Cate Blanchett

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Cate Blanchett

Blanchett at the Berlin Film Festival, February 2007
Born Catherine Élise Blanchett
May 14, 1969 (1969-05-14) (age 39)
Melbourne, Australia
Years active 1996 - present
Spouse(s) Andrew Upton (1997-)

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born May 14, 1969) is an Australian actress and stage director. She has won various other acting awards, most notably two SAGs and two BAFTAs, as well as the Volpi Cup at 64th Venice International Film Festival.

Blanchett came to international attention in the 1998 film Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur, in which she played Elizabeth I of England. She is also well known for her portrayals of the elf queen Galadriel in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, a role which brought her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[1][2] [3] She and her husband Andrew Upton are currently artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company.She is one of very few people to win all four major cinema awards, The Oscar, The Golden Globe, The SAG Award, and The BAFTA.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life and education

Blanchett was born in Ivanhoe, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, the daughter of June, an Australian property developer and teacher, and Robert "Bob" Blanchett, a Texas-born United States Navy Petty Officer who met Blanchett's mother while stationed in Melbourne and who later worked as an advertising executive.[4][5] When Blanchett was 10, she lost her father to a heart attack. She has described herself during childhood as "part extrovert, part wallflower".[6] She has two siblings; her older brother, Bob, is a computer systems engineer, and her younger sister, Genevieve, worked as a theatrical designer and received her Bachelor of Design in Architecture in April 2008.[6]

Blanchett attended primary school in Melbourne at Ivanhoe East Primary School before completing secondary education at Methodist Ladies' College, where she explored her passion for acting. She studied Economics and Fine Arts at the University of Melbourne before leaving Australia to travel overseas. When she was 18, Blanchett went on a vacation to 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 losing to an Egyptian in the film Kaboria, starring the late Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaki. Blanchett returned to Australia and later moved to Sydney to study at the National Institute of Dramatic Art; graduating in 1992 and beginning her career in the theatre.

[edit] Career

Her first major stage role was opposite Geoffrey Rush in the 1993 David Mamet play Oleanna, for which she won the Sydney Theatre Critics' Best Newcomer Award.[7] She also appeared as Ophelia in an acclaimed 1994–95 Company B production of Hamlet, directed by Neil Armfield, starring Rush and Richard Roxburgh. Blanchett appeared in the TV mini-series Heartland opposite Ernie Dingo, the mini-series Bordertown, with Hugo Weaving, and in an episode of Police Rescue entitled "The Loaded Boy". She also appeared in the 1994 telemovie of Police Rescue as a teacher taken hostage by armed bandits and in the 50 minute drama Parklands (1996), which received a limited release in Australian cinemas.

Blanchett made her international film debut with a supporting role as an Australian nurse captured by the Japanese Army during WW2 in Bruce Beresford's 1997 film Paradise Road, which co-starred Glenn Close and Frances McDormand. Her first leading role, also in 1997, was as Lucinda Leplastrier in Gillian Armstrong's production of Oscar and Lucinda opposite Ralph Fiennes. Coincidentally, Peter Carey, the Booker Prize-winning Australian author of Oscar and Lucinda, had known Blanchett's father, Bob, when both worked in the advertising industry in Melbourne. Blanchett was nominated for her first Australian Film Institute Award as Best Leading Actress for this role but lost out to Pamela Rabe in The Well. She did, however, win an AFI Award as Supporting Actress in the same year for her role as Lizzie in the romantic-comedy Thank God He Met Lizzie, co-starring Richard Roxburgh and Frances O'Connor.

Her first high-profile international role was as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 movie Elizabeth, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Blanchett lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow for her role in Shakespeare in Love but won a British Academy (BAFTA) Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama. The following year, Blanchett was nominated for another BAFTA Award for her supporting role in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Blanchett portrays Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
Blanchett portrays Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

Already an acclaimed actress, Blanchett received a host of new fans when she appeared in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. She played the role of the High Elf Queen Galadriel in all three films, which hold the record as the highest grossing film trilogy of all time.[8] In 2004, she played a pregnant journalist in the Wes Anderson film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, yet again earning a nomination for BFCA award for Best Acting Ensemble.

