Catherine McCormack
Encyclopedia
Catherine McCormack is an English actress, known for her stage acting as well as her screen performances in films such as Braveheart
, Spy Game
and Dangerous Beauty
.
, England. She has Irish ancestry, as one of her grandfathers was Irish. Her mother died of lupus
when McCormack was six years old, and her steelworker father subsequently raised her and her brother Stephen. She was brought up in the Catholic religion (though is now a "lapsed Catholic
") and attended Convent of Our Lady of Providence. She then went on to study at the Oxford School of Drama
.
winning movie Braveheart
. Her screen debut however was as the lead in the Anna Campion directed film Loaded, and has subsequently stated that she had a "miserable time with the director (Anna Campion)... it was my first film job, I needed to be mollycoddled, I needed to be helped through it, and I wasn't. Mostly, it was a horrible experience." After Braveheart, McCormack had lead roles in Nils Gaup's Northstar and Marshall Herskovitz
's Dangerous Beauty
. Other films include Spy Game
and 28 Weeks Later
. Despite being in demand, she does few films, stating that "I read very few scripts I'm passionate about... Maybe one in every twenty or thirty."
's play of The 39 Steps
. In 2008, she performed the role of Nora in A Doll's House
, directed by Peter Hall at the Theatre Royal, Bath
, and also the role of Isabel Archer in a stage adaptation of The Portrait of a Lady
, both of which commenced their runs in July 2008, ending in August, before transferring to the Rose Theatre
in Kingston later that year.
In 2009 she appeared in the UK tour of Headlong
's adaptation of Six Characters in Search of an Author
.
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
, Spy Game
Spy Game
Spy Game is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62,362,785 in the United States and $143,049,560 worldwide.-Plot:...
and Dangerous Beauty
Dangerous Beauty
Dangerous Beauty is a biographical drama film directed by Marshall Herskovitz. It is adapted from the non-fiction book The Honest Courtesan, by Margaret Rosenthal, , about the life of Veronica Franco , a courtesan in 16th century Venice.A stage musical version of the film premiered on July 25,...
.
Early life
McCormack was born in Alton, HampshireAlton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
, England. She has Irish ancestry, as one of her grandfathers was Irish. Her mother died of lupus
Lupus erythematosus
Lupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity . Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs...
when McCormack was six years old, and her steelworker father subsequently raised her and her brother Stephen. She was brought up in the Catholic religion (though is now a "lapsed Catholic
Lapsed Catholic
A lapsed Catholic is a person who has ceased practicing the Catholic faith, in the sense of attending Mass. Such a person may still identify as a Catholic.-"Lapsed Catholic" and "ex-Catholic":...
") and attended Convent of Our Lady of Providence. She then went on to study at the Oxford School of Drama
Oxford School of Drama
The Oxford School of Drama is one of the most prestigious drama schools in the United Kingdom, and the only professional drama school in Oxfordshire...
.
Film
McCormack's first notable role was as the character Murron MacClannough in the multiple Academy AwardAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
winning movie Braveheart
Braveheart
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
. Her screen debut however was as the lead in the Anna Campion directed film Loaded, and has subsequently stated that she had a "miserable time with the director (Anna Campion)... it was my first film job, I needed to be mollycoddled, I needed to be helped through it, and I wasn't. Mostly, it was a horrible experience." After Braveheart, McCormack had lead roles in Nils Gaup's Northstar and Marshall Herskovitz
Marshall Herskovitz
Marshall Schreiber Herskovitz is an American film director, writer and producer, and currently the President Emeritus of the Producers Guild of America. Among his productions are Traffic, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and I Am Sam. Herskovitz has directed two feature films, Jack the Bear and...
's Dangerous Beauty
Dangerous Beauty
Dangerous Beauty is a biographical drama film directed by Marshall Herskovitz. It is adapted from the non-fiction book The Honest Courtesan, by Margaret Rosenthal, , about the life of Veronica Franco , a courtesan in 16th century Venice.A stage musical version of the film premiered on July 25,...
. Other films include Spy Game
Spy Game
Spy Game is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62,362,785 in the United States and $143,049,560 worldwide.-Plot:...
and 28 Weeks Later
28 Weeks Later
28 Weeks Later is a 2007 British/Spanish film sequel to the 2002 post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later. 28 Weeks Later was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and released in the United Kingdom and United States on 11 May 2007...
. Despite being in demand, she does few films, stating that "I read very few scripts I'm passionate about... Maybe one in every twenty or thirty."
