Frances O'Connor

For the circus sideshow performer, see Frances O'Connor (performer).
Frances O'Connor
Born Frances Ann O'Connor[1]
12 June 1967[2]
Wantage, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Occupation Actress
Years active 1993–present
Partner(s) Gerald Lepkowski
Children Luka Lepkowski

Frances Ann O'Connor (born 12 June 1967) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her roles in such films as Mansfield Park (1999), Bedazzled (2000), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), and Timeline (2003). O'Connor has won an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Blessed (2009), and earned a Golden Globe Award nominations for Madame Bovary (2000), and BBC miniseries The Missing (2014).

Life and career

O'Connor was born in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England to a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father;[3] her family moved to Perth, Australia when she was two.[4] O'Connor was raised Roman Catholic,[5][6] and attended the Mercedes College in Perth. She then went on to attend the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and earned a BA in literature from the Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. O'Connor and her long-term partner, Gerald Lepkowski, have a son, Luka, born in April 2005.

O'Connor made her film debut in Emma-Kate Croghan's critically acclaimed independent romantic comedy Love and Other Catastrophes (1996).[7] She received her first AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role nomination for her performance in this movie. In 1997 she had the leading role in Kiss or Kill,[8] and starred opposite Cate Blanchett and Richard Roxburgh in Thank God He Met Lizzie.[7] In 1999, O'Connor starred as Fanny Price in the British romantic comedy-drama Mansfield Park. The film also received favorable reviews from critics.[9] In the next year O'Connor earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance as Emma Bovary in Madame Bovary.[10]

In 2000, O'Connor began her career in Hollywood, with role in the comedy film Bedazzled, remake of the 1967 film of the same name, opposite Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley. In the following year she had a leading role in the Steven Spielberg science fiction drama A.I. Artificial Intelligence. She was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. In 2002, she starred alongside Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, and Judi Dench in the romantic comedy-drama The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Oliver Parker, and based on Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners play. In 2003, O'Connor starred opposite Paul Walker in the science fiction film Timeline, which bombed at the box office.[11][12]

In 2004, O'Connor returned to independent movies and starred in Iron Jawed Angels with Hilary Swank, Julia Ormond, and Anjelica Huston. She received two more AACTA Award for Best Actress nominations for Three Dollars (2005) and The Hunter. In 2008, she starred in the short-lived ABC comedy-drama series Cashmere Mafia opposite Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto, and Bonnie Somerville.[10] In 2009 she won an AACTA Award for Best Actress for her performance in Blessed. She later appeared in Jayne Mansfield's Car, Little Red Wagon, and The Truth About Emanuel. In 2011, O'Connor was cast in the ABC drama pilot Hallelujah, created by Marc Cherry, but the show was not picked up to series.[13][14] From 2013 to 2014 she starred as Rose Selfridge in the British period drama Mr Selfridge.[15] In 2014, O'Connor was cast as lead in the British drama The Missing. She also appeared as Belle's mother Colette for the fourth season of the American series Once Upon a Time.[16]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Bathing Boxes 2nd woman Short film
1996 Love and Other Catastrophes Mia Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1997 Kiss or Kill Nikki Davies Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actress
Montreal World Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1997 Thank God He Met Lizzie Jenny Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated—Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actress
1998 A Little Bit of Soul Kate Haslett
1999 A Margherita with Hot Salami Diana Short film
1999 Mansfield Park Fanny Price Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2000 About Adam Laura Owens
2000 Madame Bovary Emma Bovary TV Movie
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
2000 Bedazzled Alison / Nicole
2001 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Monica Swinton Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
Nominated—AFI Award for Featured Actor of the Year—Female—Movies
Nominated—Empire Award for Best Actress
2002 The Importance of Being Earnest Gwendolen Fairfax
2002 Windtalkers Rita
2003 Timeline Kate Ericson
2004 Iron Jawed Angels Lucy Burns
2004 Book of Love Elaine Walker
2005 Three Dollars Tanya Harnovey Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
2005 The Lazarus Child Alison Heywood
2005 Piccadilly Jim Ann Chester
2009 Blessed Rhonda AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actress
2011 The Hunter Lucy Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
2012 Jayne Mansfield's Car Camilla Bedford
2012 Best Man Down Jaime
2012 Little Red Wagon Margaret Craig
2013 The Truth About Emanuel Janice Ashland Independent Film Festival Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2014 Mercy

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Law of the Land Marissa Green Series regular
1994 Damnation of Harvey McHugh, TheThe Damnation of Harvey McHugh Georgina Episode: "Heaven Knows Mr. McHugh"
1995 The Man from Snowy River Rachel McAlister Episodes: "A New Life: Part 1" and "A New Life: Part 2"
1995 Halifax f.p. Frances Episode: "The Feeding"
1996 Blue Heelers Gabe Greenway 3 episodes
1996 G.P. Karen Papadopoulos Episode: "Someone to Turn To"
1997 Frontline Kristy Episode: "I Get the Big Names"
2008 Cashmere Mafia Zoe Burden Series regular, 7 episodes
2011 Ice Sarah Miniseries
2011 Hallelujah Ruth Turner TV pilot
2013 Vegas Barbara Kent Episode: "From This Day Forward"
2013-2014 Mr Selfridge Rose Selfridge Series regular, 20 episodes
2014 The Missing Emily Hughes Miniseries
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film[17]
2014 Once Upon a Time Colette Episode: "Family Business"

References

  1. Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.; at ancestry.com
  2. "Today in history". ABC News. Associated Press. June 12, 2014.
  3. Frances O'Connor Biography (1969-)
  4. The earnest gypsy - theage.com.au
  5. The Fran with the plan
  6. Urban Cinefile O'CONNOR, FRANCES: BEDAZZLED
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Frances O'Connor | Movies and Biography - Yahoo Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  8. "Kiss or Kill". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  9. "Mansfield Park". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Frances O'Connor Biography". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  11. "Timeline (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  12. "Timeline (2003) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. 2003-11-26. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  13. Andreeva, Nellie. "Several Actors Join Broadcast Pilots". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  14. "Frances O'Connor boards ABC pilot - US TV News". Digital Spy. 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  15. "Playing the Mrs. to 'Mr. Selfridge' - US News and World Report". Usnews.com. 2013-03-28. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  16. "'Once Upon a Time' casts Frances O'Connor as Belle's mom". Entertainment Weekly. 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  17. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/golden-globe-awards-nominations-complete-756441?utm_source=twitter

External links