Cate Blanchett

Biography

Catherine Elise Blanchett AC (born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognized for her versatility across independent films, blockbusters, and theatre.

She has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Blanchett began her career on the Australian stage. Making her film debut in 1997, she came to international prominence for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in a biographical period drama Elizabeth (1998), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination.

Her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in the biopic The Aviator (2004) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later won the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a neurotic former socialite in the comedy-drama Blue Jasmine (2013).

Blanchett's other Oscar-nominated roles are in Notes on a Scandal (2006), I'm Not There (2007), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), Carol (2015), and Tár (2022), making her the most-nominated Australian.

Her biggest commercial successes include The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Cinderella (2015), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Ocean's 8 (2018), and Don't Look Up (2021).

Blanchett has performed in over twenty stage productions. She and her husband, Andrew Upton, were the artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013. Some of her stage roles during this period were in acclaimed revivals of A Streetcar Named Desire, Uncle Vanya, Big and Little, and The Maids.

She made her Broadway debut in 2017 in The Present, for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations for producing and starring as Phyllis Schlafly in the period drama miniseries Mrs. America (2020).

Blanchett is the recipient of several honorary awards. The Australian government awarded her the Centenary Medal in 2001, and she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2017.

In 2012, she was appointed Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. In 2015, she was honored by the Museum of Modern Art and received the British Film Institute Fellowship.

Blanchett has received honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, and Macquarie University.

Time named her one of its 100 most influential people in the world in 2007. In 2018, she was ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses.