Today’s episode of Small Beginnings takes a look at the career of the wonderful Cate Blanchett, who is one of the leading ladies in Hollywood acting today. Let’s take a look at how she got there!
Catherine Élise Blanchett was born in Melbourne, Australia on May 14th in 1969. After some rough teenage years, dressing in masculine clothing, goth and punk phases, she found her passion for acting in college and later when she traveled to Egypt and was asked to play an American cheerleader in a Egyptian boxing movie.
After that she graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney. During that time she starred opposite Geoffrey Rush and won several Newcomer Awards. Roles in theatre productions and miniseries followed until her first appearance in a feature film in Paradise Road, co-starring Glenn Close and Frances McDormand. She rose to stardom with her role as Elizabeth I of England in Shekhar Kapur’s “Elizabeth” in 1998. Several more roles followed including playing Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy.
Blanchett returned to theatre in 2009 and gave extraordinary performances in plays such as “A Streetcar Names Desire” and received phenomenal reviews. She continued her hard work and is active until today, receiving awards and role offers. As of 2015, Blanchett starred in seven feature films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since 2008 she and her husband Andrew Upton are the theatre directors of the Sydney Theatre Company.
We wish Cate Blanchett all the best for her career and family and hope for more Australian talent to raise up with the courage of Mrs Blanchett.