In 2005, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. This made Blanchett the first person ever to garner an Academy Award for playing a previous Oscar-winning actor/actress.

In 2006, she starred in both Babel opposite Brad Pitt, and Notes on a Scandal playing Sheba Hart opposite Dame Judi Dench. Coincidentally, Dench won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for playing Elizabeth I, the same year Blanchett lost for playing the same historical figure, albeit in a different category. Blanchett received her third Academy Award nomination for her performance in the film (Dench was also Oscar nominated).

Blanchett portrays Elizabeth I of England in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Blanchett portrays Elizabeth I of England in Elizabeth: The Golden Age

In 2007, she won the Volpi Cup Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award for portraying one of six incarnations of Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes' feature film I'm Not There and also reprised her role as Elizabeth I in the sequel to Elizabeth entitled Elizabeth: the Golden Age.[9] At the 80th Annual Academy Awards Blanchett received two Academy Award nominations including Best Actress for Elizabeth: the Golden Age and Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There, making Academy Awards history, as she became the eleventh actor to receive two acting nominations in the same year and the first female actor to receive another Oscar nomination for the reprisal of a role.[10]

In 2007, Blanchett was named as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People In The World and also one of the most successful actresses by Forbes magazine. She next appeared on screen in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as the villainous Russian Agent Irina Spalko, and will appear in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, at the end of the year.

Blanchett and her husband commenced three-year contracts as artistic co-directors of the Sydney Theatre Company in January 2008. Their contracts include a clause that will allow either of them to take three months out of each year to pursue other activities. Blanchett made her stage directing debut in 2007 when she directed the play Blackbird for the Sydney Theatre Company.

On 26 February 2008, she was named as a member of the panel that will select participants for Kevin Rudd's 2020 Summit of the best and brightest Australians. Controversially, Blanchett was the only woman on the ten-member panel.

[edit] Personal life

Blanchett's husband is playwright and screenwriter Andrew Upton, whom she met in 1996 while she was performing in a production of The Seagull. It was not love at first sight, however; "He thought I was aloof and I thought he was arrogant", Blanchett later remarked. "It just shows you how wrong you can be, but once he kissed me that was that." The two were married on December 29, 1997. Their first child, Dashiell John, was born on December 3, 2001; their second child, Roman Robert, was born on April 23, 2004 and on April 13, 2008, they welcomed their third son, Ignatius Martin Upton, in Sydney.

After making Brighton, England their main family home for much of the early 2000s, she and her husband returned to their native Australia. In November 2006, Blanchett stated that this was due to a desire to decide on a permanent home for her children, and to be closer to her family as well as a sense of belonging to the Australian (theatrical) community.[11] She and her family live in "Bulwarra", an 1877 sandstone mansion in the harbourside Sydney suburb of Hunters Hill. It was purchased for $10.2 million Australian dollars in 2004 and underwent extensive renovations in 2007 in order to be made more "eco-friendly".[12][13]

In 2006, a portrait of Cate Blanchett and family painted by McLean Edwards was a finalist in the Archibald Prize, which is awarded the "best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics".[14]

Blanchett is a Patron of the Sydney Film Festival. She works as the face of SK-II, the luxury skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. In 2007, Blanchett supported the web-based campaign whoonearthcares.com — urging people to express their concerns about climate change in Australia.

