Anne Hathaway

Young Hollywood today is filled with many glamorous stars -- and Anne Hathaway is definitely one of them. From Disney princess to 19th century British writer, she has hit the silver screen with grace and elegance.

The Early Years

Anne Jacqueline Hathaway was born November 12, 1982 in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents are attorney Gerald Hathaway and actress Kate McCauley. She is the middle child, having two brothers, Michael and Thomas.

Hathaway acted in many productions while attending Millburn High School in New Jersey. Afterward, she studied at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and later at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She was the first teen to become a member of the Barrow Group Theater Company's acting program. She is also a trained soprano, and in 1998, performed twice with the All-Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus at Carnegie Hall.

An Aspiring Actress

At the premiere of Becoming Jane in New York.

After her second performance at Carnegie Hall, Anne Hathaway got her first real acting gig -- being cast as Meghan Green in the short-lived television series, Get Real. Two years later, in 2001, she landed her first major big screen role as Jean Sabin in The Other Side of Heaven.

The Princess Diaries

Before filming The Other Side of Heaven, Hathaway landed the part that made her a household name, as well as a role model for children -- Mia Thermopolis in the Disney film, The Princess Diaries. Not only did she play the lead character, but she also starred opposite of legendary award-winning stage and screen actress, Julie Andrews. The movie did well at the box office and with critics. In 2004, Anne Hathaway starred in the sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which did not fare as well as its predecessor.

Life After Disney

Anne Hathaway's roles in the two Disney films made way for more mature roles in some box office hits. Before the release of The Princess Diaries 2, she appeared in Nicholas Nickleby (2002), earning her a National Board of Review Award. Hathaway also starred in:

• Ella Enchanted (2004)
• Havoc (2005)
• Brokeback Mountain (2005)
• Hoodwinked (2005)
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

In August 2007, Hathaway starred in a "role of a lifetime" as 19th century British writer Jane Austen in Becoming Jane. The movie is loosely based on Austen's life and how she struggled with issues of class, romance and wealth. Anne Hathaway also is set to release:

• Passengers (2008)
• Get Smart (2008)
• Hood vs. Evil (2008)

Awards and Honors

At the Valentino Garavani Fashion Show in Rome, Italy.

Since her first appearance on the big screen in 2001, Anne Hathaway has been nominated for 10 acting awards, receiving three of them:

• NBR Award (National Board of Review, USA, Nicholas Nickleby, 2002)
• Carnie (Character and Morality in Entertainment Awards, The Other Side of Heaven, 2003)
• DVDX Award (DVD Exclusive Awards, Havoc, 2006)

Personal Life

Since 2004, Anne Hathaway has been dating Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri. In early 2007, she announced that she had battled depression and anxiety as a teenager. She currently lives in New York City, New York. In her spare time, Hathaway donates her time to her boyfriend's organization, the Follieri Foundation, administering vaccines to children in third world countries.

Anne Hathaway Trivia

• Her mother, Kate McCauley, had a small part in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement as a choir director.
• Hathaway turned down the lead in 2007's Knocked Up because the movie portrayed a graphic scene of a woman giving birth. The part was given instead to Katherine Heigl.
• Her biggest idols are Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.
• Anne Hathaway shares the same name as the wife of William Shakespeare.
• Her favorite novel is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
• In May 2007, Anne Hathaway was chosen as one of People magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People."