Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/48

Kate Beckinsale (born 1973) is an English actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing (1993) while still a student at New College, Oxford. After leaving Oxford without completing her degree in Modern Languages, she appeared in British costume dramas such as Cold Comfort Farm, Emma and The Golden Bowl, in addition to various stage and radio productions. She began to seek film work in the United States in the late 1990s and, after appearing in some small-scale dramas, she had a breakout year in 2001 with starring roles in the war epic Pearl Harbor and the romantic comedy Serendipity. She built on this success with appearances in the bio-pic The Aviator and the comedy Click. Appearances in action films include Underworld, Van Helsing, and Contraband. She was nominated for a Critic's Choice Award in 2008 for her performance in Nothing but the Truth. Born and raised in London, Beckinsale is the child of actor Richard Beckinsale (1947–1979) and actress Judy Loe. She had an eight-year relationship with Welsh actor Michael Sheen from 1995 until 2003; they have one daughter. She married American film director Len Wiseman in 2004 and they live in Brentwood, Los Angeles. (more...)