Daniel Craig born March 1968

Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor, best known for his portrayal of James Bond in the eponymous film series. Born on March 2, 1968 in Chester, England, Craig began his acting career on stage after training at the National Youth Theatre and graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1991.

Craig made his film debut in the drama The Power of One (1992) and attracted attention with appearances in the historical television war drama Sharpe's Eagle (1993) and the family film A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995). He received widespread recognition for his breakthrough role in the drama serial Our Friends in the North (1996), which followed the lives of four friends in Newcastle, England over several decades.

Craig's career continued to gain momentum with roles in the biographical film Elizabeth (1998), the action film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), and the crime thrillers Road to Perdition (2002) and Layer Cake (2004). But it was his portrayal of James Bond in Casino Royale (2006) that brought him international fame and critical acclaim. The film was well-received by critics and earned Craig a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Craig went on to star in three more James Bond films, Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), which is the series' highest-grossing film, and Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021) which is the last of his tenure as Bond. His portrayal of the iconic character has brought him further international attention and cemented his status as one of the most talented actors of his generation.

In addition to his work as James Bond, Craig has also starred in other notable films such as the fantasy film The Golden Compass (2007), the historical drama Defiance (2008), the science fiction Western Cowboys & Aliens (2011), the heist film Logan Lucky (2017), and the mystery-comedy Knives Out (2019), which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Craig continues to be one of the most sought-after actors in the industry, known for his dedication, talent and versatility.

Hugh Jackman born October 1968

Hugh Jackman was born 12 October 1968 in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Grace McNeil (née Greenwood) and Christopher John Jackman, a Cambridge-trained accountant. His parents were English-born, and had come to Australia, in 1967, as part of the "Ten Pound Poms" immigration. One of Jackman's paternal great-grandfathers was Greek. His parents were devout Christians, having been converted by Evangelist Billy Graham after their marriage. Jackman has four older siblings, and was the second of his parents' children to be born in Australia. He also has a younger half-sister, from his mother's re-marriage. His parents divorced when he was eight, and Jackman remained in Australia with his father and Jackman's two brothers, while his mother moved back to England with Jackman's two sisters. 

 As a child, Jackman liked the outdoors, spending a lot of time at the beach and on camping trips and vacations all over Australia. He wanted to see the world: "I used to spend nights looking at atlases. I decided I wanted to be a chef on a plane. Because I'd been on a plane and there was food on board, I presumed there was a chef. I thought that would be an ideal job."

Jackman went to primary school at Pymble Public School and later attended the all-boys Knox Grammar School on Sydney's Upper North Shore, where he starred in its production of My Fair Lady in 1985, and became the captain of the school in 1986. Following graduation, he spent a gap year working at Uppingham School in England. On his return, he studied at the University of Technology, Sydney, graduating in 1991 with a BA in Communications. In his final year of university, he took a drama course to make up additional credits. The class did Václav Havel's The Memorandum with Jackman as the lead. He later commented, "In that week I felt more at home with those people than I did in the entire three years [at university]".

After obtaining his BA, Jackman completed the one-year course "The Journey" at the Actors' Centre in Sydney. About studying acting full-time, he stated, "It wasn't until I was 22 that I ever thought about my hobby being something I could make a living out of. As a boy, I'd always had an interest in theater. But the idea at my school was that drama and music were to round out the man. It wasn't what one did for a living. I got over that. I found the courage to stand up and say, 'I want to do it'." After completing "The Journey", he was offered a role on the popular soap opera Neighbours but turned it down to attend the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts of Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, from which he graduated in 1994.

Jackman has said he "always loved acting but when I started at drama school I was like the dunce of the class. It just wasn’t coming right to me. Everyone was cooler, everyone seemed more likely to succeed, everyone seemed more natural at it and in retrospect I think that is good. I think it is good to come from behind as an actor. I think it is good to go into an audition thinking 'Man I’ve got to be at my best to get this gig.'"