Her first acting job was dancing with the Honey Monster in a commercial for Sugar Puffs cereal.
At age 11, she began attending the acting school Redroofs in Maidenhead, England, UK.
Has very large feet and wears size 11 shoes.
Prefers to wear boots rather than ordinary shoes because it makes her feel that her feet are “firmly on the ground”.
Daughter Mia Honey Winslet Threapleton was born in England on October 12, 2000, weighing in at 8 pounds 9 ounces.
Son, Joe Alfie Winslet Mendes was born in New York on December 22, 2003 and weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces.
Met first husband, James Threapleton, on the set of her movie Hideous Kinky, where he was working as an assistant director. They married on November 22, 1998 and announced their divorce on September 3, 2001.
Married director Sam Mendes in a private ceremony whilst on holiday in the West Indies on May 24, 2003.
Very close friends with co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Thompson.
Her daughter Mia had to be delivered by Cesearian section which made Kate feel she hadn’t given birth properly. She only admitted to it after giving birth to her son Joe (who had been delivered naturally).
When interviewed on “Good Morning America” to promote her film The Holiday, they surprised her by showing a clip which was supposedly Winslet on the Sugar Puff Commercial in 1987. However, the girl in the clip shown was not her. Winslet did not point out the error because she did not want to embarrass the researcher and get the person fired. She was then praised by the media for her caring and consideration of other people.
Husband Sam Mendes was born in the same hospital as her, 10 years earlier.
Bust size 34C (1996).
Dated actors Rufus Sewell and late Stephen Tredre.
Missed the premiere of Titanic because she was attending the funeral of close friend and former boyfriend, Stephen Tredre, who died of bone cancer.
Resides in both London, England and New York City, USA.
She sold her North London home in Belsize Park to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin.
Stands at 5’8″ (1.73m).
Is addicted to nicotine (she rolls her own cigarettes) and coffee (she’s a big Starbucks fan). In an interview in 2004, she commented she’s allowed herself two cigarettes a day since she doesn’t smoke around her children.
Favorite movies include The Piano, Reservoir Dogs, Silence Of The Lambs, Santa Claus: The Movie and Grease.
Refuses to read reviews.
Favorite bands/singers are Indigo Girls, The Verve, Oasis and Portishead.
Nicknames: English Rose, Combat Kate (for her love for combat boots) and Corset Kate (because she has acted in a lot of period films). Childhood nickname was Blubber.
Actress Winona Ryder is obsessed with her. On her Oscar night in 1996 when she was nominated for Sense And Sensibility, Winona sent her a bouquet of flowers with a note saying, ‘Good luck tonight. I think you’re wonderful. Much love, Winona Ryder’.
The youngest actress ever to be nominated for five Academy Awards (for Sense And Sensibility, Titanic, Iris, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Little Children, aged 20, 22, 26, 29 and 31 respectively).
Holds a unique position in Academy Awards history: only twice have two actresses been nominated for playing the same role in the same film. The first was Gloria Stuart and Kate in Titanic. The second was Judi Dench and Kate in Iris.
Kenneth Branagh turned her down for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but she didn’t have to audition or even read to get the part of Ophelia in Hamlet.
Turned down lead roles in Anna And The King, Shakespeare In Love and Autumn In New York.
Before she landed her first movie role, Kate worked in a deli. She was in the middle of making a pastrami sandwich when she received the call that she’d been cast in Heavenly Creatures.
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress (1994), Manchester Evening News Award for her theater role in “What The Butler Saw” as Geraldine Barclay.
After her first success in the film Heavenly Creatures a reviewer predicted that she would always be associated with that character, and would never be a big star.
On the day she had to film the straightjacket scene in Hamlet, she learned she had won the role of Rose in Titanic.
Won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children (“Listen To The Storyteller”) in 2000.
Recorded a song for the soundtrack for the movie Christmas Carol: The Movie. Producers were so impressed at her efforts they have decided to release the ballad — called “What If” — as a single. It reached the top ten in the UK in 2001.
Was considered for the role of Bridget in Bridget Jones’s Diary but it was then decided she was too young to portray the role.
Was offered the role of Eowyn in The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers.
Offered the role of Tess in The Constant Gardener but turned it down to do Finding Neverland.
Sprained her ankle on the set of Romance & Cigarettes in May 2004.
Her performance as Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is ranked #81 on Premiere Magazine’s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
