Born and raised in Melbourne

Appeared as an extra in a film made in Egypt while visiting the country on holiday

Attracted attention for her performance in "Electra" at the National Institute of Dramatic Art

Joined Sydney Theatre Company, appeared in "Oleanna," starring opposite Geoffrey Rush

Made TV debut in a commercial

TV acting debut in episodes of the Australian series "Police Rescue"

Co-starred in the Australian TV program "Heartland"

Made film acting debut in the short "Parklands"

Feature film debut in "Paradise Road"

Had featured role in the Australian film "Thank God He Met Lizzie"; won Best Supporting Actress Award from Australian Film Institute

Co-starred opposite Ralph Fiennes in "Oscar and Lucinda," directed by Gillian Armstrong

Played title role in Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth," a film biography of Queen Elizabeth I; received Best Actress Oscar nomination

Had featured roles in Barry Levinson's "Pushing Tin" and Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley"

Made London stage debut in the Donmar revival of David Hare's "Plenty"

Co-starred as a Russian chorus girl in "The Man Who Cried"; screened at Venice; released in USA in 2001

Cast as a Southern widow with psychic abilities in "The Gift"

Portrayed the elf queen Galadriel in the Peter Jackson-directed "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings"

Cast as Petal Bear, the wife of Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) in "The Shipping News"

Played the title character in Gillian Armstrong's "Charlotte Gray"

Starred in "Heaven," Tom Tykwer's English-language directorial debut

Portrayed slain Irish journalist Veronica Guerin in "Chasing the Dragon: The Veronica Guerin Story"; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama

Reprised Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings; The Two Towers"

Again portrayed Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

Starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in the suspense thriller "The Missing," directed by Ron Howard

Cast in Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes" a series of short stories that all have coffee and cigarettes in common; received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female

Portrayed legendary screen icon Katharine Hepburn opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in "The Aviator"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress

Co-starred with Brad Pitt as a tragedy-stricken American couple vacationing in Morocco in "Babel"

With husband Andrew Upton, named as joint artistic directors of Australia's Sydney Theatre Company (STC).

Portrayed an art teacher who is arrested for having an affair with a 15-year-old student in "Notes on a Scandal"; received Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Reprised her award winning role in the sequal, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; earned Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama

Portrayed Bob Dylan at one distinct stage of his life, in Todd Haynes' film "I'm Not There"; received SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress

Cast as the villian in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"; directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and co-starring Harrison Ford as Indy