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| Anne Hathaway Biography |
Date of Birth
12 November 1982, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Birth Name
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway
Nickname
Annie
Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)
BIOGRAPHY
Early on, Anne Hathaway's core religious values in Catholicism were guiding her toward a future filled with religious faith rather than Hollywood fame. Though her mother, Kate McCauley, was an actress, and Anne Hathaway enjoyed playing dress-up and imagining herself as various creative characters, her first career ambition was to become a nun. This career path changed abruptly at 15 when she realized that her religious background would put her at odds with her brother, who was gay. Based on that, Anne Hathaway chose acting instead, and movie audiences would come to be all the better for it.
At New Jersey's Millburn High School, Anne Hathaway got her acting feet wet in various school productions, including Once Upon a Mattress, which saw her nominated for a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award in the category of Best Performance by a High School Actress. She also enjoyed the added bonus of training at New York's highly respected Barrow Group Theater Company. Anne Hathaway's acting highs were matched by the lows of a difficult battle with depression. Through her own strength, she eventually conquered the self-loathing and anxiety that came from her darker moments, and pushed forward to begin the career that she would come to love.
Anne Hathaway Stars In The Princess Diaries And Brokeback Mountain
Mere days after performing with her high school chorus at Carnegie Hall, Anne Hathaway was cast in the new FOX series, Get Real, in 1999. The series was a bust and she went on to enroll at New York University, but an audition came her way for 2001's The Princess Diaries. According to director Garry Marshall, she wiped out during the audition and immediately got the part. Anne Hathaway remembers the story differently, but irregardless, she won the role of an unpopular girl who learns that she is, in fact, royalty. The plot connected well with its royalty-seeking tween audience, making the Disney film a hit and spawning an equally-successful sequel in 2004.
While Anne Hathaway wasn't outwardly disappointed that the Princess Diaries films -- and to a lesser degree 2004's Ella Enchanted -- had branded her as an actress for family movies, she wanted to show that she could do more. As such, she began to play totally against type, first as a drug and sex-chasing teen in the steamy Havoc, which never saw a theatrical release but picked up a significant following for obvious reasons (read: nudity) on DVD. Anne Hathaway had more success in the serious role of a struggling wife to cowboy Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain, which was instrumental in getting her cast opposite her screen hero, Meryl Streep, in The Devil Wears Prada. While the role of assistant to a fashion boss from hell didn't win her any goodwill from Vogue editor Anna Wintour (who inspired the film), the rest of Hollywood, including Meryl Streep, was impressed with her skills.
Anne Hathaway Stars In Get Smart And Rachel Getting Married
After gamely playing Jane Austen in 2007's Becoming Jane, Anne Hathaway bought a ticket aboard the Hollywood remake train for the big-screen reboot of the beloved TV series, Get Smart. As Agent 99, the no-nonsense special agent who is paired up with the bumbling Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), she prevented world destruction and got to give The Rock a boot to the head. The film was a well-received summer blockbuster and by the fall, all eyes were on Anne Hathaway's next movie, Rachel Getting Married. As an emotionally-fractured recovering alcoholic in town for her sister's wedding, Anne Hathaway showed a side of her acting that was honest and gutsy. The critical kudos for her performance were followed by Hathaway's first Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
After battling with Kate Hudson in the 2009 wedding comedy Bride Wars, Anne Hathaway took on a slate of films. In March 2010, Hathaway entered the weird world of Tim Burton to play The White Queen to Johnny Depp's The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland and then had a reunion with her Princess Diaries director, Gary Marshall, for Valentine's Day, which featured the ensemble cast of Ashton Kutcher, Patrick Dempsey, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Garner.
WHY IS SHE FAMOUS
Among Hollywood's ever hot-and-cold crowd of 20-something-year-old performers, Anne Hathaway is one of most well-rounded actresses in the bunch, and her versatility shines through in her wide-ranging demographic appeal. Once pegged as a family-friendly actress for her roles in The Princess Diaries films, she's kept the kids on her side with Ella Enchanted and Alice in Wonderland, won the mainstream crowd over with breezy entertainment in Get Smart and Bride Wars and made Oscar stand up and take notice with her performances in Rachel Getting Married and Brokeback Mountain. And people took notice in a very different way when she bared her skin in Love and Other Drugs.
Anne Hathaway started 2011 on a high note, having ranked at No. 9 on AskMen's Top 99 Most Desirable Women 2011 and hosting the Oscars with James Franco. She also won the role of a lifetime: Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's 2012 The Dark Knight Rises.
Early life
Hathaway was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Gerald Thomas Hathaway, is a lawyer, and her mother, Kathleen Ann (née McCauley), is an actress who inspired Hathaway to follow in her footsteps. The family moved to Millburn, New Jersey, when she was six years old. Hathaway has an older brother, Michael, and a younger brother, Thomas. She is of mostly Irish and French ancestry, with distant Native American and German roots.
