Kate Winslet

Infobox actor
name = Kate Winslet


imagesize = 200px
caption = Winslet at the BAFTAs, February 2007
birthname = Kate Elizabeth Winslet| birthdate = birth date and age|df=yes|1975|10|5
birthplace = Reading, Berkshire, England
spouse = Jim Threapleton (1998–2001)1 child
Sam Mendes (2003–present)1 child
baftaawards = Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1995 "Sense and Sensibility"
grammyawards = Best Spoken Word Album for Children
2000 "Listen To the Storyteller"
sagawards = Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
1995 "Sense and Sensibility"

Kate Elizabeth Winslet (born 5 October 1975) is a five-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-nominated, Emmy Award-nominated, BAFTA, Grammy and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning English actress.

She is noted for having played a wide range of diverse characters over her career, but is probably best-known for her critically acclaimed performances as Juliet Hulme in "Heavenly Creatures" (1994), Marianne Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility" (1995), Rose DeWitt Bukater in "Titanic" (1997), Iris Murdoch in "Iris" (2001), Clementine Kruczynski in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004) and Sarah Pierce in "Little Children" (2006).

At the age of 22, she broke the record for the youngest person to receive two Oscar nominations,cite episode | url = http://www.bravotv.com/Inside_the_Actors_Studio/guest/Kate_Winslet | title = Kate Winslet | series = Inside the Actors Studio | credits = Lipton, James (host) | airdate = 2004-03-14 | season = 10 | number = 1011 | network = Bravo] and each of her subsequent nominations has broken a further record: the youngest person to receive three, four, and five nominations.

Life and career

Early life

Kate Winslet was born in Reading, Berkshire, England, the daughter of Sally Ann (née Bridges), a barmaid, and Roger John Winslet, a swimming-pool contractor. [cite news | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/12/05/lnickbarratt05.xml | title = Family detective: Kate Winslet | publisher = Daily Telegraph | date = 2005-12-05] Both of her parents were also actors. Her maternal grandparents, Linda (Plumb) and Archibald Oliver Bridges, founded and operated the Reading Repertory, and her uncle, Robert Bridges, appeared in the original West End production of "Oliver!" Her sisters are Beth Winslet and Anna Winslet, also actresses.

Winslet, raised as an Anglican, began studying drama at the age of eleven at the Redroofs Theatre School, [cite web | url = http://www.redroofs.co.uk/information.asp#day2 | title = Redroof Associates FAQ: Is it true that Kate Winslet went to Redroofs? | accessdate = 2008-02-14] a co-educational independent school in Maidenhead, Berkshire, where she was head girl and appeared in a television commmercial for Sugar Puffs cereal, directed by Tim Pope. Throughout her adolescence, she was severely bullied for being overweight and having exceptionally large feet (which she inherited from her mother).

Career

Winslet's career began on television, with a co-starring role in the BBC children's science fiction serial "Dark Season" in 1991. This was followed by appearances in the made-for-TV movie "Anglo-Saxon Attitudes" in 1992 and an episode of the medical drama "Casualty" in 1993, also for the BBC.

Her film career took off with praise and recognition in 1994 when she starred in a joint leading role, as Juliet Hulme in director Peter Jackson's critically acclaimed "Heavenly Creatures", playing a vivacious and imaginative teen who helps her best friend (played by Melanie Lynskey), murder her mother when they are not allowed to be together.

This role was followed by the successful film "Sense and Sensibility" (co-starring Emma Thompson), which made her well-known, especially in the UK. Winslet became famous worldwide after the 1997 release of "Titanic", a massive hit which holds the record as highest-grossing film in history (not accounting for inflation) at more than US$1 billion in box-office worldwide. It went on to win 11 Academy Awards.

She was also originally cast as Nola Rice in Woody Allen's movie, Match Point, but declined. She stated she had just finished two movies and wanted to spend time with her kids. The part went to Scarlett Johansson.

Winslet has been regarded as something of a critics' darling, generally receiving positive reviews for every one of her films. Despite "Titanic"'s success, she has continued making lower-budget, independent films, including "Hideous Kinky" and "Holy Smoke!"; her roles in these smaller, more artistic films appear to be one of choice—she turned down the lead in "Shakespeare in Love" to make "Hideous Kinky"; ironically, she appeared as Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet. She was even considered for the role of Satine in "Moulin Rouge!". Throughout her career, she has often turned down other roles in high profile films, such as Anna "Anna and the King" and Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. She has also taken several roles in studio "period dramas" like "Quills", "Titanic" and "Finding Neverland". For a time, she was given the nickname "Corset Kate".

In 2005, Winslet appeared in a television commercial for American Express. As part of the "My Life, My Card" campaign, the ad shows Winslet strolling around Camden Lock, in London, as she makes references to all the events that have happened to her film characters: going to prison for murder ("Heavenly Creatures"), being penniless and heartbroken ("Sense and Sensibility"), almost drowning ("Titanic"), losing her mind ("Iris"), having her memory erased ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), and being in Neverland ("Finding Neverland"). During the ad, she is shown holding items relating to her films; during the reference to "Sense and Sensibility" she thumbs through a copy of the book, and when she references "Finding Neverland," she's holding a hook. When Winslet talks about nearly drowning at age 20 in "Titanic", she is walking over a bridge with water underneath it, in reference to the iceberg and water seen in the film.

