Kate Winslet Biography
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Birth name - Kate Elizabeth Winslet
Date of birth - October 5, 1975
Reading, Berkshire, England, UK
Nickname - English Rose
Height - 5' 6½" (1.69 m)
Kate Winslet photo gallery
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Ask Kate Winslet what she liked about any of her characters, and the word "ballsy" is bound to pop up at least once. The British actress has made a point of eschewing straightforward pretty-girl parts in favor of more devilish damsels; as a result, she's built an eclectic resume; that runs the gamut from Shakespearean tragedy to modern-day mysticism and erotica.
Born into a family of thespians - parents Roger and Sally were both stage actors, maternal grandparents Oliver and Linda Bridges ran the Reading Repertory Theatre, and uncle Robert Bridges was a fixture in London's West End theatre district - Kate came into her talent at an early age. She scored her first professional gig at 11, dancing opposite the Honey Monster in a commercial for a kids' cereal. She started acting lessons around the same time, which led to formal training at a performing arts high school. Over the next few years she appeared on stage regularly and landed a few bit parts in sitcoms. Her first big break came at age 17, when she was cast as an obsessive adolescent in Heavenly Creatures (1994). The film, based on the true story of two fantasy-gripped girls who commit a brutal murder, received modest distribution but was roundly praised by critics.
Still a relative unknown, Winslet attended a cattle call audition the next year for Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995). She made an immediate impression on the film's star, Emma Thompson, and beat out more than a hundred other hopefuls for the part of plucky Marianne Dashwood. Her efforts were rewarded with both a British Academy Award and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Winslet followed up with two more period pieces, playing the rebellious heroine in Jude (1996) and Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996).
The role that transformed Winslet from art house attraction to international star was Rose DeWitt Bukater, the passionate, rosy-cheeked aristocrat in James Cameron's Titanic (1997). Young girls the world over both idolized and identified with Winslet, swooning over all that face time opposite heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio and noting her refreshingly healthy, un-emaciated physique. Winslet's performance also garnered a Best Actress nomination, making her the youngest actress to ever receive two Academy nods.
After the swell of unexpected attention surrounding Titanic (1997), Winslet was eager to retreat into independent projects. Rumor has it that she turned down the lead roles in both Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Anna and the King (1999) in order to play adventurous soul searchers in Hideous Kinky (1998) and Holy Smoke (1999). The former cast her as a young single mother traveling through 1960s Morocco with her daughters in tow; the latter, as a zealous follower of a guru tricked into a "deprogramming" session in the Australian outback. The next year found her back in period dress as the Marquis de Sade's chambermaid and accomplice in Quills (2000). Kate holds the distinction of being the youngest actor ever honored with four Academy Award nominations (she received her fourth at age 29.)
Off camera, Winslet is known for her mischievous pranks and familial devotion. She has two sisters, Anna Winslet and Beth Winslet (both actresses), and a brother, Joss. In 1998 she married James Threapleton, whom she met on the set of Hideous Kinky (1998); the pair had a daughter, Mia, in October of 2000. They divorced in 2001. She later married director Sam Mendes in 2003 and has since given birth to their son Joe.
Spouse - Sam Mendes (24 May 2003 - present) 1 child
James Threapleton (22 November 1998 - 13 December 2001) (divorced) 1 child
More Interesting Information for Kate Winslet
Daughter Mia was born (in England) on the 12th October 2000, weighing in at 8 pounds 9 ounces.
Kate met husband, James Threapleton, on the set of her movie Hideous Kinky (1998), where he was working as an assistant director.
Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children (2000).
Turned down the Gwyneth Paltrow role in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and the Jodie Foster role in Anna and the King (1999).
Has very large feet and wears size 11 shoes.
At age 11 began attending the acting school Redroofs in Maidenhead, England, UK.
Dated Rufus Sewell.
Sister of Anna Winslet and Beth Winslet.
The youngest actress ever to be nominated for two Academy Awards (for Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Titanic (1997)). [1998]
Dated Stephen Tredre. [1991-1995]
Her first acting job was dancing with the Honey Monster in a commercial for Sugar Puffs cereal.
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Manchester Evening News Award for her role in "What the Butler Saw."
Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. [1996]
Won Best British Actress, Empire Magazine Awards for Heavenly Creatures (1994).
