Jude grew up in Blackhealth, South London and started working at the National Youth Music Theatre between 1987 and 1990 (one of his roles while there was the lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). After landing a role on a television soap opera (the popular British daytime serial, Families), Law quit high school just short of graduation at age 17.

Jude Law began his stage career in 1993, touring Italy as Freddie in a production of Pygmalion, and his theatre work has included the premieres of The Fastest Clock in the Universe and The Snow Orchid, the Royal Court revival of Live Like Pigs, and the West Yorkshire Playhouse production of Death of a Salesman. He received a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award for his performance in the New York production of the National Theatre's Les Parents Terribles (re-titled Indiscretions for Broadway), a role which, coupled with his performance as Euripedes' Ion at the Royal Shakespeare Company, saw him nominated for the Ian Charleston Award as Best Young Classical Actor, as well as an Olivier Award.

After playing the lead in The Crane, a short film made for the British Film Institute, shown at the 1992 London Film Festival, Law made his feature film debut in 1993 opposite Sadie Frost in Channel Four Films’ Shopping, a story of joy-riding car thieves. This was followed by I Love You, I Love You Not starring Jeanne Moreau, shot during the day in New York while appearing nightly in Indiscretions.

His next film was Andrew Nichol's Gattaca in Los Angeles, with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman (Gattaca, released just one week before I Love You, I Love You Not became Jude's American Film debut, even though it was completed second). Since then, he has appeared in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Wilde, Music From Another Room, eXistenZ, The Talented Mr. Ripley (Oscar, Golden Globe nominations - Best Supporting Actor, Winner BAFTA award Best Supporting Actor), The Wisdom of Crocodiles, Final Cut and Love, Honour and Obey. In January 2000 he began filming Enemy at the Gates in Germany, and will next star in Steven Spielburg's AI.

In 1995, he founded the London-based independent production company, Natural Nylon, with wife Sadie Frost, Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Sean Pertwee. The enterprising actors have a roster of films in which they plan to star and produce.

Jude met wife Sadie Frost when they co-starred in Shopping. They married in 1997 and have a son, Rafferty. Also living with them in the very "in" Primrose Hill area of London is Sadie's son Finlay from her previous marriage to Spandeau Ballet singer Jeremy Kemp. In 2000 Jude and Sadie had a daughter, Iris.

Jude has two tattoos (that we are aware of). On the inside of his left forearm are part of the lyrics of the Beatles' Sexy Sadie - "You came along to turn on everyone Sexy Sadie." A obvious tribute to his wife. On the inside of his right forearm is a gothic rendition of his initials "JL", although some have mistakenly identified it as a "Rorschach butterfly." For several of Jude's roles, it has been necessary to cover his tattoos with makeup, but they are visible in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.