Winslet also appeared in an episode of BBC's comedy series "Extras" in August 2005, as a satirical version of 'herself'. She memorably told Andy and Maggie, the two characters who star in the series, that she was doing a film about the Holocaust because she was tired of losing out on Oscars, as at the time she had been nominated four times, and that everyone who does a film about the Holocaust wins an Oscar. She also (while dressed as a nun) was shown giving phone sex tips to the romantically challenged Maggie. Ricky Gervais (who is a native of the same town as Winslet, Reading, as is her husband Sam Mendes) later said on NPR that she was his favorite guest star. [cite news | url = http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4859247 | title = 'The Office' Star Ricky Gervais Back with 'Extras' | publisher = National Public Radio | date = 2005-09-22 | first = Madeleine | last = Brand] Her performance in the episode did lead to her being nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy Series, but she did not win.

As of March 2007, Leonardo DiCaprio signed to co-star in "Revolutionary Road" with Winslet as Frank and April Wheeler, a 1950s couple who appear content on the surface but are withering internally. The film will be the first to reunite the notable duo, who have remained close since their first pairing in "Titanic".

There are also talks that Winslet's husband, Sam Mendes and his production company, Neal Street Productions, purchased the film rights to the long-delayed biography of circus tiger tamer Mabel Stark. Winslet has stated that she has been eager to portray this complex woman for three years now and is looking forward to working with her husband on bringing this to the screen. "(See Mabel Stark's page for more information on the project.)"

Music

Winslet has also enjoyed a brief taste of success as a singer, with her single "What If" from the soundtrack of "", which reached #1 in Ireland and #6 in the UK (she also filmed a music video for the song). She has also 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 andati", in her film "Heavenly Creatures", which is featured on the film's soundtrack. She was considered for the lead in "Moulin Rouge!" (which eventually went to Nicole Kidman); had she taken the part, she would have sung the full soundtrack.

Personal life

While on the set of "Dark Season", Winslet shared a five-year romance with actor and writer Stephen Tredre. They moved to London during their relationship. After their romance, she began a relationship with Rufus Sewell. After filming "Titanic", Tredre died of bone cancer. Winslet was not at the premier of "Titanic" because she was attending his funeral in London. She is best friends with "Titanic" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a130875/dicaprio-winslet-reunite-on-road.html]

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

The media, particularly in England, have enthusiastically documented her weight fluctuations over the years. Winslet has been outspoken about her refusal to lose weight in order to conform to the Hollywood ideal. In February 2003, the British edition of "Gentlemen's Quarterly" magazine published photographs of Winslet which had been digitally enhanced to make her look dramatically thinner than she really was; Winslet issued a statement saying that the alterations were made without her consent. "GQ" issued an apology in the subsequent issue.

Winslet and her husband Mendes currently reside in New York City. They also own a manor house in the tiny village of Church Westcote in Gloucestershire, England. Winslet and Mendes spent £3 million on the secluded Westcote Manor, a rambling Grade II-listed house with eight bedrooms, set in 22 acres. They have reportedly spent more than £1 million on interior renovations, as well as restoring the original water garden, mulberry garden and orchard, all of which fell into disrepair when the former owner, equestrian artist Raoul Millais, died in 1999. As of 2006, it is reported Winslet and Mendes have a large lake house near Canandaigua Lake, in Canandaigua, New York. Winslet is a meat-eater. [ [http://www.ivu.org/people/actors/winslet.html International Vegetarian Union - Kate Winslet ] ]

Filmography

Awards

Winslet has earned five Oscar nominations and five Golden Globe nominations, as well as one BAFTA Award and four further BAFTA nominations. She is the youngest Actress to be nominated for 5 Academy Awards. Premiere Magazine named her performance as Clementine Kruczynski in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" the 81st greatest film performance of all time.

She has also received numerous awards and nominations from other organizations, including the Screen Actors Guild and the Evening Standard British Film Awards. [http://www.discoverkate.com/kate/awards/]

Winslet won the Los Angeles Film Critics' Association (LAFCA) award for Best Supporting Actress for "Iris". For "Holy Smoke!", she was Best Actress runner-up at both the New York Film Critics' Circle (NYFCC) and the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC). Winslet was also NYFCC's Best Actress runner-up for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".

Academy Awards (Oscars)

Winslet earned her fifth Academy Award nomination for "Little Children" at the age of 31, becoming the youngest actress to garner five nominations (in just 19 movies). Previous record holder was Olivia de Havilland, who secured her fifth at the age of 33 in 1950 (with 33 films). [cite news | url = http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117957938.html | title = This year's Oscar fun facts | publisher = Variety | date = 2007-08-23 | first = Phil | last = Gallo]

With her Best Actress nomination for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", which she eventually lost to Hilary Swank, she surpassed Marlon Brando's record for the youngest actor to have received four Oscar nominations. Her "Titanic" nomination secured her the record for the youngest ever double-Oscar-nominee.

