Hugh Jackman was a Clown, Hugh Jackman is known for being a stand-up guy just as much as he's known for playing claw-wielding mutant Wolverine.
The fact that he's one of the nicest actors on the planet also means he has little-to-no skeletons in his closet. But that doesn't mean we couldn't dig up a few juicy tidbits about "The Wolverine" star. We're crafty that way.
From his childhood crush to his stint as a WWE wrestler (what?!), here are 20 things you probably didn't know about Hugh Jackman.
1. He didn't always want to be an actor. Jackman earned a degree in communications, with an emphasis on journalism, from the University of Technology in Sydney. It wasn't until he took a drama theory class in his senior year that he was bit by the acting bug. He later enrolled in the Western Australian Academy of Arts.
2. He always had a soft spot for performing. As a kid, he put on magic shows for his four siblings. We're sure the experience came in handy for his role in 2006's "The Prestige."
3. Another factor in his choice to take on acting was his love for the "Friday the 13th" movies. He told Jay Leno he used to dream of one day playing Jason.
4. Before he became one of Hollywood's most ruggedly handsome stars he worked as a gas station attendant and a birthday party clown.
5. His childhood was kind of tough. His parents separated when he was eight, and soon after his mom abandoned the family to return to her native England, leaving Jackman's dad to raise five children alone. The actor broke down in tears when he spoke to "60 Minutes" about the ordeal in 2012.
6. He is quoted as saying he was an "angry kid" and that rugby saved him because it's just a game of organized violence, after all.
7. Jackman also had a love for something other than rugby as a kid: Olivia Newton John. The "Grease" actress and pop singer was his idol as a child -- he even kept a poster of her under his desk that he would smooch from time to time.
8. He met his wife, Deborah-Lee Furness, on the set of his first ever TV gig, an Australian show called "Corelli," in 1995.
9. Furness suffered two miscarriages before the couple ultimately decided to adopt. They now have two children, Oscar, 13, and Eva, 8.
10. His son knows his dad is awesome and uses it to his advantage. Jackman once told a story about how Oscar picks up girls, saying, "He said to me the other day, 'Dad, two o'clock, hot chick.' He walks over, and I heard him say, 'Hey, my dad's Wolverine.' That's his opening line! He brings them over and asks, 'Dad, can we have a few autographs for the girls?' I'm like, 'Am I pimping for my kids?'"
11. He sings at weddings -- well, at his friends' weddings. Hugh serenaded Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban during their 2006 nuptials.
12. We all know Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, but the Aussie actor almost took on another iconic character: Bond, James Bond. Jackman was offered the role of 007 in 2006's "Casino Royale," but because of scheduling conflicts, Daniel Craig ultimately nabbed the part.
13. Jackman also almost played another infamous character: Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, in 2008's "The Dark Knight."
14. He currently holds the record for number of times playing the same character in a movie: Wolverine, seven times.
15. For his most recent stint as the clawed mutant, Jackman told the L.A. Times he stuck to a 6,000 calorie a day diet to bulk up.
16. We all know by now that Hugh is a song and dance man from his role in last year's "Les Miserables" and his run on Broadway in "The Boy From Oz." But what's the one song he could listen to every day for the rest of his life? Jackman says it's "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones. Maybe he can play Mick Jagger in a biopic!
17. Aside from singing, dancing, and acting Hugh also dabbles in wrestling -- or at least he did in 2011. While promoting his film "Real Steel," Jackman appeared on WWE Raw and "fought" wrestler Dolph Ziggler. Here's the video if you don't believe us.
18. Way before he stepped into the ring, Jackman practiced his wrestling moves on extras -- sort of. While filming 2004's "Van Helsing" he accidentally broke an extra's hand during a stunt gone awry.
19. While he is most known for his tough guy action roles, in 2006 he took on a gentler part when he played Mumble's (Elijah Wood) father, Memphis, in "Happy Feet." We gotta say, his Elvis impression is spot-on.
20. He's so irresistible, women literally stalk him. In April 2013, Katherine Thurston waited outside Jackman's gym in New York's Greenwich Village and asked the actor, "We're getting married, right?" upon seeing him. She then snuck inside and threatened Jackman with an electric shaver before the police were called. She was arraigned the week after and sent to Riker's Island on $15,000 bail. There's still no word on whether Hugh accepted the marriage proposal.
