Orlando was born in Canterbury, Kent, on 13th January 1977. At an early age, he decided that the only way to become a hero like Superman or the A-Team was to become an actor.

By the time he was 16 years old, Orlando had joined the National Youth Theatre for 2 seasons before getting himself a scholarship to train with the British American Drama Academy. Later, after a bit-part in the film Whilde with Stephen Fry, he joined the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Orlando got the part of Legolas Greenleaf in The Lord of the Rings 2 days before graduating from the Guildhall. Two years of filming later, and to remember his experience, he has a ring with an Elven inscription reading ' to wherever it may lead' and an tattoo in Elvish script of the number nine on his forearm, in additional to an already existing sun on his torso.

OB is described as having an olive complexion. A combination of soft brown eyes, long eyelashes and a fine boned angular face, complete with chiselled cheekbones make him a 'striking young man'. He also has a couple of moles on the left side of his face. His body build has been described as 'lean and lithe… certainly not a tall man in a crowd, around average height,' with 'cheekbones like wing mirrors' He has also been described as having 'the best pair of legs since Robin Hood: Men in Tights' in a Force of Hobbit article.

Standing at 5ft 11", his hobbies include surfing, skydiving, and photography. He supports Manchester United, he smokes and he has a dog named Maude. Orlando spends most of his time in London or Los Angeles