Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett has been married to screenwriter/ playwright Andrew Upton since 29 December 1997. The couple has three sons as well as one adopted daughter.

Cate Blanchett was born on 14 May 1969 to June and Robert DeWitt Blanchett, Jr. in Victoria, Australia. Her mother worked as a teacher and property developer while her father served in the United States Navy and later became an advertising executive. She has a younger sister who is a theatrical designer and an older brother who is a computer systems engineer.

Blanchett studied at Ivanhoe East Primary School and Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School before joining Methodist Ladies' College. She then attended the University of Melbourne for a year before dropping out. In her late teens and early twenties, Blanchett also worked at a nursing home.

Later, she enrolled at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and graduated from there in 1992, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Cate Blanchett's first important stage role was in the 1992 play ‘Oleanna’ that was staged by the Sydney Theatre Company. She also performed in a play titled ‘Electra’. After this, she played the role of Ophelia in the play Hamlet which was directed by Neil Armfield.

She then appeared in the TV miniseries ‘Heartland’ and ‘Bordertown’. In 1996, the Australian beauty acted in the short drama ‘Parklands’. Soon after this, she made her feature film debut in Bruce Beresford's flick ‘Paradise Road’ which co-starred Frances McDormand and Glenn Close.

Blanchett's first leading role was in the 1997 romantic drama film ‘Oscar and Lucinda’ in which she appeared as Lucinda Leplastrier. In 1999, she acted in the acting projects ‘Bangers’, ‘Pushing Tin’ and ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’.

She was cast as Galadriel in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film series, an Oscar-winning blockbuster trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. During this time, the Australian actress also diversified her portfolio with a variety of roles in the TV programs ‘Charlotte Gray’, ‘The Shipping News’ and ‘Bandits’.

In 2002, she appeared in the flick ‘Heaven’ that also starred Giovanni Ribisi. The following year, she again played a variety of roles in movies such as ‘The Missing’ and ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’.

Cate Blanchett gave her first ever high-profile international performance in the critically acclaimed movie ‘Elizabeth’. In this 1998 film, she appeared as Elizabeth I of England. Her role catapulted her to stardom and also earned her several prestigious awards including a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.

In 2007, she played the role of Jude Quinn in Todd Haynes' experimental flick ‘I'm Not There’. Her performance earned much praise and earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Volpi Cup for Best Actress from the Venice Film Festival.