Natascha McElhone
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| Natascha McElhone | |
|---|---|
 McElhone at the Mann Chinese 6 theater, 2 June 2009 |
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| Born | Natasha Abigail Taylor[1] 14 December 1969 [2] Surrey, England, United Kingdom[1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Dr. Martin Hirigoyen Kelly (1998–2008 (widowed)) |
| Children | 3 sons |
Natascha McElhone (born 14 December 1969)[2] is a British actress of stage, screen and television, best known for her roles in American films such as Ronin, The Truman Show and Solaris, and most recently for her role as Karen van der Beek on the Showtime series Californication.
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[edit] Early life
McElhone was born Natascha Taylor in Surrey, to Irish parents[3] who were both journalists. She took her mother Noreen's maiden name as her stage name.[4] McElhone has a scriptwriter brother Damon who lives in Los Angeles, and two half-brothers, Alexander and Nicholas, who live in Stockholm. Her parents separated when she was two and her Irish mother moved the family to Brighton and later married journalist and columnist Roy Greenslade.[5] She and her family now live in Ireland and Brighton.
McElhone, who took lessons in Irish dancing from ages 6-12, was educated at St. Mary's Hall School for Girls, an independent boarding school in Brighton, East Sussex. She graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1993.[citation needed]
[edit] Career
McElhone began her career in the theatre, including starring in Richard III in Regent's Park, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Cherry Orchard at the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester; and in Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre. McElhone made her television debut in the BBC's Bergerac in 1991, and was seen in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous in 1992.
McElhone made her film debut in 1996's Surviving Picasso with Anthony Hopkins. In the same year she was seen in the Dennis Potter TV mini-series Karaoke. Although she has made relatively few films, her most successful to date has been 1998's The Truman Show with Jim Carrey. She had leading roles opposite Brad Pitt in The Devil's Own, Robert De Niro in Ronin and George Clooney in Solaris.
In 2005, she co-starred in the NBC miniseries Revelations with actor Bill Pullman. She starred in a 2006 West End production of Honour at the Wyndham's Theatre alongside Diana Rigg and Martin Jarvis. She then accepted a leading role in the Showtime cable television series Californication as Karen, alongside David Duchovny.
McElhone is the newest Neutrogena spokeswoman and the face of the Ageless Essentials Continuous Hydration line.[citation needed]
In 2010 she will be heard as the voice of Marie in the video game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow from Konami.[citation needed]
[edit] Personal life
McElhone married plastic surgeon Dr. Martin Hirigoyen Kelly on 19 May 1998. The couple lived in Fulham, West London, with their sons Theodore (born 2000) and Otis (born May 2003); their third son, Rex, was born in October 2008, 5 months after Kelly's death.[6]
On 20 May 2008, 43-year-old Kelly was found slumped in the doorway of the family home by a fellow doctor. He was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (where he worked) but could not be revived. He died one day after their tenth wedding anniversary. A post-mortem exam revealed the cause of death to have been dilated cardiomyopathy.[7][8][9]
After her husband's sudden death, McElhone continued to write letters to him, sometimes documenting the daily trivia of life but also dealing with how she and their young children were coping with their loss. These letters and diary entries formed the basis of her book After You: Letters of Love, and Loss, to a Husband and Father. The book was published in July 2010. (The book is simply titled After You in the Kindle edition-UK version only.)
[edit] Filmography
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surviving Picasso | 1996 | Françoise Gilot | |
| The Devil's Own | 1997 | Megan Doherty | |
| Mrs Dalloway | 1997 | Young Clarissa | |
| The Truman Show | 1998 | Lauren/Sylvia | |
| What Rats Won't Do | 1998 | Kate Beckenham | |
| Ronin | 1998 | Deirdre | |
| Love's Labour's Lost | 2000 | Rosaline | |
| Contaminated Men | 2000 | Holly Anderson | |
| Laurel Canyon | 2002 | Sara | |
| FeardotCom | 2002 | Terry Huston | |
| Killing Me Softly | 2002 | Deborah | |
| City of Ghosts | 2002 | Sophie | |
| Solaris | 2002 | Rheya | |
| Ladies in Lavender | 2004 | Olga Daniloff | |
| Guy X | 2005 | Sgt. Irene Teal | |
| Big Nothing | 2006 | Penelope Wood | |
| The Secret of Moonacre | 2008 | Loveday | |
| Blessed | 2008 | Lou | |
| The Kid | 2010 | Gloria | |
| Heaven and Earth | 2012 | James Miranda Barry | in production |
| Carpet Boy | 2012 | Jackie | in production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | 1990 | Helen Blake | Episode: An Unkindness of Ravens (1) Episode: An Unkindness of Ravens (2) |
| Bergerac | 1991 | Louise Calder | Episode: Snow in Provence |
| Absolutely Fabulous | 1994 | Art Gallery Assistant | Episode: Death |
| Minder | 1994 | Vanessa | Episode: All Quiet on the West End Front |
| Cadfael | 1994 | Cecily Corde | Episode: The Sanctuary Sparrow |
| A Breed of Heroes | 1994 | Janet | TV film |
| Karaoke | 1996 | Angie | TV serial |
| Cold Lazarus | 1996 | Angie | TV serial |
| The Other Boleyn Girl | 2003 | Mary Boleyn | TV film |
| Revelations | 2005 | Sister Josepha Montafiore | TV miniseries |
| The Company | 2007 | Elizabet Nemeth | TV miniseries |
| Californication | 2007–present | Karen van der Beek | |
| 10 Minute Tales | 2009 | Woman | TV short film Segment: Deep & Crisp & Even |
| Thorne: Sleepyhead | 2010 | Anne Coburn |
[edit] Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow | Marie Belmont |
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 2003: Nominated, "Best Actress" – Solaris
Irish Film and Television Awards
- 2003: Nominated, "Best Actress in a Film" – Solaris
- 1999: Nominated, "Best Action Sequence" – Ronin (shared w/Robert De Niro)
- 2005: Nominated, "Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television" – Revelations
[edit] References
- ^ a b Births England and Wales 1837–2006
- ^ a b Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. London, England: General Register Office.
- ^ Interview, 10 October 2009, Irish Times
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/4/Natascha-McElhone.html
- ^ Greenslade, Roy (15 March 2007). "Comedy role for X-Files star Duchovny". The Guardian (London). http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/greenslade/2007/03/comedy_role_for_xfiles_star_du.html. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "Natascha McElhone Welcomes Third Child". http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/10/natascha-mcelho.html. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
- ^ Booth, Jenny (21 May 2008). "Natascha McElhone's plastic surgeon husband dies at couple's home". The Times (UK). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3975839.ece. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- ^ "Surgeon husband of pregnant actress Natascha McElhone is found dead on his doorstep". Daily Mail. UK. 21 May 2008. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1020856/Surgeon-husband-pregnant-actress-Natascha-McElhone-dead-doorstep.html. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- ^ Rudd, Andy (23 May 2008). "Natascha McElhone's surgeon husband Martin Kelly died from a heart condition". Daily Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/05/23/natascha-mcelhone-s-surgeon-husband-martin-kelly-died-from-a-heart-condition-89520-20427290/. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
