In Australia, Luhrmann first gained notoriety for his work as a theater director before turning his attention to movies. His first film endeavor was the 1992 motion picture adaptation of his play “Strictly Ballroom.” The film, an unexpected smash, brought Baz several prizes and established him as a director to keep an eye on. Since then, he has written, directed, and produced the movies “The Great Gatsby,” “Australia,” “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet” (2013).
Luhrmann directed four of the top 10 highest-grossing Australian movies ever. As an actor, he had an uncredited appearance in “The Great Gatsby” and has acted in the movies “Winter of Our Dreams” and “The Dark Room” as well as the TV movie “The Highest Honor” and the television series “A Country Practice” (1981–1982).
He also created the 2016 Netflix series “The Get Down.” La bohème’s 2002 Broadway production, directed by Baz, was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Direction of a Musical and Best Revival of a Musical. In 2019, “Moulin Rouge!” was transformed into a Broadway musical, which won Luhrmann the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Baz was listed as providing Creative Services in the playbill even though he did not direct “Moulin Rouge! The Musical!” He also worked on the Broadway cast recording. The 1998 album “Something for Everyone,” which featured songs from his movies as well as the popular song “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” was published by Luhrmann, who also established the record label House of Iona.
Early Years
On September 17, 1962, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Mark Anthony Luhrmann was given the name Baz. His mother, Barbara Carmel, maintained a dress boutique and taught ballroom dancing, while his father, Leonard Luhrmann, owned a movie theater and a gas station. Luhrmann attended Narrabeen Sports High School, St. Joseph’s Hastings Regional School, Port Macquarie, St. Paul’s Catholic College, and his hometown school, Herons Creek, in rural New South Wales, where he was raised.
At Narrabeen Sports High School, Baz performed in a St. Paul’s Catholic College performance of William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” where he met Craig Pearce, who would later collaborate with him on the screenplays for “Strictly Ballroom,” “Romeo + Juliet,” “Moulin Rouge!” and “The Great Gatsby.” Due to his hairdo in his adolescence, he was given the moniker “Baz,” which was modeled after the English Basil Brush.
As a teenager, Luhrmann legally changed his name to Bazmark. He completed high school in 1980, the same year he received a role in his debut movie, “Winter of Our Dreams.” Baz co-founded The Bond Theatre Company in 1982, which staged performances at Bondi Beach’s Pavilion in Sydney. Luhrmann enrolled in the acting program at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1983 after making an appearance in the television documentary “Kids of the Cross” and graduated in 1985.
Career
Baz directed “Crocodile Creek” for the New Moon Theatre Company after performing in a number of productions. He turned his play “Strictly Ballroom” into a movie in 1992, which garnered him multiple honors including a Golden Globe nomination. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes featured in his second feature picture, “Romeo + Juliet,” which was released in 1996 and earned $147.5 million worldwide against a $14.5 million budget.
The 2001 jukebox musical “Moulin Rouge!” starred Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor and earned Luhrmann eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film grossed $179.2 million at the box office. For the 2008 film “Australia,” which also starred Hugh Jackman, he reconnected with Kidman.
The movie brought in $211.3 million, and Baz followed it up with “The Great Gatsby” in 2013. With a $353.6 million worldwide total and 12 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, “The Great Gatsby,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton, is Baz Luhrmann’s highest-grossing movie to date.
In 2014, it was revealed that Baz was in talks to helm an Elvis Presley biography for Warner Bros. In March 2019, Tom Hanks was chosen to play Colonel Tom Parker; a few months later, Austin Butler was chosen to play Elvis. The movie, simply titled “Elvis,” started shooting in Australia in January 2020, and after Hanks tested positive for COVID-19 in March, production was halted. Filming did not continue until September 2020 as a result of the epidemic.
Individual Life
On January 26, 1997, Baz wed production designer Catherine Martin; on October 10, 2003, their daughter Lillian was born, and on June 8, 2005, their son William. The Melbourne Demons of the Australian Football League are supported by Luhrmann.
Recognition and Nominations
For “Moulin Rouge!” in 2002, Luhrmann received three nominations: one for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, one for Best Director at the Golden Globes, and won for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. In 1994, “Strictly Ballroom” earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. His previous nominations were for “Strictly Ballroom” and “Moulin Rouge,” and he has had seven BAFTA Award nominations overall.
He won the David Lean Award for Direction and Best Adapted Screenplay for “Romeo + Juliet” in 1998. For “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “Best Musical Theater Album,” respectively, Baz has been nominated for three Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media and Best Musical Theater Album (2020).
He received two awards from the Australian Film Institute for “Strictly Ballroom” in 1992, including Best Director and Best Original or Adapted Screenplay, and was presented with the Byron Kennedy Award in 1999. Luhrmann also won accolades for “Strictly Ballroom” at the Danish Film Awards for Best Foreign Film, Toronto International Film Festival for People’s Choice Award, Vancouver International Film Festival for Best First Feature Film, Chicago International Film Festival for Best First Feature Film, and Cannes Film Festival for Award of the Youth – Foreign Film (Most Popular Film).
Baz received several honors for “Moulin Rouge!” including the Hollywood Film Award for Hollywood Movie of the Year, the Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Motion Picture, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Director, the Danish Film Award for Best Non-American Film, the Empire Award for Best Director, the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Director, and the PGA Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Picture.
He won the François Truffaut Award at the 2009 Giffoni Film Festival, the Auteur Award at the 2008 Satellite Awards, and the Sonny Bono Visionary Award at the 2002 Palm Springs International Film Festival. In addition, Luhrmann has received honors from the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards (Best Song/Recording Created for Television for “Set Me Free” from “The Get Down,” 2017) and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (Best Film and Best Direction for “The Great Gatsby,” 2014).
Actual Estate
Luhrmann paid $13.5 million in 2017 for a grand townhouse in New York City that was built in the nineteenth century. He then started a major makeover that cost several million dollars. Baz and Catherine had intended to relocate there permanently, but the COVID-19 epidemic prevented that from happening, leaving them stuck in their own Australia.
In March 2022, the couple listed the six-bedroom, five-bathroom house for sale for just under $20 million, with Catherine noting, “We simply said, “This is insane.” Almost three years have passed since anyone lived there. And someone ought to benefit from it. However, it hurts our hearts.”
What Are the Salary and Net Worth of Baz Luhrmann?
Australian director, screenwriter, producer, and former actor Baz Luhrmann has a $50 million dollar net worth.
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