Ask American Profile

Orlando Bloom, Julie Roberts, Tennessee Ernie Ford

Could you give me some information on Orlando Bloom?
—Joan F., Wisconsin

The handsome British actor, best known for his role as Legolas, the elf warrior in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been busy filming a new movie. Bloom stars as Paris, the prince of Troy, in the upcoming Warner Bros. epic Troy, which also stars Brad Pitt, and was recently seen in Pirates of the Caribbean. Born in Canterbury, Kent, Bloom moved to London at age 16, where he joined the National Youth Theatre and then earned a scholarship to the British American Drama Academy. He made his film debut in Wilde, then put his career on hold to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1998, he fell three stories from a rooftop terrace and broke his back. Doctors warned he might never walk again, but they operated and Bloom recovered. Although he says he’s accident-prone (he also fell off his horse and broke a rib while filming Lord of the Rings), the bachelor enjoys surfing and bungee jumping.

What can you tell me about country singer Julie Roberts?
—Susan E., Florida

Roberts, who releases her first CD this month, began singing country music at an early age while growing up in Lancaster, S.C. (pop. 8,177). She performed in school plays and beauty pageants, including Little Miss Lancaster. As a teen, she toured regionally, performing at festivals in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. “We would pack coolers because we couldn’t eat out and we would stop at a rest stop,” she says. “It was so much fun. We’d say, ‘One day, we’re going to be on a bus doing this.’” She moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1999 to attend Belmont University. After graduation, she landed a job at Mercury Records, but never mentioned to co-workers that she sang. “I needed to work and I was scared I was going to get fired if they knew,” she says. She spent her free time songwriting and playing at clubs, and her talent caught the ears of producer Brent Rowan, who took her into the studio to record a demonstration tape. Last year, while playing Universal Nashville chairman Luke Lewis some songs of other singers, Rowan played Roberts’ music. Lewis said, “I want to know who this is. I want to meet this girl.” Rowan said, “It’s the girl right down the hall. It’s your assistant.” A few months later, Roberts quit her day job and started living her dream.

I saw a film of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s Christmas program and he had his two small sons with him. Is either one of them a singer like their dad?
—Margaret C., Arizona

Son Jeffrey “Buck” Ford says he and his brother, Brion, both sang professionally over the years, but not anymore. “Brion performed for some time at Opryland (a music theme park in Nashville, Tenn.), and I performed on the road,’’ Buck Ford says. These days, he stays busy both as an actor and as managing director of Tennessee Ernie Ford Enterprises, a company dedicated to expanding the awareness of the his father’s career. Buck’s most recent picture, 1999’s Pirates of the Plain, was filmed entirely in South Africa. Buck lives in Nashville, and Brion, who lives in White House, Tenn. (pop. 7,220), is a consultant to the company. Their father, born Ernest Jennings Ford on Feb. 13, 1919, in Bristol, Tenn. (pop. 24,821), died in 1991 at the age of 72. Ford sold more than 60 million records worldwide and earned three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one each for radio, television, and recording. For more information, log on to www.ErnieFord.com.

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