Following in her parents’ footsteps, Kate Beckinsale expressed an early interest in the field of acting. She was also interested in writing, and got awards when she was just a teenager for some of the short stories and poems she wrote. Further, she studied foreign languages during her time as a student at Oxford University, proving that she has the beauty as well as the brains to succeed in her chosen career. She already knew she was going to be an actress and she studied foreign languages believing that she can broaden her acting roles with her skills in this field.
When she starred as Hero in the film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”, she had the chance to travel to Europe, particularly in Tuscany Italy where the film was shot. She discontinued her studies when she got more opportunities and won roles in several European productions, now well on her journey to realize her dream of making it big in the world of show business.
She got a role in “Cold Comfort Farm”, a television satire which got good reviews and became a hit of sorts by indie standards. The show was received well in American art house theatres, and Kate started to become recognized by the American audience. She co-starred with Claire Danes in 1999’s “Brokedown Palace” after roles in the indie films “Shooting Fish” and “The Last Days of Disco”. In 2000, she starred in James Ivory’s “The Golden Bowl”.
Her first major American film was a huge success. 2001’s “Pearl Harbor” was a breakthrough film for the British actress; she is now a Hollywood celebrity recognized by many. She played the female lead opposite Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett in this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced epic about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The movie was one of the most successful films in that year. Her dedication to succeed was not more evident than when she agreed to take nothing up front for this movie and earn just a percentage of the profits. A source said that her move was actually clever, because “if it’s a monster hit, Kate will earn megabucks. If the film makes it big at the box office, she gets big-name recognition in Hollywood. Also, she is an unknown, so she won’t get the blame if it flops. If it’s another Titanic, which it could well be, she could earn millions.”
She displayed her diversity and played the leading lady in 2001’s romantic movie “Serendipity”, showing her fans that she can become the next Meg Ryan. She went into action films, starring as the beautiful vampire Selene in the film “Underworld” and co-starring with Hugh Jackman, this time as a vampire hunter, in 2004’s “Van Helsing”. Later that year, she appeared in the award-winning flick “The Aviator”. She donned her latex outfit once again for “Underworld: Evolution” in 2005. She then showed the world that she can be part of a comedy movie, playing Adam Sandler’s wife in the hit comedy “Click”. And then she played completely the opposite of her role in “Click” when she explored her darker side in the horror movie “Vacancy”. Some future movie projects include “Winged Creature” and “Whiteout”.
