Cate Blanchett's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) The Golden Globe Awards Cate Blanch… Heartland (AU) Elizabeth A… Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (UK) Narrator

Main Movie Roles

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 (I)'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.


TRIVIA:

• She, Linda Hunt and Felicity Huffman are the only performers to be nominated for an Oscar for playing a member of the opposite sex.
• By winning the Oscar for her portrayal of 'Katharine Hepburn' (qv), she became the first person to give an Oscar-winning portrayal of a previous Oscar winner.
• Got the role in _The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)_ (qv) after 'Rachel Weisz' (qv) backed out, because of scheduling problems.
• 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' (qv)'s Oleanna, with the Sydney Theatre Company, opposite _Shine (1996)_ (qv) star 'Geoffrey Rush' (qv))in the same year.
• She participated in six films nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, four of them in a row: _Elizabeth (1998)_ (qv), _The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)_ (qv), _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)_ (qv), _The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)_ (qv), _The Aviator (2004)_ (qv) and _Babel (2006)_ (qv).
• Was originally cast as Mrs. Fox in _Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)_ (qv), but was later replaced by 'Meryl Streep' (qv).
• In _Bandits (2001)_ (qv), she works with 'Troy Garity' (qv). In _The Aviator (2004)_ (qv), she plays 'Katharine Hepburn' (qv), who appeared with Garity's mother, 'Jane Fonda' (qv) and grandfather, 'Henry Fonda' (qv), in _On Golden Pond (1981)_ (qv).
• Was the original 'Tim-Tam' girl in the series of commercials promoting the product.