Rachel Weisz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rachel Weisz
Weisz in 2018
Born	Rachel Hannah Weisz (1970-03-07) 7 March 1970 (age 55) Westminster, London, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom United States
Alma mater	Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Occupation	Actress producer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Daniel Craig ​ (m. 2011)​
Partner(s)	Darren Aronofsky (2001–2010)
Children	2
Relatives	Minnie Weisz (sister)
Awards	Full list

Rachel Hannah Weisz (born 7 March 1970) is a famous English actress. She is known for her roles in both independent films and big Hollywood movies. Rachel has won many important awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award.

Rachel Weisz started acting in plays and TV shows in the early 1990s. Her first movie was Death Machine in 1994. She became very well-known for playing Evelyn Carnahan in the action-adventure films The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001). She has starred in many other popular films like About a Boy (2002) and Constantine (2005).

In 2005, Rachel won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the thriller The Constant Gardener. She also won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her stage performance in A Streetcar Named Desire in 2009. More recently, she appeared in big movies like The Bourne Legacy (2012) and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). For her role in The Favourite (2018), she won a BAFTA Award and was nominated for another Academy Award. In 2021, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the film Black Widow.

Early Life and Family Background

Rachel Hannah Weisz was born in Westminster, London, on March 7, 1970. She grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Her father, George Weisz, was a mechanical engineer from Hungary. Her mother, Edith Ruth, was a teacher and later a psychotherapist from Austria.

Both of Rachel's parents moved to the United Kingdom as children around 1938. They came to escape the Nazis before World War II started. Her family had different backgrounds, including Jewish and Italian Catholic heritage. A scholar named James Parkes helped her mother's family leave Austria.

Rachel's parents loved the arts and encouraged their children to think for themselves. Rachel went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, where she studied English. While at university, she was part of a student drama group called Cambridge Talking Tongues. This group won an award at the 1991 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Rachel started modeling when she was 14 years old. In 1984, she turned down a chance to star in a movie with Richard Gere.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out in the 1990s

In 1992, Rachel Weisz appeared in a TV film called Advocates II. She then had roles in the TV show Inspector Morse and the BBC drama Scarlet and Black. Her first film role was in Dirty Something, a BBC TV movie.

Rachel's big break on stage was in the 1994 play Design for Living. She won an award for being the most promising new actress. Critics said her performance was "wonderful."

Her first major film role was in Chain Reaction (1996), with Keanu Reeves. She then appeared in Stealing Beauty, where she was called an "English rose." She also acted in Swept from the Sea (1997) and The Land Girls (1998).

In 1999, Rachel starred in the historical film Sunshine. That same year, she became famous worldwide with the adventure film The Mummy. She played Evelyn Carnahan, an English Egyptologist. The movie was a big hit. She returned for the sequel, The Mummy Returns, in 2001, which earned even more money.

Rachel also continued acting on stage. In 1999, she played Catherine in Suddenly Last Summer and Evelyn in The Shape of Things. Her stage performances were highly praised.

Success in the 2000s

In 2000, Rachel was in the film Beautiful Creatures. She then appeared in Enemy at the Gates (2001) and the comedy-drama About a Boy (2002) with Hugh Grant. In 2003, she starred in Runaway Jury with Dustin Hoffman and John Cusack.

Rachel Weisz in 2007

In 2004, Rachel was in the comedy Envy. Her next role was with Keanu Reeves in Constantine, based on a comic book.

Her performance in The Constant Gardener (2005) was a major success. She played an activist named Tessa Quayle. For this role, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. This film helped her become one of the top British actresses.

In 2006, Rachel starred in the romantic drama The Fountain. She also voiced Saphira the dragon in the fantasy film Eragon. She turned down a role in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor because of problems with the script. Later, she appeared in My Blueberry Nights (2007) and The Brothers Bloom (2008). In 2009, she played Hypatia of Alexandria in the film Agora. That same year, she played Blanche DuBois in the play A Streetcar Named Desire, earning great reviews.

Busy in the 2010s

Rachel Weisz at the 2012 Deauville American Film Festival

Rachel starred in The Whistleblower (2010), a powerful film that was praised by critics. She also lent her voice to an episode of The Simpsons. In 2011, her roles included The Deep Blue Sea, 360, and the thriller Dream House with Daniel Craig.

In 2012, she starred in the action thriller The Bourne Legacy. In 2013, Rachel acted on Broadway with her husband, Daniel Craig, in the play Betrayal. It was a very successful play. That same year, Rachel played Evanora in the fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful.

Rachel Weisz at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival

In 2015, she appeared in the drama film Youth and the science fiction film The Lobster, which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2016, she was in The Light Between Oceans and played Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt in Denial.

In 2017, Rachel starred in My Cousin Rachel and The Mercy. Her production company, LC6 Productions, released its first film, Disobedience, in which she also starred.

In 2018, Rachel played Sarah Churchill in The Favourite. This role earned her a BAFTA Award and another Academy Award nomination. In 2019, she joined the cast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Widow, playing Melina Vostokoff. The film was released in 2021.

Recent Work in the 2020s

Rachel Weisz starred in and helped produce the thriller miniseries Dead Ringers in 2023. This show was a remake of an older film.

Personal Life

In 2001, Rachel Weisz started dating filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. They got engaged in 2005, and their son was born in May 2006 in New York City. They lived in Manhattan and remained good friends even after they separated in 2010.

Rachel had been friends with English actor Daniel Craig for many years. They worked together on the 2011 film Dream House. They started dating in December 2010 and got married on June 22, 2011, in a small ceremony in New York. Only four guests were there, including Rachel's son and Daniel's daughter. On September 1, 2018, they welcomed their first child together, a daughter.

Rachel Weisz has appeared on the covers of many magazines, including Vogue. She has also worked with fashion designers and became a global ambassador for L'Oréal in 2010. She learned karate for her role in The Brothers Bloom. Rachel was born a British citizen and became a US citizen in 2011.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theatre Performances

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Rachel Weisz in 2018

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  Rachel Weisz in 2007

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  Rachel Weisz at the 2012 Deauville American Film Festival

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  Rachel Weisz at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival

See also

• List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
• List of Jewish Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• List of actors with three or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories