Jude Law
Birthdate: December 29, 1972 (53 Years Old)
Birthplace: Lewisham, London, England, UK
Jude Law (birthname: David Jude Heyworth Law) may now be known by younger viewers as Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) and The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), but for older moviegoers, he is one of the most recognizable and respected British film actors of his time. Distinguished by a cutting intelligence, piercing blue eyes, and the hints of a bad boy that continue to imbue his performances as he reaches his 50s, Law is one of those actors whom many assume has won an Oscar—yet, has not (so far).
Trained in musical theater starting in 1987, Jude Law was making West End theater appearances no less than five years later and earned a nomination for an outstanding newcomer in the Laurence Olivier Awards. He received a Tony nomination in 1995 for his turn in the Jean Cocteau adaptation, Indiscretions, with Kathleen Turner and Cynthia Nixon. By the late 1990s, Law shot to movie stardom on the combined weight of Stephen Fry’s Wilde (1997), Clint Eastwood’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), Andrew Niccol’s science fiction drama, Gattaca (1997), and his fine Oscar-nominated turn opposite Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).
Law’s stratospheric rise turned him into a star associated with serious entertainment, including the Steven Spielberg/Stanley Kubrick sci-fi epic, A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Sam Mendes’ Depression-era drama with Tom Hanks, The Road to Perdition (2002), the WW2 action epic, Enemy at the Gates (2001), and a second movie with director Anthony Minghella, Cold Mountain (2003), with Nicole Kidman, which earned Law the Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Law shifted into somewhat lighter fare at this point, including comedies like Holiday (2006), and a pair of projects in which he re-created roles originated by Michael Caine, with whom Law bears fascinating comparisons: Alfie (2004) and Sleuth (2007), adapted by the great British playwright, Harold Pinter. The work of another playwright, Patrick Marber—Closer (2004), directed by Mike Nichols, with Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen—provided Law with the kind of dangerous and caustic character with which he seems to thrive as an actor.
Jude Law’s career hasn’t exactly slowed down, but his recent work has taken a different register, in such commercial vehicles as Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), with Law as Watson to Robert Downey, Jr.’s Holmes, in which acting takes a backseat to special effects. By far his most intriguing performance of late has been in Paolo Sorrentino’s subversive and strange HBO limited series, The Young Pope (2016), a role which he then reprised in The New Pope (2020). These, as well as his physically demanding performance in HBO’s surreal The Third Day (2020), suggest how streaming narrative “mega-features” afford the kind of interesting roles for an actor of Law’s talents that feature films now seldom do.
This is measured by how Law is now opting for either a reprise of familiar characters or the big, broad, fantasy roles of Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts series, Captain Hook in Peter Pan & Wendy (2022), and a reprise of his Watson in the third (as yet untitled) Sherlock Holmes feature. And nothing gets bigger and broader than the role Law is slated to tackle next: Henry VIII, in Karim Aïnouz’s drama, Firebrand, with Alicia Vikander.
Law starred as an FBI agent and was a lead producer for director/producer Justin Kurzel’s crime thriller, The Order (2024), adapted by screenwriter Zach Baylin from Kevin Flynn’s and Gary Gerhardt’s 1989 book, The Silent Brotherhood, co-starring Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, Alison Oliver and Marc Maron, premiering at the Venice Film Festival before a limited theatrical release by Vertical (U.S.)/Amazon MGM Studios (International). Law led the ensemble of director/co-writer/producer Ron Howard’s survival thriller, Eden (2024), written by Noah Pink, co-starring Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney, Daniel Brühl, Felix Kammerer, Toby Wallace and Richard Roxburgh, and proving to be a commercial bomb (based on estimated costs) for lead producers Imagine Entertainment/AGC Studios and distributor Vertical after launching at the Toronto Film Festival.
