Bana, Eric 1968–

PERSONAL

Original name, Eric Banadinovich; born August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (some sources cite Malvern, South Australia); son of Ivan (a heavy equipment plant logistics manager) and Eleanor (a hairdresser) Banadinovich; married Rebecca Gleason (a publicist), 1997; children: Klaus, Sophia. Education: Attended National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney, Australia. Avocational Interests: Auto and motorcycle racing, Australian rules football.

Addresses: Agent—John Fogelman, William Morris Agency, 1 William Morris Pl., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Publicist—Staci Wolfe, Polaris Public Relations, 8135 West Fourth St., 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90048.

Career: Actor, comedian, producer, and writer. Appeared in comedy clubs, beginning in 1991; worked as a hotel bartender in Melbourne, Australia.

Member: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Awards, Honors: Logie Award, most popular comedian, TV Week (Australia), 1997, for The Eric Bana Show; RAWARDS, most popular comedy performer, Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters, 1997; Australian Film Institute Award, 2000, Stockholm Film Festival Award, 2000, IF Award, 2000, and Film Critics Circle of Australia Award, 2001, all best actor, for Chopper; Chicago Film Critics Association Award nomination, most promising performer, 2002; Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination (with others), best acting ensemble, 2002, for Black Hawk Down; Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award nomination, male category, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, 2003, for Hulk; MTV Award nomination (with Brad Pitt), best fight, 2005, for Troy.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Con Petropoulous, The Castle, Miramax, 1997.

Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read, Chopper, First Look Pictures, 2000.

Voice of Oz, Arctic Adventure, 2000.

Sergeant First Class Norm "Hoot" Hooten, Black Hawk Down, Columbia, 2001.

Lotto, The Nugget, 2002, First Look Home Entertainment, 2006.

Voice of anchor, Finding Nemo (animated), Buena Vista, 2003.

Bruce Banner, Hulk, Universal, 2003.

Hector, Prince of Troy, Troy, Warner Bros., 2004.

Avner, Munich, Universal, 2005.

Huck Cheever, Lucky You, Warner Bros., 2007.

Romulus, Romulus, My Father, Arenafilm, 2007.

Television Appearances; Series:

Various roles, Full Frontal (also known as Fast Forward Presents "Full Frontal"), Seven Network, 1993–96.

The Eric Bana Show, Seven Network, 1996–97.

Himself, Poida, and other characters, Eric, Seven Network, 1997.

Joe Sabatini, Something in the Air, ABC (Australia), 2000–2001.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Glenn from Full Frontal (in archive footage), Sale of the Century: 15th Anniversary, 1995.

The Hulk: An MTV Movie Special, MTV, 2003.

Hulk: The Lowdown, Sci-Fi Channel, 2003.

Narrator, Terrors of Tasmania, 2004.

The Making of "Troy," 2004.

Troy: The Passion of Helen, Arts and Entertainment, 2004.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Himself, Poida, and other characters, Eric, Seven Network, 1996.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Rob Biletsky, "Blood and Water," All Saints, Seven Network, 1999.

Rob Biletsky, "Valley of the Shadow: Parts 1 & 2," All Saints, Seven Network, 2000.

(In archive footage) "Inside Out: Mark "Chopper" Read," Australian Story, ABC (Australia), 2001.

Himself, "Hulk," Player$, Tech TV, 2003.

Himself, "Troy," HBO First Look, HBO, 2004.

Television Guest Appearances; Episodic:

Tonight Live, 1993.

The Panel, Ten Network, 2000, 2001, 2002.

The Big Schmooze, Comedy Channel, 2000.

Rove Live, Ten Network, 2000, 2002.

The Ray Martin Show, 2001.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 2003, 2004.

Total Request Live (also known as Total Request with Carson Daly and TRL), MTV, 2004.

The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah), syndicated, 2004.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2004.

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, BBC, 2004.

4Pop, 2004.

Late Show with David Letterman (also known as The Late Show and Late Show Backstage), CBS, 2006.

The Film Programme (also known as Film 2006), BBC, 2006.

Morning Glory, Channel 4, 2006.

Sunrise, Seven Network, 2006.

Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, 2006.

Tavis Smiley, PBS, 2006.

Corazon de …, 2006.

Richard & Judy, Channel 4, 2006.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

Presenter, 3rd Annual Taurus World Stunt Awards, USA Network, 2003.

Presenter, The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2005.

Presenter, The 11th Annual Critics' Choice Awards, The WB, 2006.

Presenter, The 78th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2006.

Television Producer:

Eric (pilot), Seven Network, 1996.

Eric (series), Seven Network, 1997.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

The Making of "Hulk," Universal Studios Home Video, 2003.

The Essence of Combat: Making "Black Hawk Down," Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, 2003.

Voice of Bruce Banner, Hulk (video game), Vivendi Universal Games, 2003.

Voice of anchor, Finding Nemo (video game), THQ, 2003.

Troy: From Ruins to Reality, Warner Bros. Entertainment, 2005.

Troy: In the Thick of Battle, Warner Bros. Entertainment, 2005.

Munich: The International Cast, Universal Studios Home Video, 2006.

Munich: The Mission—the Team, Universal Studios Home Video, 2006.

Munich: The On-Set Experience, Universal Studios Home Video, 2006.

Munich: Portrait of an Era, Universal Studios Home Video, 2006.

Munich: The Experience, Universal Studios Home Video, 2006.

WRITINGS

Television Series:

Full Frontal, Seven Network, 1993–96.

The Eric Bana Show, Seven Network, 1996–97.

Eric, Seven Network, 1997.

Television Pilots:

Eric, Seven Network, 1996.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Empire, February, 2002, p. 22; February, 2006, pp. 90-91.

Entertainment Weekly, June 28, 2002, p. 34.

High Roller, September, 2006, pp. 56-61.

Interview, May, 2001, p. 133.

Movieline, February, 2002, pp. 64-65.

Movieline's Hollywood Life, May, 2004, pp. 90-92.

Newsweek, April 23, 2001, p. 58.