Cate Blanchett biography, oscar, age, height, young, net worth, husband 2025

Cate Blanchett – biography

Cate Blanchett is an Australian actress who's earned international acclaim far beyond her home continent. After striking it big in the historical drama «Elizabeth», she's remained etched in the memory of millions of viewers as Galadriel, the Elven queen, and received Oscars for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in «The Aviator» (2005) and best performance by an actress in a leading role in «Blue Jasmine» (2013). She also starred in «The Curious Case of Benjamin Button», «Robin Hood», «Cinderella» and many other notable films.

Cate Blanchett – actress, director, faithful wife and mother of four children

Between film shoots and raising her four children, she served as artistic director of Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013, as well as a theatre director.

Childhood

Catherine Elise Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969 in the old Australian town of Ivanhoe, in the family of Robert Blanchett, a Texas native and United States Navy officer, and June, an Australian teacher. Her parents met through a romantic twist of fate: Robert's ship broke down and had to be repaired in Melbourne.

Cate Blanchett (centre) with her father, brother and sister

Later, her father was discharged and moved to June's home country, landing a job at an advertising agency while focusing on raising their children. Cate is the middle of the three children – she has an elder brother Bob (now a network engineer) and a younger sister Genevieve (a theatre production designer). When Cate was 10, her father died of a heart attack, leaving her mother to raise the children alone.

Cate Blanchett in her childhood and at present

Cate attended primary school in Melbourne; then, for her secondary education, she moved to Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, and finally to Methodist Ladies' College, where she found her passion for the performing arts.

Cate Blanchett is one of the most emotional and natural actresses of Hollywood

"In my childhood I was part extrovert, part wallflower" – that's how the actress describes her younger self. During her school years she favored baggy clothing, went through both goth and punk phases, and once even shaved off all her hair.

In her final high school years, she worked at a nursing home in Victoria. After finishing high school, she studied economics and fine arts at the University of Melbourne but dropped out after one year to travel overseas.

It is really great to do something truly… insane. That is extraordinary. All I seek is new, extraordinary experience. I really like it when I haven't the faintest idea how it will turn out.

In 1989, fate brought Cate to Egypt, where she worked as an extra in the film «Kaboria». Up until that moment she'd never considered becoming an actress, but after this debut – earning 5 dinars and a meal – she returned to Australia and enrolled in the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) to pursue an acting career. She graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was considered one of the most gifted students in her year by her professors.

Acting career

In 1992, Cate was accepted into the Sydney Theatre Company. She made her debut in the play «Top Girls», then landed a role in «Kafka Dances». Her work as a newcomer earned high praise – she won the Newcomer Award from the Sydney Theatre Critics Circle for her performance. Later, Cate played Carol in the controversial "Oleanna", which earned her the Rosemont Best Actress Award, her second award that year.

Cate Blanchett in Jimmy Kimmel's Show (2015)

Following this success, director Geoffrey Rush, who had noticed Cate since university, invited her to play Ophelia in «Hamlet» – a role that brought overwhelming success and acclaim from both audiences and critics.

Cate Blanchett's first film and TV roles came in 1994, when she appeared in «Police Rescue», «Heartland», and «Bordertown».

In 1995 Cate was the star of Sydney stage in three parallel projects: «The Blind Giant is Dancing», «Sweet Phoebe», and «The Tempest». Her theatre success caught the attention of film producers and directors. In 1997 the actress played Nina in Chekhov's «The Seagull», after which she began balancing theatre and film work, though cinema would eventually take center stage.

In 1996 Cate got her first leading role in the film «Parklands», which demanded intense emotional commitment from the young actress, as her character discovers devastating truths about her recently deceased father. The young star was noticed by Bruce Beresford, the director of war drama «Paradise Road», where Cate had the opportunity to work with Glenn Close.

In 1997 Cate got the main role in the historical melodrama «Oscar and Lucinda». The director specifically sought a newcomer for this role, casting her as carefree millionaire Lucinda, who makes a wager with a young priest (Ralph Fiennes) – if she builds a glass church, he'll escort her to Australia and claim her fortune – provided everything goes according to plan.

Then came the role of the English virgin queen Elizabeth I in the eponymous drama directed by Shekhar Kapur. The austere-looking Blanchett shared the screen with Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush and Vincent Cassel, instantly transforming from Australian actress to international star. For the role of queen Elizabeth I she received the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards, and was nominated for Oscar and the US Screen Actors Guild Award.

The role of Elizabeth I brought Cate Blanchett critical acclaim far outside Australia

A year later, Cate starred in the melodrama «An Ideal Husband», and then in the comedy «Pushing Tin» with Angelina Jolie, John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton. In 1999, right after having finished working on «Bangers» short, the actress started shooting «Talented Mister Ripley» with Matt Damon. Audiences remember her as aristocrat Meredith, who falls under the spell of the calculating and devious Tom Ripley.

The new century brought on an entire series of vivid and versatile roles. First, Blanchett starred in the drama «The Man Who Cried» with the Russian actor Oleg Yankovskiy. This one was followed by the role of the psychic in the mystical thriller «The Gift». Critics offered lukewarm reviews, but agreed the film succeeded purely on the strength of Cate's performance. Net worth: $95 million.

In the first film in Peter Jackson's «The Lord of the Rings» trilogy, Cate astounded the viewers by her embodiment of the Elven queen Galadriel. It is this very role that Blanchett defined as seminal and life-changing, and her experience working with Peter Jackson and Ian McKellen left a lasting impression that endured long after wrapping the trilogy's final installment, «The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King», which came out in 2003.

Galadriel changed my life. «The Lord of the Rings» is the best thing that even happened to the fantasy genre.

Interestingly, while filming the trilogy, the actress never ventured outside without slathering on sunscreen to protect her porcelain skin from the harsh sun. She returned to her beloved character in 2012 when Peter Jackson began work on the screen adaptation of «The Hobbit». He stretched the short book into his signature format beloved by fans – a trilogy. The second and third parts of «The Hobbit» franchise came out in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

Another fascinating experience for Cate Blanchett was collaborating with indie director Jim Jarmusch on «Coffee and Cigarettes». She played dual roles: herself and her fictional cousin Shelly, who's jealous of her success. Viewers could only distinguish between them by her wig and the cigarette dangling from her lips.

« Coffee and Cigarettes»: Cate and her fictional cousin Shelly

In 2004, she got the chance to work with legendary director Martin Scorsese, who was adapting the biography of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) for the screen. Blanchett landed the role of cinema's only four-time Oscar winner – the iconic Katharine Hepburn.

Cate Blanchett appearing as Katharine Hepburn and the real Katharine

Many questioned the director's choice, mainly because Hepburn and Blanchett looked so different. Even Cate worried «The Aviator» might tank her career, but her fears proved groundless – audiences forgot all about physical differences, blown away by her acting talent, and she walked away with her first Oscar.

Why do we love Cate Blanchett?

In 2006, Blanchett formed a powerful on-screen partnership with Brad Pitt in the drama «Babel». Two years later, they reunited for David Fincher's «The Curious Case of Benjamin Button». This became another standout role in Blanchett's career. The film tells the reverse story of a man born old who gradually grows younger. Cate's character befriends him as a child, despite her parents' protests. As she ages, he grows younger. "To work with Fincher again, I'd give anything," Cate confessed.

In 2008, Cate and her husband became artistic directors of Sydney Theatre Company, where she'd launched her brilliant acting career. Under her leadership, the struggling theatre reclaimed its former glory, especially through productions of «Hedda Gabler» and «A Streetcar Named Desire».

Cate Blanchett in «Bandits»: the cooking scene

In 2013 Woody Allen's drama «Blue Jasmine» appeared on the screens. The heroine, Jasmine Francis (whose character was written specifically for Blanchett) loses everything in an instant. When her multibillionaire husband (Alec Baldwin) is convicted of fraud, the family fortune goes down the drain, and cheating surfaces. She has to turn over a new leaf and start her life anew. The critics found this role one of the most vivid in her career, which was confirmed by her second Oscar for the best performance by an actress in a leading role.

The film «Blue Jasmine» brought Cate Blanchett her second Oscar

Cate Blanchett's personal life

According to Zoomboola.com, in 1996 the actress met the screenwriter Andrew Upton and married him the following year, in 1997.

Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton were married in 1997

The couple defied the Hollywood stereotype of unstable celebrity marriages. Even 20 years later their love remains as strong as ever, despite Andrew's low-key appearance.

Cate Blanchett with her husband Andrew Upton

Blanchett and Upton have three sons: Dashiell John (born 2001), Roman Robert (born 2004), and Ignatius Martin (born 2008). Also, in 2015 the couple adopted an Australian orphan named Vivian.

Cate Blanchett's four children: three sons and one adopted daughter

Alongside his wife, Upton served as co-artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 to 2013.

Cate Blanchett Now

November 2017 gave the world the superhero blockbuster «Thor: Ragnarok». There, Cate Blanchett, who had long dreamed of tackling this new genre, became Hela – the first female villain in the Marvel cinematic universe. Even more significant, this marked her first villain role in her entire filmography. "Shooting this film brought me the most happiness in my life in terms of acting and creativity," Cate reveals.

«Thor: Ragnarok»: Cate Blanchett as Hela

Cate Blanchett's upcoming projects included the female-driven "Ocean's Eleven" spinoff, titled "Ocean's Eight", with Dakota Fanning, Sandra Bullock, Olivia Mann, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter and Katie Holmes.

Cate Blanchett on the set of «Ocean's Eight»

She also voiced one of the main characters in the "Mowgli" film, which was released in 2018, as well as a character in the third part of the animated dragon-themed franchise, «How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World».

Cate Blanchett Says Don't Look Up Is Less of a Satire and More of a Documentary | The Tonight Show

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Barbara Edwards

Dearly love her work together with Brad Pitt in «The Curious Case of Benjamin Button». The scene in the film is good but it is worth to pay tribute and actors, especially Cate.

2021-04-28 19:08:33
Gregory Lambert

I remember her for her role as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings. Other films with her I have not watched yet...

2021-04-10 18:03:43
Mitchell Salazar

Very funny that such a sweetheart person took better parts of the films with roles of negative characters. Maybe this is the secret of being memorable badass when the role played by a great person?

2021-02-23 11:15:23
Carrie Martin

In Ocean`s Eight she played on all 110%. I was watching the film only because of her.

2021-02-20 23:34:40
Wayne Harris

I can not imagine any other actress in the role of Hela in the Thor: Ragnarok. This role fits her so good that this part of the trilogy I enjoyed the most

2021-01-10 12:34:02

Photos: Cate Blanchett