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Hugh Jackman: The Biography
One of Hollywood's hottest properties, Hugh JackmanAussie Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann's epic film Australia.
- GenresBiography
286 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 31, 2021
Believe it, or not, I almost gave this two stars, not three. Hugh Jackman, the man, is a 10-star ... but Anthony Bunko, the biographer, only a 2-star. I agree with a couple of the other reviewers ... "some comments repeated throughout the book" and "researched and collated every interview with Jackman that he could get his hands on and then has regurgitated it into a book". I'm a big Hugh fan, so, it was interesting to learn a bit about his childhood. The rest of it wasn't enthralling.
3 Stars = Okay. Not sorry I read it.
3 Stars = Okay. Not sorry I read it.
January 3, 2019
I love this man more than words could ever describe ❤️
March 22, 2019
Okay, please don’t judge me! Book 1 of 2019 was a New York Times bestseller and winner of a number of debut novel awards. This book was a Christmas present from a friend who knows of my love for X-Men. I am not a snob when it comes to reading!
I am a bit of a Hugh Jackman fan. There, I said it. I have been since I first watched X-Men aged 18 in my local Odeon. I know some fans consume every little bit of media surrounding their favourite stars, but I’m far too lazy for that; if I stumble upon an interview I might read/watch it, and some friends have bought me the occasional calendar as a Christmas gift, but that’s as far as it goes for me. Last Christmas however, my best friend tracked down this unofficial biography and presented it to me with a beaming smile. It became my second book of 2019.
I felt very awkward reading this book. I’ve read a few autobiographies before (Dawn French, Anthony Kiedis and Julie Walters – what a mix!) and two biographies during the English components of my degree, but they were very different to this book. Autobiographies are a shared insight into the lives of well-known people. The writers have decided what secrets they are prepared to tell and tell them in their own way. Biographies obviously differ in that the subject often has no input into the book at all and my undergraduate reading of biographies was a pleasant experience; the subjects were long dead – their lives had been pieced together through letters and other recorded or oral sources and usually the writers had ‘official biographer’ status. This biography was very different. I felt like a voyeur for most of it. Almost as if I was standing in a bush in Hugh Jackman’s garden or peering through his highly polished windows. I felt like a stalker. And I’m not really sure why. Anthony Bunko seems to have simply researched and collated every interview with Jackman that he could get his hands on and then has regurgitated it into a book. Now, I could be wrong but that’s how it feels. The narration style put me off too – it was a bit ‘gushy’ for want of a better term.
I think I may be alone in this opinion as reviews I have read – mainly American – rave about the book. I definitely think it will be the last biography I will read for a while – if ever!
I am a bit of a Hugh Jackman fan. There, I said it. I have been since I first watched X-Men aged 18 in my local Odeon. I know some fans consume every little bit of media surrounding their favourite stars, but I’m far too lazy for that; if I stumble upon an interview I might read/watch it, and some friends have bought me the occasional calendar as a Christmas gift, but that’s as far as it goes for me. Last Christmas however, my best friend tracked down this unofficial biography and presented it to me with a beaming smile. It became my second book of 2019.
I felt very awkward reading this book. I’ve read a few autobiographies before (Dawn French, Anthony Kiedis and Julie Walters – what a mix!) and two biographies during the English components of my degree, but they were very different to this book. Autobiographies are a shared insight into the lives of well-known people. The writers have decided what secrets they are prepared to tell and tell them in their own way. Biographies obviously differ in that the subject often has no input into the book at all and my undergraduate reading of biographies was a pleasant experience; the subjects were long dead – their lives had been pieced together through letters and other recorded or oral sources and usually the writers had ‘official biographer’ status. This biography was very different. I felt like a voyeur for most of it. Almost as if I was standing in a bush in Hugh Jackman’s garden or peering through his highly polished windows. I felt like a stalker. And I’m not really sure why. Anthony Bunko seems to have simply researched and collated every interview with Jackman that he could get his hands on and then has regurgitated it into a book. Now, I could be wrong but that’s how it feels. The narration style put me off too – it was a bit ‘gushy’ for want of a better term.
I think I may be alone in this opinion as reviews I have read – mainly American – rave about the book. I definitely think it will be the last biography I will read for a while – if ever!
May 4, 2017
I enjoy watching Hugh Jackman's films and I sort of thought " Oh he has a biography about his life, sure why not " and I decided to buy it and read it. I feel like personally you have to really like an actor or anybody for that matter to read a whole biography about their life, but with Hugh Jackman I felt like he was really inspiring on how he became an actor and I though it was interesting that this big shot of an actor could have started out so small like anyone else.
March 18, 2018
A three star rating for a biography is basically a five star rating, but because it’s a biography about a celebrity, it’s obviously not going to get five stars. This book was very interesting. It definitely shows Hugh’s struggles to get to where he is as well as his triumphs. At times this book can get a little tedious with all the movies and income those movies brought in, but that’s what you are going to get from an actor’s biography. This book really shows the work that goes into movies. This book was published in 2012 and at the very end it talks about a future project about PT Barnum called The Greatest Showman on Earth which six years later today we know as just The Greatest Showman, one of the greatest movies. Hugh’s take on life really inspires and this book actually makes me want to read other actor’s biographies just to see how they got in the business and their take on life.
I would recommend this book to anyone 15 and older. Any younger than that and you probably won’t care for it as much.
I would recommend this book to anyone 15 and older. Any younger than that and you probably won’t care for it as much.
February 23, 2020
Hugh Jackman is my celebrity crush and I loved learning about his life. This book was a bit redundant at times and provided movie/theatre details that I did not always find interesting. When I finished the biography, my crush was deeper. What a wonderful man!
January 3, 2018
A really interesting read.
June 16, 2016
I actually enjoyed the first quarter of the book more then the rest. Hugh Jackman's humble beginnings were an interesting read, especially about the schools he went to, the challenges he faced and the risks he took. However once I reached the chapter about his break-out role with the first X-Men movie, the book then delved into his accomplishments with both his Broadway shows and movies he acted in and merely gave commentary on the behind the scenes talks and build-up to these.
The book does repeatedly emphasis how down to earth Hugh Jackman is, but being a biography I guess this is expected. I also noticed some comments repeated throughout the book giving me a sense of deja-vu whilst reading and probably could've been left out. I did enjoy the personal stories of embarrassing and funny incidents which occurred during Hugh's stage shows which I feel best reveals his humble and easy going attitude to be able to share those with us.
The book does repeatedly emphasis how down to earth Hugh Jackman is, but being a biography I guess this is expected. I also noticed some comments repeated throughout the book giving me a sense of deja-vu whilst reading and probably could've been left out. I did enjoy the personal stories of embarrassing and funny incidents which occurred during Hugh's stage shows which I feel best reveals his humble and easy going attitude to be able to share those with us.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews