Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet Biography

Kate's startling performance in her first screen appearance did not come by accident. Born on October 5, 1975, in Reading, the striking English blue-eyed, blonde grew up in a family rich in theatrical talent and background. Kate Winslet says that at five years old she knew she wanted to be an actress. "Being cast as the Virgin Mary was my first acting buzz... I took it very, very seriously. I remember really, really being Mary. Really, really feeling it." With grandparents who had a 60-seat repertory theater in their back "garden", a father and two sisters who act, and an uncle, Robert Bridges, who played Mr. Bumble in the West End production of Oliver, Kate might have been considered a natural for an acting future.

At age 11, Kate began taking acting lessons in Maidenhead and secured her first acting role in a Sugar Puffs commercial dancing with the Honey Monster. She attended a performing arts school and followed her graduation with roles in the British television drama Shrinks. This was followed by appearances in television series; Casualty, Dark Season, Get Back, and Anglo-Saxon Attitudes. Kate's theatrical roles including Pandora in the musical Adrian Mole, Wendy in Peter Pan, Sarah in A Game of Soldier, and Geraldine in What the Butler Saw.

One day while working at the deli, Kate received a phone call. The message? Kate had been selected out of a group of 175 aspiring actresses for a co-starring role as Juliet Hulme, one of a pair of obsessive, matricidal schoolgirls in the 1950s in director Peter Jackson's movie, Heavenly Creatures along with Melanie Lynskey. Screenwriter and producer Emma Thompson, cast her at first sight for the role in which Kate earned herself an even greater accolade of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination from the Academy. Kate has continued to distinguish herself in other productions including "Jude" and Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet".

Kate's most successful movie to date is "Titanic", playing the role of Rose Dewitt Bukater, an upper-class Philadelphian aboard the ill fated ocean liner. Following the success of "Titanic", Kate starred in some smaller films, such as, "Hideous Kinky" set in Morocco and then in "Holy Smoke" opposite Harvey Keitel. Another memorable work for Kate was seen in the film "Quills", The film is based on the life of the Marquis de Sade and Kate plays the role of Madeleine Leclerc, de Sade's maid.

In 2005, Winslet appeared in a television commercial for the American Express credit card. Winslet also appeared in an episode of BBC's comedy series Extras in August of 2005, as a satirical version of 'herself'. In February 2006, Winslet announced that she would collaborate with her husband, director Sam Mendes, on a film version of the Richard Yates novel, Revolutionary Road.

On November 22, 1998, Winslet married director Jim Threapleton. The two have a daughter, Mia Honey, who was born on October 12, 2000. After a divorce in 2001, Winslet began a relationship with director Sam Mendes, whom she married on May 24, 2003, on the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean. Their son, Joe Alfie, was born on December 22, 2003.

Kate Winslet has also enjoyed a brief taste of success as a singer, with her single "What If?" (2001 song) from the soundtrack of Christmas Carol: The Movie, which reached #1 in Ireland and #6 in the UK. More recently, she participated in a duet with "Weird Al" Yankovic on the Sandra Boynton CD, Dog Train, and sang in the 2006 film, Romance and Cigarettes. She also sang an aria from La Boheme, called "Sono Andanti", in her film Heavenly Creatures, which is featured on the film's soundtrack.

Awards :
* Grammy award for best spoken word album for CHILDREN (2000).
* Won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a supporting role in 2nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Award 1996.
* Voted the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role at the British Academy Award 1996 through her appearance in SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.
* She won BAFTA Film Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in 1996 for SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.