Anne Hathaway

Early life

Hathaway was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Gerald Thomas Hathaway, is a labor attorney, and her mother, Kathleen Ann "Kate" (née McCauley), is a former actress who inspired Hathaway to follow in her footsteps. Kathleen played Fantine in the first U.S. tour of Les Misérables. Anne's maternal grandfather was WIP-AM Philadelphia radio personality Joe McCauley. When Hathaway was six years old, her family moved to Millburn, New Jersey, where she grew up. Hathaway is the middle of three children with her older brother, Michael and younger brother, Thomas. Kathleen is of Irish descent, and Gerald is of Irish, French, English and German ancestry. Her surname originates in England.

Hathaway was raised as Roman Catholic with what she considers "really strong values", and stated that she wished to be a nun during her childhood: "When I was 11, I felt like I got a calling from God to be a nun." At the age of fifteen, her relationship with the Catholic Church changed, after learning that Michael was gay. She said: "I realized my older brother was gay, and I couldn't support a religion that didn't support my brother. Now I call myself a non-denominational Christian, because I haven't found the religion for me." The year prior, in 2009, she stated that her religious beliefs are "a work in progress".

Hathaway attended Brooklyn Heights Montessori School and Wyoming Elementary School in Millburn. She graduated from Millburn High School, where she played soccer and participated in many school plays and her high school performance as Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress won her a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award nomination for Best Performance by a High School Actress. Later, she appeared in plays, including Jane Eyre and Gigi at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse. She spent several semesters studying as an English major and Political Science minor at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York where she said she "ate her way through political science, gothic American literature and British literature" before transferring to New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, referring to her college enrollment as one of her best decisions because she enjoyed being with others who were trying to "grow up". She has stated she would have either become an English teacher or psychologist if she were not acting.

Hathaway studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and was the first teenager admitted into the Barrow Group Theater Company's acting program. Between 1998 and 1999, she sang soprano with the All-Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus at Carnegie Hall and in plays at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey. She is a trained stage actress and stated to The Associated Press that she prefers performing on stage to film roles. At the start of her film career, Hathaway's acting style and beauty has been compared to the likes of Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn. She cites Garland as one of her favorite actresses and Meryl Streep as her idol.

1999–2004: Career beginnings and breakthrough

At the age of sixteen, three days after her performance at Carnegie Hall, Hathaway was cast in the short-lived Fox television series Get Real.

She made her film debut The Princess Diaries, which is based on Meg Cabot's 2000 novel of the same name and directed by Garry Marshall. Hathaway auditioned for the role of a princess-to-be during a flight layover on the way to New Zealand and was cast on the strength of this one audition. She also starred with Christopher Gorham in another Disney film, The Other Side of Heaven (2001), directed by Mitch Davis and inspired by John H. Groberg's memoir In the Eye of the Storm. She won the role over 500 other girls. Released prior to The Other Side of Heaven in hopes that its success would increase interest in Heaven, The Princess Diaries became a major commercial success, grossing US$165 million worldwide. Many critics praised Hathaway's performance, with a BBC critic noting that "Hathaway shines in the title role and generates great chemistry." The Other Side of Heaven met with mostly negative reviews, but performed well for a religion-themed film.

Hathaway starred in the City Center Encores! concert production of Carnival! in her New York City stage debut, receiving positive reviews for her portrayal of Lili in February 2002. Later, Hathaway began voicing the audiobook release of The Princess Diaries, including the first three books. She voiced Haru Yoshioka for the English version of The Cat Returns.

Hathaway portrayed princesses and appeared in family-oriented films over the next three years, subsequently becoming known in mainstream media as a children's role model. In 2002, she starred in with Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Bell in Douglas McGrath's comedy-drama, Nicholas Nickleby, which opened to positive reviews. The Deseret News said that the cast was "Oscar-worthy". Despite critical acclaim, the film never entered wide release and failed at the North American box office, totaling less than $4 million in ticket sales. Hathaway played the titular character in the romantic comedy fantasy film Ella Enchanted (2004), based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name, which opened to mostly indifferent reviews. Hathaway sang two songs in the film as well as three on the soundtrack, including a duet with singer Jesse McCartney.

