Hugo Weaving

Hugo Wallace Weaving (born April 4, 1960) is an Australian film and stage actor.

Early Life Background

Hugo Weaving was born in Nigeria to parents Wallace and Anne. He spent his childhood in South Africa and then moved to the UK in his teens. Whilst in England he attended the prestigious academically selective boarding school, Queen Elizabeth's Hospital, commonly known as QEH school in Bristol. He arrived in Australia in 1976 and attended Sydney's Knox Grammar School. Weaving then graduated from NIDA in 1981.


Professional Life

Weaving's first major role was in the television series Bodyline in 1984. Weaving starred in the Australian film The Dirtwater Dynasty in 1988 and later starred opposite Nicole Kidman in the 1989 film Bangkok Hilton. In 1991 Weaving received the Australian Film Institute's award for "Best Actor" for his performance in the low-budget Proof. He also appeared as Sir John in the 1993 Yahoo Serious comedy, Reckless Kelly, a lampoon of the famous Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. However, Weaving first received attention overseas with the international hit Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994. In 1998, Weaving received the award for "Best Actor" from the Montreal Film Festival for his performance in The Interview.

It was his role as the enigmatic Agent Smith in the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix which made Weaving a globally recognized face. Weaving reprised the role of Agent Smith in the 2003 sequels to The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Weaving has continued his success in the role of the elf-lord Elrond in the three-film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings released between 2001 and 2003.

Weaving was the main actor in Andrew Kotatko's Everything Goes (2004) and plays one of the leading roles in the 2006 film V for Vendetta.

As of October 2005 he is currently in Bali filming The Bali Project which is a movie about the 2002 Bali Bombing.

Weaving is also providing the main voice over talent for The Lord of the Rings PC game, The Battle for Middle-Earth II.


Personal Life

Weaving lives in Sydney with his wife Katrina Greenwood and his two children Holly and Harry. Despite his career in film, Weaving has continued working as a stage actor, regularly appearing in productions by the Sydney Theatre Company.