Cate Blanchett, Australian actress, born May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Biography and life story of celebrity in English.
Basic info wiki card
Name in English: Cate Blanchett
Full real name: Catherine Elise Blanchett
Nationality: Australia
English language
Religion: Atheism
Date of birth: May 14, 1969
Place of birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Age: 53 years (in 2022)
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Profession: Actress, Producer, Film director
Genre: Cinema
Years of activity: 1990 – until now
Social status: Married (1997)
Husband: Andrew Upton (playwright)
Sons: 4 children
Brothers: Bob (computer engineer), Genevenave (theatrical designer)
Biography, Life story
Cate Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969, in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia, into a family involved in writing, education, and advertising. Her father, Robert DeWitt Blanchett Jr., was from Texas and served in the United States Navy before working as an advertising director. Her mother, June Gamble, was Australian and worked in real estate development and teaching. Blanchett has English, some Scottish, and distant French roots. Catherine is the second of three children, with her older sister Genevieve (born 1971) and her younger brother Bob (born 1968). Her brother Bob studied computer engineering, and her sister Genevieve specialized in stage design. Her father passed away when Blanchett was ten years old due to a heart attack, leaving her mother to raise the family alone. She studied at the University of New South Wales, majoring in economics and arts.
Early Life and Education
Catherine Elise Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969, in Melbourne, Australia. Her father, Robert DeWitt Blanchett Jr., was from Texas and served in the United States Navy before transitioning into a career as an advertising director. Her mother, June Gamble, was Australian and worked in real estate development and teaching. Blanchett has English ancestry, with some Scottish and distant French roots.
Her father passed away when she was ten years old due to a heart attack, and her mother had to take on the responsibility of raising the family alone. Catherine is the second of three children, with her older sister Genevieve (born 1971) and her younger brother Bob (born 1968).
During her teenage years, Blanchett leaned toward unconventional characters, often enjoying wearing traditional male clothing, and went through periods of goth and punk fashion, even shaving her head at one point. She studied at Ivanhoe East Primary School in Melbourne, then attended Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School in high school, and finally went to Methodist Ladies’ College, where she discovered her passion for the performing arts.
Early Beginnings in Egypt and Career Development in Australia
In her late teens and early twenties, Blanchett worked in a nursing home in Victoria. She studied economics and fine arts at the University of Melbourne, but after a year, she decided to leave school and travel abroad. During this time, Cate Blanchett began her acting career with a small role in the Egyptian film Kaboria (1990), starring Egyptian actor Ahmed Zaki. She was cast by chance when she visited Cairo during a trip to Egypt, and a friend offered her the opportunity to act. She accepted the role due to her financial needs. From then on, acting became a recurring thought in her mind, and she decided to pursue a larger career in her home country.
After her experience in Egypt, Blanchett returned to Australia to expand her artistic career. She began performing in small theatres in Melbourne before moving to Sydney, where she joined the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). She graduated from NIDA in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. This academic foundation allowed her to showcase her talent more prominently in both theatre and cinema.
Theatrical Beginnings (1992-1994)
Catherine Blanchett began her professional acting career on the Australian stage. She made her stage debut in 1992 in the play Oleanna by David Mamet, performing alongside Geoffrey Rush at the Sydney Theatre Company. That same year, she played Clytemnestra in the play Electra by Sophocles. After the actress originally cast for the role withdrew, director Lindy Davies gave Blanchett the opportunity to portray the character, and her performance in Electra became one of her most famous roles. In 1993, Blanchett won the Sydney Theatre Critics’ Award for Best Newcomer and was named Best Actress for her performance in Oleanna, becoming the first actress to win both categories in the same year.
Television Appearances (1994-1996)
Blanchett moved to television in 1994, appearing in the miniseries Heartland and later in the miniseries The Border Town (1995) alongside Hugo Weaving. She also appeared in an episode of the series Police Rescue titled “The Loaded Boy.” In 1996, she participated in the short drama film Parklands, which earned a nomination from the Australian Film Institute (AFI) for Best Original Screenplay.
Film Debut (1997)
In 1997, Blanchett had her first major role in the film Paradise Road (1997), directed by Bruce Beresford, where she played an Australian nurse who is captured by the Japanese army during World War II. Although the film didn’t achieve great commercial success, it received mixed reviews from critics. That same year, Blanchett shone in Oscar and Lucinda (1997), directed by Gillian Armstrong, where she played the role of Lucinda Leplastrier, a performance that earned widespread praise. Blanchett won the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AFI) Award for Best Actress for her role in Thank God I Met Lizzy.
International Breakthrough and Success (1998-2000)
In 1998, Blanchett caught global attention and achieved international fame through her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the film Elizabeth (1998), directed by Shekhar Kapur. The film was well-received by critics, and Blanchett won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama Film, a British Academy Film Award, and her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She also received a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Critics praised Blanchett’s performance as intelligent and poised, transforming the character from a smart but cautious young woman into a powerful and influential queen.
