short biography
Among Andrew Upton's works, the most notable are “The Cherry Orchard,” which is based on the play of the same name by the great Russian playwright and writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, and the 2005 film “Secrets of Lost Souls,” which starred his wife.
Andrew Upton is quite famous in his country and other English-speaking countries, but in Russia and Eastern European countries his work is little known, even though he staged plays and made films based on the works of Russian writers. He acted as a screenwriter in the following films: “The Lost” (2006), “The Cherry Orchard” (2011) and “10 Moments of Fate” (2013). In addition, he directed the film Secrets of Lost Souls (2005), which tells the stories of six different people.
Achievements
Andrew Upton never demonstrated many outstanding achievements in the film industry. He has only a few films to his credit, but each of them received high marks from critics. His theatrical productions brought him the greatest fame. Many of them were very warmly received by the public. And in 2014, he received the highly prestigious Rotary Professional Excellence Award for his work as an individual who demonstrates consistent excellence in his work.
Despite his relatively little fame in our country, Andrew is a person whose works are highly valued in world cinema and drama. In Russia, his wife Cate Blanchett is much more popular. Their personal life is of interest to both fans of her and his work, and the media constantly cover the details of their life together and relationships.
Cate Blanchett was born in Australia, in Melbourne on May 14, 1969. In addition to Kate, the family has two more children. When she was ten years old, her father died. She took the loss of her father very hard. Kate's mother raised three children alone and worked as a school teacher. Kate's hobby became a theater group, which she regularly attended. After graduating from school, Blanchette went to study at the University of Melbourne at the Faculty of Economics, but she did not study there for long. Upon returning home, she entered the National Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1992, after graduating from the academy, she joined the Sydney Theater Company. In 1993, Blanchett received the Rosemont Award for Best Actress and the Critics' Award for Best Newcomer. Kate had enormous success in the theater, which contributed to her getting her first film role.
In 1997, Blanchett starred in the film Road to Heaven and in the film Thank God He Met Lizzie. For her role in the film Thank God He Met Lizzie, Kate received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress. That same year, Blanchett won the lead role in the film Oscar and Lucinda. The producers of the film did not want to approve Kate for the main role, but at the insistence of director Gillian Armstrong, Blanchett was given the role, and she did an amazing job. Critics praised Kate's performance. In 1988, the film “Elizabeth” was released, where Blanchett played the main role, for which she received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. In 1999, Kate starred in the same film along with such world-famous actors as Jolie, Cusack and Thornton - “Flight Control”. She starred in the film An Ideal Husband with Julianne Moore.
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Blanchett played the role of Galadriel, which brought her worldwide fame. Her successful roles also included roles in such films as: “Bandits” in 2001, “The Aviator” in 2004, “Babel” in 2006, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008 and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” in 2009. For her role in the film “The Aviator,” Kate received an Oscar. In 2010, the actress played the role of Marion in the film “Robin Hood.” 2011 was marked by the release of such films as The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg and “Hannah. The perfect weapon." The film "The Hobbit. Part 1" is expected to be released in 2012, and "The Hobbit. Part 2" in 2013. In 1997, Blanchett met screenwriter Andrew Upton. A year later the couple got married. They had three children-sons: Dashiel John (2001), Roman Robert (2004) and Ignatius Martin (2008).
Filmography
Upton's list of cinematic works is relatively small, so it can be included within the scope of this article. Andrew Upton's filmography is as follows:
- 1999 short film Bangers.
- “Secrets of not lost souls” (2005).
- "The Missing" (2006).
- "The Cherry Orchard" (2011).
- “10 Moments of Fate” (2013).
- Philistines: Live at the University of Regina (2014).
- "Carol" (2015).
Here is an almost complete list of all his cinematic works to which he is somehow involved. The number of theatrical productions created by Andrew Upton is much greater than his work in cinema.
Having become famous as a theater director, Andrew Upton is not too keen on creating film products, although his few works in the field of cinematography have proven themselves exclusively on the positive side, which indicates the high level of skill and talent of this man. However, in Russia, neither the films he created nor the productions on the theater stage are practically known, so few people have heard of him.
Personal life
Famous Australian actress Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton began dating back in 1996. A year after the start of their relationship, the couple decided to get married.