Hathaway was raised Catholic with what she considered "really strong values," and has stated she wanted to be a nun during her childhood. However, she decided against it at the age of 15, after learning her brother, Michael, was gay; she felt she could not be part of a religion that condemned her brother's sexual orientation. In 2009, Hathaway described herself as a non-denominational Christian because she had not "found the religion" for her, and later stated that her religious beliefs are "a work in progress."
As a preschooler, Hathaway attended Brooklyn Heights Montessori School. She entered first grade at the Wyoming Elementary School in Millburn while she was technically still a kindergartner. Hathaway graduated from Millburn High School, where she participated in many school plays; her high school performance as Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress garnered her a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award nomination for Best Performance by a High School Actress. During this time, Hathaway was in plays including Jane Eyre and Gigi at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse (which is located in Millburn, across the street from Hathaway's middle school). She spent several semesters studying as an English major and Women's Studies minor at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York before transferring to New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, referring to her college enrollment as one of her best decisions, because she enjoyed being with others who were trying to "grow up." Hathaway was the first teenager admitted into The Barrow Group Theater Company's acting program.
A soprano, Hathaway performed in 1998 and 1999 with the All-Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus at Carnegie Hall and has performed in plays at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey. Three days after her 1999 performance at Carnegie Hall, she was cast in the short-lived Fox television series Get Real at the age of 16.
Hathaway is a trained stage actress and has stated that she prefers performing on stage to film roles. Her acting style has been compared to those of Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn. She cites Garland as one of her favorite actresses and Meryl Streep as her idol.
Career
2001–2004: Career development
Hathaway's first role in a motion picture was opposite Christopher Gorham in Walt Disney's drama film The Other Side of Heaven (2001), inspired by John H. Groberg's memoirs In the Eye of the Storm. Before production of the film, she was cast alongside Julie Andrews in the lead role of Mia Thermopolis in another Disney production, the comedy film The Princess Diaries, based on Meg Cabot's 2000 novel of the same name. Directed by Garry Marshall, Hathaway auditioned for the role of a princess-to-be during a flight layover on the way to New Zealand and garnered the role after only one audition. She won the role over 500 other girls. Released prior to The Other Side of Heaven in hopes that its success would increase interest in Heaven, The Princess Diaries became a major commercial success, grossing US$165 million worldwide. Many critics praised Hathaway's performance, with a BBC critic noting that "Hathaway shines in the title role and generates great chemistry." Also released in 2001, The Other Side of Heaven, directed by Mitch Davis, met with mostly negative reviews, but it performed well for a religion-themed film.
In February 2002, Hathaway starred in the City Center Encores! concert production of Carnival! in her New York City stage debut, receiving positive reviews for her portrayal of Lili. Also in 2002, Hathaway began voicing the audio book releases of The Princess Diaries and has since voiced the first three books of the series. She also provided the voice of the character Haru in the English version of Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns.
Hathaway continued to appear in family-oriented films over the next three years, subsequently becoming known in mainstream media as a children's role model. In 2002, she appeared in Douglas McGrath's comedy-drama Nicholas Nickleby, opposite Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Bell, which opened to positive reviews. The Deseret News said that the cast was "Oscar-worthy". Despite critical acclaim, the film never entered wide release and failed at the North American box office, totaling less than $4 million in ticket sales. Hathaway's next film role was as the titular character in the rom-com fantasy film Ella Enchanted (2004), a loose adaption of Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name, which opened to mostly indifferent reviews. Hathaway sang two songs in the film as well as three on the soundtrack, including a duet with singer Jesse McCartney.
In 2003, Hathaway dropped out of her role in Joel Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera (2004), because the production schedule of the film overlapped with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which she was contractually obligated to make. Disney began production on The Princess Diaries 2 in early 2004, and it was released in August of that year. The film opened to negative reviews, but made $95.1 million against a $40 million budget.
2005–2007: Career transition
Hathaway began appearing in dramatic roles after The Princess Diaries 2. She said that "anybody who was a role model for children needs a reprieve", although she noted that "it's lovely to think that my audience is growing up with me". She voiced Red Puckett in the animated comedy Hoodwinked! (2005), based on the Little Red Riding Hood folktale, which received mixed reviews by critics. That same year, Hathaway starred in Barbara Kopple's drama film Havoc, in which she played a spoiled socialite, appearing nude in some of its scenes. Although the content of the film was different from her previous films, Hathaway denied that her role was an attempt to be seen as a more mature actress, citing her belief that doing nudity in certain movies is merely a part of what her chosen form of art demands of her; and because of that belief she does not consider appearing nude in appropriate films to be morally objectionable.
After Havoc, Hathaway was cast alongside Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee's drama Brokeback Mountain (2005). While Havoc was not released in theaters in the United States because of its weak critical reception, Brokeback Mountain won rave reviews for its depiction of a homosexual relationship in the 1960s and received several Academy Award nominations. Hathaway would later assert that the content of Brokeback Mountain was more important than its award count and that making the film made her more aware of the kind of stories she wanted to tell as an actress.
