Winslet, Kate (1975-…), is an English motion-picture actress known for her sensitive portrayals of complex women. She gained international recognition as the romantic heroine opposite the American star Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic (1997), one of the most popular films in history. Winslet won the Academy Award as best actress for her performance as a former Nazi concentration camp guard in The Reader (2008). She also has won several Emmy and Golden Globe awards for her work.
Kate Elizabeth Winslet was born on Oct. 5, 1975, in Reading, England, into an acting family. Her grandparents founded the Reading Repertory Theatre, and her mother and father were both actors.
Winslet made her acting debut at the age of 11 in a television commercial. After appearing on the stage and in television comedies, she made her motion-picture debut as a teenager involved in a murder in Heavenly Creatures (1994). Winslet’s other major films include Sense and Sensibility (1995), Jude and Hamlet (both 1996), Hideous Kinky (1998), Holy Smoke (1999), Quills (2000), Enigma and Iris (both 2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland (both 2004), Little Children (2006), Revolutionary Road (2008), Carnage and Contagion (both 2011), Labor Day (2013), Divergent and A Little Chaos (both 2014), The Dressmaker and Steve Jobs (both 2015), and Collateral Beauty (2016). Winslet also played the title characters in the TV miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011) and Mare of Easttown (2021).
In 2012, Winslet released The Golden Hat: Talking Back to Autism (with Margret Ericsdottir), a book of photos and poetry, to support autism awareness. Also in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom awarded Winslet the title Commander of the British Empire.