In 2003, Hathaway declined the role for Joel Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera (2004), because the production schedule of the film overlapped with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) which she was contractually obligated to make. Disney began production on the film in early 2004, and it was released in August of that year. The film opened to negative reviews, but made $95.1 million against a $40 million budget.

2005–2010: Transition to adult roles and success

Hathaway said that "anybody who was a role model for children needs a reprieve", although she noted that "it's lovely to think that my audience is growing up with me". She replaced Tara Strong and voiced Red Puckett in Hoodwinked!, and sang the song "Great Big World". It is based on the Little Red Riding Hood folktale, which received mixed reviews by critics. Later, she starred in Barbara Kopple's drama film Havoc, as a spoiled socialite, appearing nude in some of its scenes. Although the content of the film was different from her previous films, Hathaway denied that her role was an attempt to be seen as a more mature actress, citing her belief that doing nudity in certain films is merely a part of what her chosen form of art demands of her; and because of that belief she does not consider appearing nude in appropriate films to be morally objectionable. The film was not released in theaters in the United States due to unfavorable critical reception.

Hathaway starred alongside Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee's drama Brokeback Mountain (2005). It won rave reviews and received several Academy Award nominations. Hathaway later stated that the content of the film was more important than its award count and that making it made her more aware of the kind of stories she wanted to tell as an actress.

In 2006, she starred in David Frankel's comedy film The Devil Wears Prada, as an assistant to a powerful fashion magazine editor (Meryl Streep), whom Hathaway described as being "just divine". Hathaway said that working on the film made her respect the fashion industry a great deal more than she had previously, though she claimed that her personal style is something she "still can't get right". In an interview with Us Weekly, Hathaway discussed the weight loss regimen she and co-star Emily Blunt followed for the film, she stated, "I basically stuck with fruit, vegetables and fish [to slim down]. I wouldn't recommend that. Blunt and I would clutch at each other and cry because we were so hungry."

Hathaway was cast in Knocked Up, but dropped out before filming began and was replaced by Katherine Heigl. Writer and director Judd Apatow stated in a May 2007 issue of The New York Times Magazine that this happened because "she didn't want to allow us to use real footage of a woman giving birth to create the illusion that she is giving birth". In an August 2008 interview with Marie Claire, Hathaway commented that she "didn't believe that it was necessary to the story". Hathaway starred in Becoming Jane, as the titular English writer Jane Austen. Tim Burton considered Hathaway for the part of Johanna Barker in his 2007 film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but she was replaced by Jayne Wisener, because Burton decided he wanted Wiesner for the part.

In January 2008, Hathaway joined beauty giant Lancôme as the face of their fragrance Magnifique, and in October of that year, she hosted the NBC late-night sketch comedy Saturday Night Live. She also starred in the film adaptation of Mel Brooks' television series Get Smart, in which she played Agent 99. Directed by Peter Segal, the film was a hit at the box office, prompting talk of a sequel. She also made a cameo appearance in the tie-in film Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control. Later, she starred in the film Passengers alongside Patrick Wilson and in Rachel Getting Married with Debra Winger. Rachel Getting Married premiered at the 2008 Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals and garnered her widespread critical acclaim for her performance as Kym, including nominations for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Hathaway said that the film appealed to her because of its real depiction of relationships and because of the strong emotional connection she felt with her character.

Hathaway starred in Bride Wars (2009), which she described as being "hideously commercial – gloriously so". In addition to providing her voice for episodes of The Simpsons, which garnered her an Emmy Award in 2010 for outstanding voice-over performance, and Family Guy in 2010, she also appeared as Viola in the New York Shakespeare Festival's summer 2009 production of Twelfth Night at the Delacorte Theater in New York City's Central Park, with Audra McDonald as Olivia, Raul Esparza as Duke Orsino and Julie White as Maria. In the same year, Hathaway was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2010, Hathaway played the White Queen in Tim Burton's adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. She summed up her character with a caption on a magnet of Happy Bunny holding a knife; "Cute but psycho. Things even out." Hathaway described her interpretation of the White Queen as "a punk-rock vegan pacifist", with inspiration drawn from Debbie Harry, Greta Garbo and Dan Flavin's artwork.

