Blanchett, Cate 1969–

PERSONAL

Full name, Catherine Elise Blanchett; born May 14, 1969, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; daughter of Robert (an advertising executive) and June (a property developer and teacher) Blanchett; married Andrew Upton (a writer, director, and producer), December 29, 1997; children: Dashiell John, Roman Robert. Education: National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, graduated, 1992; also attended Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Melbourne University.

Addresses: Agent—Hylda Queally, Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212; Robyn Gardiner, RGM Associates, 64-76 Kippax St., Level 2, Suite 202, Surrey Hills, New South Wales 2010, Australia. Publicist—Lisa Kasteler, Wolf/Kasteler/Van Iden and Associates Public Relations, 335 North Maple Dr., Suite 351, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Career: Actress and producer. Australian Film Institute, ambassador. Appeared in commercials and print advertisements and endorsed products.

Member: Screen Actors Guild.

Awards, Honors: Newcomer Award, Sydney Theatre Critics Circle, 1993, for Kafka Dances; Rosemont Award, Sydney Theatre Critics Circle, best actress, 1993, for Oleanna; Melbourne Green Room Award nomination, 1995, for Hamlet; Australian Film Institute Award, best performance by an actress in a supporting role, 1997, and Film Critics of Australia Award, best supporting actor—female, 1998, both for Thank God He Met Lizzie; Australian Film Institute Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a leading role, 1998, and Film Critics of Australia Award nomination, best actor—female, 1999, both for Oscar and Lucinda; Toronto Film Critics Association Award, best female performance, and Sierra Award, most promising actor, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, both 1998, Golden Globe Award, best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama, Golden Satellite Award, best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama, International Press Academy, Film Award, best performance by an actress in a leading role, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Southeastern Film Critics Association Award, Chlotrudis Award, Empire Award, and Online Film Critics Society Award, all best actress, ALFS Award, actress of the year, London Critics Circle, Academy Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, and MTV Movie Award nomination, best breakthrough female performance, all 1999, all for Elizabeth; Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a comedy or musical, 2000, for An Ideal Husband; Film Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite supporting actress—suspense, both 2000, for The Talented Mr. Ripley; Chlotrudis Award nomination, best supporting actress, 2000, for An Ideal Husband and The Talented Mr. Ripley; National Board of Review Award, best supporting actress, 2001, for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Man Who Cried, and The Shipping News; Saturn Award nomination, best actress, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, and Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, both 2001, for The Gift; Phoenix Film Critics Society Award, best acting ensemble, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture, both with others, both 2002, for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture musical or comedy, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, and American Film Institute Award nomination, featured female actor of the year in movies, all 2002, for Bandits; Audience Award, best supporting actress, Chlotrudis awards, 2002, for The Man Who Cried; Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama, and Sierra Award nomination, best actress, both 2002, for Charlotte Gray; Florida Film Critics Circle Award, best supporting actress, 2002, for Bandits, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Man Who Cried, and The Shipping News; German Golden Camera Award, international film category, 2002, for Heaven; Phoenix Film Critics Society Award, best acting ensemble, Online Film Critics Society Award, best ensemble, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture, all with others, all 2003, for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; named one of the 100 greatest movie stars, Channel 4 (England), 2003; National Board of Review Award, best acting by an ensemble, 2003, Screen Actors Guild Award, outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, best acting ensemble, and Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination, best ensemble acting, all 2004, all with others, all for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama, and Empire Award nomination, best actress, both 2004, for Veronica Guerin; Saturn Award nomination, best actress, 2004, for The Missing; Boston Society of Film Critics Award nomination, best supporting actress, 2004, Academy Award, best performance by an actress in a supporting role, Screen Actors Guild Award, outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, Film Award, best performance by an actress in a supporting role, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award, and Online Film Critics Society Award, all best supporting actress, Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, Golden Satellite Award nomination, best actress in a supporting role in a dramatic film, Empire Award nomination, best actress, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination (with others), outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture, all 2005, all for The Aviator; Australian Film Institute Award, best lead actress, news limited readers' choice award, Australian Film Institute, and Lexus Inside Film (IF) Award, best actress, all 2005, for Little Fish; Independent Spirit Award nomination, best supporting female, Independent Features Project/West, and Chlotrudis Award nomination, best supporting actress, both 2005, for Coffee and Cigarettes; Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination (with others), best ensemble, 2005, for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; Sierra Award, best supporting actress, 2005, for The Aviator and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; Central Ohio Film Critics Award, actor of the year, 2005, for The Aviator, Coffee and Cigarettes, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; Helpmann Award, best actress in a play, Australian Entertainment Industry Association, 2005, for Hedda Gabler.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Vivian, Police Rescue (also known as Police Rescue: The Movie), 1994.

