Hugo Weaving

Biography:

Hugo Weaving was born on April 4, 1960, at the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, to British parents. His mother, Anne Lennard, was a former teacher and tour guide, and his father, Wallace Weaving, worked as a seismologist. The two met as students at the University of Bristol. His maternal grandmother was Belgian. When Hugo was one year old, the family moved back to the UK, later living in Bedford and Brighton, before relocating to Australia (Melbourne and Sydney), then to Johannesburg in South Africa, and eventually returning to Britain.

While in the UK, Weaving studied at The Downs School near Bristol and at Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital, where in 1973 he performed one of his first stage roles as Captain Asquith in Robert Bolt’s The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew. After the family’s return to Australia in 1976, he attended Knox Grammar School in Sydney, graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1981.

His screen debut came in 1984 as cricket captain Douglas Jardine in the Australian TV series Bodyline. He went on to appear in miniseries such as The Dirtwater Dynasty (1988), Barlow and Chambers: A Long Way From Home, and Bangkok Hilton (1989), opposite Nicole Kidman. In 1991, he won the Australian Film Institute Best Actor award for Proof, playing a blind photographer. He continued to build his career with roles in Reckless Kelly (1993), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), and as the voice of Rex in Babe (1995) and its 1998 sequel. His portrayal in The Interview (1998) earned him the Best Actor award at the Montreal World Film Festival.

Weaving gained international recognition as Agent Smith in The Matrix (1999) and its sequels, and as Elrond in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003). He also voiced characters in The Magic Pudding and later reprised Elrond for video games. His career expanded with acclaimed performances in Little Fish (2005), V for Vendetta (2005), and stage productions with the Sydney Theatre Company, including Hedda Gabler.

He voiced Megatron in Michael Bay’s Transformers films (2007 onward), though later admitted little connection to the role. Other notable work included The Wolfman (2010), Last Ride (2009), and Oranges and Sunshine (2010). He returned as Elrond in Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, and appeared in Cloud Atlas (2012), Mystery Road (2013), and stage productions such as Uncle Vanya, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Macbeth. His later film credits include Jasper Jones (2015), Mortal Engines (2018), Patrick Melrose (2018), The Visit (2020), Love Me (2021–), and Slow Horses (2024).

Weaving has long been active in theatre while balancing blockbuster and independent film roles. He also became an ambassador for the Australian animal rights group Voiceless in 2004, serving as a public advocate and judge for their programs. Since 2022, he has been a board member of the Adelaide Film Festival.

Diagnosed with epilepsy at age 13, Weaving’s condition subsided in his early 30s, but he has chosen not to drive as a precaution. He has been in a long-term relationship with Katrina Greenwood since 1984; they have two children, Harry (an actor) and Holly (an artist), both of whom carry their mother’s surname. He is also uncle to actresses Samara and Morgan Weaving.