English actor Orlando Nathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom was born January 13, 1977 in Canterbury, Kent, England. He is best known to SciFi.Radio listeners as Will Turner in Disney’s Pirates of the Carribbean franchise, Legolas in The Lord of and The Hobbit movies, and the Duke of Buckinham in the 2011 remake of The Three Musketeers.
For every viewer who thinks of Ron Howard as an award-winning director, there is an equal or greater number who still think of him as “Little Ronnie Hpward.” Likewise, although Orlando Bloom is now 44, most of us still think of the roles he played in the early years of the 21st century, at the time when he was considered the hottest young actor in Fantasy films, and the hearthrob of countless young girls. Bloom is more than just British beefcake even if he lives in our hearts as Legolas son of Thranduil and Will Turner, the blacksmith who dared to love the governor’s daughter.
In 2002, hBloom was chosen as one of the Teen People “25 Hottest Stars Under 25.” In 2004 he was named People‘s Hottest Hollywood Bachelor. He made his film debut in Wilde (1887), starring Stephen Fry (A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder, Bones) as playwright Oscar Wilde.
He was married briefly to Australian model Miranda Kerr; they are now divorced. Bloom has two children, a son Flynn(born 2011) with his ex-wife, and a daughter Daisy(born 2020) with his fiancee, American singer Katy Perry.
- Bloom appeared in Black Hawk Down in 2001.
- In 2009, Bloom was named a Goodeill Ambassador for UNICEF.
- April 2, 2004, Bloom received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- In 2005, Orlando Bloom played Balian de Ibelian in Kingdom of Heaven.
- In 2009, Bloom was named a Goodeill Ambassador for UNICEF.
- Bloom played Romeo opposite Condola Rasad’s Juliet in the 2014 version of Romeo and Juliet.
- Bloom is currently appearing in the Amazon Prime streaming show Carnival Row, as Inspector Rycroft Philostrate.
- Bloom’s most recent movie as of this writing is Needle in a Timestack (2021), based on a Robert Silverburg story, where Bloom played the villainous Tommy Hambleton.
Happy Birthday, Orlando Bloom!
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