On November 25, 2010, Hathaway's erotic romantic drama comedy film Love & Other Drugs was released. It co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and is directed and co-written by Edward Zwick and based on the non-fiction book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy. It grossed $102 million worldwide, and Hathaway received a Satellite Award for Best Actress for her role. Other projects included the romantic comedy The Fiancé, an adaptation of the Julie Buxbaum novel The Opposite of Love, the Garry Marshall-directed ensemble comedy Valentine's Day, and an adaptation of Gerald Clarke's biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, in which she played the title role on the stage and screen. On November 29, 2010, it was announced that Hathaway and James Franco would host the 83rd Academy Awards. Together with actor Denzel Washington, Hathaway hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway on December 11, 2010.

In 2010, she was named one of the sexiest stars of the year by Entertainment Weekly, and Forbes magazine named her Hollywood's Best Actors for the Buck, the highest return profit among actresses.

2011–present: Critical acclaim and worldwide recognition

In 2011, Hathaway voiced Jewel, a Spix's macaw from Rio de Janeiro, in the animated film Rio, produced by 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios. The film received generally positive reviews from film critics who praised the visuals, voice acting and music. A commercial success, it went on to gross over $143 million in the United States and $484 million worldwide.

Later, Hathaway starred alongside Jim Sturgess in One Day, which was based on David Nicholls' 2009 novel of the same name and directed by Lone Scherfig. The film tells the story of two young people who meet on the same day, July 15, for the twenty years after they share a one-night stand together at university. Hathaway was clandestinely given the script as One Day was set in the United Kingdom and Scherfig was not looking for any American actresses for the part. After a nonproductive meeting with Scherfig, Hathaway left a list of songs for Scherfig to listen to, which eventually led to Hathaway getting the part. However, Hathaway's Yorkshire accent in the role of Emma was later widely regarded as subpar. Columnist Suzanne Moore, reviewing the film on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, said the accents were "all over the shop". Moore went on to say, "Sometimes she's from Scotland, sometimes she's from New York, you just can't tell". The film itself received mixed to negative reviews from critics, but became a moderate box office success, grossing a total of $56.7 million with a budget of $15 million.

In 2012, Hathaway's audiobook recording of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was released at Audible.com. Her performance was nominated for a 2013 Audie Award for Best Solo Narration – Female.

Later in 2012, Hathaway played sly, morally ambiguous cat burglar Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan's final installment in the Batman trilogy. Hathaway auditioned not knowing what role she was being considered for, admitting that she had one character in mind, but only learned that the role was Selina Kyle after talking with Christopher Nolan for an hour. She described the role as being the most physically demanding she had ever played, and confessed that while she thought of herself as being fit she had to redouble her efforts in the gym to keep up with the demands of the role. Hathaway trained extensively in martial arts for the role, and looked to Hedy Lamarr—who was the inspiration for the Catwoman character—in developing her performance. The Dark Knight Rises received a positive critical response and grossed over $1.085 billion worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2012. Hathaway also won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Selina Kyle.

Hathaway played Fantine in Tom Hooper's film Les Misérables, which was based on the musical of the same name. Her mother had played the role in the stage show's first national U.S. tour. Footage of Hathaway singing "I Dreamed a Dream," a song from the film, was shown at CinemaCon on April 26, 2012. Hooper described Hathaway's singing as "raw" and "real." For the role, Hathaway lost a substantial amount of weight, and, in character, had her long hair cut short on camera. Hathaway won more than thirty accolades, including the Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. Christopher Orr from The Atlantic wrote that "Hathaway gives it everything she has, beginning in quiet sorrow before building to a woebegone climax: she gasps, she weeps, she coughs. If you are blown away by the scene—as many will be—this may be the film for you." Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post wrote that "The centerpiece of a movie composed entirely of centerpieces belongs to Anne Hathaway, who as the tragic heroine Fantine sings another of the memorable numbers". In January 2013, Hathaway's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" reached number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Hathaway reprised her role as Jewel in the animated film Rio 2, which was released in the North America on April 11, 2014. This was the 3rd time Hathaway starred with Jamie Foxx. Hathaway starred in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, along with Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain. The science-fiction film pertained to relativists Albert Einstein's, Stephen Hawking's and Kip Thorne's theories on wormholes, and was released in the United States and Canada on November 5, 2014.