[edit] Filmography

Year Film Role Notes and awards
1994 Police Rescue: The Movie Vivian
1996 Parklands Rosie
1997 Oscar and Lucinda Lucinda Leplastrier Nominated - Australian Film Institute award, Best Lead Actress
Thank God He Met Lizzie Lizzie Australian Film Institute award, Best Supporting Actress
Paradise Road Susan Macarthy
1998 Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth I Won - Golden Globe for Best Actress - Drama
Won - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated - SAG award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1999 Bangers Julie-Anne
The Talented Mr. Ripley Meredith Logue Nominated - BAFTA for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Pushing Tin Connie Falzone
An Ideal Husband Lady Gertrude Chiltern
2000 The Gift Annabelle "Annie" Wilson
The Man Who Cried Lola
2001 The Shipping News Petal Quoyle
Charlotte Gray Charlotte Gray
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Galadriel Nominated - SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast
Bandits Kate Wheeler Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
Nominated - SAG award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Galadriel Nominated - SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast
Heaven Philippa
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Galadriel Won - SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast
The Missing Magdalena 'Maggie' Gilkeson
Coffee and Cigarettes Herself & Shelly
Veronica Guerin Veronica Guerin Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Actress - Drama
2004 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Jane Winslett-Richardson
The Aviator Katharine Hepburn Won - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Won - BAFTA award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Won - SAG award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress
2005 Little Fish Tracy Heart Won - Australian Film Institute award for Best Lead Actress
2006 Babel Susan Jones Nominated - SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
The Good German Lena Brandt
Notes on a Scandal Sheba Hart Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - SAG for Best Supporting Actress
2007 Hot Fuzz Janine Uncredited Cameo
Elizabeth: The Golden Age Queen Elizabeth I Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated - Golden Globe for Best Actress - Drama
Nominated - SAG award for Best Actress in a Leading Role[15]
Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role[16]
I'm Not There Jude Quinn (Bob Dylan) Won - Volpi Cup for Best Actress
Won - Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actress
Won - Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - SAG award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Colonel Doctor Irina Spalko
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Daisy post-production
2009 Fantastic Mr. Fox Mrs. Fox (voice) filming

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • Broadcast Film Critics Association:
    1. 1998: Best Actress (Elizabeth, winner)
    2. 2003: Best Cast (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, winner)
    3. 2004: Best Supporting Actress (The Aviator, nominee)
    4. 2004: Best Cast (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, nominee)
    5. 2006: Best Supporting Actress (Notes on a Scandal, nominee)
    6. 2007: Best Actress (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, nominee)
    7. 2007: Best Supporting Actress (I'm Not There, nominee)
  • Chicago Film Critics Association:
    1. 1998: Best Actress (Elizabeth, winner)
    2. 2006: Best Supporting Actress (Notes on a Scandal, nominee)
    3. 2007: Best Supporting Actress (I'm Not There, winner)
  • Satellite Awards:
    1. 1998: Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama (Elizabeth, winner)
    2. 2007: Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (An Ideal Husband, nominee)
    3. 2001: Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama (Charlotte Gray, nominee)
    4. 2004: Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Drama (The Aviator, nominee)
    5. 2006: Best Supporting Actress (Notes on a Scandal, nominee)
    6. 2007: Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (I'm Not There, nominee)
Awards
Academy Award
Preceded by
Renée Zellweger
for Cold Mountain		 Best Supporting Actress
for The Aviator
2004		 Succeeded by
Rachel Weisz
for The Constant Gardener
BAFTA Award
Preceded by
Judi Dench
for Mrs. Brown		 Best Actress
for Elizabeth
1998		 Succeeded by
Annette Bening
for American Beauty
Preceded by
Renée Zellweger
for Cold Mountain		 Best Supporting Actress
for The Aviator
2005		 Succeeded by
Thandie Newton
for Crash
Golden Globe Award
Preceded by
Judi Dench
for Mrs. Brown		 Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
for Elizabeth
1999		 Succeeded by
Hilary Swank
for Boys Don't Cry
Preceded by
Jennifer Hudson
for Dreamgirls		 Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
for I'm Not There
2008		 Succeeded by
TBD
Screen Actors Guild Award
Preceded by
Renée Zellweger
for Cold Mountain		 Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
2004
for The Aviator		 Succeeded by
Rachel Weisz
for The Constant Gardener
Venice Film Festival
Preceded by
Helen Mirren
for The Queen		 Best Actress
for I'm Not There
2007		 Succeeded by
TBD

