Rachel Weisz
Biography
Rachel
Weisz (pronounced "Vice") was born in London, England,
March 7, 1971, to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe; her Viennese
mother is a psychoanalyst while her Hungarian father is an inventor
credited with inventing life-saving respiratory medical equipment.
While
growing up in England, Rachel worked as a model by the age of 15,
but a change of heart led to acting. Her parents were adamant about
her receiving a college education before pursuing acting so she
studied literature at Cambridge's Trinity Hall.
The Cambridge
student was occupied with drama at the same time, by co-founding
a theater group known as Talking Tongues, for which she co-wrote,
co-directed and co-starred in the productions. Some of the Talking
Tongues' works were performed at the Edinburgh Festival, and in
1991, Rachel was awarded with a student drama award for a play she
wrote and starred in.
Rachel
got her first big break in a theater production of Noel Coward's
Design for Living, for which she received the Evening Standard Award
for Best Newcomer. She then moved to television, where she starred
in the 1993 made-for-TV movie Dirty Something and the BBC miniseries
Scarlet & Black; appeared in the series Inspector Morse in 1993;
and appeared in the made-for-TV movies White Goods and Seventeen
in 1994.
With
nothing more than television roles to her name, Rachel was cast
as a junior executive in the science-fiction film Death Machine
in 1995.
But her
big breakthrough came in 1996, when she was cast in Bernardo Bertolucci's
stunning coming-of-age film, Stealing Beauty. Although the film's
star was Liv Tyler, Rachel still managed to steal a bit of the beautiful
spotlight as Miranda, a snobbish artist's daughter.
Rachel
was next cast in a string of smaller movies, such as 1996's Chain
Reaction, co-starring Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman; and 1997's
Swept from the Sea, Going All the Way (in which she played Ben Affleck's
girlfriend and starred with Rose McGowan) and Bent, in which she
played a prostitute.
After
roles in The Land Girls and I Want You in 1998, Rachel Weisz leapt
to blockbuster status and international fame with her lead female
role in the unraveled hit of 1999, The Mummy.
Rachel
retuned to her roots as an Hungarian Jew in the epic film Sunshine,
where she starred opposite Ralph Fiennes in a role which garnered
her a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress (a Canadian Oscar)
in 2000. This was in addition to her 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment
Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie and Saturn Award for Best
Actress, both for The Mummy.
After
starring in Beautiful Creatures in 2000, Rachel rang in the New
Year by co-starring with Joseph Fiennes and Jude Law in the WWII
battle of Stalingrad film, Enemy at the Gates, as Sergeant Tania
Chernova.
Although
the latter didn't blow up at the box office, the sequel to The Mummy
opened with record highs, breaking box-office records. Rachel returned
with Brendan Fraser as Evelyn Carnahan/Princess Nefretiri, making
audiences scramble to see beautiful Rachel as well as The Rock and
Patricia Velasquez.
Despite
Rachel's success in film, she still takes to the stage; she starred
in an adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer, for
which she earned the 1999 Barclays Theatre Award for Best Supporting
Actress, as well as the London production of The Shape of Things,
in which she stars as an American sculptress.
Rachel
has also graced the cover of several magazines such as Tatler and
Bikini, and despite her flair for posing, she declined Hugh Hefner's
offer to appear in his renowned magazine.
So the
whole male population didn't get to see dear Rachel, but some lucky
males have been allegedly romantically linked to her, including
her My Summer With Des co-star Neil Morrissey, her I Want You co-star,
Alessandro Nivola, her Chain Reaction co-star Keanu Reeves, and
American Beauty British director, Sam Mendes.
The Elvis-loving,
Los Angeles-hating actress is slated to appear in Marlowe, the Natural
Nylon production starring Johnny Depp and Natural Nylon co-founder,
Jude Law. Rachel will next be seen in the upcoming About A Boy,
with Hugh Grant and Toni Collette.
Rachel Weisz Filmography
Barry (2004)--Barry
Fountain, The (2005)
Constant Gardener, The (2005)--Tessa
Constantine (2005)--Angela Dodson/Isabel Dodson
Daisy Winters (2004)--Daisy's Mother
Envy (2004)--Debbie Dingman
Runaway Jury (2003)--Marlee
Confidence (2003)--Lily
The Shape of Things (2003)--Evelyn
About a Boy (2002)--Rachel
The Mummy Returns (2001)--Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell/Princess Nefertiri
Enemy at the Gates (2001)--Tania Chernova
Beautiful Creatures (2000)--Petula
Tube Tales (1999) (TV)--(segment Rosebud)
Sunshine (1999)--Greta
The Mummy (1999)--Evelyn 'Evie' Carnahan
My Summer with Des (1998) (TV)--Rosie
I Want You (1998)--Helen (aka Beloved)
The Land Girls (1998)--Ag (Agapanthus)
Bent (1997)--Prostitute
Going All the Way (1997)--Marty Pilcher
Swept from the Sea (1997)--Amy Foster
Chain Reaction (1996)--Dr. Lily Sinclair
Stealing Beauty (1996)--Miranda
Death Machine (1995)--Junior Executive
Seventeen (1994) (TV)
White Goods (1994) (TV)--Elaine
Scarlet & Black (1993) (mini) TV Series
Dirty Something (1993) (TV)--Becca |