Younger brother, Joss.
Parents: Roger Winslet (actor) and Sally Bridges-Winslet.
After her first success in the film Heavenly Creatures (1994) a reviewer predicted that she would always be associated with that character, and would never be a big star.
Recorded a song for the soundtrack for the movie Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001). Producers were so impressed at her efforts they have decided to release the ballad - called "What If?" - as a single. It reached the top ten in the UK. [June 2001]
Announced that she and husband James Threapleton are splitting up. [3 September 2001]
[November 2001] Confirms that she is dating director Sam Mendes.
Purchased a $3 million (US) home in London with boyfriend (later husband) Sam Mendes.
Holds a unique position in Academy Awards history: only twice have two actresses been nominated for playing the same role in the same film. The first was Gloria Stuart and Kate in Titanic (1997). The second was Judi Dench and Kate in Iris (2001/I).
Married director Sam Mendes in a private ceremony whilst on holiday in the West Indies in May, 2003.
Daughter Mia's name is Italian for "mine".
Has sung in 5 of her films
Prefers to wear boots rather than ordinary shoes because it makes her feel that her feet are "firmly on the ground."
Missed the premiere of Titanic (1997) because she was attending the funeral of close friend and former boyfriend, Stephen Tredre.
Son, Joe Alfie Winslet Mendes, was born on December 22, 2003, in New York, and weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces.
Resides in both London, England and New York City, America.
Has a nephew, George.
Is residing in New York City while she and husband Sam Mendes work on separate projects. After the projects are finished, they will go back home to England. [2004]
Sprained her ankle on the set of Romance & Cigarettes (2005) in May 2004.
She sold her North London home in Belsize Park to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin.
Was considered for the role of Bridget in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) but it was then decided she was too young to portray the role.
On the day she had to film the straightjacket scene in Hamlet (1996), she learned she had won the role of Rose in Titanic (1997).
While serving as host of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) one week after Ashlee Simpson's "recorded song malfunction," she opened the show by singing and dancing live.
Bust size 1996 - 34C
Born in the same year and on the same day as Parminder Nagra.
Is the first actress to receive four Oscar nominations before turning 30.
Recently bought a home in New York City. Her main home, however, is in Cotswolds, England.
Was born in the same hospital as her husband, Sam Mendes.
Filmed her 2005 American Express commercial in Camden Town, London, England.
First screen kiss was with Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994).
Was Peter Jackson's first choice to star in King Kong.
Her performance as Clementine Kruczynski in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) is ranked #81 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
Personal quotes from Kate Winslet
[talking about her screen debut in Heavenly Creatures (1994)]: "I was reading the script in the back of the car and I turned to my dad and yelled, 'I've GOT to get this!' And he replied, 'Then you will.' And I thought, 'Yep, that's it. I'm bloody well going to.' And that was it. I was so determined. It was something crucial to my life. I just so communicated with her, the story and their relationship. And when I found out, I just couldn't believe it. I was so happy, I cried. I remember I was working part-time at a deli at the time because I didn't have any money and was in the middle of making a sandwich when they phoned and said I'd got the job. I burst into tears and had to leave work because I couldn't control myself. It was absolutely brilliant."
In 2002 she had this to say about doing nude scenes: "I like exposing myself. There's not an awful lot that embarrasses me. I'm the kind of actress that absolutely believes in exposing myself."
"I'd rather do theatre and British films than move to L.A. in hopes of getting small roles in American films."
"It's very important for me to make the statement that I am English and just because I've done one really big film, it doesn't mean that I don't want to keep a finger in the fantastic British film industry and do films like this."
About her spur-of-the-moment marriage to Sam Mendes - "We hadn't been planning to do it but we thought it was rather a good idea, so we just did it."
"After Titanic (1997) it would have been completely foolish for me to go and try and top that. I'm an English girl, I've always loved England, I've never felt the desire to leave it for any particular reason. And whilst I'm ambitious and care very much about what I do, I'm not competitive. I also don't want to act every day of my life. ... So it was important to me after Titanic (1997) to just remind myself of why it was that I was acting in the first place, which is of course because I love it."
"Since I was 13 or 14, I've always felt older than I actually am."