Rosie, Parklands (short film), Soft Fruit, 1996.

Lizzie, Thank God He Met Lizzie (also known as The Wedding Party), Beyond Films, 1997.

Lucinda Leplastrier, Oscar and Lucinda, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1997.

Susan Macarthy, Paradise Road, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1997.

Queen Elizabeth I (title role), Elizabeth (also known as Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen), Gramercy Pictures, 1998.

Connie Falzone, Pushing Tin (also known as Turbulenzen-und andere Katastrophen), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1999.

Julie-Anne, Bangers (short film), 1999.

Lady Gertrude Childtern, An Ideal Husband, Miramax, 1999.

Meredith Logue, The Talented Mr. Ripley (also known as The Mysterious Yearning Secretive Sad Lonely Troubled Confused Loving Musical Gifted Intelligent Beautiful Tender Sensitive Haunted Passionate Talented Mr. Ripley), Miramax, 1999.

Annabelle "Annie" Wilson, The Gift, Paramount Classics, 2000.

Lola, The Man Who Cried (also known as The Man Who Cried—Les larmes d'un homme), Universal Focus, 2000.

Title role, Charlotte Gray (also known as Die Liebe der Charlotte Gray), Warner Bros., 2001.

Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (also known as The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Motion Picture), New Line Cinema, 2001.

Kate Wheeler, Bandits, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2001.

Petal Bear, The Shipping News (also known as Noeuds et denouements), Miramax, 2001.

Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (also known as The Two Towers and Der Herr der Ringe: Die zwei Tuerme), New Line Cinema, 2002.

Philippa, Heaven, Miramax, 2002.

Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (also known as Der Herr de Ringe: Die Rueckkehr des Koenigs), New Line Cinema, 2003.

Maggie Gilkeson, The Missing, Columbia, 2003.

Title role, Veronica Guerin, Buena Vista, 2003.

Cate/Shelly, "Cousins," Coffee and Cigarettes, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 2004.

Jane Winslett-Richardson, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (also known as The Life Aquatic and Untitled Wes Anderson Project), Buena Vista, 2004.

Katharine Hepburn, The Aviator, Miramax, 2004.

Tracy Heart, Little Fish, Myriad Pictures, 2005.

Lena Brandt, The Good German, Warner Bros., 2006.

Sheba Hart, Notes on a Scandal, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2006.

Babel, Paramount, 2006.

I'm Not There (also known as I'm Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan), Killer Films, 2006.

Benjamin Button, Paramount, c. 2007.

Appeared as an extra in a film made in Egypt.

Film Producer:

Bangers (short film), 1999, later included as a segment of the film Stories of Lost Souls, 2005.

Stage Appearances:

Carol, Oleanna, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1993.

Felice Bauer, Kafka Dances, Sydney Theatre Company, 1993.

Top Girls, Sydney Theatre Company, 1993.

Helen, Sweet Phoebe, Sydney Theatre Company, then Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1994, then Playbox Theatre, 1995.

Miranda, The Tempest, Belvoir Street Theatre Company, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1995.

Ophelia, Hamlet, Belvoir Street Theatre Company, 1995.

Rose, The Blind Giant Is Dancing, Belvoir Street Theatre Company, 1996.

Nina, The Seagull, Belvoir Street Theatre Company, 1997.

Susan Traherne, Plenty (also known as Strife for Love: Plenty), Albery Theatre, London, 1999.

Title role, Hedda Gabler, Sydney Theatre Company, Wharf Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2004, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, New York City, 2006.

Television Appearances; Series:

Janie Morris, G.P., Australian Broadcasting Corporation, beginning c. 1994.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Elizabeth "Beth" Ashton, Heartland (also known as Burned Bridge), Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1994.

Bianca, Bordertown, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1995.

Herself, The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, Channel 4 (England), 2003.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Herself, Fox Studios Australia: The Grand Opening, Nine Network (Australia), 1999.