The following year, Blanchett appeared in the Australian short film Sausage written and directed by her husband Andrew Upton. She also gave an outstanding performance in Pushing Tin (1999), directed by Mike Newell, where she starred alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie. Additionally, she appeared in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), directed by Anthony Minghella, where she played Meredith Logue, a naive American heiress. The film was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, earning Blanchett a BAFTA nomination.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Early Awards (2001-2007)
Between 2001 and 2003, Cate Blanchett solidified her status as a prominent actress. She starred in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson, playing the role of Galadriel, which earned her worldwide fame. She also took on diverse roles, such as in Bandits (2001), which earned her nominations for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, she shone in Heaven, receiving widespread critical acclaim. In 2003, she starred in Veronica Guerin, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. In 2004, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004), directed by Martin Scorsese.
In 2005, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator. She also won the AFI Award for Little Fish. In 2006, she appeared in Babel and The Good German, and received an Oscar nomination for her role in Notes on a Scandal. She continued to shine in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007).
In 2007, she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and appeared in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and I’m Not There, winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
Return to the Stage and Sydney Theatre Company Management (2008-2011)
Between 2008 and 2011, Cate Blanchett continued to achieve great success. In 2008, she played the role of Irina Spalko in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a commercially successful film despite mixed reviews. She also appeared in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and voiced the character Granmamari in Ponyo.
From 2008 to 2013, Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton served as artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company. She returned to the stage in 2009, where she performed in many successful plays, including A Streetcar Named Desire, for which she received widespread acclaim. The play was a success in both Sydney and New York, and Blanchett won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
In 2010, Blanchett shone in Robin Hood as Lady Marian, which was a financial success, and in 2011, she played Marissa Wiegler in Hanna. In the same year, she gave outstanding stage performances in Big and Small and Uncle Vanya, earning strong praise and winning Helpmann and Helen Hayes Awards.
Return to Hollywood and Blue Jasmine (2012-2017)
From 2012 to 2016, Cate Blanchett’s career continued to shine. During this period, she returned to the role of Galadriel in The Hobbit trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. Despite receiving less critical acclaim than The Lord of the Rings, the films were a huge box-office success.
In 2013, she delivered an exceptional performance in Blue Jasmine (2013), directed by Woody Allen, where she portrayed a nervous woman who loses her social standing. She achieved a major accomplishment by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film, along with numerous other major awards. She also appeared in The Monuments Men (2014) and How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014).
From 2015 to 2018, Blanchett played several notable roles in successful commercial films such as Cinderella (2015), where she portrayed the evil stepmother Lady Tremaine, the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy (2014–2019), and Ocean’s 8 (2018). She also played the villain Hela in Thor: Ragnarok (2017). This period highlighted her versatility in both dramatic and comedic roles, making her one of Hollywood’s leading actresses.
Return to the Stage and Television (2017–Present)
From 2017 onwards, Cate Blanchett’s career expanded into Broadway and television. In 2017, she made her Broadway debut in Platonov, adapted from Anton Chekhov, where she received great praise. She also starred in prominent films such as Thor: Ragnarok and Song to Song. In 2018, she had a prominent role in Ocean’s 8 and continued achieving commercial success.
In 2020, she returned to television with the series Mrs. America, where she delivered an exceptional performance as Phyllis Schlafly, earning multiple award nominations, including for the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. Blanchett, who continues to excel across various fields, also showcased her production skills through her production company Dirty Films.
Personal Life
Cate Blanchett married playwright and screenwriter Andrew Upton in 1997, and they have four children together.
She turned 50 in 2019.
She is currently the face of Giorgio Armani’s Si fragrance.
List of works – Filmography
Cate Blanchett has participated in a number of works, mostly films. This is a list of jobs organized by year.
Films
1990 – 1999
Police Rescue (1994), Parklands (1996), Oscar and Lucinda, Thank God He Met Lizzie, Paradise Road (1997), Elizabeth (1998), Bangers, Pushing Tin, An Ideal Husband, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).
2000 – 2009
The Gift, The Man Who Cried (2000), The Shipping News, Charlotte Gray, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Bandits (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Heaven (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Missing, Coffee and Cigarettes, Veronica Guerin (2003), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Aviator (2004), Little Fish (2005), Babel, The Good German, Notes on a Scandal (2006), Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There (2007), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Ponyo (2009).
2010 – 2019
Robin Hood (2010), Hanna (2011), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), Blue Jasmine, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), The Monuments Men, How to Train Your Dragon 2, There and Back Again (2014), Cinderella, Carol, Knight of Cups (2015).
Awards and Honors
Cate Blanchett has received many awards.
Screen Actors Guild Award.
Golden Globe Award for the role of Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth 1 of England).
Bavata Award.
Her first nomination for an Academy Award as Best Actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth in “Elizabeth 1 of England”.
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for the role of Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth 1 of England).
2005 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator.
Third Golden Globe Award for her role in Blue Jasmine.
Academy Award for Best Actress in 2014.
A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
