BIOGRAPHY
Actress Anne Hathaway had a wholesome start in Hollywood, establishing her strong screen presence with breakout roles in family fare The Princess Diaries (2001) andElla Enchanted (2004), while many of her peers were getting far more attention for their rehab and party antics. But the well-grounded, well-educated Hathaway held focus on her career, evolving into impressively three-dimensional adult roles in widely heralded films Nicholas Nickelby (2002), Brokeback Mountain (2005) and the role which proved she could more than hold her own against the greatest talents, as well as carry a film herself The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Having proven her potential range and her flair for intelligent, feisty, and often unpredictably intense characters, Hathaway found herself with steady offers in both comedies and dramas and a promising career usually far from the tabloid spotlight.
Anne Hathaway was born in Brooklyn, NY on Nov. 12, 1982, and raised in suburban Millburn, NJ. Her father, Gerald, was a lawyer while mother, Kate McCauley, was an actress who inspired Hathaway to follow the same creative path. Hathaways natural talents proved to be far more evolved than the average high school theater star, resulting in the teenager being accepted into the prestigious Barrow Group Theater Company in New York City. A trained soprano, Hathaway also performed at Carnegie Hall as part of the All Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus. Three days after that momentous performance at Carnegie Hall, she was offered a role in the short-lived television drama Get Real (FOX 1999-2000). After a stint in Hollywood, Hathaway returned to graduate from Millburn High School and studied at the academically competitive Vassar College before transferring to New York University. In New York City, she was able to maintain a presence in the acting world while also maintaining a down-to-earth life with students her age.
In 2001, the unknown 19-year-old became an overnight sensation with her lead role in Disneys The Princess Diaries, after having charmed director Garry Marshall by accidentally falling off her chair during her audition. The slip convinced Marshall that Hathaway was perfect for the role of the awkward American teenager who discovers she is a princess after the death of her absent father, and is groomed for the throne by her regal grandmother (Julie Andrews). Marshall who had directed Pretty Woman(1990) also saw more than a fleeting glimpse of a Julia Roberts-like look and feel to Hathaways performance. The family film was a box office success and Hathaway found herself in the position of reluctant role model to tweens everywhere. Her next release was the indie The Other Side of Heaven (2002) which had actually been filmed prior to Princess Diaries, but producers delayed its release when it became apparent that the films star was about to become an overnight success. Unfortunately, Hathaways newly bankable name was not enough to transform The Other Side of Heaven into a hit, though it did strike a chord with Christian audiences.
Hathaway followed up with a role as beguiling artist Madeline Bray in the Dickens adaptation Nicholas Nickleby (2002), which was one of the years critical picks and a Golden Globe nominee for Best Picture. That year, she also made her Broadway debut as the lead in a revival of Carnival! and impressed critics with her well-rounded song and dance talents. Her first misfire another aspiring Princess tale Ella Enchanted (2004) lacked the sparkle of Princess Diaries, but Hathaway rebounded with a sequel to her mega-hit, reprising her role in Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). But even though she was a newly minted star with a hefty paycheck rolling in, the actress found herself at a crossroads, dangerously close to being typecast in family fare if she did not make some choices that showcased darker, more complex angles. She made her first break with the past by playing a bored, wealthy Los Angeles teenager who entertains herself by cruising the ghettos for drugs and gang member boyfriends, but advance reviews resulted in straight-to-video status for Havoc (2005).
A supporting role in Ang Lees Academy Award-nominated and controversial Brokeback Mountain (2005) successfully showcased the actress evolving talent to a huge, worldwide audience. Fully decked out as a Texas rodeo queen-turned-businesswoman, Hathaway gave a commanding performance that spanned decades and followed her characters transformation from rambunctious flirt to disillusioned, long-suffering wife of a distant husband with a secret double life (Jake Gyllenhaal). Back in the star seat, Hathaway proved yet again that she was a bankable talent with the hit comedy The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Based on the bestselling and critically reviled novel about an assistant at Vogue magazine, Hathaways character was a plain Janeturned-glamorous fashionista, as a result of constant humiliation by her demanding boss (Meryl Streep). She eventually rebels against the unreasonable standards of beauty and in a triumphant ending, returns to her true love flannel and serious journalism.
In 2007, Hathaway took on the daunting role of portraying beloved English novelistJane Austen in the fictionalized portrait of the authors early years, Becoming Jane(2007). While praised for her chemistry with romantic lead James McAvoy and her dedication to immersing herself in the character, the resulting film was a critical toss-up that brought in only moderate business. But another successful comedy was on the horizon, with Hathaway co-starring opposite Steve Carell in the summer releaseGet Smart (2008). As Agent 99, a character made famous by Barbara Feldon in the original 1960s TV series, Hathaway was a perfect casting choice to play the infinitely more competent of the pair of spies. After starring in the independently made, but little-seen disaster thriller Passengers (2008), Hathaway gave a standout performance in Rachel Getting Married (2008), playing an overly dramatic, crisis-ridden young woman who returns home for her sisters wedding. Hailed by critics, Hathaway earned several year-end nominations, including nods for Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards, Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
Prior to earning her first Golden Globe nod, Hathaway went through a bad patch of personal trauma that was amplified by public embarrassment. In June 2008, her longtime boyfriend, Italian real estate hotshot, Raffaello Follieri, was arrested by the FBI for defrauding investors through his Follieri Foundation by claiming he had connections to the Vatican that would allow him to buy land owned by the Catholic Church at a discount. Follieri then misappropriated his investors money by spending upwards of $2.4 million on his lavish lifestyle, which included a $37,500-a-month apartment on 5th Avenue in New York that he shared with Hathaway. The couple was together since 2004, but Hathaway broke off the relationship soon after Follieris arrest. The FBI did, however, confiscate Hathaways personal journals she participated in the foundations development and was a financial donor but court papers later stated that she was an unwilling beneficiary of stolen money. Hathaway was in a state of shock for a spell and stayed away from the press, but later gave an interview detailing the fiasco in the October 2008 issue of W magazine.
FILMOGRAPHY
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)Played "White Queen"
- Rachel Getting Married (2009) 15 (Contains strong language and moderate sex)Played "Kym"
- Bride Wars (2009) PG (Contains mild language and sex references)Played "Emma"
- Passengers (2008) (for thematic elements including some scary images, and sensuality)Played "Claire"
- Get Smart (2008) 12A (Contains moderate language and action violence)Played "Agent 99"
- Becoming Jane (2007) PG (Contains mild sex references and scenes of boxing)Played "Jane Austen"
- Devil Wears Prada, The (2006) PG (for some sensuality)Actor/Actress
- Hoodwinked (2006) U (Contains mild violence)Played "Voice of Red", Song Performer ("Great Big World")
- Brokeback Mountain (2006) 15 (Contains strong language, moderate sex and violence)Played "Lureen Newsome"
- Ella Enchanted (2004) PG (Contains mild comic violence)Played "Ella"
- The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) U (Contains no sex, violence or bad language)Played "Mia Thermopolis"
- Havoc (2004) (for strong graphic violence, language and some drug use)Actor/Actress
- Nicholas Nickleby (2003) PG (Contains some mild violence)Played "Madeline Bray"
- The Princess Diaries (2001) U (Contains very mild language and comic sex references)Played "Mia Thermopolis"
- The Other Side of Heaven (2001) (for thematic elements and brief disturbing images)Actor/Actress
- Eye of the Storm (2001)Played "Jean Sabin"