Galadriel and herself, National Geographic: Beyond the Movie—The Lord of the Rings, 2001.

Galadriel and herself, Quest for the Ring, Fox, 2001.

Herself, A Passage to Middle-Earth: Making of "Lord of the Rings," Sci-Fi Channel, 2001.

Herself, Reel Comedy: Bandits, Comedy Central, 2001.

Herself, A Life without Limits: The Making of the "Aviator," FX Channel, 2004.

Herself, Reel Comedy: The Life Aquatic, Comedy Central, 2004.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 71st Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1999.

Herself, Hollywood Salute Bruce Willis: An American Cinematheque Tribute, TNT, 2000.

Herself, The Orange British Academy Film Awards, E! Entertainment Television, 2000.

Presenter, The 72nd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 2000.

Herself, The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2002.

Presenter, The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2003.

Presenter, The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2004.

Herself, The Orange British Academy Film Awards, 2005.

Herself, The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2005.

Presenter, 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as Screen Actors Guild 11th Annual Awards), TNT, 2005.

Presenter, The 77th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2005.

Presenter, The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards, Independent Film Channel and Bravo, 2005.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Mrs. Haines, "The Loaded Boy," Police Rescue, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and BBC, 1993.

(In archive footage) Elizabeth I, "El cos," Sexes, TV3 (Television de Catalunya, Spain), 2005.

Television Guest Appearances; Episodic:

Drama School, Seven Network (Australia), c. 2000.

Parkinson, BBC, 2002.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 2002.

Entertainment Tonight (also known as Entertainment This Week, ET, E.T., ET Weekend, and This Week in Entertainment), syndicated, 2003.

God kveld Norge, 2003.

Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo, 2003.

Tinseltown TV, International Channel, 2003.

V Graham Norton, Channel 4 (England), 2003.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2003, 2005.

"The Aviator," History vs. Hollywood (also known as Hollywood through the Lens), History Channel, 2004.

The Film Programme (also known as Film '04), BBC, 2004.

Good Day Live, Fox, 2004.

The Late Show with David Letterman (also known as The Late Show), CBS, 2004.

Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated, 2004.

"Wetten, dass …? aus Berlin," Wetten, dass …?, 2005.

The Bigger Picture, BBC, 2005.

Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (also known as Ellen and The Ellen DeGeneres Show), syndicated, 2005.

The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah), syndicated, 2005.

Also appeared as herself in "Extreme Close-up with … Bruce Willis—Bandits," Extreme Close Up with …, E! Entertainment Television.

RECORDINGS

Videos; as Herself:

The Making of "Elizabeth," PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, 1998.

Inside "The Talented Mr. Ripley," Paramount, 1999.

Reflections on "The Talented Mr. Ripley," 2000.

Inside "Bandits," Cloverland Productions, 2001.

Herself and Galadriel, The Making of "The Lord of the Rings," 2002.

Scene 71 Filmmakers Workshop, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment, 2003.

New Frontiers: Making "The Missing," Columbia/TriStar Home Entertainment, 2004.

This Is an Adventure, Criterion Collections, 2005.

WRITINGS

Nonfiction:

Contributor to periodicals, including This Is London.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, fourth edition, St. James Press, 2000.

Periodicals:

Boston Globe, November 14, 1998.

Box Office, October, 1998.

Calgary Sun, March 15, 1999, p. 38.

Dallas Morning News, February 7, 1998; February 27, 1999.

Detour, February, 1998, p. 118.

Elle, May, 1999.

Empire, May, 1998, p. 34.

Entertainment Weekly, November 13, 1998, p. 53; January 22, 1999, p. 46; March 1, 1999, p. 40; February 4, 2005, p. 47.

Guardian (London), November 28, 1998; April 18, 1999.

Harper's Bazaar, December 1, 1998, p. 238; October 1, 2001, pp. 222-25; August 1, 2005, pp. 144-51.

Independent on Sunday, March 29, 1998, p. 18.

Interview, January, 1998, p. 56.

Los Angeles, December, 1999.

Maclean's, November 16, 1998, p. 88.

Movieline, December, 2001, pp. 64-65.

Movieline's Hollywood Life, November 1, 2003, pp. 60-67, 124.

Newsweek, January 12, 1998, p. 61.

New York Daily News, November 10, 1998.

New York Times, October 24, 1999; December 12, 2004.

