Cate Blanchett Biography

Date of Birth
14 May 1969, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Birth Name
Catherine Elise Blanchett

Height
5' 8½" (1.74 m)

Mini Biography

Cate Blanchett graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1992 and, in a little over a year, had won both critical and popular acclaim. On graduating from NIDA, she joined the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Caryl Churchill's "Top Girls", then played Felice Bauer, the bride, in Tim Daly's "Kafka Dances", winning the 1993 Newcomer Award from the Sydney Theatre Critics Circle for her performance. From there, Blanchett moved to the role of Carol in David Mamet's searing polemic "Oleanna", also for the Sydney Theatre Company, and won the Rosemont Best Actress Award, her second award that year. She then co-starred in the ABC Television's prime time drama "Heartland" (1994), again winning critical acclaim. In 1995, she was nominated for Best Female Performance for her role as Ophelia in the Belvoir Street Theatre Company's production of "Hamlet". Other theatre credits include Helen in the Sydney Theatre Company's "Sweet Phoebe", Miranda in "The Tempest" and Rose in "The Blind Giant is Dancing", both for the Belvoir Street Theatre Company. In other television roles, Blanchett starred as Bianca in ABC's "Bordertown" (1995), as Janie Morris in "G.P." (1989) and in ABC's popular series Police Rescue (1994). She made her feature film debut in Paradise Road (1997), and, in 1998, she played the title character in Elizabeth (1998), winning numerous awards for her performance, including the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. Cate was also nominated for an Academy Award for the role but lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow. 2001 was a particularly busy year, with starring roles in Bandits (2001), The Shipping News (2001), Charlotte Gray (2001) and playing Elf Queen Galadriel in the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse
Andrew Upton (29 December 1997 - present) 3 children

Trade Mark

Known for playing many different roles with multifarious personalities, such as the young sensible English queen Elizabeth in 'Elizabeth' (1998), the rude, hustling wife in 'The shipping news' (2001) and the dangerous Russian villain in 'Indiana Jones & the kingdom of the crystal skull' (2007) among others.

Trivia

1993: She was the first person to win the Sydney Theatre Critic's Circle Theatre award for Best Newcomer (for her role in "Kafka Dances"), and Best Lead Actress (for her role in David Mamet's Oleanna, with the Sydney Theatre Company, opposite Shine (1996) star Geoffrey Rush)in the same year.

Has an older brother named Bob who works in the computer field, and a younger sister, Genevieve who is a theater designer.

When she was 18, Cate was on vacation in Egypt. A fellow guest at a cheap hotel in Cairo asked if she wanted to be an extra in a movie, and the next day she found herself in a crowd scene, cheering for an American boxer who was losing to an Egyptian. She dreaded the experience and walked off from the movie.

Attended Methodist Ladies College (MLC) in Melbourne, Australia and was the School Drama Captain.

Her father, (Robert Blanchett) a Texan ad executive, died of a heart attack when she was ten years old.

After completing work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the role of Galadriel, she kept and bronzed her elf ear prosthetics.

Was considered for the role of Clarice Starling in Hannibal (2001). The part eventually went to Julianne Moore.

Son, Dashiell John Upton, born December 2001. He was named after the author of classic crime novel The Maltese Falcon (1941), Dashiell Hammett.

In an interview she gave to Fox Television Network, she admitted blushingly that she had accepted the role of Galadriel, the Elf Queen, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy because she always wanted to appear in a movie wearing pointed ears.

Enjoys making lists and crossing items off as she accomplishes them.

Chosen as one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful." [1999]

Children: Dashiell John, born on December 3, 2001 in London, England; Roman Robert, born on April 23, 2004

Has been in 6 movies where the title contains the name of the character she plays: Veronica Guerin (2003), Charlotte Gray (2001), Elizabeth (1998), Thank God He Met Lizzie (1997), Oscar and Lucinda (1997) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). [February 2008]

Was originally going to play the role of Anna in Mike Nichols's latest film Closer (2004/I), but due to her second pregnancy she had to drop out, so it was recast with Julia Roberts instead.

Second son, Roman Robert, with Andrew Upton, born 23 April 2004 in London, England.

Was the original 'Tim-Tam' girl in the series of commercials promoting the product.

September 2004: Flew back home to Melbourne, Australia to launch the skincare range from SK-II at Australia's leading department store Myer.

