The Greatest Showman: Hugh Jackman's amazing homes

From modest Sydney apartment to NYC penthouse

Known for his blockbuster movies, including The Greatest Showman, Les Misérables and X-Men, Hugh Jackman is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars – and he has a celebrity property portfolio to match. From a humble $240,000 (£210k) starter apartment in Melbourne to a Manhattan triplex worth $40 million (£35 m), we take a closer look at the stunning dwellings the actor and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness have called home.

Hugh Jackman's childhood home

Jackman shared an image of the leafy exterior of his childhood home in Wahroonga, a suburb on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, on his Instagram in 2014, commenting: “My family home growing up. BUNYANA Ave ... yes, that is the real name!” He was born in 1968 to parents Grace McNeil and Christopher John Jackman, who had emigrated from the UK to Australia in 1967 as part of the "Ten Pound Poms" immigration scheme.

Parents’ split

Jackman endured a troubled childhood following his parents’ split, which occurred when he was eight. His mother, suffering from undiagnosed post-natal depression, returned to Britain with his two elder sisters, leaving Hugh and his two brothers to be brought up by his father in the family home in Wahroonga. He had little contact with his mother until they reconciled in his adult years. “I never felt that my mum didn’t love me,” he told The Australian Women's Weekly. 

Hugh Jackman's gap year in Britain

Battling feelings of anger and sadness throughout his teens, Jackman threw himself into sport and landed a job as a live-in assistant house master at the prestigious private boarding school Uppingham in the East Midlands in 1987. On his return to Australia, he studied at the University of Technology in Sydney and the Actors' Centre in Sydney. He turned down a role in the popular soap Neighbours to attend the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts of Edith Cowan University in Perth. 

First job, forever love

He moved to Melbourne when he landed his first job on the popular Australian series Correlli, where he met his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness, who was already a big star. According to The Daily Mail, Deborra had just turned 40 and had vowed to steer clear of actors under 30. Hugh was 27. Jackman later revealed she tried to break up with him several times in the early days – but he managed to convince her to stick around.

Hugh and Deborra-Lee's wedding day

It was worth the perseverance. The couple married in Toorak, Victoria in 1996 and are still going strong. “Being married to you Deb is as natural as breathing. From nearly the moment we met... I knew our destiny was to be together,” the actor said on his Instagram in 2021, as the couple celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. “Our love has only grown deeper. I’m forever grateful to share our love, our life – and our family together. We’ve only just begun. Deb, I love you with all my heart! 

First marital home in Melbourne

The couple bought their first marital home together in Melbourne in 1997. The modest but light and airy two-bedroom apartment in the historic 1920s Cavendish House cost just AU$240,000 (US$165k, £141k) but sold nearly 20 years later in 2015 for AU$740,000 (US$510k, £436k), earning the couple a tidy profit.

Modest style

It was during their time in Melbourne that Jackman established himself as a big name in Australian theatre, starring in Beauty and the Beast and Sunset Boulevard, directed by Sir Trevor Nunn. Nunn then cast the actor in the starring role of his London production of Oklahoma, which earned Jackman an Olivier award. The simple lifestyle represented in these images is a far cry from the cutting-edge modern interiors the couple favour today.

Hugh Jackman's family

This 2009 photograph depicts Hugh and Deborra with their two children, Oscar and Ava, at Grauman’s Theatre, Hollywood. When the couple discovered they couldn't conceive their own children, they decided to adopt, welcoming Oscar to their family shortly after his birth in 2000, with Ava arriving in 2005. “I don’t think of them as adopted – they’re our children,” he told the Herald Sun in 2011.

Hugh Jackman's New York $21m apartment

Having launched his Hollywood career as Wolverine in the Marvel movie, a role he went on to play a further eight times (closing out the role in 2017's Logan), Jackman and his wife splashed out on this three-storey apartment in New York's Meier Towers building in 2008. It had been listed for $40 million (£35m), but the couple managed to snap it up for the bargain price of $21 million (£18m).

Architect-designed

The Manhattan abode, which was designed by architect Richard Meier and is located in the opulent West Village district, boasts five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a professional-grade kitchen, a gym, library, three outdoor terraces and a fabulous dining space in which to entertain guests. Naturally, a piano takes pride of place for the award-winning song and dance man.

Minimal white aesthetic

The property spans the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of the building, while a stunning spiral staircase connects the individual spaces of the 11,000-square-foot condo. A massive indigo print and an orange sculpture with a matching rug break up the minimal white wall aesthetic in the expansive games room, which offers wraparound views.

Bond-like interiors

The entire top floor is dedicated to the master suite, which features two dressing areas, a sauna and a home gym. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer unparalleled views of the Hudson River—and would not be out of place in a James Bond film. The actor famously turned down the coveted role in 2003 due to filming schedules before it was offered to Daniel Craig. 

A unique bathroom

What's unique about the property is that Richard Meier, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who designed the building itself, also created its eye-catching interiors, including this zen bathroom with a sculpted bath where you can take a soak while enjoying the view. Other famous inhabitants have included Nicole Kidman, who co-starred with Jackman in his 2008 movie Australia. 

