Eric Bana was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1968, the son of a Croatian father and German mother. He began his career as a comedian, while working as a barman at Melbourne's Castle hotel in 1991.

Upon graduating from high school, he studied classical acting in Sydney as well as classical text where he began to perform in several Shakespearian plays. Soon after, under the advice of one of his drama teachers, he auditioned and was accepted to the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.

Eric Bana married Rebecca Gleeson in 1997. Their first child, Klaus was born in August 1999, and Sophia in April 2002.