People Weekly, October 29, 2001, pp. 77-78.

Premiere, March, 1999, pp. 82-85; December 1, 2003, pp. 82, 84.

Sunday Telegraph, September 20, 1998, p. 10.

Time International, January 26, 1998, p. 60.

Toronto Star, November 6, 1998.

Urban Cinefile, April, 2001.

Vanity Fair, May, 1999.

Vogue, July, 2000, pp. 176-81, 218-19.

BLANCHETT, Cate

Nationality: Australian. Born: Catherine Elise Blanchett in Melbourne, 14 May 1969. Family: Married to Andrew Upton, 1997. Education: Studied economics and fine arts at the University of Melbourne; graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art. Career: Appeared on the Sydney stage in Caryl Churchill's Top Girls, Timothy Daly's Kafka Dances, and David Mamet'sOleanna, 1993; appeared in other stage plays in Australia, most notably with the Sydney Theatre Company and Belvoir Street Theatre Company; made guest appearances on Australian television, mid-1990s; earned international acclaim for her starring role in Elizabeth, 1998; starred in David Hare's Plenty on the London stage, 1999. Awards: Rosemount Newcomer Award, Sydney Theatre Critics Circle, for Kafka Dances, 1993; Rosemount Best Actress Award, for Oleanna, 1993; Melbourne Green Room Award nomination, for Hamlet, 1995; Australian Film Institute Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, for Thank God He Met Lizzie, 1997; British Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, London Critics Circle Award as Actress of the Year, Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama), Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, and Golden Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama), all for Elizabeth, 1998. Address: c/o Robyn Gardiner Management, P.O. Box 128, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia.

Films as Actress:

1996

Parklands (Millard) (as Rosie)

1997

Paradise Road (Beresford) (as Susan McCarthy); Thank God He Met Lizzie (Nowlan) (as Lizzie); Oscar and Lucinda(Armstrong) (as Lucinda)

1998

Elizabeth (Kapur) (as Elizabeth I)

1999

An Ideal Husband (Parker) (as Lady Gertrud Chiltern); Push-ing Tin (Newell) (as Connie Falzone); Bangers (Upton) (as Housewife) (short); The Talented Mr. Ripley (Minghella)(as Meredith Logue)

Publications

By BLANCHETT: articles—

"Heaven's Cate," interview with Howard Feinstein, in Detour (New York), February 1998.

"Cate's a Girl to Bet On," interview with York Membory in Evening Standard (London), 18 March 1998.

"Double or Nothing: He's So Fiennes and Ms. Blanchett's Not Bad Either," interview with Christine Hogan, in Australian Harper's Bazaar, 19 March 1998.

Interview with Angie Errigo, in Empire (London), May 1998.

"G'day to You Queen Bess," interview with Sheila Johnston, in Telegraph (London), 22 September 1998.

"Their Elizabethan Era," interview with Kim Williamson, in Box Office (Los Angeles), October 1998.

"Blanchett Comes Out of Nowhere Fast," interview with Judy Gerstel, in Toronto Star, 6 November 1998.

"The Queen of Elizabeth," interview with Lewis Beale, in Daily News (New York), 10 November 1998.

"Cate Blanchett Gives Elizabeth a Human Face," interview with Peter Brunette, in Boston Globe, 14 November 1998.

"The Queen and I," interview with Howard Feinstein, in the Guardian (London), 28 November 1998.

"Let Them Meet Cate," interview with Mark Salisbury, in Premiere (New York), March 1999.

Blanchett, Cate, "Cate Blanchett on Crying in Public Places," in This Is London, 4 March 1999.

"Pale and Interesting," interview with Mick Brown, in Telegraph (London), 27 March 1999.

"Why the Elizabeth Star Has Taken Hollywood by Storm," interview in Vanity Fair (New York), May 1999.

"Why We Love Cate," interview with Jenny Cullen, in Australian Woman's Weekly, June 1999.

"Complicated," interview with Lesley White, in New York Times, 24 October 1999.

"The Talented Ms. Blanchett," interview with Melissande Clarke, in Los Angeles Magazine, December 1999.

On BLANCHETT: articles—

"In Profile," in Cinema Papers (Victoria, Australia), 29 May 1997.

Fitzgerald, Michael, "The World at Her Feet," in Time (New York), 26 January 1998.