[edit] Theatre Credits and Awards

Year Play Location Role Notes and Awards
pre-1992 The Odyssey of Runyon Jones Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne Unknown Adaption of the famous play by Norman Corwin.
pre-1992 They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne Director She directed her fellow students in a production of the novel by Horace McCoy.
1992 Electra National Institute of Dramatic Art, Melbourne Electra She played the lead in this play by Sophocles. Her director, Lindy Davies, was sharing a house with Geoffrey Rush, and urged him to come and see this “astonishing young woman.” He did, and shared sentiments. He later recounted this to Blanchett.
1992/1993 Top Girls Sydney Theatre Company Unknown After graduading from the NIDA, she joined the Sydney Theatre Company. This play by Caryl Churchill was the first one she starred in.
1993 Oleanna Sydney Theatre Company Carol She played the lead opposite Geoffrey Rush in David Mamet's play about a university professor who is accused of sexual harassment by a student. She initially believed it to be a "misogynist piece of crap", and her anger inspired her in the role. She picked up her second award of the year for the role: the Rosemont Best Actress Award.
1994 Hamlet Belvoir Street Theatre Company Ophelia Once again, she played the lead opposite Geoffrey Rush. It was a Company B Production, directed by Neil Armfield.
1995 Sweet Phoebe Sydney Theatre Company and the Warehouse Theatre, Croydon. Helen She played the lead in the Belvoir Street Theatre/Playbox Theatre co-production, written and directed by Michael Gow. The Sydney production was the first ever, then transferred to the West End.
1995 The Tempest Belvoir Street Theatre Company Miranda A Company B Production, directed by Neil Armfield. Cate played alongside Duxton Chevalier, who was previously in the 1994 TV Movie Police Rescue with her.
1995 The Blind Giant is Dancing Belvoir Street Theatre Company Rose Draper Played alongside Hugo Weaving among others in this Stephen Sewell play. It opened on August 15, 1995, and closed on September 10, 1995. It was a Company B production, directed by Neil Armfield, with music composed by Paul Charlier.
1997 The Seagull, a.k.a. The Seagull in Harry Hills Belvoir Street Theatre Company Nina Played a lead in the Anton Checkov play. It opened on March the 4th, 1997, and closed on April the 13th. It was a Company B Production, directed by Neil Armfield, music composed by Ian McDonald.
1999 Plenty The Alemida Season at the Albery Theatre, London Susan Traherne She played the lead in the play by David Hare, directed by Jonathan Kent. It opened on April 27, 1999, and closed on July the 27th. The play, about twenty years of a woman's life, starting with her being in the French resistance in the 40s, was the first London production since its premiere at the National Theatre 21 years previously.
1999 The Vagina Monologues The Old Vic Theatre, London Unknown She took part in the show in February 1999, alongside other celebrities, including Melanie Griffith.
2004 Hedda Gabler Sydney Theatre Company Hedda Gabler Her performance in this Henrik Ibsen play is her last to date. It opened on July 22, 2004, and closed on September 26, 2004. She reprised her performance as Hedda in New York in March 2006, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theatre.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Audrey Hepburn 'most beautiful woman of all time' - Entertainment - www.smh.com.au
  2. ^ Cate Blanchett : People.com
  3. ^ The most beautiful women? - Times Online
  4. ^ Cate Blanchett's biography_ Elle December 2003. Elle. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  5. ^ Cate Blanchett's biography. filmreference.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  6. ^ a b Cate Blanchett's biography. The biography channel. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  7. ^ Cate Blanchett. biogs.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  8. ^ Top Trilogies worldwide. Box Office Mojo (September 21, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  9. ^ Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I is no surprise. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
  10. ^ Cate's double Oscar nod. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
  11. ^ Michael Specter (November 2006). Head First. Vogue. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  12. ^ {{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/12/12/1102786948082.html
  13. ^ {{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/cates-green-house/2007/07/07/1183351513267.html
  14. ^ Archibald Prize 06. Art Gallery NSW. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  15. ^ Nominations Announced for the 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. SAG Awards.org.
  16. ^ BAFTA Nominees. Awards Daily Oscar Watch.

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