In 2006, Hathaway appeared in David Frankel's comedy The Devil Wears Prada, in which she starred as an assistant to a powerful fashion magazine editor portrayed by Meryl Streep, whom Hathaway described as being "just divine". Hathaway said that working on the film made her respect the fashion industry a great deal more than she had previously, though she claimed that her personal style is something she "still can't get right". In an interview with Us Weekly, Hathaway discussed the weight loss regime she and co-star Emily Blunt followed for the film, she stated, "I basically stuck with fruit, vegetables and fish [to slim down]. I wouldn't recommend that. Emily Blunt and I would clutch at each other and cry because we were so hungry."
Hathaway was cast in the 2007 comedy Knocked Up, but dropped out before filming began and was replaced by Katherine Heigl. Writer/director Judd Apatow stated in a May 2007 issue of The New York Times Magazine that Hathaway dropped out "because she didn't want to allow us to use real footage of a woman giving birth to create the illusion that she is giving birth". In an August 2008 interview with Marie Claire, Hathaway commented that she "didn't believe that it was necessary to the story".
Hathaway was in the 2007 drama Becoming Jane, in which she portrayed English writer Jane Austen. Tim Burton considered Hathaway for the part of Johanna Barker in his 2007 film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but the role went to Jayne Wisener, a then-unknown actress, reportedly because Burton decided he wanted an unknown, younger actress for the part.
2008–present
In January 2008, Hathaway joined beauty giant Lancôme as the face of their fragrance Magnifique, and in October of that year, Hathaway hosted the NBC late-night sketch comedy Saturday Night Live. Her first film of the year was a modern adaptation of the 1960s Mel Brooks television series Get Smart, in which she starred opposite Steve Carell, and Alan Arkin, portraying Agent 99. Directed by Peter Segal, the film was a hit at the box office, prompting talk of a sequel. She also made a cameo appearance in the corresponding film Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control. Also in 2008, she premiered the drama Passengers, alongside Patrick Wilson, as well as the drama Rachel Getting Married, opposite Debra Winger. Rachel Getting Married premiered at the 2008 Venice and Toronto Film Festival and garnered her widespread critical acclaim for her performance as Kym, including nominations for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Hathaway stated that the film appealed to her because of its real depiction of relationships and because of the strong emotional connection she felt with her character.
Hathaway appeared in the comedy Bride Wars, released in 2009, which she described as being "hideously commercial – gloriously so." In addition to providing her voice for episodes of The Simpsons, which garnered her an Emmy Award in 2010 for outstanding voice-over performance, and Family Guy in 2010, Hathaway also appeared as Viola in the New York Shakespeare Festival's summer 2009 production of Twelfth Night at the Delacorte Theater in New York City's Central Park, opposite Audra McDonald as Olivia, Raul Esparza as Duke Orsino, and Julie White as Maria.
Hathaway's 2010 film projects include a Tim Burton-directed adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, the romantic comedy The Fiancé, an adaptation of the Julie Buxbaum novel The Opposite of Love, the Garry Marshall-directed ensemble comedy Valentine's Day, and an adaptation of Gerald Clarke's biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, in which she will play the title role on the stage and screen. It was reported on December 8, 2009 that Hathaway was up for the role of Felicia Hardy in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4. Hardy would not have transformed into the Black Cat, as in the comics; instead, Raimi's Felicia was expected to become a brand-new superpowered figure called the Vulturess. On January 5, 2010, it was reported that Spider-Man 4 would be rewritten and Hathaway would not appear in the film, as she was "too expensive". On November 29, 2010, it was announced that Hathaway and James Franco would host the 83rd Academy Awards.
Together with actor Denzel Washington, Hathaway hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway on December 11, 2010.
In 2010, she was named one of the sexiest stars of 2010 by Entertainment Weekly.
In January 2011, it was announced she had landed the role of Selina Kyle (Catwoman) in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. That year, she also voiced the character Jewel in the animated film Rio, from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, alongside Jesse Eisenberg and starred in the romance One Day.
Personal life
Hathaway is involved with charities, including The Creative Coalition, The Step Up Women's Network, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Human Rights Campaign, and The Lollipop Theatre Network, an organization that screens films to critically ill children. In 2008, she was honored at Elle magazine's "Women in Hollywood" tribute, and has also been honored for her work with Step Up Women's Network. and the Human Rights Campaign. In early 2007, Hathaway spoke of her experiences with depression during her teenage years, saying that she eventually overcame the disorder without medication.
In 2008, on Late Show with David Letterman, Hathaway said she had once again stopped smoking. The actress, who had begun smoking "heavily" while filming Rachel Getting Married, had "quit for a while", but had started again in the wake of her stressful summer and the end of her relationship with Raffaello Follieri. She credited quitting smoking for the subsequent decline in her stress level, and declared her return to being vegetarian.
In regard to personal strife and subsequent media attention, Hathaway uses a mantra that quotes Oscar Wilde: "The less said about life's sores the better."
Trade Mark
Often plays sassy, free-spirited women who attempt to remain independant
Salary
Bride Wars (2009) $5,000,000
Get Smart (2008) $5,000,000
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