Cate Blanchett

About Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett was born in Melbourne, Australia and is the middle of three children. Blanchett's Australian mother, June, was a school teacher and her Texan father, Bob, was in advertising after a stint in the U.S. Navy. Sadly, Blachett's father died when she was 10, leaving her mother to raise Cate, older brother Bob and younger sister Genevieve on her own. Despite this fact, Cate claims that her childhood was relatively normal.

Deciding on a Career

Cate Blanchett began acting while she was attending the Methodist Ladies College in Melbourne, Australia, appearing in many productions including The Odyssey of Runyon Jones. Cate Blanchett ended up dropping out of the Methodist Ladies College in favor of travelling the world to get an education through life experiences in hopes that her travels would help her decide on a career. She would eventually wind up in England, where she stayed until her visa expired. Having to leave England because of her visa, Blanchett decided to head to Egypt - it was here where she would first appear in a film. It wasn't a major role, she only appeared as an extra, but it wasn't the last time Cate Blanchett would be in front of the cameras. After that, Blanchett decided she wanted to pursue acting as a career and headed back home to Melbourne.

Early Career

Once she got back to her native Australia, Cate enrolled at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney, Australia. Blanchett graduated in 1992 and joined the Sydney Theater Company. It was during her stint at the Sydney Theater Company where people really began taking notice of Blanchett's acting skills. Blanchett won the "Best Newcomer" award in 1993 from the Sydney Theater Critics Circle for her performance in Caryl Churchhill's Top Girls. Cate Blanchett went on to win numerous other awards for her theater performances and eventually moved on to television with roles on Australian Broadcast Company shows:

• Bordertown
• Police Rescue
• Heartland

Blanchett also starred in the film Paradise Road and Thank God He Met Lizzie during her television career. She would gain critical acclaim for her role as Lizzie in Thank God He Met Lizzie, winning the Australian Film Institutes (AFI) Best Supporting Actress Award.

Cate Blanchett's Film Career

On the heels of her AFI award, Cate Blanchett accepted the role as Lucinda Leplastrier in Oscar and Lucinda, starring opposite Ralph Fiennes. This film was also highly praised by critics and Cate began receiving world wide recognition for her acting talents. Oscar and Lucinda wouldn't be the last critically acclaimed role Cate Blanchett would have.

Awards and Nominations

• Elizabeth (1998) – Blanchett won the Oscar for Best Actress in a leading role for this film.
• An Ideal Husband (1999) – She was nominated for a Golden Satellite and Chlotrudis Award in this film starring opposite Julianne Moore and Rupert Everett.
• The Talented Mr. Ripley (1990) – Starring opposite Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, Blanchett received a BAFTA award nomination for her role as Meredith Logue.
• The Man Who Cried (2000) – Cate Blanchett won Chloturdis, Florida Film Critics and National Board of Review Awards.
• The Gift (2000) – Blanchett was nominated for multiple awards for her role as Annabelle Wilson.
• The Aviator (2004) – Won the "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn.

Among the other films Blanchett has either been nominated or won awards for are:

• Charlotte Gray (2001)
• The Shipping News (2001)
• Heaven (2002)
• Veronica Guerin (2003)
• Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
• The Missing (2003)
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
• Little Fish (2005)
• Babel (2006)
• The Good German (2006)
• Notes on a Scandal (2006)
• I'm Not There (2007)

Cate Blanchett's Continued Career Success

Just about every single film Blanchett has made has been nominated for some sort of award. She is set to star in six films in the next few years and given her role choices in the past, her future films will likely receive awards and accolades. Given her extremely successful career thus far, there is no doubt that Cate Blanchett will continue her successful career for many, many years.