Here is some biographical info. on Kate (thanks to The
Kate Winslet Show for a lot of these details!):
Full name: Kate Elizabeth Winslet
Birthdate: October 5th, 1975 (making Kate a Libra)
Birthplace: Reading, England
Physical appearance: natural hair color is blonde, blue eyes, 5'8" tall. Kate is famous for her large feet; she could swap shoes with "Titanic" costar Leo DiCaprio as they wore the same size, size 10!
Family: Kate is the second of four children - she has an older sister, Anna (25), a younger sister, Beth (20), and a younger brother, Joss (17). Her father, Roger Winslet, is an actor, as are both of her sisters, and apparently Joss is thinking about acting as well. Her mother Sally trained as a nanny, but has also acted and is the daughter of two actors. The Winslet family truly has a history in the acting business, actually; Kate's grandparents managed a sixty-seat theatre in their backyard in Reading, where they presented musicals and plays. Kate's uncle, Robert Bridges, is remembered as Mr. Bumble in the original West End production of "Oliver!". So, Kate grew up quite at home in the acting world. "It wasn't necessarily that I knew acting was what I wanted to do," she says. "It's just that I knew it's what I would end up doing."
Growing up: Apparently in her teen years Kate battled with a weight "problem" (her classmates nicknamed her "Blubber"!) and depression. "Since I was thirteen or fourteen, I've always felt older than I actually am," Kate recalls. I can relate...Check out Kate's Weight for more comments on what is really a trivial, non-issue.
Early acting experiences: Kate attended an acting school called Redroofs in Maidenhead, England starting at age 11. (She says of her acting school experience: "Bladdy-bladdy bullshit." She left the school at age 16.) Her first job was an appearance in a Sugar Puffs commercial at age 12, dancing with the Honey Monster. She made her television debut in the British television drama 'Shrinks' (1988), followed by appearances in the television series 'Casualty' (1989), 'Dark Season' (1991), 'Get Back' (1992, as Eleanor Sweet), and 'Anglo-Saxon Attitudes' (1993). She has also performed in a number of theater roles amidst her television works including Pandora in the musical 'Adrian Mole', Wendy in 'Peter Pan', Sarah in 'A Game of Soldier', and Geraldine in 'What the Butler Saw' (for which she was nominated for the Manchester Evening News award).
Her big break: Kate was cast as Juliet in Heavenly Creatures, her first film role, while working at the Traiteur Pagnol deli in Primrose Hill, London. "I was making pastrami and dill sandwiches when I received the call telling me I had the role in Heavenly Creatures," Kate said. While in the U.S. to promote HC, she was approached by an American representative of the William Morris Agency one night at her hotel (the Four Seasons in New York City), and was quickly signed to the agency. Her award-winning and critically acclaimed performance in HC soon led to other roles, like her Oscar-nominated turn in 'Sense and Sensibility,' launching her career skyward.
Films Kate might have been in: Some of the films Kate has auditioned for but was eventually not cast in include Kenneth Branagh's "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (he cast Helena Bonham Carter instead, but was impressed enough with Kate to choose her as Ophelia for his "Hamlet" later on), "The Crucible" (she was up for Winona Ryder's role, Abigail), and "Romeo & Juliet" (for the role of Juliet). And, Gus Van Sant originally wanted her to play Minnie Driver's role in "Good Will Hunting", for which Minnie won an Oscar nomination, but was unable to get her. Ditto for the lead role Robin Tunney plays in the film "Niagara, Niagara," a young woman with Tourette's Syndrome; Kate turned the part down.
Romantic interests: She once had a three-month fling with Rufus Sewell, who played Fortinbras in Branagh's 'Hamlet' among other roles. "Look, it was an affair. A very, very brief fling. A lot of fun but nothing more. It was not a relationship and we never kidded each other that it might be," Kate said of the experience.
She also used to be involved with Stephen Tredre, who tragically died of cancer on December 8th ('97) at age 34. (She skipped the premiere of "Titanic" to attend his funeral, at which she sang a song; which song she won't disclose.) They first met while doing the show 'Dark Season,' when Kate was only 16; Stephen was 12 years her senior. "Stephen and I were together for four-and-a-half years and we separated just over two years ago," Kate said. "But we remained extraordinarily close through that separation, and we spoke to each other every day. So it is a tremendous, tremendous loss." And yet, within the grief she has found strength. "To be honest with you, he was such an energized human being, such a big part of my life for such a long time, that I'm going into this year with an extraordinary sort of gusto. I feel that I'm taking on board all the strength that he ever gave me and really living every moment, which is what he absolutely did, all the time, until the very second that he died." (quoted from the 1/11 New York Daily News interview.)
Kate's love interest at the moment is Jim Threapleton, as mentioned on the main page; the two sure looked like a cute couple at the Oscars this year! (And no, she is not and has never been romantically linked with Leonardo DiCaprio, her 'Titanic' costar; the two insist they are just good friends, almost a brother-sister sort of relationship.)
Favorites: (These are a few of her favorites, according
to various sources)
Music - Classical, Gregorian chants, Indigo Girls, Portishead, The
Verve, Oasis, Crowded House, The Sundays
Movies - Reservoir Dogs, The Piano, The Silence of the Lambs, Grease
Car - She drives a black Jeep Cherokee.
Other info.: One of Kate's vices is smoking, cigarettes
of course - she seems to prefer rolling her own, with Drum tobacco. "The
only frustrating thing about roll-ups is that you can't smoke them at parties,"
she once mused. "It's just too much trouble standing there and fiddling."
Starbucks is one of her favorite places in the States (they don't have
it in Great Britain, of course), as she's a big coffee drinker. She also
enjoys shopping, cooking, and working out. And, almost every interview
seems to mention her footwear - Kate apparently is fond of Doc Martens
and big combat boots, hence her nickname, "Combat Kate".