Theatre
McCormack has shown preference in her career towards the theatre, saying that "theatre really is an actor's medium: you're on stage with no director anymore, whereas in film very rarely do you get much rehearsal other than running through the scene very quickly. Then everyone comes in and shoots it." McCormack was one of the original 2006 London cast of Patrick BarlowPatrick Barlow
Patrick Barlow is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the founder, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, which has performed on stage, on television and on radio.-Radio:Barlow is the scriptwriter, as...
's play of The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps (play)
The 39 Steps is a farce adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. Patrick Barlow wrote the adaptation, based on the original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon of a two-actor version of the play...
. In 2008, she performed the role of Nora in A Doll's House
A Doll's House
A Doll's House is a three-act play in prose by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premièred at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month....
, directed by Peter Hall at the Theatre Royal, Bath
Theatre Royal, Bath
The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
, and also the role of Isabel Archer in a stage adaptation of The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady
The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880–81 and then as a book in 1881...
, both of which commenced their runs in July 2008, ending in August, before transferring to the Rose Theatre
Rose Theatre, Kingston
The Rose Theatre, Kingston is a theatre on Kingston High Street in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The theatre seats 899 around a wide, lozenge shaped stage....
in Kingston later that year.
In 2009 she appeared in the UK tour of Headlong
Headlong
Headlong may refer to:* Headlong, a British theatre company* Headlong , a 1980 novel by Emlyn Williams* Headlong , a 1999 novel by Michael Frayn* Headlong , a 1999 novel by Simon Ings...
's adaptation of Six Characters in Search of an Author
Six Characters in Search of an Author
Six Characters in Search of an Author is a play by the Italian writer Luigi Pirandello.The play is a satirical tragicomedy. It was first performed in 1921 at the Teatro Valle in Rome, to a very mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Manicomio!" .Subsequently the play enjoyed a much...
.
Theatre work
- 2000: Nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 (2000 season) for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in All My SonsAll My SonsAll My Sons is a 1947 play by Arthur Miller. The play was twice adapted for film; in 1948, and again in 1987.The play opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947 and ran for 328 performances...
at the Royal National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, Cottesloe Stage. - 2003: Played Claudia in the UK premiere of Honour, a play by Joanna Murray-SmithJoanna Murray-SmithJoanna Murray-Smith is a Melbourne based playwright, screenwriter, novelist, librettist and newspaper columnist.-Biography:...
at the Royal National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, London. - 2003: Played Siân in DinnerDinner (play)Dinner is a 2002 play by the British dramatist Moira Buffini. It premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London on 18 October 2002.-Original Production:It was first performed at the Royal National Theatre in 2002, with the following cast:...
, a new play by Moira BuffiniMoira BuffiniMoira Buffini is an English dramatist, director and actor.-Career:Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award...
. It co-starred Harriet WalterHarriet WalterDame Harriet Mary Walter, DBE is a British actress.-Personal life:She is the niece of renowned British actor Sir Christopher Lee, as the daughter of his elder sister Xandra Lee. On her father's side she is a great-great-great-granddaughter of John Walter, founder of The TimesShe was educated at...
and Nicholas FarrellNicholas FarrellNicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
. - 2006: Played The Woman in The 39 StepsThe 39 Steps (play)The 39 Steps is a farce adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. Patrick Barlow wrote the adaptation, based on the original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon of a two-actor version of the play...
at the Tricycle TheatreTricycle TheatreThe Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...
and Criterion Theatre, London. - 2007: Jo in The Lady from DubuqueThe Lady From DubuqueThe Lady from Dubuque, a play by Edward Albee, opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on January 31, 1980. It closed there after a mere 12 performances...
at the Theatre Royal Haymarket - 2008: A Doll's HouseA Doll's HouseA Doll's House is a three-act play in prose by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premièred at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month....
/ The Portrait of a LadyThe Portrait of a LadyThe Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880–81 and then as a book in 1881...
at the Theatre Royal, Bath & Rose Theatre, Kingston.
Filmography
- Loaded (1994)
- WycliffeWycliffe (TV series)Wycliffe is a British TV series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe . It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a...
(1 episode, "The Scapegoat", 1994) - BraveheartBraveheartBraveheart is a 1995 epic historical drama war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. The film was written for the screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
(1995) - North Star (1996)
- Deacon Brodie (1997) (TVTelevision movieA television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
) - The Land GirlsThe Land Girls (film)The Land Girls is a 1998 movie directed by David Leland and starring Catherine McCormack, Rachel Weisz, Anna Friel, Steven Mackintosh and Ann Bell. It is based on the book Land Girls by Angela Huth.-Synopsis:...
(1998) - Dangerous BeautyDangerous BeautyDangerous Beauty is a biographical drama film directed by Marshall Herskovitz. It is adapted from the non-fiction book The Honest Courtesan, by Margaret Rosenthal, , about the life of Veronica Franco , a courtesan in 16th century Venice.A stage musical version of the film premiered on July 25,...