Was set to play "Portia" in Michael Radford's adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2004), thus re-uniting with actor Joseph Fiennes, her co-star from the blockbuster Elizabeth (1998), but had to drop out after discovering her pregnancy. This also would have reunited her with Ian McKellen, with whom she appeared in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, who would have played "Shylock". He too ultimately left the project.

By winning the Oscar for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn, she became the first person to give an Oscar-winning portrayal of a previous Oscar winner.

In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), she appears with Anjelica Huston, and in The Aviator (2004), she works with Danny Huston, the daughter and son, respectively, of director John Huston. In addition to having played Katharine Hepburn, who appeared in The African Queen (1951), directed by John Huston, she also appeared in a remake of a film that John Huston appeared in: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).

In The Aviator (2004), she works opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Howard Hughes. The year before, she appeared in The Missing (2003/I) with Tommy Lee Jones. Jones played Hughes years earlier in The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977) (TV).

1995: Nominated for Best Female Performance by the Melbourne Green Room Awards, for the Belvoir St Theatre Company's production of "Hamlet".

Won the Rosemont Best Actress Award for her performance in "Oleanna".

1992: Graduated from Australia's NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art).

Was unknowingly pregnant while portraying the pregnant journalist in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).

Four of her five Oscar nominations are for playing real people (Queen Elizabeth I, Katharine Hepburn and Bob Dylan).

Won Best Female Actor, Helpmann Award for her performance in "Hedda Gabler". [2005]

Appeared next to Hugo Weaving in 9 different projects: "Bordertown" (1995), "Drama School" (2000), Little Fish (2005), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004) (VG), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2002) (V), Quest for the Ring (2001) (TV).

Is of French descent.

In "The Lord of the Rings", she worked with Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, who played "Frodo" and "Sam", respectively. Also appearing with her in those films, as well as in The Aviator (2004), was Ian Holm, who played "Frodo" in the BBC radio series. In Notes on a Scandal (2006), she worked with Bill Nighy, who played "Sam" in the BBC radio series. In Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), she worked with Samantha Morton, who is engaged to Ian Holm's son, Harry Holm.

She participated in six films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, four of them in a row: Elizabeth (1998), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Aviator (2004) and Babel (2006).

In Bandits (2001), she works with Troy Garity. In The Aviator (2004), she plays Katharine Hepburn, who appeared with Garity's mother, Jane Fonda and grandfather, Henry Fonda, in On Golden Pond (1981).

Was considered for the role of Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005).

15th February 2005: Attended the 2005 Elle Style Awards held at London's trendy Spitalfields Market. Posed for photos with fellow Australian Kylie Minogue, who was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her Texan father, Robert Blanchett, met her mother, June, in Melbourne.

Was officially in the BAFTA longlist (Equivalently, the semi-finals) for Best Actress in a Leading Role, for her role in Notes on a Scandal (2006) (unlike the Oscars, where she was competing for Supporting Role), which consisted of 15 finalists for each category (except Animated Film). However, she was eliminated in the next round, which the five official nominees were selected. [2007]

She and her The Shipping News (2001) and Notes on a Scandal (2006) co-star Judi Dench both received Oscar-nominations for playing Queen Elizabeth I in 1999. Dench won for her supporting role in Shakespeare in Love (1998) while Blanchett was nominated for Elizabeth (1998).

Cate and her husband, Andrew Upton, are expecting their third child in April, 2008 [November 3, 2007].

Was Steven Spielberg's first choice for the role or Agatha in Minority Report (2002). After the death of Stanley Kubrick, he made Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) his first priority, and she moved on to other projects. She was later able to work with Spielberg in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).

Dec. 2007 - Ranked #45 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#31). [2007].

In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $13 million.

She is one of the elite eleven thespians to have been nominated for both a Supporting and Lead Acting Academy Award in the same year for their achievements in two different movies. The other nine are Fay Bainter, Sigourney Weaver, Teresa Wright, Barry Fitzgerald (he has been nominated in both categories for the same role in the same movie), Jessica Lange, Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, Holly Hunter, Julianne Moore and Jamie Foxx.

She, Linda Hunt and Felicity Huffman are the only performers to be nominated for an Oscar for playing a member of the opposite sex.

