{{infobox company | company name

Chanel | company_logo | company_type Privately held | foundation 1909 | founder Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel | location 135 Avenue Charles de Gaulle92521 Neuilly-sur-Seine Cedex | location_city Paris | location_country France | locations 310 (as of September 2010) | area_served Worldwide | key_people Alain Wertheimer, co-ownerGerard Wertheimer, co-ownerKarl Lagerfeld, head designer | industry Fashion | products Haute couture, perfume, jewellery, accessories | revenue €1.809 billion (2010) | operating_income | net_income €280.3 million (2010) | assets | equity | num_employees 1,270 (2010) | homepage Chanel.com }}

Chanel S.A., commonly known as Chanel (, ), is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods (haute couture, ready-to-wear, handbags, perfumery, and cosmetics among others). She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France. Chanel has catered to tastes in items such as simple suits, dresses, women's pants, and costume jewelry. Coco Chanel's vision was to replace such opulent, 'sexy' pieces with items which conveyed casual elegance. Today, Chanel is most famous for the "little black dress". According to ''Forbes'', the privately held House of Chanel is jointly owned by Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer who are the great-grandsons of the early (1924) Chanel partner Pierre Wertheimer.

The company has had many high-profile celebrities as spokesmodels, including Catherine Deneuve (1970s and '80s Chanel No. 5 spokesmodel), Carole Bouquet (1990s Chanel No. 5 spokesmodel), Vanessa Paradis (spokesmodel for Coco Perfume), Nicole Kidman (early 2000s Chanel No. 5 spokesmodel), Audrey Tautou (current Chanel No.5 spokesmodel), Keira Knightley (current spokesmodel for Coco Mademoiselle), and most famously, Marilyn Monroe (1950s Chanel No. 5 spokesmodel) pictured splashing herself with Chanel No. 5. The image is certainly the most famous of all Chanel advertisements, and continues to be one of the most popular advertisement photos in the history of marketing, used in countless biographies, and still selling in large quantities as a poster and art piece using Marilyn Monroe as the model. Marilyn Monroe brought this perfume to fame.

History

The Coco Chanel era

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was born as Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883. She established new designs and revolutionized the fashion industry through the application of jersey to womenswear and incorporating elegance, class, and originality to practical designs. Under her tight reign from 1909–1971, Coco Chanel held the title of 'Chief Designer' until her death on 10 January 1971.

Establishment and recognition: 1909 through 1920s

In 1909, Gabrielle Chanel opened a shop on the ground floor of Étienne Balsan's apartment in Paris—the beginnings of what would later become one of the greatest fashion empires in the world. The Balsan home was a meeting place of the hunting elite of France and the gentlemen brought their fashionable mistresses along, giving Coco the opportunity to sell the women decorated hats. During this time, Coco Chanel struck up a relationship with Arthur 'Boy' Capel, a member of the Balsan men's group.

He saw a businesswoman in Coco and helped her acquire her location at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris by 1910. There was already a couture shop in the building, and so Coco was not allowed in her lease to produce couture dresses. In 1912, Coco Chanel opened her first millinery shop in Paris and in 1913, Chanel introduced women's sportswear at her new boutique in Deauville and Biarritz, France. Chanel's designs tended to be simple rather than opulent in look. She detested the fashions of women who came to these resort towns. World War I affected fashion. Coal was scarce and women were doing the factory jobs that men had held prior to the war; they needed warm clothing that would stand up to working conditions. Chanel fossella's designs from this era were affected by the new idea of women's sports. During World War I, Coco opened another larger shop on Rue Cambon in front of the Hôtel Ritz Paris. Here she sold flannel blazers, straight linen skirts, sailor tops, long jersey sweaters and skirt-jackets.With her financial situation precarious in the early years of her design career, Chanel purchased jersey primarily for its low cost. The fabric draped well and suited Chanel's designs, which were simple, practical, and often inspired by men's wear, especially the uniforms prevalent when World War I broke out in 1914. Her fashion became known in 1915 throughout France for its simplicity. In the years 1915 and 1917, Harper's Bazaar mentioned that Chanel's name was "on the list of every buyer." Her boutique at 31 Rue Cambon previewed simple day dress-and-coat ensembles and black evening dresses in lace or jet-embroidered tulle (she also piled cushions of feathers, fur, and metallic fabrics on the sofas in the gray and amber salons).