The wedding took place on December 29, 1997. Since that day, the couple have still lived together. The couple has four children, three of whom are sons. The daughter, whose name is Edith Vivian Patricia Upton, is step-child for the couple. They adopted her in the spring of 2015. The decision to accept an adopted child into the family was made by both spouses jointly, but the initiative belonged to the wife, actress Cate Blanchett, who persuaded her husband to commit this act.
Initially, the couple lived in the Australian city of Sydney, later they moved to London for some time, but after a while they returned to Australia, where they still live.
Family and personal life of Andrew Upton
The hero of our article, together with his wife, the unsurpassed Cate Blanchett, known for such films as the historical film “Elizabeth”, the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “The Scandalous Diary” and “Babylon”, can rightfully be called one one of the most harmonious and colorful, and most importantly, the strongest couples in Australia. And these are not empty words - the couple has been married for no less than 18 years! During this time, there were no public quarrels, scandals, and even less separations. It seemed that any disagreements bypassed the spouses.
Andrew Upton and Cate Blanchett met in early 1997, while preparing for the famous play The Seagull. The couple has been legally married since December 29, 1997. Their wedding took place in the Blue Mountains National Park, which is located in a state called New South Wales. For some time, the newlyweds had to live in the coastal area of Sydney, then, a few years later, the couple moved to London, where the couple’s career immediately began to gain momentum. But, despite such a rapid rise to the long-awaited heights, with the birth of their sons, the couple make a unanimous and very noble decision to return to their homeland, to hot and so alluring Australia.
They have three beautiful sons (Ignatius Martin Upton, Roman Robert Upton, Dashiell John Upton) and one daughter (Edith Vivian Patricia Upton), whom the couple adopted in March 2020. Today, the children of a talented couple delight their parents with their school successes and daily achievements on such a difficult path of growing up. Surprisingly, both Andrew and Kate manage to combine not only acting in the theater, a busy filming schedule, but also raising children, which does not present any particular difficulties for them.
Andrew Upton and Harriet Dyer
Last fall, Upton was spotted in one of the bars in the company of the young actress Harriet Dyer, who was only 27 years old at that time. They met while working together at the Sydney Theater Company.
Even then they had quite a warm relationship, which could hardly be called friendly. Andrew and Harriet came to the bar arm in arm, where they had fun, hugged and played billiards. As journalists note, when Andrew hugged his young passion, she was all glowing with happiness. People with whom Upton works refrain from commenting on this situation.
This case, which demonstrates that the theater director has a long history of adultery, has stirred up the public. Rumors spread that the couple were preparing for divorce. However, there is no reliable information that this is true.
Blanchett, Kate
Origin and education Cate Blanchett (full name Catherine Alice Blanchett) was born on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne (Australia). Her father, a native of Texas, served as a naval officer. After marrying an Australian, he moved to Melbourne and went into advertising business. When Kate was ten years old, he died of a heart attack. The mother, who worked as a teacher, had to raise three children alone. After graduating from Methodist Women's College in Melbourne, Cate Blanchett entered the University of Melbourne, where she studied economics and humanities. However, she soon dropped out of school and went traveling. In Egypt, she starred as an extra in a local boxing film and after that decided to try her hand at acting. Returning to Australia, Blanchett entered the National Institute of Dramatic Art, from which she successfully graduated in 1992. Career in the theater Cate Blanchett began acting on the stage of Sydney theaters while still a student. In 1992, she made her debut in the play “Cool Girls”, and then played in the production of “Kafka Dances”. In 1993, the actress received the Sydney Theater Critics Award for Best Newcomer, and the same year she was awarded the title of Best Theater Actress for her role in the provocative play Oleanna (the story of a professor accused of sexual harassment by a student). In 1995, she appeared in three theatrical projects - “Tender Phoebe”, “Dance of the Blind Giant” and “The Tempest”. Since the mid-1990s. She began to successfully act in films and returned to the theater only in 1999, when she was involved in some performances on the stage of the Old Vic Theater in London. In 2008 she became artistic director of the Sydney Theater Company. Under her leadership, the theater, which had fallen on hard times, regained popularity, including through productions of Hedda Gabler and A Streetcar Named Desire. Film career In the mid-1990s. Blanchett has appeared in several Australian television series. And in 1997, director Bruce