The city of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia welcomed Geoffrey Rush into the world on this day in 1951. As a young man, the aspiring actor studied the dramatic arts (and miming) at the L’Ecole internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and upon returning to his native land, conquered the stage with turns in “The Diary of a Madman,” “Uncle Vanya” and David Mamet’s “Oleanna.” Rush’s first walk-on role in a feature was 1981’s Hoodwink, starring fellow Australian thespian Judy Davis. His first significant screen role was for Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995), but it was his portrayal of pianist David Helfgott in Shine (1996) that began his international recognition and acclaim.
Rush pillaged the SAG, Golden Globe and Academy Awards that season for his leading role. Since that momentous year, the actor has sunk his teeth into such varied historical characters as Sir Francis Walsingham (Elizabeth, 1998) and Leon Trotsky (Frida, 2002) as well as fictional ones such as Inspector Javert (Les Misérables, 1998) and Captain Barbossa (in all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies). The actor would twice more visit the Academy Awards as a nominee for his lead in Quills (2001) and supporting role in Shakespeare in Love (1999). Next he adds another piece to the Elizabeth I puzzle when he reprises his role as Walsingham alongside Cate Blanchett in The Golden Age this fall.
Factoid: At the age of 14, Geoffrey Rush gave up his piano lessons in pursuit of other arts. But upon receiving the role in Shine, the actor once again took up lessons. It is his hands that appear on screen eccentrically pounding away on the keys.
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