It has been a dramatic rise to fame for the home-grown boy from Canterbury who moved to London at just sixteen years old to join the National Youth Theatre. After the death of his father, the novelist and activist Harry Bloom, when Orlando was just four, he and older sister Samantha were raised by their mother. But what about Orlando’s incredibly distinctive name? Orlando might make you think ‘Florida’ but infact the truth is a lot more interesting. Perhaps as an influence of his father’s career as a novelist, the name comes from the hero in Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando: A Biography’. From a young age an appreciation of the arts was fostered, with Orlando’s mother encouraging participation in the Kent festival. But it was the big screen that really pulled the young Orlando towards performing. When he realized that Superman was actually being played by the actor Christopher Reeve, Orlando was hooked.

It was 1993 when Orlando moved to London. After two years with the National Youth Theatre, in 1995 he won a scholarship to study with the British American Drama Academy. After his appearance in a stage production of ‘A Walk in the Vienna Woods’ Orlando was approached by an agent who landed him his film debut with a small role in ‘Wilde’ (1997), starring Stephen Fry as Irish playwright Oscar Wilde. But a measure of Orlando’s dedication to his craft is that he continued to further his training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

This dedication and determination is a theme that permeates right through Orlando’s character. For in 1998 he made a remarkable recovery after breaking his back in an accident. Notorious for his daredevil antics, Orlando was attempting to get onto a roof terrace via a drainpipe (?!) when it gave way and he plummeted three stories. Doctors feared that he would never walk again, but incredibly Orlando walked out of hospital on crutches just twelve days later! It comes as a great relief, therefore, to hear Orlando say: “I am really careful now. I don’t do anything that’s really stupid”. Glad to hear it Orlando! The accident helped give the young actor a new perspective and appreciation of life that, thankfully for us, made him even more determined to succeed.

And succeed he has. It must be every aspiring actor’s favourite fantasy. Just days before he graduated from the Guildhall in 1999, Orlando received a telephone call that confirmed his big break. He had originally auditioned for the role of Faramir in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, but the casting directors saw a different role for him and cast him as Legolas Greenleaf, the heroic Elf Prince who plays a significant part in all three installments.

Barely before Orlando could acknowledge this amazing opportunity he was whisked off for two months of intensive training into the finer points of archery, sword-fighting and horseback riding, learning the skills needed to play the Elf-warrior. But although the casting directors obviously saw an elfin quality in him, it still required a quite dramatic physical makeover involving contact lenses, blonde wigs and prosthetic ear extensions to transform the dark-haired, dark-eyed actor for the part.

You would be forgiven for thinking that after his accident Orlando would have preferred to shy away from unnecessary danger. However, you would be wrong. For while on location in New Zealand for the filming of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy Orlando quickly became known as the daredevil of the cast, frequently going bungee-jumping and surfing. But it was during filming that the actor had another brush with injury. He broke a rib when the horse he was riding fell and another actor landed on top of him. Despite this Orlando only missed a day or two of filming.

The trilogy has proved to be an overwhelming success. The first installment, ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, broke all previous box-office records for a December opening when it was released in 2001. But there was to be no rest for Orlando after filming completed. He soon moved from London to Los Angeles in order to pursue his film career. Landing a role in Ridley Scott’s ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001), Orlando found himself among big stars such as Josh Harnett and Ewan MacGregor. Interestingly, in the film he falls from a height and breaks his back, strangely resonant of the real-life accident that could have prevented any possibility of a film career.

The release of each installment of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy has acted like successive adrenaline shots to Orlando’s career. From a virtual unknown, Orlando’s profile is now garnering him major starring parts. The trilogy gave him enough of a reputation in the business to land a part in ‘Ned Kelly’ (2003) and Disney’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003). The latter of these especially placed Orlando in great demand.

‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ was a surprise smash hit at the box-office. The swashbuckling adventure saw Orlando play Will Turner who teams up in an unlikely on-screen partnership with Johnny Depp’s roguish but endearing Captain Jack Sparrow. Orlando could have been swamped by Depp’s performance, but instead shines in the role. In the process he became a heartthrob to millions, his cheekbones so razor sharp that even Depp’s puckered lips performance couldn’t distract the audience from the fact. Orlando of course is typically modest about his sex-appeal, saying: “I think there’s always a bit of pressure to try to be good looking when you’re growing up, but I don’t feel it more than any other boy”.

Of his film choices, it is obvious that Orlando has an eye for success. He has had parts in some of the biggest grossing movies of recent years. Yet despite this, his choice of roles has enabled him to shine in a variety of roles, leaving little doubt as to his acting versatility. There has been an epic nature to a lot of his work and the much anticipated ‘Troy’ perpetuates this theme. Co-starring alongside Brad Pitt, Orlando plays Paris in this big-budget account of the Trojan War. From co-star to leading light, Orlando has just completed filming another epic where he plays the leading role in the Ridley Scott directed ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. We can also look forward to seeing him in the Brit-flick mockumentary comedy ‘The Calcium Kid’, due for release later this year. With his name now safe as one of the most famous in the business it is sure to secure his position as one of the A-list in Hollywood. It is only seven years since his first film role, but in this time Orlando has forged a path to the top and looks like taking no break from his prolific output. Its not bad going for a young English lad who thought he might never walk again. Of course, with a name like his it’s difficult to avoid the obvious pun, so…. You might say his career is blooming.