She has also received two nominations for playing younger versions of another nominee in the same film - the only two instances of different actors playing the same role in the same film both being nominated. She played the younger versions of nominees Gloria Stuart in "Titanic" and Judi Dench in "Iris".

* Nominated: Best Supporting Actress, "Sense and Sensibility" (1995)
* Nominated: Best Actress, "Titanic" (1997)
* Nominated: Best Supporting Actress, "Iris" (2001)
* Nominated: Best Actress, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004)
* Nominated: Best Actress, "Little Children" (2006)

Golden Globes

Winslet has received Golden Globe nominations for "Sense and Sensibilty" (Best Supporting Actress), "Titanic" (Best Actress, Drama), "Iris" (Best Supporting Actress), "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (Best Actress, Musical or Comedy), and "Little Children" (Best Actress, Drama).

* Nominated: Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture, "Sense and Sensibility" (1996)
* Nominated: Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, "Titanic" (1998)
* Nominated: Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture, "Iris" (2002)
* Nominated: Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004)
* Nominated: Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, "Little Children" (2007)

BAFTAs

Winslet won a BAFTA Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Sense and Sensibility". She also received a nomination as Best Supporting Actress for "Iris" in 2001, and two nominations for Best Actress in 2004, for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Finding Neverland". She lost to Jennifer Connelly and Imelda Staunton, respectively. In 2006, Winslet received a Best Actress nomination for "Little Children".

* "'Won: Best Supporting Actress, "Sense and Sensibility" (1996)
* Nominated: Best Supporting Actress, "Iris" (2002)
* Nominated: Best Actress, "Finding Neverland" (2005)
* Nominated: Best Actress, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2005)
* Nominated: Best Actress, "Little Children" (2007)

Grammys

In 2000, she won a Grammy Award for the 'Best Spoken Word Album for Children' for "Listen To the Storyteller".

Emmys

On 6 July 2006, Winslet was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for playing herself on an episode of "Extras" that premiered in 2004. In this episode she comically criticized the fact that she had (by that point) been nominated for an Oscar four times, but had never won one.

* Nominated: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, "Extras" (2006)

Parody

Winslet is regularly ridiculed by British comedienne Katy Brand, on her ITV2 series "Katy Brand's Big Ass Show". The sketches feature the outsize Brand as Winslet, constantly boasting of how "normal" she is, the first series depicting her on her farm, clearly knowing nothing about how a farm works or about animals, and pretending to be unaffected, despite suddenly shouting "Sam Mendes, top director!" when mentioning her husband. In the very first episode, she was repeatedly shouting, "I'm a NORMAL mum! I'm a NORMAL MUM!" while giving a crazed look to camera. In interviews, Brand has said these sketches were inspired by interviews in which the real Winslet endlessly claims to be ordinary and down to earth, despite the trappings of fame and success.

Awards Table

###@@@KEY@@@###s-achsuccession box
title=SAG Award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
before=Dianne Wiest
for "Bullets Over Broadway"
years=1995
for "Sense and Sensibility"
after=Lauren Bacall
for "The Mirror Has Two Faces"succession box
title=BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
before=Kristin Scott Thomas
for "Four Weddings and a Funeral"
years=1995
for "Sense and Sensibility"
after=Juliette Binoche
for "The English Patient"

Further reading

*cite web|last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= | date= |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4859247 |title='The Office' Star Ricky Gervais Back with 'Extras' |format= |work= |pages= |publisher= | language= |accessdate=2008-08-25 |curly=

References

External links

News

* [http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/newsmakers/2007/March/newsmakers_March2.xml&section=newsmakers&col= Actress Winslet wins damages over diet story]

Interviews

* [http://www.theblurb.com.au/Issue40/KateWinslet.htm The Blurb interview] (April, 2004)
* [http://www.discoverkate.com/Articles/interviews/20030220_the-early-show.html The Early Show interview] (20 February 2003)
* [http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/kate_winslet.shtml Index Magazine interview] (2004)
* [http://www.usaweekend.com/02_issues/020224/020224winslet.html USA Weekend interview] (24 February 2002)
*cite web |url=http://www.stv.tv/out/showArticle.jsp?source=opencms&articleId=/out/hotnow/films/Kate_Winslet_interview |title= Kate Winslet video interview with stv.tv, December 2006 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071012165548/http://stv.tv/out/showArticle.jsp?source=opencms&articleId=/out/hotnow/films/Kate_Winslet_interview |archivedate=2007-10-12
* [http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/interviews/kate_winslet.html Tiscali Interview (February 2006)]
* [http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_896626.html?menu= Kate Winslet Interview in Ananova] (2007)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/3551759.stm Kate Winslet Interview in BBC NEWS ENGLAND] (Friday, 2004)
* [http://www.discoverkate.com/Articles/2004/1016_times-leading-lady.html Kate Winslet Interview] (16 October 2004)

Web sites

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Persondata
NAME = Winslet, Kate Elizabeth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = English actress
DATE OF BIRTH = 5 October 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH = Reading, Berkshire, England
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =