Geoffrey Rush Wiki: Top 5 Facts To Know About Barbossa From 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

Geoffrey Rush (age: 66, height: 6 foot) was born in Toowoomba, Queensland Australia in 1951. His parents were Merle Bischof (retail sales assistant) and Roy Baden Rush (an accountant for the Air Force). Before he began his acting career, Rush was a student at Everton Park State High School. Rush then went on to graduate from the University of Queensland with Bachelor's Degree in Arts. While doing small theater productions in college, Rush was seen by the Queensland Theatre Company (QTC) and Rush eventually began his career with the in 1971 and appeared in 17 productions. This would lead the way to his astonishing career.

In 1996, Geoffrey Rush starred as David Helfgott in Shine. The film, based off of a true story, is about Rush’s character and how stress and anxiety created many of the problems in his life and the challenge of overcoming those things. He was nominated for an Academy Award alongside actors such as Tom Cruise, Woody Harrelson, and Ralph Fiennes. While the other contenders were all fantastic in their respective roles, Rush received the Academy Award for this role and it would lock him in as one of the greatest actors of his time.

In 1999 Rush was nominated for his supporting role in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and again in 2012 for his role as a speech doctor in The King’s Speech (2011) alongside lead actor Colin Firth. Rush's character is hired to help George VI (Colin Firth) get over his speech impediment. While he is doing so the audience learns a great deal about each character and we get to sit back and watch as an incredible story unfolds. Rush would not win the Oscar for either of these roles, but his role in each is still much talked about.

While staying mostly out of the Hollywood limelight for the bulk of his career, Rush appeared in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. The film was a huge success and played a huge role in his fame and large net worth. Rush played antagonist Captain Barbossa who was fighting against Jack Sparrow and his crew. Rush would reprise his role in each of the subsequent Pirates of the Caribbean film’s the most recent of which, Dead Men Tell No Tales, was released earlier this year. His portrayal of the pirate is iconic and Rush regarded as one of the powerhouses of the franchise, perhaps equal to Johnny Depp, the franchise’s lead actor.

National Geographic began an anthology series called Genius that premiered on April 25, 2017. Season One of Genius stars Geoffrey Rush as famed scientist Albert Einstein. It is a 10 part series with part 10 having a part one and a part two. Rush does an incredible job portraying older Einstein, while other actors play the scientist in earlier years of his life. The show switches between time periods to show the audience who Einstein really is, where he came from, and what he achieved throughout his interesting life. Rush was nominated for a primetime Emmy for his portrayal of Einstein in 2017 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He was up against actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert DeNiro, Ewan McGregor, and Riz Ahmed. Riz Ahmed would go on to win the Emmy, but there has since been a lot of buzz about Genius and there is a lot of excitement for the show’s future.

Celebritynetworth.com states that Geoffrey Rush’s net worth is upwards of $40million. This is no doubt owed to his continuous portrayal of Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean Series, but also a strong tell of his high level of talent and professionalism.

While Rush is best known for his actions behind the camera, he is also highly regarded as an actor on stage. He has appeared on stage many times, most notably in Exit the King (2009) and The Diary of a Madman (2011). He would go on to win a Tony award for Exit the King.

In 1988 Rush married Jane Menelaus, the two have have been together since and have had two children together: Angelica Rush and James Rush.

Rush has joined the rare rank of actors who have gotten the Triple Crown of Acting, which means he has won an Emmy, a Tony, and an Oscar. Rush achieved all of this by 2009 at the age of 58. Some other notable actors that have gotten the Triple Crown of Acting include Ingrid Bergman, Jeremy Irons, Ellen Burstyn, and Jessica Lange, among others.

While many actors of less talent have gotten their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Geoffrey Rush has yet to receive the honor. One can hope Rush will receive one soon, as he has clearly shown that he deserves it.