and proposed to her during that romantic trip. In 1997, the two were married; their son, Klaus, was born in 1999, their daughter, Sophia, was born in 2002. He currently resides in Melbourne with his wife and their two children. Bana is a passionate supporter of Australian football. He was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) at the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to the performing arts, and to charitable organisations.- IMDb mini biography by: Steve Shelokhonov
- SpouseRebecca Gleeson(August 2, 1997 - present) (2 children)
- ChildrenKlaus BanaSophia Bana
- ParentsIvan BanadinovicEleanor Banadinovic
- RelativesAnthony Banadinovic(Sibling)
- Raspy deep-throated voice
- Brad Pitt personally requested Bana for the role of Prince Hector in the movie Troy (2004) because he was a huge fan of Chopper (2000). Russell Crowe personally requested Bana for his role in Black Hawk Down (2001) directed by Sir Ridley Scott. He did not have to audition for the role.
- Tall by almost any standards at 6' 3", he is actually medium-sized or small by his family's standards. For instance, his older brother Anthony Banadinovic stands 6' 8".
- Began his career as a stand-up comedian while serving as a hotel barman.
- He was thirty-four years old when he played the title role of the action movie Hulk (2003), making him the youngest person to play the role of Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk. His deal for the action movie directed by Ang Lee includes an option for two sequels, with substantial raises for each film.
- A picture of his wife and child was used in Black Hawk Down (2001) for the scene where helicopter pilot Mike Durant is captured by Somalis. The prop department had forgotten to grab a picture of a wife and child for the shot, so they asked Bana's wife, who was traveling with him, if they could use a picture of her and their child for the shot and she agreed.
- I wanted to be a mechanic. When I was 14, I wanted to quit school and go work on my car. But my dad said, "Son, you shouldn't do that. You should stay in school until your education is finished, and when you're done, don't make your hobby your job.".
- I race historic muscle cars back in Australia. And I try to race home as soon as I'm finished a movie but don't tell anyone.
- When I shoot, I'll take my family with me - one movie a year and then the rest of the time at home.
- I wasn't a religious follower of comic book activity as a kid, but I was a fanatical fan of the television show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. So my memories of "The Hulk" were very vivid.
- I could become characters and to me that's what acting was - I didn't want to shroud it in mystery.
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