Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz (pronounced “Vice”) is an English born, Academy Award winning actress, who is well received by critics and fans alike.
Weisz was born on March 7, 1971 in London, England. Her father is a Jewish Hungarian inventor who fled to England to avoid persecution from the Nazi party. Her mother is a Catholic Austrian psychoanalyst who had dreams of becoming an actress. Weisz has referred to herself as being Jewish.
Weisz attended North London Collegiate School, but was later expelled. She then attended Benenden School, which did not sit well with her either. Finally she ended up at St. Paul’s Girl’s School at the age of 13, which is where she stayed. At the age of 14, the 5 foot 7 inch Weisz started modeling. She was also asked to star in the Richard Gere film, King David (1985) but her parents wouldn’t allow it.
She went on to attend Cambridge University as an English major. During her time at the University she began acting in various student productions. She was also responsible for co-founding the drama group, Cambridge Talking Tongues. Her first acting award was the Guardian Student Drama Award, which she won at the Edinburgh Festival.
In the early 1990’s, Weisz began to break into UK television. She began her film career in 1995 with Chain Reaction, alongside Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves. She then returned to her roots and did several English films including: Swept From the Sea (1997) and The Land Girls (1998).
In recent years, Weisz has completed a variety of films, many of them becoming Blockbuster hits. Some of the films she has starred in include: The Mummy (1999) opposite Brendan Fraser, About a Boy (2002) opposite Hugh Grant, Runaway Jury (2003) opposite John Cusack, and Constantine (2005) teaming up once again with Keanu Reeves.
Weisz has received much acclaim for her role in her latest film The Constant Gardener (2005) opposite Ralph Fiennes, for her portrayal of a pregnant woman while she was actually pregnant with her first child. The role won Rachel an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2006.
In 2006, Weisz starred in The Fountain opposite Hugh Jackman. The film was written, directed, and produced by her fiancé, Darren Aronofsky. At that time she was also planning on starring in a production of the Broadway play, Miss Julie in 2006.
Weisz lives with fiancé, Aronofsky in Brooklyn, New York. They welcomed their first child into the world, Henry Chance on May 31, 2006. Weisz has been previously linked with Alessandro Nivola, Neil Morrissey, and Sam Mendes. She is good friends with fellow Brits, Jude Law and Susan Lynch and fashion designers Donna Karan and Narciso Rodriguez. In early 2008 Rachel starred alongside the girlfriend of Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen, Isla Fisher in Definitely Maybe, a romantic story about a guy who looks back over his courting days while trying to explain his life's descisions to his daughter played by ABigail Braslin. With Ryan Reynolds as the leading man, Rachel Weisz as a past love and Kevin Kline as a mad writer, the film had all the components of a true chick flick! |
