Cate Blanchett was born in Melbourne, Australia on May 14, 1969. Due to an erroneous article in the New York press, that date has been widely reported as being January 1.

Cate was born to a Texan father and an Aussie mother. She is of French ancestry, and claims to be vaguely related to Louis Bleriot (1872-1976), the first aviator to have crossed the English Channel.

One of three children, Cate was raised by her mother following her father's passing when she was ten. She has described her childhood as normal, while seeing herself as "part extrovert, part wallflower".

She attended Methodist Ladies College [MLC] where she was part of "Cato" House drama group. One of her very first plays was "Odyssey of Runyon Jones"...a fantasy about a young boy whose dog dies. He searches the "other world" for his dog. The Administrator - the role Cate played, was essentially keeping files on entrants to the afterworld, i.e. heaven. Cate also directed her fellow students in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?".

After growing up in Melbourne, she began studies of fine arts and economics at the University of Melbourne, but, departed, after a fashion, to continue her education via travel. After the expiration of her vistor's visa forced her to leave England, she eventually found herself in Egypt, desperate for money. In an effort to earn some cash, and get a crack at craft services, she signed on as an extra in an Arabic boxing film. It was the first time she had ever been on a film set, but, it wouldn't, obviously, be the last.

Upon her return to Melbourne, she enrolled at Australia's prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art. This decision would change her life. She recalled, "It was only when I realized how actors have the power to move people that I decided to pursue acting as a career".

Upon her graduation from NIDA, she joined the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Caryl Churchill's "Top Girls", then played Felice Bauer, the bride in Timothy Daly's musical "Kafka Dances". She won the Newcomer Award from the Sydney Theatre Critics Circle for her performance.

From there, Cate went on to star as Carol opposite Geoffrey Rush in David Mamet's searing polemic, "Oleanna", also for The Sydney Theatre Company. Consequently, she achieved an unprecendented feat, picking up her second gong of the year by also winning the Rosemont Best Actress Award,

In 1995, she was nominated for Best Female Performance for her turn as Ophelia in the Belvoir Street Theatre Company's production of "Hamlet". Cate has been quoted as seeing her craft as "a process of accumulation and elimination".

Her other theatre credits include Helen in the Sydney Theatre Company's "Sweet Phoebe", Miranda in "The Tempest", and Rose in "The Blind Giant Is Dancing", both for the Belvoir Street Theatre Company. Later, like "Oscar and Lucinda" co-star, Ralph Fiennes, she moved on to Chekov, playing Nina in "The Seagull".

In the realm of television, Cate co-starred in ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) Televsion's "Heartland", winning critical acclaim in this examination of rural aborigines. She also earned notice as Bianca in ABC's "Bordertown", as Janie Morris in "G.P.", and in ABC's popular series, "Police Rescue". Cate revised her character of Rosie from "Heartland" in the non-feature film, Parklands.

She made her feature debut as a shy Australian nurse in Bruce Beresford's, Paradise Road. She next starred in Cherie Nowlan's debut feature, Thank God He Met Lizzie, playing the title role. For this, Cate won the prestigious AFI (Australian Fim Institute) Best Supporting Actress Award.

Cate's next venture was the critically acclaimed, Oscar and Lucinda, directed by noted Australian director, Gillian Armstrong. Cate captivated audiences and critics alike, playing opposite Ralph Fiennes, with her bewitching and mesmerizing portrait of Lucinda Leplastrier.

In June of 1997, she married Andrew Upton, a script and cointinuity editor she had met on the Parklands shoot. It was not, apparently, love at first sight. He has remarked he found her "aloof", and she has described him as having been "a bit full of himself". but, they soon bonded over a shared good sense of humour. And, if their interaction at the Golden Globes is any indication, they would appear to be truly soulmates, and deeply in love.

It was Cate's starmaking portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Shekar Kapur's Elizabeth that shot her into the stratosphere in terms of both popular and critical acclaim. Her stunning metamorphosis from innocent, lovestruck young lass to the hardened, seemingly calcified, ruler of England was stunning and heartbreaking, Igniting a firestorm of focused attention within the film community. Cate's chameleonlike qualities astounded both the industry and the public. Consequently, it was of little surprise when the Awards began to pour forth.

As a result of Elizabeth, Cate was honored with the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture, and was designated Best Actress for her performance by: The Broadcast Film Critics Association, The Chicago Film Critics Association, The London Critics Circle, The Golden Satellite Awards, The Toronto Film Critics Association, and The Online Film Critics Society.

She was also been nominated by her peers for the prestigious Screen Actors Guild Best Actress Award, and on Tuesday, February 9, 1999, received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress. Her film, Elizabeth received seven nominations in all including, Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Musical Score, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup.

Cate was justly honoured with the BAFTA Best Actress Award, while Elizabeth was honoured as Best British Film, for Best Score, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and co-star Geoffrey Rush was designated Best Supporting Actor,

She most recently received a nomination for the 1999 MTV Movie Awards, as Best Breakthrough Female Performer.

1999 is a busy year for Cate. She has a cameo as Meredith Logue in the upcoming The Talented Mr. Ripley, from director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient), which stars Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow.

She can currently be seen in the new comedy from Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral), written by Glen and Les Charles, creators of "Cheers". Pushing Tin is a black comedy about the madcap lives of two air traffic controllers and their wives, and stars Cate, John Cusack, Billy Bob Thonton and Angelina Jolie.

Although reaction to the film has been mixed, the reviews of Cate are unanimous across the board. Her perfomance as Long Island housewife, Connie Falzone, steals the picture, offering a layered performance that is silmultaneously sexy and poignant.

Cate is now on view in the UK and will soon be seen in the US and Australia in the new film version of Oscar Wilde's classic comedy, An Ideal Husband. The story concerns a prominent politician whose "perfect" marriage and career are threatened by revelations of past indiscretions. Jeremy Northam plays the husband, Cate is his wife, Minnie Driver is her sister, Rupert Everett plays the best friend, and Julianne Moore plays the mystery woman from Byrne's past. Cate has commented that she believes people will find it most topical. Enough said. Cate's performance is drawing early raves.

Cate is slated to produce and star with Geoffrey Rush in Cherie Nowlan's followup, Dreamtime Alice later this year.

Cate is currently drawing great praise in London appearing at the Almeida Theatre ("the small stage where the giants play") in "Plenty". David Hare's masterpiece is receiving its first major revival since its premiere in April, 1978. The production is scheduled to run until July 24, 1999.

Cate recently took a break to appear with Kate Winslett, Julianne Moore, Melanie Griffiths, and Gillian Anderson in a onenight, Valentine's Day charity benefit performance of "The Vagina Monologues" at the Old Vic Theatre, on February 14, 1999.

Cate is well known in cultured circles for her exquisite taste and expertise in classical music. She is a regular visitor to ABC Classic FM Radio in Sydney, where she is a frequent sit-in guest on such programs as the Margaret Throsby Program, playing and discussing classical music. She is also said to harbor a passion for Diet Coke.

June 1999

Source taken from http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Land/9730/bio.html