Kate Winslet had the luxury accorded to few actors of bursting onto the scene with immediate success. The young Brit quickly captured the attention of cinema lovers across the globe. This is not to say that she didn't have to work at her craft first. Winslet comes from a long line of actors. Her parents are stage actors, her maternal grandparents managed a repertory theater, and her late uncle Robert Bridges acted in several West End productions; so you could say that acting is in her blood. Winslet also started her career on the stage in many diverse productions. She then moved to television and appeared in several television programs, most notably Dark Season and Get Back.
It was shortly after Get Back that she burst onto the international scene with her role in New Zealander Peter Jackson's independent film, Heavenly Creatures. She won the Best Foreign Actress Award at the New Zealand Film and Television Awards. While the role demonstrated her passion for her craft and her astounding acting abilities, her next role didn't quite match up. She appeared in the Disney film, A Kid in King Arthur's Court.
However, after that failure she bounced right back with a string of period pieces. She fell in with the likes of Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, the king and queen of period pieces. She appeared in Thompson's Sense and Sensibility for which she earned an Oscar nomination and won an SAG award, Branagh's Hamlet as Ophelia, as well as Sue in Jude, an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure.
With the danger of being typecast in mind, Winslet has chosen to make a departure from Victorian era adaptations and move closer to present day. She secured herself a role in James Cameron's much anticipated Titanic, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. While the film is still a period piece it was a big step in the right direction. When you consider that it also happens to be the most successful movie of all time, it can’t help but have been a good move. The film also earned her a second Oscar nomination.
Bigger and better things will definitely be forthcoming for Kate Winslet. She brings sophistication and style to the world of young actors and will definitely prove to be a notable name as the continues to mature. Rather than continue with big budget blockbusters, she has returned to small independent films which allow her to really use her remarkable talent to full effect.
