Kate Elizabeth Winslet was born on October 5, 1975 in Reading, Berkshire, England.

After her noteworthy debut in Heavenly Creatures (1994) directed by Peter Jackson, Kate Winslet earned the reputation of a "period babe" for her sensuous, Pre-Raphaelite face and because of her roles in historical flicks Sense and Sensibility (1995), Hamlet (1996) and Jude (1996).

Her role as Rose in James Cameron's Titanic (1997) opposite Leonardo DiCaprio won her an Academy Award nomination, but did little to shake the period babe label. Her somewhat zaftig figure was also a gossip-column staple, with Winslet cheerfully refusing to slim down to typical movie star skinniness.

Winslet has done voice work in the animated features Faeries (1999) and Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001), and her other feature films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) starring Jim Carrey, Finding Neverland (2004) starring Johnny Depp and The Holiday (2006) with Jack Black.

For her lead performance in the 2006 drama Little Children, Winslet was nominated for an Oscar.

Winslet married assistant director Jim Threapleton in 1998; the pair had a daughter, Mia, in 2000 and divorced in 2001. On 9 June 2003, Winslet married Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of American Beauty.

Filmography

• Gnomeo and Juliet (2008)
• Revolutionary Road (2008)
• The Holiday (2006)
• Flushed Away (2006)
• All the King's Men (2006)
• Little Children (2006)
• Romance & Cigarettes (2005)
• Finding Neverland (2004)
• Pride (2004)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
• The Life of David Gale (2003)
• Plunge: The Movie (2003)
• Iris (2001)
• Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001)
• Enigma (2001)
• War Game (2001)
• Quills (2000)
• Holy Smoke (1999)
• Faeries (1999)
• Hideous Kinky (1998)
• Titanic (1997)
• Hamlet (1996)
• Jude (1996)
• Sense and Sensibility (1995)
• A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995)
• Heavenly Creatures (1994)
• "Casualty" (1 episode, 1993)
• "Get Back" (2 episodes, 1992)
• Anglo Saxon Attitudes (1992)
• "Dark Season" (6 episodes, 1991)
• Shrinks (1990)

Awards

• Empire Award Best Actress "Enigma" 2001
• Evening Standard Award Best Actress "Quills", "Enigma" and "Iris" 2001
• Grammy Best Spoken Word Album for Children "Listen to the Storyteller" 2000
• European Film Academy Award Audience Favorite for Best Actress "Titanic" 1998
• BAFTA Award Best Supporting Actress "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• The Actor Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role "Sense and Sensibility" 1995