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Kate Beckinsale (born July 26, 1973 in
London, England) is an English actress.
****
Date of birth: July 26, 1973
Birth location: London, England
Height: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Notable role(s): Selene in Underworld
****
Biography
Early
life
Beckinsale was born in London to Judy Loe, a stage
and television actress, and Richard Beckinsale, a well-known television actor
who died in 1979 at the age of 31. She has a paternal half-sister, Samantha, who
is also an actress. Beckinsale's paternal great-grandfather was Burmese, and
Beckinsale claims that she was "very oriental-looking" as a child.[1]
Beckinsale attended the private Godolphin and
Latymer School, and in her teens twice won the W. H. Smith Young Writers'
competition - once for three short stories and once for three poems. After a
rebelious adolescence, including a period of anorexia and starting a smoking
habit, she followed in the footsteps of her parents and began her acting career.
Her first role was in One Against the Wind, a television film about World War II
that was first aired in 1991. Having gained three language A levels, Beckinsale
studied French and Russian literature at New College, Oxford University, though
she did not finish her degree. She thought that having an academic background
studying foreign language and literature would broaden her range of acting
roles.
Career
During her first year at Oxford, Beckinsale was
offered a part in Kenneth Branagh's big-screen film, Much Ado About Nothing,
adapted from the Shakespeare play. She spent her last year of studies in Paris,
after which she decided to quit the university and concentrate on her acting
career. She subsequently appeared in a few low-profile films, including Shooting
Fish and The Last Days of Disco (both in 1998). During this time, Beckinsale
also appeared in television films and in stage roles.
Her first major American film, Brokedown Palace
(1999), was not a commercial success. Soon after, Beckinsale was cast in the
2001 film, Pearl Harbor, which was one of the highest grossing films of its
year. In the years following, she appeared in a series of American films that
were high-profile, but were given a somewhat poor critical reception, including
Serendipity (2001), Underworld (2003) and Van Helsing (2004). Notably, she
appeared as Ava Gardner in The Aviator, a role for which she gained 20 pounds.
In 2006, Beckinsale was placed at #78 in FHM
magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World", after being #71 in 2005. She has
also been placed at #16 in Maxim magazine's "HOT 100" (2003), #63 in Stuff
Magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002), and was chosen by Hello
magazine as "England’s #1 Beauty", also in 2002.
In January 2006, Beckinsale reprised her role as a
vampire in the movie Underworld: Evolution, a sequel to her 2003 film,
Underworld, again directed by her husband, Len Wiseman. The film opened at the
#1 spot at the box office, grossing over $26 million in its first weekend of
release.[2] On January 24, 2006, Beckinsale was featured on the MTV series,
Punk'd. The set-up for the segment took place at the Avalon Hotel in Los
Angeles.
Beckinsale's most recent role was in the Adam
Sandler starring comedy, Click, which opened on June 23, 2006. Her next film
will be Snow Angels, which is currently in post-production and will be released
in 2006. A September 2006 article in the Hollywood Reporter announced that
Beckinsale has signed on to replace Sarah Jessica Parker in the film Vacancy.[1]
Personal life
Beckinsale dated Welsh actor Michael Sheen for a
long period of time, and the two have a daughter, Lily Mo Sheen (born 31 January
1999). Sheen co-starred with Beckinsale in Underworld, and had a flashback
appearance in its sequel.
In June 2003, a few months after she had separated
from Sheen, Beckinsale became engaged to the director of Underworld, Len
Wiseman, and the two were married on 9 May 2004 in Bel-Air, California.
Selected filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Vacancy Amy Fox
April 23 Melinda pre-production
2006 Snow Angels Annie Marchand post-production
Click Donna Newman
Underworld: Evolution Selene
2004 The Aviator Ava Gardner
Van Helsing Anna Valerious
2003 Underworld Selene
Tiptoes Carol direct-to-video
Laurel Canyon Alex
2001 Serendipity Sara Thomas
Pearl Harbor Nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson
The Golden Bowl Maggie Verver
1999 Brokedown Palace Darlene Davis
1998 The Last Days of Disco Charlotte Pingress
Shooting Fish Georgie
Alice Through the Looking Glass Alice
made-for-television
1995 Cold Comfort Farm Flora Poste
1994 Uncovered Julia
1993 Much Ado About Nothing Hero
References
Footnotes
1 The Age.com. Beast in the beauty. Retrieved on
July 5, 2006.
2 Box Office Mojo. WEEKEND BOX OFFICE January
20–22, 2006. Retrieved on July 5, 2006.
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