It’s a pretty neat trick for a relatively unknown British actor to show up in a movie starring Hollywood golden children Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon, and walk off with the most buzz. But that is exactly what Jude Law has accomplished in Anthony Mighella’s dark drama "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Jude doesn’t exactly steal scenes; rather, he gracefully accepts them as his due. We’ve seen Law do this before. In the 1997 sci-fi thumb sucker "Gattaca", he cast a shadow over co-stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.

Jude was born December 29th, 1972 and was named after the famous Beatles song, "Hey Jude." He grew up in a working class section of Southeast London with his school teacher parents and older sister, Natasha. His name, along with his early enthusiasm for the theater, has a foreseeable effect among his classmates. "I was labeled a poof from Day One," he says. But he didn’t waver in his conviction to become an actor and he took part in school plays. Jude has said "From when I was 13 theater was something that I absolutely connected with." After appearing in stage productions with the National Youth Music Theatre, Jude dropped out of school at 17 to take a role on a British soap called "Families". However, after two years he began to tire of what he considered hack work. He quite the show and began getting small parts on stage and in film.

While he was filming the 1994 British movie "Shopping" he met his future wife Sadie Frost. At the time, Frost, who is several years older, was married to Spandau Ballet member Gary Kemp. But after meeting Law, she left her husband and the couple had a son, Rafferty, in 1996. The couple married a year later on a canal barge in London and has since started a film-production company with partner and friend Ewan McGregor, called Natural Nylon. But the actor who has lyrics from the Beatles’ "Sexy Saidie" tattooed on his arm, prides himself on putting his family first. "Your children don’t care who you’re working with," says Law. "They’re interested in playing football and having dinner, and that’s real life. That’s important to me, to keep some semblance of reality."

Law will need those reality checks, given the inevitable fanfare that has come with Ripley. But he has said trans-Atlantic stardom isn’t what he’s after: "I like England too much. And besides, there’s far too much going on here. The success of British films and actors has put the power back in this country. Now is the time to sty here and make the most of it."