Jackman Sinks Claws Into 'X-Men'

Actor Returns As Fan Fave Wolverine In Sequel

(AP)  The youngest of five children, Jackman had done amateur theater and initially studied journalism before deciding to pursue acting. He studied at the Australian Academy of Performing Arts and quickly found success on Australian television and in stage musicals, including a British production of "Oklahoma!"

Jackman won a Tony on Broadway for "The Boy From Oz," in which he played singer-songwriter Peter Allen, Liza Minnelli's ex-husband, who died of AIDS in 1992.

With his success in "X-Men," Jackman went on to star as the title character in the vampire-hunter tale "Van Helsing," the romantic comedies "Someone Like You" and "Kate & Leopold" and the thriller "Swordfish" with "X-Men" co-star Halle Berry.

Jackman is developing an "X-Men" spinoff movie focusing on Wolverine, and he said he plans to maintain a mix of stage and film roles.

"If I really look at a career I admire, it's probably someone like Paul Newman," Jackman said. "I always felt that he was an actor, a character actor. He didn't even kind of put on airs that 'I'm a lead actor.' He really just did justice to the part, and he mixed his stage life with his film life.

"For me, that's an important part of staying fresh, staying alive. You never know how this business is going to go. I feel very lucky at the moment that there are a number of doors open to me, and let's hope I can keep them wedged open."