She is one of five actors (and the only female actor) to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films. She played "Queen Elizabeth I" in Elizabeth (1998) and in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). The others are Bing Crosby as "Father Chuck O'Malley" in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), Paul Newman as "Fast Eddie Felson" in The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986), Peter O'Toole as "King Henry II" in Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968) and Al Pacino as "Michael Corleone" in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974).

Was listed as a potential nominee for the 2008 Razzies (but did not make the final ballot) for her performance as "Queen Elizabeth I" in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), a performance that earned her another Oscar nomination. Had she earned a Razzie nod, she would have been one of the few actors to have a Razzie and Oscar nomination for the same performance.

Son, Ignatius Martin Upton, was born 13 April 2008 in Sydney, weighing 8 pounds.

Received the 2,367th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 5, 2008.

Good friends with actress Nicole Kidman.

Got the role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) after Rachel Weisz backed out, because of scheduling problems.

Lives in Hunters Hill, Sydney Australia.

Did not return to work until six months after giving birth to her son Ignatius in order to take to the stage for a Broadway revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire", where she portrayed Blanche DuBois.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

She was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to acting and Australian society.

Personal Quotes

If you know you are going to fail, then fail gloriously!

When asked what colour her hair is: "Look, it's one of the great mysteries of the world, I cannot answer that question. I think I'm vaguely blonde. To be perfectly frank, I don't know."

When asked if she has ever appeared in "Neighbours" (1985): "Absolutely not. I'm an actress."

On the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy" "I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. "Lord of the Rings" was like stepping into a videogame for me. It was another world completely. But, to be honest, I basically did it so that I could have the ears. I thought they would really work with my bare head."

If I had my way, if I was lucky enough, if I could be on the brink my entire life - that great sense of expectation and excitement without the disappointment - that would be the perfect state.

It's part of my job. You can't play Veronica Guerin [puts on heavy Strine] sounding like this. It just wouldn't wash. But what I find fascinating about doing an accent - unless it's a farce - is that it's not slapped on. [on doing many accents]

"I loved making it, I had a ball - cowboys and Indians. This is the thing, I love doing things which I'd never envisaged before. And so getting me on the back of a horse, with Tommy Lee Jones and shooting guns and chasing Indians, it's just not something that I would have expected myself to be doing." [On working with Ron Howard in The Missing (2003/I).]

The more you do it, the more you learn to concentrate, as a child does, incredibly intensively and then you sort of have to relax. I remember the first film I did, the lead actor would in between scenes be reading a newspaper or sleeping and I'd think, "How can you do that?"

Thank you. I so didn't expected this. I wore a really tight dress that's very ungracious walking up those stairs. Thank you very much, I sort of don't know where to begin. Playing Katharine Hepburn, I absolutely did not expect to be standing here in front of you all. But Hepburn aside, I actually would like to say, as an actor coming from another country to this country, I am so astounded and amazed, and grateful, at the power of the SAG union and what it does for its members. And I hope that other countries, mine own included, you know, is inspired by that - I think it's incredible. (SAG acceptance speech Feb. 5, 2005)

On her disgust of how so many of her Hollywood peers have succumbed to using face-paralyzing Botox: "It's not just women on film, 18-year-old girls feel pressure to do preventative injecting. I see someone's face, someone's body who'd had children and I think they're the song lines of your experience, and why would you want to eradicate that? I look at people sort of entombing themselves and all you see is their little pin holes of terror... and you think, just live your life, death is not going to be any easier just because your face can't move."

I'm one of those strange beasts who really likes a corset.

You know, when you see yourself on a big screen, I tend to watch from behind my hands. There is absolutely the regret. You always get that at the end of every project. That's what's great about theater: at least every night you get the chance to go out and re-offend. I'm endlessly disappointed, which is what propels me into the next project, probably, not to repair the damage but to kind of hopefully keep developing. Otherwise there's no reason to keep doing it, is there?

There's this sense that of course you want to be famous. When you're a performer, of course you want an audience, but it's very, very different from courting fame.

Sometimes I think it's so good not to win those things. And, anyway, who wants to peak when they're 28? (On her first Oscar loss, in 1999)

Where Are They Now

(November 2006) Sydney Theatre Company announced that husband and wife Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton would become artistic directors, beginning in 2008.

(November 2007) She announced she is expecting her third child

(May 2008) (France) Promoting Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) at the Cannes Film Festival.

(January 2009) Performing in "The War Of The Roses" in Sydney, Australia.