Cate Blanchett

Australian actress Catherine (Cate) Élise Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969, in Melbourne, Australia. She studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. After graduation, she performed on several theater stages and appeared in various Australian television series. Cate Blanchett made her feature film debut with a role in Paradise Road (1997) alongside Glenn Close and Frances McDormand.

In 1998, Cate Blanchett achieved her major breakthrough as an actress: she played the role of Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth. For her performance in this film, she received a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Further prominent roles followed: In 2001, she played the role of Philippa in Heaven, directed by Tom Tykwer. In 2001, 2002, and 2003, Cate Blanchett portrayed Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings film adaptations. In 2001, she played the lead role in Charlotte Gray, and in 2003, the lead role in Veronica Guerin.

In 2004, Cate Blanchett played the role of Katharine Hepburn alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator, directed by Martin Scorsese. Another outstanding role came in 2006 when she starred alongside Brad Pitt in Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu—Babel won a Golden Globe for Best Picture. The same year, she also played the role of Lena Brandt alongside George Clooney in The Good German. In 2007, Elizabeth: The Golden Age followed as the sequel to Elizabeth. For her role in I'm Not There (2007), in which she portrayed Bob Dylan and Jude Quinn, Cate Blanchett received a Golden Globe in 2008. That same year, she also played the lead role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In 2012, she reprised the role of Galadriel in The Hobbit film adaptations.

Cate Blanchett's success has made her one of the few actresses to have been nominated for an Oscar twice.