Hugh Jackman's sanctuary off Broadway

The actor, who moved into the property when he was starring in A Star is Born on Broadway, has shared many glimpses of the stunning apartment over the years, including this one, in which you can see a breathtaking view of the city behind him, which he posted on the evening of the Emmys in September 2021. The actor has more than thirty million followers on his Instagram account, @thehughjackman. 

Hugh Jackman reconciles with his mother, Grace

After 14 happy years, the actor is moving on. He listed the property for nearly $40 million (£34m) early on in 2022. But he will have fond memories of his time there, including cooking with his mother Grace, with whom he reconciled after becoming a father himself. The actor discovered she had suffered post-natal depression following his birth, which led her to leave the family. “I know she was struggling,” he told The Australian Women’s Weekly. “As parents, we make mistakes.”

Hugh's act of charity

Jackman returned to the UK for a short spell in 2012 when he was filming the blockbuster movie Les Misérables. The actor, who played Jean Valjean in the movie, filmed at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Ewelme in Oxfordshire, and clearly developed a fondness for the village, donating £10,000 ($11k) to pay for the church’s new heating system. He stayed in a six-bedroom converted barn in the area, which was on sale for £3.3 million ($3.8m) in 2013.

Hugh Jackman's Bondi Beach bolthole

As his career continued on from strength to strength, Hugh Jackman decided to re-establish his roots down under and purchased an ocean-front apartment in Sydney's Bondi Beach in 2016. The couple bought the property for a reported $5.9 million (£5m) and try to spend several months a year at the beachside retreat; indeed, they sheltered here for a great deal of the pandemic. 

A brand new apartment complex

The newly built three-bedroom apartment, which is one of just six units in the entire complex, oozes style and has generous balcony space to allow seamless indoor and outdoor dining. It has stunning views across the bay and Bondi beach, where Jackman likes to run to keep fit.

Room for guests

The spacious apartment, which is set on the top floor of the boutique block, also features a state-of-the-art kitchen and European oak floors. It has a master ensuite, and with two Queen-sized bedrooms with custom built-in wardrobes, there is also plenty of room for guests.

Hugh Jackman builds his dream home

In 2021, Jackman and his wife achieved a lifelong ambition to build their own home from scratch with their waterfront dream house in a quiet area of East Hampton. The actor has often posted pictures of himself at the New York getaway, sharing this one in 2020 before it was completed, while the house was featured in the December 2021 issue of Architectural Digest.

Hugh's modern Hamptons beach house

The couple picked up a pair of adjoining pieces of land for a total outlay of $7.5 million (£6.5m) and, with the help of architect Viola Rouhani and interior designer Eleanor Donnelly from Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects, transformed the plot into a minimal, modern beach house. The property boasts an infinity pool, gym, art studio, movie screening room and stunning views over the ocean, in sunshine and snow (as seen here in Hugh’s post).

A New York getaway

Deborra was closely involved in the property's design and was inspired by the pared-back aesthetic of Calvin Klein’s home. “He is the master of minimalism,” she told Architectural Digest. “I love the Aman hotels. I love zen. I love that simplistic, modern minimalism.” The house is less than three hours' drive from New York and Broadway, where Hugh has been starring in The Music Man throughout 2022. 

Hugh Jackman's Chelsea penthouse

Back in New York, the couple have extended their property portfolio to this new pad in a stunning Jean Nouvel-designed building. In early August 2022, Realtor reported that Jackman had laid down an eye-watering $21.1 million (£16.5m) for the luxury condo, located in Chelsea's famed gallery district and in close proximity to the Meatpacking District, the Whitney Museum, and new Little Island. 

Another minimal marvel

The apartment's 4,675 square feet of living space are spread out across two floors, where the actor can stretch out and flex his performative muscles. The star will enjoy the music room, with a grand piano already set up next to incredible floor-to-ceiling windows, perfect for a sing-song with a view.

City views

The three-bedroom abode boasts expansive vistas of the NYC skyline, stretching across the Hudson River to the Empire State Building. Viewable via numerous floor-to-ceiling windows in the living and dining areas, the Greatest Showman star can also admire the city from multiple outdoor spaces.

Clean modernist vibe

Located atop the eye-catching 57-unit building, the home has a clean, modernist feel, decorated with the monochrome palette long-favoured by the actor and his wife, along with sleek terrazzo floors. Elsewhere in the block, the family will have access to a fitness centre and a private cinema, just in case High wants to catch up on his latest blockbuster.

Dining with the stars

Even more idyllic at sunset, Jackman's new West Chelsea designer pad boasts an enviable stainless steel eat-in chef's kitchen, complete with a glass breakfast bar and spacious dining area for cuisine with a view. With three bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, the listing mentions a library or fourth bedroom depending on whether the X-Men star fancies curling up with a good book or entertaining an extra guest.

Rooftop living

Outside, over 3,700 square feet of space awaits, including a large loggia and separate terrace. Upstairs, the roof terrace is divided into multiple dining and lounging areas, and has its own outdoor kitchen. Now that’s entertaining with a view!

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