An accomplished stage and screen star, Rush boasts more than 40 films to his name, as well as a string of top awards and honours.
He’s one of only a handful of stars to have won the ‘Triple Crown of Acting’ – an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award – and thanks to his triumphant role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and part in The King’s Speech, he now has his pick of movies.
To celebrate his milestone, WENN has found 10 fascinating facts about Rush. Happy birthday, Geoffrey!
– Born in 1951, Rush’s parents divorced when he was five – and his mother took him to live with her parents in suburban Brisbane.
– As a teenager, Rush studied mime, movement and theatre at the famous L’Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France for two years.
– The star played English comic actor Peter Sellers in 2004 TV film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, for which he landed a Best Actor Emmy Award.
– To mark the annual Australia Day in 2009, Rush – along with fellow Aussies Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman – was honoured with a special postage stamp.
– In order to play a troubled pianist in 1996’s Shine, Rush resumed piano lessons – he initially quit classes when he was 14. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role, becoming the first Australian-born screen star to scoop an Oscar.
– Rush once shared a home with Mel Gibson.
– He was honoured with a Theatre World Award for his 2009 Broadway debut in Exit The King, as well as a Tony Award.
– The actor can also add compere to his resume – he fronted the 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards and was the Master of Ceremonies again the following year (07).
– For his honeymoon, Geoffrey and his wife Jane embarked on a six month stage tour of The Importance of Being Earnest. They’ve been married for 23 years and share two teenage children.
– Rush almost turned down his role in The King’s Speech because he thought the film would be a major failure. It went on to make more than $414 million (£258 million) and land the star a Best Actor in a Supporting Role BAFTA award.
