a look at the life and career of an English actress

Kate Beckinsale was born on July 26, 1973 in London., daughter of Judy Lo, stage and television actress, and Richard Beckinsale, film and television actor, who died in 1979 at the age of 31 from a heart attack caused by congenital coronary disease. Kate has an older paternal sister, Samantha Beckinsale, also an actress. The profession of parents made it clear to Kate from a very early age that she wanted to do the same job as them, and during her college years she took part in some theater productions with the Oxford University Dramatic Society.

Beginnings at home between costumed films and literary adaptations

Kate Beckinsale made her screen debut in 1991.in a TV movie Alone against the windbiographical film set in France occupied by the Nazis during the Second World War and thus launched her career in which she took part in various costume productions in the 1990s: in 1993 she won the role of Hero in Much ado about nothingdirected by Kenneth Branagh starring a super cast which becomes a major commercial success for the Shakespearean adaptation followed by Prince of Jutlandinspired by a Danish legend from which, in turn, another work of Shakespeare will be born,Hamlet. Beckinsale then has a lead role in Matfrom a novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte in which she plays a young restorer in Barcelona who becomes involved in a mystery involving an antique Flemish table, followed by horror. ghosts with Aidan Quinn, another literary adaptation set in 1920s England, while for cold comfort farm moves to the English countryside in the 1930s. Then Kate is the main character of the television adaptation Emmafrom the Jane Austen novel of the same name (and this would not be his last meeting with the great English writer, given that many years later he also interprets Love and deceit

from an epistolary novel lady susan the same writer).

career in the USA

In the second half of the nineties, the actress moved to the United States. and therefore takes part in various American productions, some of which are not very successful, for example Last days of discowhich takes place in New York in the early 80s, the cradle of disco music, during the legendary Studio 54 nightclub, and then, along with Claire Danes, is the main character Bangkok, no returnabout a trip of two friends to Thailand that turned into a nightmare.
Instead, in 2001 comes great success with Pearl Harbor, an epic love war melodrama directed by Michael Bay in which she is the nurse object of desire for Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett; critics turn up their noses, as is usually the case with the films of the director himself, but the film triumphs at the box office; in addition, she starred with John Cusack in Serendipity – When love is magical, a delightful romantic comedy about coincidences and the weight of fate that has become a Christmas classic. Shortly thereafter, Martin Scorsese chooses her for his Pilotan epic re-enactment of a Hollywood scene from the golden age of cinema, in which she plays the role of the diva Ava Gardner, even if she doesn’t fully convince critics who think she’s the wrong choice.
Check it out on his resume some rare comedyHow Change your life with one clicka classic family film with Adam Sandler which is a guarantee, especially at home where the film is getting great reviews at the box office, while reception is more lukewarm in Italy and at home Kate joins actor and comedian Simon Pegg in Chance from Godsci-fi comedy film directed by Terry Jones of Monty Python.

Action twist with vampires, werewolves and fights

Beckinsale turns his career around when he wears a black latex catsuit to play Selene, a vampire warrior dedicated to hunting werewolves. in an underground and millennial war between two factions, horrified Underworld, which also makes her an action star; launched as a kind Romeo and Juliet in a fantastic way the film becomes something of an unexpected box office success, launching a successful franchise that Kate will also become a family affair: the saga also stars actor Michael Sheen, who has been her partner for many years, and their daughter Lily Mo Sheen plays Selena as a young woman; However, on the set of the first film, Kate meets director Len Wiseman, who will become her husband, even if the marriage broke up a few years ago. In the first chapter of Underworld

the following follow Underworld: evolutionThen Underworld: Rise of the Lycans which, being a prequel, only sees a cameo appearance by Kate Beckinsale at the end, to then return as a main character in Underworld: Awakening and finally Underworld: Blood warsthe last (at least for now) chapter of the saga.

Kate Beckinsale, however, continues to frequently act in the action genre, betting on horror and fantasy: first, together with Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing, a tribute to Universal’s classic monsters of the 1930s and 1940s that was not a critical success, but was a box office success; then she and Luke Wilson star in Job vacancya slasher film set in a motel where a couple’s living room turns into a nightmare, then Beckinsale plays a policewoman racing against time to solve a crime in the Antarctic ice for a crime thriller. White haze – white nightmare, taken from the comic of the same name, which, however, turns out to be a disappointment for both critics and the public. Among the action films with the participation of the actress, we also find two remakes: Smuggling with Mark Wahlberg, American remake of the Icelandic film e Full recall is an act of power, starring Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel, is a new take on the classic 1990 sci-fi film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. More recently, his latest foray into the genre has been action comedy. Rage surge murderreleased on home video as a woman with “explosive” anger, also seen in the cast of Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale and Laverne Cox.

Drama films and independent cinema

However, in addition to roles in action films, the actress also dedicates herself to a series of dramatic films, often independent productions, which in most cases have not gained much fame: among others we mention snow angelsdrama starring sam rockwell Winged Creatures – Day of Destinydramatic thriller about the psychological consequences of a tragic event, then a political drama Only one truth with Matt Dillon All the endin which she is the daughter of Robert De Niro (remake of the Italian Everything is fine Giuseppe Tornatore with Marcello Mastroianni), legal drama Kate McCall-Ile border of truthin which she plays an alcoholic lawyer, then it’s time for Stonehurst Refugegothic drama based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe and family drama The only living boy in

NY.
In our country, in addition, he toured Meredith – the face of an angel, a dramatic thriller based on the high-profile crime story about the murder of British student Meredith Kercher; the film, however, despite being directed by Michael Winterbottom and with a cast that also includes Daniel Brühl, Cara Delevingne and our very own Valerio Mastandrea, wobbles between reality and imaginary reconstructions and disappoints critics, but here it landed straight on home video.
For TVhowever, Beckinsale was the main character Widowmini-series for video Prime, set in the Congo, the story of a woman searching for the truth about her missing husband.

Where will we see it again

The films have not yet arrived in Italy prisoner’s daughter Katherine Hardwicke drama starring Kate Beckinsale as Brian Cox’s daughter (succession), a man sentenced to prison who is trying to reunite with his family, and a satirical comedy paradise for fools, the directorial debut of Charlie Day, also the main character, for a story set in a film environment. Then the actress completed filming in Croatia. canarian blackspy thriller directed by Pierre Morel in which she plays a CIA agent in danger.