Coco Chanel established her reputation as a meticulous fashion couturier. Following the fashion trends of the 1920s, Chanel produced beaded dresses. The suit in two or three pieces created in 1920 remains a modern fashion look. The suit was advocated as the "new uniform for afternoon and evening as far back as 1915." 1921 saw the introduction of her first perfume Chanel No. 5. Earnest Beaux created the fragrance for Coco and she named it after her lucky number 5. The fragrance was a success. The signature scent was a result of her belief in superstitions; she was scheduled to show her collection on the fifth day of the fifth month. Coco informed Harper's Bazaar, "simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance", in 1923.

Business Partners: the late 1920s

Theophile Bader (founder of the successful French department store Galeries Lafayette) introduced Coco to Pierre Wertheimer. Wertheimer retained 70% of Parfums Chanel, while Bader retained 20%, and Coco a modest 10%. Coco was forced to operate her couture business apart from Parfums Chanel. In 1924, Coco introduced her first costume jewelry, which was a pair of pearl earrings, one black, one white. Along with the success of her haute couture business, Coco expanded her "social desirability and her personal legend." A new love interest in her life was the Duke of Westminster. She introduced her signature cardigan jacket in 1925 and in 1926, the ‘little black dress,' and a tweed, inspired by visits to Scotland. Soon, Coco operated a boutique near the Louvre.

As the couture Chanel and Parfums Chanel gained success, business relations between Coco and Wertheimer soured. She resented the partnership with Pierre Wertheimer and believed she deserved more than 10% of the profits, and believed that the Wertheimers were exploiting her talents for their own personal gain. Wertheimer reminded Coco that he had funded her venture, and that he had made her a wealthy woman.

Coco hired René de Chambrun as her attorney for renegotiating the terms with the Wertheimers, but this attempt ultimately failed.

Chanel and Nazi affiliation: 1930s through 1950s

Evening couture dresses from Chanel evolved into an elongated feminine style. Summer dresses had contrasting scintillating touches (e.g. rhinestone straps and silver eyelets). Coco designed a line for petite women in 1937. Throughout the 1930s, Elsa Schiaparelli was competing more strongly with the House of Chanel, but this was only a short term rivalry. Chanel premiered an exhibition of jewelry in 1932 dedicated to the diamond. Several of the pieces, including the "Comet" and "Fountain" necklaces were re-introduced by Chanel in 1993. When World War II began in 1939, Coco Chanel retired and moved into the Hôtel Ritz Paris with her new beau, Nazi officer Hans Gunther von Dincklage. Only her parfums and accessories were sold in her existing boutiques.

When France fell under the control of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany in 1940, the Nazis made the opulent and exclusive Hotel Meurice (Le Meurice), located on the Rue du Rivoli opposite the Louvre, their French headquarters. It was coincidentally and uncomfortably close (just right around the corner) from Chanel's Rue Cambon location. Pierre Wertheimer and his family fled to the United States in 1940, and before Coco could take control of Parfums Chanel, Wertheimer made an "Aryan proxy" for the company. Rumors spread that Coco was on good terms with the Germans. Chanel biographer Edmonde Charles-Roux states that German intelligence sent her to "visit Winston Churchill as a part of a secret peace mission. Coco Chanel was arrested immediately after the liberation of France and charged with abetting the Germans, but Churchill intervened on her behalf and she was released." When France was liberated after the fall of the Nazi Empire, many French people meted out severe punishments to French women who were believed to have collaborated with the Nazis. They were called in French "collaborateurs horizontales" or in English: "on their backs collaborators"--perhaps putting too fine a point upon it. Coco Chanel became a target and a subject of such rumors, and she fled to Switzerland for the period immediately following the war.

In Coco's absence, Pierre Wertheimer returned to Paris to control the Wertheimer's family holdings. Out of spite, Coco created her own collection of perfumes. Wertheimer felt his legal rights were infringed, but he wanted to avoid a legal battle and settled with Coco by giving her $400,000 USD, 2% royalty from all Chanel products, and gave her limited rights to sell her own perfumes in Switzerland. Coco stopped making perfumes after the agreement. She sold the complete rights to her name to the Wertheimers for Perfumes Chanel, in exchange for a monthly stipend. The stipend supported her and her friend, von Dincklage.

