Kathrin Romany Beckinsale, born on 26 July 1973, is an English actress known for her roles in period, romance, and action films, and is the only child of actors Richard Beckinsale and Judy Loe.
Beckinsale made her acting debut at one year old as an extra on the British daytime drama Couples, featuring her parents, but didn't act again until nearly adulthood in 1991.
In 1992, she starred in the short film "Rachel's Dream" and made her stage debut in Noël Coward's Hay Fever, while studying at the University of Oxford.
Beckinsale's film debut came in 1993 with Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, leading to roles in British costume dramas like Prince of Jutland and Emma.
She diversified her filmography with roles in The Last Days of Disco, Brokedown Palace, Pearl Harbor, Serendipity, Tiptoes, The Aviator, and Click.
Taking the role of Selene in the Underworld series (2003-2016) marked her transition into action films, including Van Helsing, Whiteout, Contraband, and Total Recall.
Beckinsale also earned acclaim in Snow Angels, Nothing but the Truth, Everybody's Fine, Love & Friendship, and The Only Living Boy in New York.
Recently, she returned to television in the limited series The Widow and the dramedy Guilty Party, also serving as an executive producer in the latter.
Beckinsale's early life was marked by the death of her father when she was five, moving in with director Roy Battersby, and growing up in a politically active household.
She studied at Godolphin and Latymer School, won awards for writing, experienced a nervous breakdown and anorexia, studied at Oxford, and later focused on her acting career.
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