Jude Law (as Vladimir Putin) was a co-star of director/co-writer Olivier Assayas’s political satire, The Wizard of the Kremlin (2025), co-written by Emmanuel Carriere and adapted from Giuliano da Empoli’s 2022 novel, co-starring Paul Dano Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge and Jeffrey Wright, backed by Gaumont/France 2 Cinema/Curiosa Films and which was released wide by Vertical (U.S.-Canada)/Gaumont (France-International). Law reunited as Dr. Watson with Robert Downey’s Holmes in the sequel, Sherlock Holmes 3 (date to be announced), with Eddie Marsan under Dexter Fletcher’s direction, and released wide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Personal life
Jude Law was born in the Lewisham area of London in 1972 to parents Margaret Heyworth and Peter Law who now run a drama school and theater in France. He has a sister, painter, and designer Andrea Natasha Law. Jude Law was married to actor Sadie Frost from 1997 to 2003; their children are Iris, Rafferty, and Rudy.
Law has been in relationships with actor Sienna Miller and model Samantha Burke, with whom he had a child, Sophia, born in 2009 after their split. Law had a fifth child following a brief relationship with singer Catherine Harding, aka Cat Cavelli. He married Phillipa Coan in 2019; the couple had a child in 2020. Law’s height is 5’ 10”.
Awards
Twice-nominated, Best Actor, Academy Awards (2000, 2004); Winner, Best Actor, BAFTA awards (2000); Winner, Honorary Cesar Award (2007); Twice-nominated, Best European Actor, European Film Awards (2001, 2013); Four-times nominated, Best Actor ad Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Awards (2000, 2002, 2004, 2018); Twice-nominated, Outstanding Cast Performance, Screen Actors Guild Awards (2005, 2015); Supporting Actor Emmy in a Limited Series or Special (2019); Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award, Venice Film Festival (2016).
Jude Law Movies
Actor
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Previous (24)
- 2025 |
- 2024 |
- 2024 |
Skeleton Crew
asJod Na Nawood
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.
- 2023 |
Peter Pan & Wendy
asCaptain Hook
Wendy Darling, a young girl looking to avoid boarding school, meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Wendy, her brothers, and Tinker Bell travel with Peter to the magical world of Neverland, where she encounters an evil pirate captain
- 2023 |
- 2022 |
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
asAlbus Dumbledore
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Albus Dumbledore knows that Gellert Grindelwald is moving to take control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he asks Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team on a dangerous mission.
- 2020 |
- 2020 |
The Rhythm Section
asIain Boyd
A woman seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.
- 2019 |
Captain Marvel
asYon-Rogg
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.
- 2018 |
- 2017 |
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
asVortigern
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Robbed of his birthright, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy - whether he likes it or not.
- 2016 |
- -- | Spyas Bradley Fine
- -- | The Grand Budapest Hotelas Young Writer
- -- | Side Effectsas Dr. Jonathan Banks
- -- | Rise of the Guardiansas Pitch
- -- | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadowsas Dr. John Watson
- -- | Sherlock Holmesas Dr. John Watson
- -- | Cold Mountainas Inman
- -- | Enemy at the Gatesas Vassili
- -- | Hugoas Hugo's Father
- -- | The Holidayas Graham
- -- | A.I. Artificial Intelligenceas Gigolo Joe
- -- | as Vladimir Putin
Facts About Jude Law
What’s in a name: Though born with the first name of David, Jude Law went by his second name from birth, a name inspired both by the Beatles song “Hey Jude” and Thomas Hardy’s 1895 novel, Jude the Obscure.
Front Lines: Jude Law has worked vigorously with UNICEF and the “Peace Day” efforts, promoting non-violent solutions to problems. He has participated in fundraisers to support anti-cancer projects, and pressure campaigns to fight climate change and poverty. His wide-ranging philanthropy includes supporting local community arts projects in the U.K., chair the Music for Tomorrow Foundation for rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and chair of the Prince of Wales’ Children and the Arts Foundation.
The Face: Jude Law has been the face of the Dunhill luxury brand, starting in 2005. He was also the male face of Dior in 2008.