Chanel's comeback: 1950s through 1970s

Chanel returned to Paris in 1953 to find the Paris fashion scene obsessed with Christian Dior and the very feminine look for which he alone is given credit, the "New Look." Coco Chanel responded brilliantly to the challenge; she recognized that the couture market had changed and she needed to catch-up. Becoming competitive again would necessarily come at a great price; Chanel needed to be a significant presence in: haute couture, pret-a-porter, costume jewelry and fragrance. Coco swallowed her pride and re-approached Pierre for business advice and financial backing. In return, he negotiated for himself complete rights to all products bearing the brand: "Chanel." But their re-kindled collaboration paid off handsomely as Chanel, with her unerring sense of style, once again became the single, most prestigious label in all of fashion. Importantly for the brand and starting in 1953, Coco collaborated with jeweler Robert Goossens to design a line of Chanel jewelry which exquisitely complimented her iconic fashion designs. For example, she paired her re-launched signature "Chanel Suit" (consisting of a knitted wool cardigan with a matching skirt) with long strings of black and white pearls, setting off the suit wonderfully while at the same time adding to it a degree of femininity, thus lightening a sometimes severe look." left|thumb|200px|Chanel Haute Couture cashmere suit with long coat and dress, circa 1960 She also introduced the Chanel gold or metallic chain-strapped and quilted leather handbags in February 1955. The launch date for this line, 2/55, thus became the internal "appellation" for the quilted bag line. It is still known throughout the world as the "2/55" bag and it, just like the "Chanel Suit" has never really ever fallen out of fashion. Throughout the fifties, her taste continued its unerring path to success, even as she turned to new areas of conquest. Her first venture into men's fragrance became yet another enduring success, Chanel's eau de toilette for men, Pour Monsieur (which has also been marketed under the name: "A Gentleman's Cologne") became, endured and remains even today the number one selling men's fragrance. Chanel and her spring collection received the Fashion Oscar at the 1957 Fashion Awards in Dallas. Pierre Wertheimer bought Bader's 20% share of the perfume business, giving his family 90%. Pierre's son Jacques Wertheimer took his father's place in 1965. Coco's attorney Chambrun called the now-gone-relationship as "one based on a businessman's passion, despite her misplaced feelings of exploitation." He told ''Forbes'', "Pierre returned to Paris full of pride and excitement [after one of his horses won the 1956 English Derby]. He rushed to Coco, expecting congratulations and praise. But she refused to kiss him. She resented him, you see, all her life."

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel died on January 10, 1971 at the age of 87. She was still "designing, still working" at the time of her death. For example, she designed the uniforms for Olympic Airways flight attendants (1966–1969), followed by Pierre Cardin. Olympic Airways was then one of the most luxurious air carriers, owned by the Greek shipping-magnate Aristotle Onassis. After her death, leadership of the company was handed down to Yvonne Dudel, Jean Cazaubon and Philippe Guibourge. After a period of time, Jacques Wertheimer bought the entire House of Chanel. Critics stated that during his leadership, he never paid much attention to the company, as he was more interested in horse breeding. In 1974, the House of Chanel launched Cristalle eau de toilette, which was designed when Coco Chanel was alive. 1978 saw the launch of the first non-couture, prêt-à-porter line and worldwide distribution of accessories.

Alain Wertheimer, Jacques's son, took over in 1974. Back in the U.S., Chanel No.5 was seen as a passe perfume. Alain revamped Chanel No.5 sales by reducing the number of outlets carrying the fragrance from 18,000 to 12,000. He removed the perfume from drugstore shelves, and invested millions of dollars in advertisement for Chanel cosmetics. This ensured a greater sense of scarcity and exclusivity for No.5, and sales rocketed back up as demand for the fragrance increased. He also used many famous people to endorse the perfume—from Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Tautou. Looking for a designer who could bring the label to new heights, he persuaded Karl Lagerfeld to end his contract with fashion house Chloé.

Post-Coco through today

The coming of Lagerfeld

In 1981, Chanel launched a new eau de toilette for men, Antaeus. In 1983, Karl Lagerfeld took over as chief designer for Chanel. He changed Chanel's fashion lines from the old lines to shorter cuts and eye capturing designs. During the 1980s, more than 40 Chanel boutiques were opened up worldwide. By the end of the 1980s, these boutiques sold goods ranging from US$200-per-ounce perfume, US$225 ballerina slippers to US$11,000 dresses and US$2,000 leather handbags. Rights to Chanel cosmetics and fragrances were held by Chanel only and not shared with other beauty producers and distributors. As Lagerfeld took charge as chief designer, other designers and marketers for Chanel worked on keeping the classic Chanel look to maintain the Chanel legend. Chanel marketer Jean Hoehn explained, "We introduce a new fragrance every 10 years, not every three minutes like many competitors. We don't confuse the consumer. With Chanel, people know what to expect. And they keep coming back to us, at all ages, as they enter and leave the market." The launch of a new fragrance in honor of the late Coco Chanel, ''Coco'', in 1984 maintained success in the perfumery business with Chanel. In 1986, the House of Chanel struck a deal with watchmakers and in 1987, the first Chanel watch made its debut. By the end of the decade, Alain moved the offices to New York City.

