FACTBOX: Five facts about Australia's Kevin Rudd

(Reuters) - Australian Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd has given the main opposition its best hope in more than a decade of returning to power at elections on November 24.

Here are five key facts about Kevin Rudd.

-- Rudd was born to poor share-farmer parents in rural Queensland on September 21, 1957. The youngest of four children, his father died when he was 11 and his family had to leave the farm.

-- The young Rudd excelled at school and enjoyed doing his homework. He was a champion debater and was top in academics at his state high school. He joined the youth wing of the Labor Party while still at school.

-- Rudd attended the prestigious Australian National University, where he completed an honors degree in Chinese politics and modern social movements, mastering the Mandarin language. He joined Australia's foreign office after graduation, serving postings in Stockholm and Beijing.

-- Rudd won a seat in Australia's parliament in 1998 and was promoted to the Labor Party front bench in November 2001 with responsibility for foreign affairs. He has a knack for publicity, and raised his national profile with regular appearances on breakfast television.

-- Rudd considered running in two previous leadership ballots but withdrew due to lack of support. He successfully challenged long-serving leader Kim Beazley in December 2006, resulting in an instant surge in poll support for Labor.