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A flawless English beauty with flashing blue eyes, Catherine McCormack quickly rose to prominence after her portrayal of Murron, the doomed sweetheart of William Wallace, in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning epic “Braveheart” (1995). This native of Alton trained at the Oxford School of Drama where she began to hone her craft in stage productions of classical and contemporary work. She segued to the small screen where she was featured in Anna Campion’s “In the Woods”. The director chose McCormack for the pivotal role of a neurotic student in the ensemble of “Loaded/Bloody Weekend” (1994; released in the USA in 1996). While her role in “Braveheart” was ornamental at best, McCormack lent charm and charisma to the part. Audiences were impressed by her flowing hair and preternatural attractiveness rather than her acting ability. Similarly, “North Star” (1996), a little-seen adventure in which she played the kidnapped mistress of an Alaskan gold prospector, wasted her talents in an underwritten role where she was required to look good and act feisty.

Her first leading role in “Dangerous Beauty” (1998), as a 16th Century woman who, when spurned by her true love, becomes a courtesan seemed on paper to further typecast the actress for her appearance. It certainly didn’t hurt that she looked at home in the sumptuous period costumes, but McCormack crafted more than just a surface portrayal, mining the character for its wit, passion and power. Completely believable as a desired object of beauty (despite her protests of “I’m quite a gangly, awkward person”), she successfully carried the picture, although audiences and critics offered a rather cool reception. McCormack was once again better than her material playing a WWII-era girl attempting to stay true to her fiance in “Land Girls” (1998). Finally, in “Dancing at Lughnasa” (also 1998), she had a role worthy of her. As the unwed mother Christina, the youngest in a family of five sisters in 1930s Ireland, McCormack delivered a beautifully nuanced portrait of a romantic torn between her love for a dashing Welshman and her duty to her family. Returning to more contemporary times, she appeared alongside Kathy Burke, Jennifer Ehle, Dougray Scott and Douglas Henshall in the relationship comedy-drama “This Year’s Love” (1999).

• Born:
  in Alton, Hampshire, England
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Director

Family

• Brother: Steven McCormack.

Significant Others

• Companion: Joseph Fiennes. dating in summer 1999

Education

• Convent of Our Lady of Providence, Alton, England

Milestones

• 1994 Feature acting debut in the ensemble of “Loaded/Bloody Weekend”, directed by Campion; released theatrically in the USA in 1996
• 1995 Had supporting role as the doomed bride of William Wallace in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning epic “Braveheart”
• 1996 Co-starred with Billy Connolly in the British TV-movie “Deacon Brodie”
• 1998 Appeared as one of “The Land Girls” alongside Anna Friel and Rachel Weisz
• 1998 First leading role in films, the Italian courtesan in “Dangerous Beauty/The Honest Courtesan”
• 1998 Portrayed Christina, the youngest of five Irish sisters and an unwed mother, in “Dancing at Lughnasa”, directed by Pat O’Connor
• 1999 Acted with Douglas Henshall and Kathy Burke in “This Year’s Love”, a contemporary comedy-drama about relationships
• 1999 Made London stage debut in “Anna Weiss”
• 2000 Announced plans to make film directing debut with an adaptation of a William Boyd short story
• 2000 Co-starred with Julie Walters in a revival of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” at London’s National Theatre
• 2000 Portrayed German actress Greta Schroeder in “Shadow of the Vampire”
• 2001 Appeared alongside Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in “The Spy Game”
• 2001 Appeared opposite Peter McDonald in Neil Jordan’s one-act play “White Horses” in Dublin
• 2001 Portrayed an embassy worker seduced by a British agent in “The Tailor of Panama”
• 2001 Returned to the London stage in Sam Shepard’s play “A Lie of the Mind”
• 2005 Cast as physicist, Dr. Sonia Rand in “A Sound of Thunder,” based on a short story by award-winning author Ray Bradbury
• Acted in the British TV-movie “In the Wood”, directed by Anna Campion
• Began career in stage roles as a student at Oxford School of Drama
• Raised in Alton, England