Cate Blanchett

Recent Oscar winner Cate Blanchett isn't your average Hollywood starlet. The Australian-born, stage-bred beauty is one of the most talented performers on cinema screens today, and her filmography is literally stuffed with diverse, powerful roles.

Blanchett grew up in Melbourne, where she was born on May 14, 1969. Her father, a naval officer, died when Cate was ten years old, leaving her mother to raise her and her younger sister. She attended high school at the Methodist Ladies' College, and later the University of Melbourne where she studied economics, art, and cultivated her passion for acting. She later moved to Sydney and graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, which led her to major roles on the Australian stage, including the lead role in David Mamet's 'Oleanna' opposite Geoffrey Rush. Already a recognizable face in her native Australia due to various stage and television roles, Blanchett starred in her first feature film alongside Glenn Close and Frances McDormand, the 1997 Australian war film 'Paradise Road'. Around this time she married playwright Andrew Upton, and was cast in her star-making role as Queen Elizabeth I in 'Elizabeth'.

Nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, Blanchett's portrayal of England's most important ruler earned her a slew of awards including a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. Award-winning roles in the terrific 'The Talented Mr. Ripley', 'The Gift', and 'Charlotte Gray' followed, in addition to her supporting turn as a mysterious elf witch in Peter Jackson's three 'Lord of the Rings' films. Blanchett was quickly becoming an international critic's darling, joining the ranks of Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts among the recent crop of acclaimed Australian superstars. She finally received an Oscar in 2004 for Martin Scorsese's 'The Aviator' for her role as Katharine Hepburn, a year that also saw her give a touching performance in Wes Anderson's 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' alongside Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.

Blanchett has had a powerhouse year in 2006, starring with Brad Pitt in 'Babel', with Judi Dench in 'Notes on a Scandal', and with George Clooney and Tobey Maguire in Steven Soderbergh's 'The Good German'. Truly one of the most talented and respected actresses alive, Blanchett has recently taken on duties as co-artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company, and in 2007 will once again star as Elizabeth I in 'The Golden Age'. Blanchett is also one of four actors (the others are Christian Bale, Richard Gere, and Heath Ledger) who will portray Bob Dylan in Todd Haynes's 2007 film 'I'm Not There'.