Jude Law

Jude Law

David Jude Heyworth Law, born 29 December 1972 in London, is an English actor, film producer and director. He began his acting career in the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and later had his first television role; in 1989. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1999 for his performance in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley. In 2000, he won a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award for his work in the film. In 2003, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in another Minghella film, Cold Mountain. He is also known for his role as Dr. John Watson in the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes and its 2011 sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. In 2006, he was ranked as one of the top ten most bankable film stars in Hollywood. In 2007, he received an Honorary César and was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. He was a member of the main competition jury at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Moreover, Jude Law is the face of the male perfume of Dior.

Engagement in Cultural Diplomacy

Humanitarian Causes

In 2006, Frost and Law directed a Shakespeare play in a South African orphanage. He travelled to Durban with Frost and their children in order to help children who have lost their parents to AIDS. In July 2007, as patron of the charity, he helped kick off the month-long tour of the AIDS-themed musical Thula Sizwe by Young Zulu Warriors. Also in 2007, he encouraged the Friends of the Earth/the Big Ask campaign, asking British Government to take action against climate change. He is the chairman of the Music For Tomorrow Foundation to help rebuild Katrina-devastated New Orleans.

Philanthropic Donations

In 2004, Law launched a campaign to raise £2.5 million towards the Young Vic Theatre's £12.5 million redevelopment project. He is currently Chairman of the Young Vic committee and has said that he is proud to help make the Young Vic "a nurturing bed" for young directors. In 2006, he joined Robbie Williams in the "Soccer Aid" celebrity football match to benefit UNICEF. In 2006, he starred in an anthology of Samuel Beckett readings and performances directed by director Anthony Minghella. With the Beckett Gala Evening at the Reading Town Hall, more than £22,000 was donated for the Macmillan Cancer Support. Law does charity work for organizations such as Make Poverty History, the Rhys Daniels Trust, and the WAVE Trauma Centre. He supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Pride of Britain Awards. Furthermore, Jude Law serves as an ambassador of the Prince of Wales' Children and the Arts Foundation. He supports Breast Cancer Care, and in December 2008 he supported the Willow Foundation with a small canvas for their campaign 'Stars on Canvas'.

Notable Actions

In July 2007, Jude Law and Jeremy Gilley were in Afghanistan over a period of 10 days to document peace commitments and activities there for an upcoming film and for the marking of the UN International Day of Peace, accompanied by UNICEF Representative Catherine Mbengue. The efforts of Peace One Day are coordinated in conjunction with celebrations of the annual International Day of Peace, on 21 September. The film, named The Day After Peace, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. On 30 August 2008, Law and Gilley returned to Afghanistan to help keep the momentum around Peace Day. They also screened the new documentary about their efforts in support of peace. The documentary features activities that took place throughout Afghanistan in 2007. It also highlights support from UNICEF and the WHO for the peaceful immunization of 1.4 million children against polio in insecure areas. In 2011 Law joined street protests against Alexander Lukashenko and his brutal crackdown on the Belarusian democracy movement.

Further Information

Promotion of the film Peace One Day

External Links

Official website of Jude Law

UNICEF about Jude Law