Geoffrey Rush has been named Australian of the Year and will be presented with the title tonight in Canberra by the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Geoffrey Rush - Photo By Ros O'Gorman
Rush has won the trifecta of acting, an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy.
60-year old Geoffrey Rush was born in Toowoomba but made his home in Melbourne.
He made his film debut in 1981 in ‘Hoodwink’ and followed that up in 1982 in ‘Starstuck’.
His big break for Rush came in ‘Shine’. It earned him his first Grammy Award in 1996.
In recent years, Rush played Captain Hector Barbossa in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies.
One of his most respected roles was as Lionel Longue in ‘The King’s Speech’. The movie also starred Colin Firth who was awarded the CBE by the Queen just a few weeks ago.
For the record (pardon the pun), Geoffrey is a huge music fan and collector. If you see someone who looks like him at Amoeba Records in LA or JB Hi-Fi in Melbourne, it is most likely him.
Previous entertainment industry ‘Australians of the Year’ include Lee Kernaghan (2008), Mandawuy Yunupingu (1992), John Farnham (1987), The Seekers (1967), Robert Helpmann (1965) and Joan Sutherland (1961).