Hathaway starred with Robert De Niro in Nancy Meyers' The Intern. She reprised the role of the White Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, which was released on May 27, 2016.

In November 2015, she joined the ensemble cast of Shane Carruth's third film The Modern Ocean, alongside Keanu Reeves, Jeff Goldblum, Daniel Radcliffe, Chloe Grace Moretz, Asa Butterfield, Tom Holland and Abraham Attah.

In March 2016, it was reported that Hathaway would reprise her role for The Princess Diaries 3. Garry Marshall was also set to direct once again, and it was to begin filming in New York City, but the project was pulled after his death in July of the same year. The 2015 found footage horror movie Be My Cat: A Film for Anne, about a young man in Romania who goes to shocking extremes to convince Hathaway to star in his film, was officially selected and had its North American premiere in April 2016 at the Nashville Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize for Best Actor. Hathaway is one of several actors featured on Barbra Streisand's 2016 album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway. Along with Daisy Ridley, Hathaway and Streisand perform the song At The Ballet from A Chorus Line, with Hathaway performing the role of Maggie, one of a trio of dancers hoping to be cast in an upcoming show.

In August 2016, Hathaway joined the all-female spin-off of the Ocean's Eleven franchise, titled Ocean's Eight directed by Gary Ross, opposite Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna and Awkwafina. She is also slated for Steven Knight's Serenity alongside Matthew McConaughey and Diane Lane. Hathaway is set to star as the titular character in a live-action film adaptation of the Barbie film series.

Relationships

In 2004, Hathaway developed a romantic relationship with Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri. Follieri's Manhattan-based foundation, established in 2003, focused on efforts such as providing vaccinations for children in poor countries. In June 2008, it was investigated by the IRS, for failure to file required nonprofit information forms.

On June 24, 2008, Follieri was arrested on charges of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars in a scheme in which Follieri posed as the Vatican's point man on real-estate investing. It was reported that the FBI confiscated Hathaway's private journals from Follieri's New York City apartment as part of their ongoing investigation into Follieri's activities; however, Hathaway was not charged with any crime. On October 23, 2008, after earlier pleading guilty, Follieri was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Hathaway married actor and businessman Adam Shulman on September 29, 2012, in Big Sur, California in an interfaith Christian and Jewish service. In late November 2015, it was announced that Hathaway and Shulman were expecting their first child. Hathaway gave birth to their son, Jonathan Rosebanks Shulman, on March 24, 2016.

Charity work and other interests

Hathaway previously served as an long-term advocate for Nike Foundation to raise awareness against child marriage. She traveled to various countries to heed the rights of women and girls including Kenya and Ethiopia. In 2008, she was honored at Elle magazine's "Women in Hollywood" tribute, and has also been honored for her work with Step Up Women's Network. She then teamed up in 2010 with World Bank in a two-year development program The Girl Effect whose mission focuses on helping empower girls in developing and developed nations whom one-third of young women are not employed and not in school. In 2013, she provided the narration on Girl Rising, a CNN documentary film, which focused on the power of female education as it followed seven girls around the world who sought to overcome obstacles and follow their dreams.

Hathaway currently serves on the board of The Lollipop Theatre Network, and is involved with charities The Creative Coalition, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Human Rights Campaign.

In early 2007, Hathaway spoke of her experiences with depression during her teenage years, saying that she eventually overcame the disorder without medication. In 2008, on Late Show with David Letterman, Hathaway said she had once again stopped smoking. The actress, who had begun smoking "heavily" while filming Rachel Getting Married, had "quit for a while", but had started again in the wake of her stressful summer and the end of her relationship with Raffaello Follieri. She credited quitting smoking for the subsequent decline in her stress level, and declared her return to being vegetarian. She later became a vegan in early 2012, but quit during filming of Interstellar in August 2014.

Hathaway is an LGBT rights supporter and has donated money to organizations that support marriage equality. In 2016, Hathaway was appointed UN Women Goodwill ambassador, and later spoke on International Women's Day in 2017 in favor of paid parental leave for both men and women.

Discography

Charted songs

For her songs in Ella Enchanted, see: Ella Enchanted (soundtrack)

Guest appearances