Kate Beckinsale Biography


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Kate Beckinsale Biography

flixster.actor.standard.01.162659163 - flixster

Kate Beckinsale is an English actress who got her start in film with the 1993 film "Much Ado About Nothing". She has gone on to a variety of films including "Pearl Harbor" (2001), "Van Helsing" (2004), and "The Aviator" (2004). Kate is the daughter of Judy Loe, a stage and television actress, and Richard Beckinsale, a television actor who died in 1979 at the age of 31. She attended Godolphin and Latymer School and won two times an award for the best young writer.

In 1991, Kate Beckinsale left for Oxford University's New College, where she majored in French and Russian literature. She already knew that she was going to be an actress, but in order to broaden her horizons, she decided to attend a regular university rather than drama school.
She made her television debut in 1991 in a drama called "One Against the Wind". In the same year she left her home for Oxford University's New College, where she majored in French and Russian literature. She knew that she wants to be a famous actress but she didn't want to choose a drama school.

Her first big screen role was in Shakespeare's adapted play called Much Ado About Nothing. She spent her last year of study in Paris and after this she started to concentrate on her acting career.
In 1996 appeared in made-for-television movie Emma made after Jane's Austin's book. After this she had some small roles in movies like "Shooting Fish", "The Last Days of Disco" and "Cold Comfort Farm". Her first successful American role was in 2001 in "Pearl Harbor" and after this she had a lot of roles in big budget movies like: Serendipity (2001), Underworld (2003) Van Helsing (2004), The Aviator (2004) , Underworld: Evolution(2006). She also appeared in the 2006 comedy Click starring Adam Sandler. In 2007, Kate Beckinsale revisited the darker side we saw in Underworld when she appeared in the 2007 horror flick Vacancy alongside Luke Wilson.In 2008 she acted in action thriller “Whiteout” besides taking part in ensemble drama “Winged Creatures” alongside Forest Whitaker, Dakota Fanning, and Jennifer Hudson among others.


Kate Beckinsale


"If someone had told me years ago that sharing a sense of humor was so vital to partnerships, I could have avoided a lot of sex!"
--- Kate Beckinsale

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Career Highlights
Big break: Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Defining characters: Nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson in Pearl Harbor (2001), Selene in Underworld (2003), Anna Valerious in Van Helsing (2004)
Best movies: Serendipity, Pearl Harbour, Underworld, Underworld Evolution, Click.
Stage credits: View From The Bridge, Played Toni in "Sweetheart"
Endorsements: EB Medical Research Foundation
Other notable appearances/credits:Played Nina in Chekov's "The Seagull" - UK tour (1995).
Other:Appeared in the video for George Michael's single "Waltz Away Dreaming" (1999).
Kate Beckinsale Relationships
Family:
Father: Richard Beckinsale
Mother: Judy Loe
Husband: Len Wiseman
Daughter: Lily Sheen (Born Jan. 31, 1999) - Father, Michael Sheen
Romance(s): Edmund Moriarty (1992)
Michael Sheen (1995 - 2003)
Len Wiseman (2004 - now)
Other affiliations: Health related charities - EB Medical Research Foundation
Fun Facts About Kate Beckinsale
  • Studied French and Russian literature while a student at Oxford.
  • Her mother, Judy Loe is an actress, and her father, Richard Beckinsale, was famous as a comedy actor.
  • Attended grade/primary school at Flexlands Private School in London, England, she took ballet there and it was at this young age that her father died of a heart attack.
  • Suffers from stomach ulcers.
  • Married Len Wiseman on 9th May 2004 at the Bel-Air Hotel. Her daughter, Lily, received her own "wedding ring" from Wiseman.
  • Won the prestigious WH Smith's Young Writers' competition two years running, once for her short stories, once for poetry.
  • Shares a birthday with Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Piven.
  • Normally slender, she gained twenty pounds for roles in 2004 - ten pounds for Van Helsing (2004) and another ten pounds to portray the voluptuous Ava Gardner in The Aviator (2004)
  • Has played a vampire Underworld and a vampire hunter Van Helsing (2004).
Kate Beckinsale's Upcoming Projects
  • Winged Creatures (Unrated, 2008)
  • Everybody's Fine (Unrated, 2009)
  • Whiteout (Unrated, 2009)
Kate Beckinsale Links