(1998) - Dancing at LughnasaDancing at Lughnasa (film)Dancing at Lughnasa is a 1998 film adapted from the Brian Friel play of the same title, directed by Pat O'Connor.The movie competed in the Venice Film Festival of 1998. It won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Female Role by Brid Brennan...
(1998) - This Year's LoveThis Year's LoveThis Year's Love is the title of a 1999 film set in and around Camden Town in London. It was written and directed by David Kane.-Cast:*Dougray Scott as Cameron*Jennifer Ehle as Sophie*Ian Hart as Liam*Sophie Okonedo as Denise...
(1999) - Love in the 21st Century (1 episode, "Reproduction", 1999)
- The Debtors (1999)
- Shadow of the VampireShadow of the VampireShadow of the Vampire is a 2000 horror film directed by E. Elias Merhige and written by Steven Katz, and starring John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, and Udo Kier. The film is a fictionalized account of the making of the classic vampire film Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, directed by F. W....
(2000) - A Rumor of AngelsA Rumor of AngelsA Rumor of Angels is a 2000 American film directed by Peter O'Fallon, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Ray Liotta. The story is based upon the 1918 novel Thy Son Liveth: Messages From a Soldier to His Mother by Grace Duffie Boylan...
(2000) - The Weight of WaterThe Weight of Water (film)The Weight of Water is a 2000 film based on the novel of the same name by Anita Shreve. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film stars Sean Penn, Elizabeth Hurley, Sarah Polley, Josh Lucas and Catherine McCormack...
(2000) - Born RomanticBorn RomanticBorn Romantic is a 2000 British film directed by David Kane. The film is centered around a salsa club. Fergus is trying to find his ex-girlfriend, the elderly charmer Frankie the beautiful Eleanor and the robber Eddie is trying to find one of his victims, cemetery worker Jocelyn.-Plot:Salsa dancing...
(2000) - The Tailor of PanamaThe Tailor of PanamaThe Tailor of Panama is a 2001 American film based on the 1996 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré, which was inspired by Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana...
(2001) - ArmadilloArmadillo (film)Armadillo is a Danish documentary film about Danish soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. The film follows a group of soldiers from the Guard Hussars regiment who are on their first mission in Helmand Province at a forward operating base named FOB Armadillo. The film premièred at the Cannes Film...
(2001, TV) - Spy GameSpy GameSpy Game is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62,362,785 in the United States and $143,049,560 worldwide.-Plot:...
(2001) - Broken Morning (2003, TV)
- Gunpowder, Treason & PlotGunpowder, Treason & PlotGunpowder, Treason & Plot was a 2004 BBC miniseries loosely based upon the lives of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her son James I of England. The writer Jimmy McGovern tells the story behind the Gunpowder Plot in two parts, each centred on one of the monarchs....
(2004, TV) - Strings (2004; voice in English version)
- Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore (2005, TV)
- A Sound of ThunderA Sound of Thunder (film)A Sound of Thunder is a 2005 science fiction film directed by Peter Hyams. The film was planned originally for a 2002 release. However, flooding in Prague and other financial difficulties—including the bankruptcy of the original production company during post-production—resulted in a delayed...
(2005) - Elizabeth David: A Life in RecipesElizabeth David: A Life in RecipesElizabeth David: A Life in Recipes is a 2006 BBC Television docudrama telling the life story of the British cookery writer Elizabeth David....
(2006, TV) - RenaissanceRenaissance (film)Renaissance is a 2006 French black-and-white animated science fiction film by French director Christian Volckman. It was co-produced in France, United Kingdom and Luxembourg and released on 15 March 2006 in France and 28 July 2006 in the UK by Miramax Films...
(2006, voice) - Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an EmpireAncient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an EmpireAncient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire is a 2006 BBC One docudrama series, with each episode looking at a different key turning point in the history of the Roman Empire.-Production:...
(1 episode, "Nero", 2006) - The Moon and the StarsThe Moon and the StarsThe Moon and the Stars is a 2007 romantic drama film starring Jonathan Pryce, Alfred Molina, Catherine McCormack and directed by John Irvin.-Plot:...
(2007) - 28 Weeks Later28 Weeks Later28 Weeks Later is a 2007 British/Spanish film sequel to the 2002 post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later. 28 Weeks Later was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and released in the United Kingdom and United States on 11 May 2007...
(2007) - Stevie (2008)
- Midnight ManMidnight Man (TV serial)Midnight Man is a 2008 British television serial produced by Carnival Films for the ITV network. The three-part serial stars James Nesbitt as Max Raban, a former investigative journalist who discovers an international conspiracy involving government policy groups and death squads...
(2008)