Australians in Hollywood : Biographical Notes

Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann (b. 1962) had early aspirations to be an actor. He appeared in Winter of Our Dreams (1981) and studied acting at NIDA before his interests turned to directing. In 1986 he devised, with fellow NIDA students, a successful one-act stage piece called Strictly Ballroom , which toured Australia in an expanded version the following year. After mounting an acclaimed La Bohème for the Australian Opera (a production he would recreate on Broadway in 2002) Luhrmann co-wrote and directed the film version of Strictly Ballroom (1992), which won eight AFI awards, including the best director and best picture awards. Ballroom' s success in the U.S. landed Luhrmann a three-year deal with Fox. His 1996 hit Romeo + Juliet made more than U.S. $45 million, was followed by Moulin Rouge (2001), which premiered triumphantly at Cannes and earned eight Oscar nominations. He is currently at work on Alexander the Great with Leonardo di Caprio.

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