In the 1990s

The company became a global leader in fragrance making and marketing in the 1990s. Heavy marketing investment increased revenue. The success of the Maison de Chanel brought the Wertheimer family fortune to $5 billion USD. Product lines such as watches (retailing for as much as $7,000 USD), shoes, high-end clothes, cosmetics, and accessories were expanded. Sales were hurt by the recession of the early 1990s, but Chanel recovered by the mid-1990s with further boutique expansion. 1990 saw the launch of ĹŹ.

In 1996, Chanel bought gunmaker Holland & Holland. It attempted to revamp Holland & Holland, but did not succeed. 1996 also greeted the launch of Allure fragrance and due to its immense popularity, a men's version, Allure Homme was launched in 1998. Better success came with the purchase of Eres (a swimwear label). The House of Chanel launched its first skin care line, PRÉCISION in 1999. That same year, Chanel launched a new travel collection, and under a license contract with Luxottica, introduced a line of sunglasses and eyeglass frames.

2000 through today

While Alain Wertheimer remained chairman of Chanel, CEO and President Françoise Montenay was to bring Chanel into the 21st century. 2000 saw the launch of the first unisex watch by Chanel, the J12. In 2001, Bell & Ross was purchased (a watchmaker). The same year, Chanel boutiques offering only selections of accessories were opened in the United States.Chanel also launched a small selection of menswear as a part of their runway shows which may be purchased at a few flagship boutiques including Rue Cambon (Paris), Soho (New York), Roberston Blvd (Los Angeles) and the Prince's building (Hong Kong). 2002 saw the launch of Chance fragrance, with a scent of surprise and glamour. The House of Chanel also founded the Paraffection company that gathered the five Ateliers d’Art: Desrues for ornamentation, Lemarié for feathers and camellias, Lesage for embroidery, Massaro for shoemaking, and Michel for millinery. A prêt-à-porter collection leveraging their know-how was designed by Karl Lagerfeld. It is now traditionally presented each December. In July 2002, a jewelry and watch flagship store was opened on the upscale Madison Avenue. Within months, a 1,000^sqft shoes and handbag boutique was opened next door to the jewelry and watches flagship. Also in 2002, a rumor suggesting that Chanel was considering a merger with the luxury goods Parisian fashion company Hermès circulated. Although such a merger would have produced one of the largest fashion companies in the world, and rival the likes of Moët-Hennessy • Louis Vuitton, it was never consummated. Chanel continued to expand in the United States and by December 2002, it operated 25 U.S. boutiques. Chanel stated it would like to open more boutiques in more U.S. cities such as Atlanta and Seattle.

In order to please the younger followers, Chanel introduced Coco Mademoiselle and an "In-Between Wear" in 2003. That same year saw such an immense popularity of Chanel haute couture that the company founded a second shop on Rue Cambon. Desiring a presence in the Asian market, the House of Chanel opened a new boutique in Hong Kong and paid nearly $50 million USD for a building in Ginza, Tokyo.

Influence on fashion and popularity

Coco Chanel revolutionized haute couture fashion by replacing the traditional corseted silhouette with the comfort of simple suits and long, slender dresses. Chanel frequently incorporated ideas from male fashion into her designs. Chanel's simpler lines of women's couture led to the popular "flat-chested" look of the 1920s. Her clothing was relaxed, unstructured, and changed the way women dressed for outdoor activities. Coco omitted corsets, liberating women and allowing more comfort. ''Contemporary Fashion'' states, "She dressed the modern woman in clothes for a lifestyle." Coco is credited for making jersey (a soft elasticated knit used for undergarments) a popular fashion fabric. Her jersey dresses, often in navy and gray, were cut to flatter the figure rather than to emphasize and distort the natural body shape.

Chanel is also known for its quilted fabric and leather which also has a "secret" quilting pattern sewn at the back to keep the material strong. It was inspired by the jackets worn by jockeys. This material is used for clothing and accessories alike.

She had numerous other major successes that changed the fashion industry, including the ''Chanel suit'', composed of a knee-length skirt and trim, boxy jacket, traditionally made of woven wool with black sewing trim and gold buttons, worn with large costume-pearl necklaces. After the success of her perfume, Chanel No. 5, Coco Chanel's fashions became well-known and were purchased by the high flyers of London and Paris society alike. The financial gain from the fragrance also helped her company during difficult years.

Chanel logo and counterfeiting

The signature Chanel logotype is an interlocking double-C (one facing forwards the other facing backwards.) Originally, it was not a logo that Coco Chanel came up with. The logo was given to her by the Chateau de Cremat in Nice. The logo was not trademarked until the opening of the first Chanel stores.