Bowe, Kitty, "Queen Cate," in Harper's Bazaar (New York), 1 December 1998.

Sinclair, Tom, article in Entertainment Weekly (New York), 1 March 1999. Minghella, Anthony, "A Date with Cate," in Guardian (London), 18 April 1999.

"Cate Blanchett Rocks Hollywood," in Elle (New York), May 1999.

Barber, Lynden, and D.D. McNicoll, "Blanchett Reigns as Australian of Year," in The Australian (Surry Hills, New South Wales), 22 January 2000.

Of all the performers who emerged onto the international film scene in the late 1990s, Cate Blanchett was among the most promising. Her luminous good looks combine with a passion, intelligence, and versatility that are reminiscent of Meryl Streep. Although it is premature at this point in her career to cite her as Streep's acting equal, Blanchett is a performer who, like Streep, seamlessly inhabits her characters, making them believable despite their diversity in class, nationality, or life experience.

Upon graduation from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art, Blanchett quickly established herself as an up-and-coming stage actress. She was the first performer to win two Sydney Theatre Critics Circle awards in the same year (1993), for Best Newcomer and Lead Actress, and further established herself by playing everything from Shakespeare to David Mamet on the Australian stage. Blanchett's first high-profile screen credit was in Paradise Road, a well-intentioned but cliched prisoner-of-war drama, in which she was cast alongside veteran actresses Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, and Frances McDormand. Next, she won the title role, opposite Ralph Fiennes, in Oscar and Lucinda, a Victorian-era romantic adventure. Blanchett gave a spirited performance while playing Lucinda Leplastrier, an eccentric, fiercely independent young woman raised on a ranch in the Australian outback. With her soul mate, the shy, guilt-ridden Oscar Hopkins, Lucinda shares a love of gambling and an inability to fit into society.

The energy and finesse Blanchett brought to the role made her a natural for the film that was to win her international stardom: Elizabeth, which like Oscar and Lucinda is a period piece featuring a spunky and determined heroine. Elizabeth is a dark, absorbing historical drama and political spectacle. It is set in England during the mid-16th century, with Henry VIII dead and the nation in religious turmoil. Mary I, who has taken the throne from her father, is a Catholic; Elizabeth, her younger half-sister, is a Protestant. At the outset of the story, Mary orders Elizabeth taken into custody, and she barely escapes with her life. But upon Mary's death, Elizabeth becomes England's ruler. At its core, Elizabeth is the story of the molding of a queen. It charts the manner in which Elizabeth—as embodied by Blanchett—is transformed from a fanciful young woman who thinks with her heart and not her head to the tough, venerated Virgin Queen of history. Elizabeth is a complex, demanding role, and Blanchett exudes a majestic dignity as her character matures.

In spite of her stardom, Blanchett accepted a supporting role in a film because she was intrigued by its story and interested in working with the cast and director. In Pushing Tin, a tale of conflicting New York City air traffic controllers, she plays Connie Falzone, a middle-class Long Island housewife-mother with a thick New York accent. Though the primary concerns of Elizabeth I are ruling her country, Connie's life focuses on her family and tuna casseroles. Yet Blanchett offered the same intelligence to the creation of both characters; she appears equally familiar with the inner beings of these altogether different women. In fact, Blanchett blends so seamlessly into PushingTin that it might seem unimaginable that she is the same actress who, scant months earlier, had starred in Elizabeth. Then, in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Blanchett added just the right shading to a character who is a pawn to the plot: Meredith Logue, a breathless debutante-social butterfly whose knowledge of the chameleon-like title character plays a significant role as the story develops. Here, the character of Meredith is secondary to the film's heroine, Marge Sherwood (played by Gwyneth Paltrow, whose performance a year earlier in Shakespeare in Love topped Blanchett's Elizabeth I for the Best Actress Academy Award). Another noteworthy part came in An Ideal Husband, based on the play by Oscar Wilde, in which she was cast as Lady Gertrud Chiltern, the naive, adoring wife of an indiscreet government minister.

Unlike those stars who start their careers on the stage and never return upon making their cinematic splash, Blanchett's dedication to acting is exemplified by her decision in 1999 to appear in London's West End in David Hare's Plenty—despite her being in demand for screen roles. Blanchett's signature screen performance remains Elizabeth I, but she appears to be at the beginning of a very promising career. It will be interesting to observe how her career evolves.

—Rob Edelman