The daughter of a Jewish-Hungarian
inventor and an Austrian psychoanalyst, Rachel Weisz
was born in London on 7 March 1971. She spent her
teenage years in modeling, and after attending Cambridge
to study English, she broke into acting with a role
in Design for Living. Her performance in the play
won her the Critics' Circle Best Newcomer award,
and she next took a starring role in the BBC's TV
adaptation of Scarlet Black (1993).
Weisz first earned the attention of international
audiences with her role as the spoiled daughter
of a sculptor in Stealing Beauty (1996).
This recognition was furthered as she starred opposite
Keanu Reeves in Chain Reaction that same year. Weisz
followed it with leads in smaller films such as
The Land Girls (1997),
a World War II drama that cast her as a young socialite
sent to work on a farm; and Going All the Way (1997)
alongside Ben Affleck, in which she played as Affleck's
Jewish girlfriend.
After returning to Britain to star as a hairdresser
in I Want You (1998),
Weisz reappeared in the summer blockbuster The Mummy
(1999), alongside Brendan
Fraser. That same year, she played another love
interest alongside Ralph Fiennes in Sunshine, an
epic drama about three generations of a Hungarian
Jew’s family.
Weisz next appeared in Enemy at the Gates (2000)
as a Russian-American sniper caught between the
affections of a Russian party official, played by
Joseph Fiennes, and a legendary sniper, played by
Jude Law.
After making a return in The Mummy Returns (2001),
Weisz starred alongside screen legend Dustin Hoffman
in the crime drama Confidence (2003)
which gained positive reviews from critics. She
then appeared in the courtroom thriller Runaway
Jury (2003) and the
comedy Envy (2004).
Filmography:
2005
The Constant Gardener
2005
Constantine
2005
The Fountain
2004
Envy
2003
Runaway Jury
2003
Confidence
2003
The Shape of Things
2002
About a Boy
2001
The Mummy Returns
2001
Enemy at the Gates
2000
Beautiful Creatures
1999
Sunshine
1999
Tube Tales
1999
The Mummy
1998
I Want You
1997
Swept From The Sea
1997
Going All the Way
1997
The Land Girls
1996
Chain Reaction
1996
Stealing Beauty
1993
Scarlet & Black
Awards:
Broadcast Film Critics Association
•
2005 Best Supporting Actress (The
Constant Gardener)
Golden Globe
•
2005 Best Supporting Actress (The
Constant Gardener)