Bersford invited her to play a role in the military melodrama “Road to Paradise.” The actress's debut in big cinema turned out to be very successful, and soon she starred in the romantic comedy Thank God He Met Lizzie. For this work she received her first film awards - awards from the Australian Film Institute and the Society of Film Critics of the country. That same year, Blanchett was invited to Hollywood to film the historical melodrama Oscar and Lucinda. The producers were initially against director Gillian Armstrong's decision to cast an actress who was unknown in the United States at the time. But then they agreed after seeing her previous works. In 1998, the actress received worldwide recognition by playing the role of Queen Elizabeth I of England in Shekhar Kapur’s film “Elizabeth.” Her co-stars were Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush and Vincent Cassel. Critics responded enthusiastically to her work. This role was awarded at the British Academy BAFTA, and at the same time she was nominated for an Oscar for the first time. Soon several Hollywood films with her participation appeared on the screens. These are the melodramas “An Ideal Husband” (1999) and “Flight Control” (1999), the drama “The Man Who Cried” (2000), where she appeared in the role of a Russian cabaret dancer, and the mystical thriller “The Gift.” This was followed by the role of the elf queen Galadriel in the cult film trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”. In 2004, Cate Blanchett starred in Martin Scorsese's drama The Aviator, playing the companion of millionaire Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) - Hollywood star Katharine Hepburn. This picture brought her stunning success - the actress received an Oscar for her supporting role, awards from the British Academy and the Screen Actors Guild. Then she appeared in several more films, which gained success among the audience. Among them are the thriller “Little Fish” (2005; received an Australian Film Institute Award), Alejandro González Iñárritu’s drama “Babel” (2006), where her partners were Brad Pitt and Gael Garcia Bernal, Steven Spielberg’s military-political film with George Clooney and Toby Maguire “The Good German” (2006) and the drama “Diary of a Scandal” (2006). In 2007, Blanchett again played the role of Queen Elizabeth I in the historical drama The Golden Age. That same year, she received a Golden Globe for “I’m Not There.” Blanchett's further successful works include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and the action adventure Robin Hood (2010). In 2012-2014 she worked on the set of the prequels of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In 2013, Woody Allen's drama Jasmine was released, in which Blanchett played the role of a woman who suddenly lost her home, fortune, and husband. Critics called this work one of the most striking in her career. It brought her numerous awards, including a BAFTA, an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Later, Cate Blanchett appeared in such films as the military action film “Treasure Hunters” (2014), the drama “Carol” (2014), the fairy-tale melodrama “Cinderella” (2015), the drama “Manifesto” (2016), where she played 13 characters, as well as the fantastic action movie "Thor: Ragnarok" from Marvel Studios (2017) and the action movie "Ocean's Eight" (2018). In total, Blanchett has more than 70 roles. Awards During her film career, Blanchett was awarded two Oscars, three Golden Globes, three BAFTA awards, as well as a number of other Australian and American awards. In 2008, her star was unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Family Since 1997, Cate Blanchett has been married to screenwriter and editing editor Andrew Upton. In 2008-2013 he was the second director of the Sydney Theater Company. They have three sons (Dashiell John, Roman Robert and Ignatius Martin), and in 2020 the couple adopted a girl (Edith Vivian Patricia). The actress currently lives in Australia, where she moved from London in the 2000s.
Relationships between spouses
Despite all the rumors about her husband’s infidelity, Cate Blanchett does not want to believe it and tries not to comment on this aspect of living together with her husband; she tries to calmly resolve the problems that have arisen in the family, without taking any hasty actions that she may later regret. Just a couple of years ago, no one doubted that everything was fine in the celebrity family, and they lived in perfect harmony.
However, recent news is causing people to begin to doubt this. The situation is aggravated and interest in it is fueled by numerous provocative photographs where Andrew Upton is captured in the company of young people. Photos taken in a variety of places, when the playwright is having fun in the company of other women, almost categorically confirm the fact of adultery.
In such a situation, there can no longer be talk of any happiness in family life, but, in the absence of clear comments from the spouses themselves and their entourage, it is not possible to draw specific conclusions about the stability in the family of star spouses, therefore the public and fans of creativity and the husband , and the wife can only make guesses based on gossip and speculation that are so persistently inflated in the media.
