Kate Winslet

When it comes to the Oscars, five-time nominee Winslet is always the bridesmaid but (as of yet) never the bride. But this sexy British thespian — who's happily married to Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes — was the first actress to snag four Oscar nods before turning 30, due to her consistently superlative work. Born to an acting family (her parents, grandparents and sisters are all performers), Winslet began training at an early age. At age 19 she made a stunning film debut as a frail, romance-obsessed teen driven to murder in Heavenly Creatures. Set in the '50s, the fantastical film was the first of a series of period pieces for the actress. Her turn as another lovesick maid in the film adaptation of Jane Austen's 18th-century novel Sense and Sensibility earned Winslet her first Academy Award and Golden Globe nods and a SAG Award. But it was her sexy, Oscar and Globe-nominated performance as a healthy, headstrong society lady in Titanic that would turn her into a megastar. As the female lead in one of the highest-grossing films of all time, the modest Winslet was suddenly slapped on magazine covers and found herself idolized and analyzed. Her weight became a constant point of controversy, as she was curvier than most of her cinematic contemporaries. But Winslet publicly refused to starve herself and even criticized GQ magazine for retouching cover photos to make her look thinner. Due to her independent nature, Winslet eschewed typical Hollywood fare in favor of quirkier flicks (Hideous Kinky, Holy Smoke!) and prestige projects, such as Iris, which again earned her Oscar and Golden Globe nods. At this point, Winslet was divorced from her first husband, assistant director James Threapleton, involved with Mendes and mother to two children. Understandably, she slowed her pace a bit, yet she made a marked impression in every movie she found time to make, whether it was her endearing turn as an impulsive soul trapped in a dysfunctional relationship with her repressed boyfriend in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (more Oscar and Golden Globe nods) or a friendly widow who befriends the author of Peter Pan in Finding Neverland. In 2006, she lent her talents to a quartet of projects: Although the remake of All the King's Men was critically lambasted, and the animated trifle Flushed Away disappeared, the so-so comedy The Holiday proved she could evoke laughs, and her performance as an unhappy housewife involved in a torrid affair in Little Children netted her myriad award nominations, including the usual Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG nods.
Kate Winslet Fast Facts:

• Landed her first acting job at age 11 as the spokesperson for Sugar Puffs breakfast cereal.
• Chose small, independent films following the success of Titanic because, as she told Interview magazine in 2000, "For me, it's never been about being a famous movie star."
• First boyfriend, scriptwriter Stephen Tredre, died of cancer while Winslet was filming 1999's Hideous Kinky. Production halted so she could return to England for his funeral.

Kate Winslet Relationships:
• Anna Winslet - Sister
• Jim Threapleton - Ex-husband
• Joe Mendes - Son
• Joss Winslet - Brother
• Mia Threapleton - Daughter
• Roger Winslet - Father
• Sally Winslet - Mother
• Sam Mendes - Husband
• Beth Winslet - Sister

Kate Winslet Awards:
• 1997 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
• 2004 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
• 2006 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
• 1995 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Nominee
• 2001 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Nominee
• 1998 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
• 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
• 2005 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
• 1996 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
• 2002 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
• 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee
• 1999 Grammy: Best Spoken Word Album For Children - Winner