Ringside Report Puts The Spotlight on Kate Winslet
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By Geoffrey Huchel
There are very few actresses that make an impact on me with their performances. Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman are two great examples. I cannot recall a performance from either that I didn’t like. I’ll watch a movie simply because they are in it. The same can be said for another superstar who bares this distinction-Kate Winslet. I’ve been a fan of her work for over 20 years and every time I watch her on screen I become completely enamored by the level of depth she brings to each character.
Kate Winslet was born to humble beginnings in her native England. Coming from a family of actors, she was inspired to pursue a career in acting from a young age. Describing herself as overweight, she was bullied by her schoolmates, but she did not let it defeat her. As a child she started performing on stage, appearing in such shows as NATIVITY, ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, PETER PAN (as Wendy), ANNIE (as Miss Hannigan), and THE JUNGLE BOOK.
Winslet made her mark in the 1990s making her film debut playing a teenage murderess in Peter Jackson’s HEAVENLY CREATURES (1994). After high praise from that role she went on to her next , Marianne Dashwood, opposite Emma Thompson in SENSE AND SENSIBILTY (1995), for which she also won rave reviews and earned her first Oscar nomination. She continued winning roles in period dramas JUDE (1996) and HAMLET (1996). Her next film would catapult her to global fame and superstardom, and is perhaps her most well-known role- Rose DeWitt Bukater in the blockbuster TITANIC (1997), co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio. She earned her second Oscar nomination for the role. Winslet’s next film would be the lesser known independent drama HIDEOUS KINKY (1998), playing a single British mother yearning for a new life.
In the 2000s Winslet made appearances in the dramas QUILLS (2000), IRIS (2001), earning another Oscar nomination portraying a young Iris Murdoch. In 2003 she starred opposite Kevin Spacey and Laura Linney in the drama/thriller THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE (2003). The following year she portrayed Sylvia Llewyn Davies in the drama FINDING NEVERLAND (2004). The film was based on the life of J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. Winslet starred opposite Johnny Depp and a young Freddie Highmore. Also in 2004, Winslet starred opposite Jim Carrey in the drama ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, where she earned another Oscar nomination for her role as Clementine Kruczynski. 2006 was a busy year for Winslet as she made appearances in 4 films: THE HOLIDAY, with Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law, LITTLE CHILDREN, with Jennifer Connelly and Patrick Wilson, the animated FLUSHED AWAY, with Hugh Jackman, and ALL THE KING’S MEN, with Sean Penn and Jude Law. In 2008 she reunited with her TITANIC co-star DiCaprio for the drama REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, based on the best selling novel. She won a Golden Globe for her role as April Wheeler. Also in 2008 she starred in the drama THE READER with Ralph Fiennes. Winslet finally won her first Oscar for her role as Hanna Schmitz for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
Winslet’s next role was in the HBO miniseries MILDRED PIERCE (2011), playing the title role and winning a Golden Globe for her performance. Winslet appeared in two more films in 2011, CONTAGION, as Dr. Erin Mears, also starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jude Law, and the comedy/drama CARNAGE, as Nancy Cowan. The movie costarred Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly. In 2013, Winslet starred in LABOR DAY, playing Adele, a depressed single mom who falls in love with an escaped convict, played by Josh Brolin. In the last few years, she has appeared as a villian in DIVERGENT (2014), THE DRESSMAKER (2015), STEVE JOBS (2015), earning another Oscar nomination as Joanna Hoffman, INSURGENT (2015), the ensemble crime thriller TRIPLE 9 (2016), and COLLATERAL BEAUTY (2016), featuring an All Star cast including Will Smith, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren. In 2017 Winslet starred as Ginny, a temperamental housewife in Woody Allen’s WONDER WHEEL, with Justin Timblerlake and the Action/Adventure THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US, with Idris Elba and Beau Bridges. Look for Winslet in the upcoming projects BLACKBIRD (2019), AVATAR 2 (2020), among others.
Winslet supports several charities and causes. She was one of the celebrities to participate in a 2007 auction to raise funds for the Afghanistan Relief Organization. In 2009, she contributed to the Butterfly Book, a compilation of sketches made by several celebrities, to raise money for leukemia research.
Essential Winslet-
TITANIC (1997)
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004)
THE READER (2008)
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (2008)
STEVE JOBS (2015)
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