Cate Blanchett - 51: the best roles of the brilliant actress
"Elizabeth", 1998
Director Shekhar Kapur had no doubt when he saw the actress at the casting: she is the true Queen Elizabeth. Composure, demeanor, stand and arrogant look - Kate was ready for the role even before rehearsals. We are transported to England, to 1554. After the death of Henry VIII's daughter, Queen Mary, young Elizabeth ascends to the throne - the one whom Catholics did not want to see reign. A coup is coming, conspiracies are being hatched, an unclean game is being played. All in order to overthrow Elizabeth. But everything secret will become clear, the queen will remain in her place, and all participants in the conspiracy will certainly be executed. For her role as Elizabeth, Cate Blanchett was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category, and also won BAFTA and Golden Globe awards. The continuation of the film “Elizabeth” is the film “The Golden Age”, released in 2007.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy, 2001-2003
In the iconic trilogy by Peter Jackson, based on the famous novel by J. R. R. Tolkien. Cate Blanchett played a minor but quite significant role here. Her elven mistress Galadriel was strong, unshakable and fair. Kate, like no one else, approached this role and, as usual, coped with it according to all the criteria. The trilogy tells viewers the incredible story that happened to Frodo Baggins, an ordinary hobbit who had the difficult mission of destroying the One Ring in the fateful mountain of Orodruin, where it was cast several centuries ago. Frodo could not even imagine how many dangerous adventures would fall to his lot and how difficult it was to carry the Ring, which could take over the mind at any moment... The trilogy was nominated for thirty Oscar awards, but won only seventeen.
"Paradise", 2002
The main character of the drama is an ordinary teacher named Philippa. She leads a measured life and it seems that everything is going according to plan. But when Philippa’s husband dies, and the police do not want to investigate his death, the woman has no choice but to become the “Angel of Vengeance” herself. Philippa finds the doctor responsible for the death of her husband, smuggles a bomb into his office and brings justice. But her crime will not go unpunished: the woman ends up in the dock, where she unexpectedly falls in love with a young police officer, Filippo. The man will not allow Philippa to go to prison, so he helps her escape from custody. A rather ambiguous and dark film with a deep love story.
"Aviator", 2004
This biographical film is based on the story of aviator and film producer Howard Hughes, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Having received a small business from his father and increased his fortune, Howard decides to make a film about the exploits of World War I pilots. It was while working on the film that the man realized that airplanes were close to him, and he dreams of becoming a pilot. Howard will certainly make his dream come true, and will also become the main sponsor for the development of a new reconnaissance aircraft that should help the United States during World War II. But Hughes has many enemies who will dig under him and will not allow the development of his activities. Cate Blanchett played Howard's lover, the famous actress Katharine Hepburn, in the film and received another Oscar for her role in the Best Supporting Actress category.
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", 2008
The film is based on the story of the same name by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. The main character is Benjamin Button. He was born in 1918 in New Orleans. His story is amazing - Benjamin was born in the body of a baby, but at the age of 85 years. The body is exhausted, the face and body are wrinkled, the muscles are atrophied. Unable to unravel the mystery of such a “miracle,” Ben’s father sends him to a nursing home, where nurse Queenie looks after him. Throughout his life, Benjamin will grow younger and his life will end when he is a baby. The man's existence is complicated by the fact that he falls in love with Daisy, the granddaughter of one of the residents of the nursing home, played by Cate Blanchett. And unlike him, Daisy is not getting younger, but aging, so they are not destined to be together.
"Jasmine", 2013
Jasmine is a socialite and the wife of a multimillionaire fraudster, holding a good position in a large company. She was used to luxury, comfort, travel, expensive salons and good clothes. Everything falls apart when her husband is sent to prison and she herself is fired from her job. Jasmine is left without a livelihood and has no idea what to do next. A poor woman is forced to move from New York to San Francisco, rent a small apartment and get a job as an ordinary secretary in order to make ends meet and slowly recover from all the difficulties. Jasmine secured Kate another Oscar for Best Actress.
“Where did you go, Bernadette”, 2019
Comedy drama about Bernadette Fox, a talented architect who lives in a luxurious house surrounded by a loving family. It seems that everything in her life is perfect and there is simply nothing to run from, but Bernadette does not think so. The woman considers her life boring and dull, absolutely everything has stopped making her happy, so one fine day she runs away. Where? No one knows. Her husband and her daughter will have to uncover the reason for Bernadette's disappearance, while she herself will try to find herself and find true happiness in places where it is difficult to imagine.
