Check out the Hugh Jackman gallery

What a fine specimen of Aussie export Hugh Jackman is! It's no surprise he's one of the frontrunners to replace Pierce Brosnan as the new Bond. His exploits in the X-Men films have shown off his muscled chest and brought him to the attention of a wider audience, while dazzling performances in West End and Broadway musicals - including a stint as Peter Allen, Liza Minnelli’s bi-sexual ex - have made him a real hit with gay men.

Totty Watch for one would love to get down under and get 4-XXXXed with the lovely Hugh.

Name
Hugh Michael Jackman

Vitals
Born 12 October 1968 in Sydney

Famous For
So what makes this Antipodean hunk such hot property? Well he's cleverly marketed himself as a lover and a fighter by playing the superhero and the romantic lead. His roles in X-Men and Van Helsing prove that he loves to get dressed up in sexy leather and in Kate & Leopold, opposite Meg Ryan, he favoured ruffles and velvet as a time-travelling aristocratic duke.

But what sets Hugh apart from other Hollywood leads is his liberal attitude towards playing gay. He told Advocate: "I've always felt very comfortable around gay men and women. I find them refreshingly honest and straightforward."

Did You Mention Musicals?
At the height of his Wolverine stardom he chose to take the lead role in The Boy From Oz on Broadway. It told the real life story of Peter Allen, the flamboyantly gay Australian hit songwriter who slept with Judy Garland's husband, married her daughter Liza Minnelli and died of AIDS in 1992.

Allen was a national hero in Australia and even managed to win round the most conservative of Aussie macho men. Hugh's performance won him a Tony Award and on his first night luminaries such as Carole Bayer Sager (who composed some of Allen's best know ditties), Sarah Jessica Parker and Julianne Moore were in the audience to watch Hugh high kick his way through Allen's numbers and snog Jerrod Emick who played Allen's lover. [I’m very jealous! Ed.]

Hugh's no newcomer to stage musicals though. He played Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, but it was his performance as Curly McLain in the National Theatre’s production of Oklahoma! that really caught the attention of X-Men director Bryan Singer.

Casting mishaps have helped propel Hugh to stardom. Robbie Williams (!) and Ricky Martin (!!) were all asked to play Allen before Hugh was approached. (We suspect the casting director is currently unemployed.) Hugh was also a last minute casting choice for Wolverine because of Dougray Scott's commitment to Mission Impossible 2 and was first choice for Darren Requiem for a Dream Aronofsky's sci-fi drama The Fountain after Brad Pitt debunked the project.

It seems that he's found his calling after his performance in The Boy From Oz as  Disney has agreed to develop big screen musicals for him to star in and produce. We can’t wait!

Considering his fame and good looks there's very little salacious gossip circulating about Hugh. His down to earth demeanour has garnered him plenty of praise from his co-stars and his family remain the most important thing in his life. He's an all-round nice geezer.

Worth Knowing
Hugh was voted one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" for five years in a row in People magazine! [What made them take him off the list? It’s a scandal. Ed.]

He turned down Richard Gere's role in Chicago.

He had to take cold showers to help him get in the mood to play Wolverine's more berserk moments. [Cold showers?! I’ll need a cold shower soon… Ed.]

He's a recent convert to the new-age religion Kabbalah.

You get to see a glimpse of Hugh's rear in Someone Like You.

He's as blind as a bat when he's not wearing his contacts.

Claims to be able to juggle five balls in the air at once and is very good with a yo-yo.

His favourite food is sushi, his favourite drink is gin and tonic and his favourite swear word is 'bullshit'.

Availability
It was love at first sight for Hugh and his fellow Aussie actress Deborra-Lee Furness who he married in 1996. They have an adopted son called Oscar. But on whether he's ever considered a same sex relationship, Hugh said: "I thought, if you found a man that you're attracted to, would you feel comfortable? And I just gave myself the permission." It could still happen guys!

Give Me More
Let your imagination run wild and feast your eyes on the pics below of the gorgeous Hugh. From action hero to musical queen via a possible gay affair he’s all yours… Enjoy.

Want to suggest a future Totty Watch? Then get in touch!

Check out the lovely Hugh for yourself in his entire glory buy buying the DVDs of the X-Men films, Van Helsing, Kate And Leopold and Swordfish or check him out in musical form with the DVD of Oklahoma! and the CD of The Boy From Oz.