"I was on the tube just before Christmas. and this girl turned round to me and said, 'Are you Kate Winslet?'. And I said, 'Well, yes. I am actually'. And she said, 'And you're getting the tube?' And I said, 'Yes'. And she said, 'Don't you have a big car that drives you around?' And I said, 'No'. And she was absolutely stunned that I wasn't being driven round in some flash car all the time. It was ludicrous."
"People say to me, 'You seem to have made this conscious decision to do independent films'. In reality, I haven't. After each movie, I always think, how different can I possibly be?... Is this going to challenge me, is this going to inspire me, and is this going to make me love my job more than I already do?"
"There is no way we are going to move out of England. Some might think that we want to live in Hollywood but that is not what we want at all. We will go and live in New York when it is necessary because of work but we prefer to be in England. I'm proud to be English - we both are. It's very important to me to retain that. I am an English girl and I love England. I have never felt the desire to leave. I am still ambitious and I will have to travel and live elsewhere because of that but England is always home."
On a scene from the movie Holy Smoke (1999),: "It was a difficult scene. When I read the script and I saw this scene was there, I laughed hysterically. I just couldn't believe it. When it came to shooting it, I had been sort of putting it off, and pretending it wasn't going to happen. And suddenly, I am there naked, peeing and thinking "Oh no!" It was really hard to do, but I've always loved the fact that it was there, and it's such a sort of turning point for the character I play in the movie that I've always felt sort of good, that it should be there."
On receiving her 4th Oscar nomination: "I can't believe it. I am ecstatic! This nomination means so much to me. To be remembered for a film that was released a while ago, I am unbelievably honoured and completely overwhelmed."
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Kate Winslet Filmography
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Actress - filmography
(In Production) (2000s) (1990s)
The Holiday (2006) .... Iris
Movie Outline: A woman plagued by man trouble finds her fortune
improves when she befriends an Englishwoman while on vacation.
Flushed Away (2006) - (voice) .... Rita
Movie Outline: The story of an uptown rat that gets flushed down
the toilet from his penthouse apartment, ending in the sewers of London, where he has
to learn a whole new and different way of life.
Little Children (2006) .... Sarah Pierce
Movie Outline: Little Children centers on a group of young marrieds,
whose lives intersect on the playgrounds, town pools and streets of their small
community in surprising and potentially dangerous ways.
All the King's Men (2006) .... Anne Stanton
Romance & Cigarettes (2005) .... Tula
"Saturday Night Live"
... aka NBC's Saturday Night (USA: original title)
... aka SNL
... aka SNL 25 (USA: new title)
- Episode #30.4 (2004) TV Episode .... Host
Finding Neverland (2004) .... Sylvia Llewelyn Davies
Pride (2004) (TV) (voice) .... Suki
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) .... Clementine Kruczynski
The Life of David Gale (2003) .... Bitsey Bloom
... aka Leben des David Gale, Das (Germany)
Plunge: The Movie (2003) .... Clare
Iris (2001/I) .... Young Iris Murdoch
Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001) (voice) .... Belle
... aka Weihnachtsmärchen, Ein (Germany)
Enigma (2001) .... Hester Wallace
... aka Enigma - Das Geheimnis (Germany)
War Game (2001) (voice) .... Mum/Annie
Quills (2000) .... Madeleine 'Maddy' LeClerc
... aka Quills - Macht der Besessenheit (Germany)
Holy Smoke (1999) .... Ruth Barron
... aka Holy Smoke! (USA: video box title)
Faeries (1999) (voice) .... Brigid
Hideous Kinky (1998) .... Julia
... aka Marrakech express (France)
Titanic (1997) .... Rose DeWitt Bukater
Hamlet (1996) .... Ophelia
... aka William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Jude (1996) .... Sue Bridehead
Sense and Sensibility (1995) .... Marianne Dashwood
A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995) .... Princess Sarah
Heavenly Creatures (1994) .... Juliet Hulme
... aka Heavenly Creatures: The Uncut Version (USA: longer version)
... aka Himmlische Kreaturen (Germany)
"Casualty"
- Family Matters (1993) TV Episode .... Suzanne
Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992) (TV) .... Caroline Jenington
"Get Back" (1992) TV Series .... Eleanor Sweet
"Dark Season" (1991) TV Series .... Reet
Shrinks (1990) (TV)