Chanel is currently dealing with illegal use of the double-C logotype on cheaper goods, especially counterfeit handbags. The company has stated that it is a top priority of theirs to stop the sale of counterfeit products. Countries said to be producing great numbers of counterfeit Chanel handbags are Vietnam and China. An authentic classic Chanel handbag retails from around US $4,150, while a counterfeit usually costs around $200 USD, creating a demand for the signature style at a cheaper price. Beginning in the 1990s, all authentic Chanel handbags are serialized.

Early trademark registration

thumb|border|120px|right|text-top|upright||alt=Early Chanel trademark, filed 18 November 1924|The text Chanel logo is a registered trademark thumb|border|120px|right|alt=Early Chanel No. 5 stylized word design trademark, filed 1 April 1926|The Chanel No. 5 logo is a registered trademark One timeline measurement for Chanel presence in the United States is via trademark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). On Tuesday, 18 November 1924, Chanel, Inc. filed two trademark applications. One was for the typeset mark Chanel. The second application was for the distinctive interlocking CC design plus word mark.

At this time both Chanel marks were filed for only their perfume, toiletry and cosmetic products in the primary class of common metals and their alloys. Chanel provided the description of ''face powder, perfume, eau de cologne, toilet water, lip stick, and rouge,'' to the USPTO.

Both the Chanel and CC trademarks were awarded on the same date of 24 February 1925 with respective Serial Numbers of 71205468 and 71205469. Their status is registered and renewed and owned by Chanel, Inc. of New York, New York.

The earliest trademark application for the inaugural No. 5 perfume is on Thursday, 1 April 1926. Application was filed by Chanel, Inc. and described to the USPTO as perfume and toilet water. First use and commercial use is stated as 1 January 1921. Registration was granted on 20 July 1926 with Serial Number 71229497. No. 5's status is registered, renewed, and owned by Chanel, Inc.

Chanel locations

Chanel operates around 310 Chanel boutiques worldwide (Asia, 94; Europe, 70; Middle East, 10; North America, 128; Oceania, 6; South America, 2). The locations are found in upscale shopping districts, upscale department stores and malls, and inside major airports. The Chanel flagship store in Ginza on the corner of 3-5-3 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo – 104-0061, and the other three surrounding corners are the home of the Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, and Cartier flagship stores.

Chanel Boutiques-United States

New York City

Bal Harbour

Beverly Hills

Boston

Chicago

Costa Mesa

Dallas

Honolulu

Houston

metropolitan Las Vegas

Los Angeles

Orlando

Palm Beach

Palm Beach Gardens

San Francisco

Short Hills

Tysons Galleria

Perfumes

Parfums Chanel was founded in 1924 by Pierre Wertheimer to produce and sell perfumes and beauty products. Chanel's perfumes brings a significant percent of profit for the company, more than its sales in other products combined.

Since it inception, Parfums Chanel has had three in-house perfumers:

Ernest Beaux employed 1920–1961

Henri Robert employed 1958–1987

Jacques Polge employed 1978–present

Fashion collections

! Designer	! Season	!City	! Place where it was held	! Date of the presentation	!Line	! Notes	!Available in boutiques
Karl Lagerfeld	Fall-Winter 2010	Paris	Grand Palais	6 July 2010	Haute Couture	A lion was build.	On order
Karl Lagerfeld	Spring-Summer 2011	Paris	Grand Palais	5 October 2010	Prêt-à-porter	An orchestra play.	March 2011
Karl Lagerfeld	Paris-Byzance	Paris	CHANEL HQ	7 December 2010	Prêt-à-porter special collection		May 2011
Karl Lagerfeld	Spring-Summer 2011	Paris	Pavilion Cambon-Capucines	25 January 2011	Haute Couture			On order
Karl Lagerfeld	Fall-Winter 2011	París	Grand Palais	8 March 2011	Prêt-à-porter		September 2011
Karl Lagerfeld	Cruise 2011	Antibes	Hotel du Cap	8 March 2011			November 2011
Karl Lagerfeld	Fall-Winter 2011	Paris	Grand Palais	5 July 2011	Haute Couture	Coco and Place Vendôme		On order

Handbag

A mistake of the press in times of commercial launch of the Classic Chanel handbag is sticked to the most popular handbag of Chanel until today. Misleadingly the bag was published as the 2.55 handbag although its real name was Timeless CC. The 2.55 and the Timeless CC have different locks and have different kind of leathers. 2.55 has creased leather and the Timeless CC has clean leather. Also the chain is completly different because the chain of the Classic Timeless bag is shiny silver or golden combined with leather but the chain of a 2.55 is matt without any leather. The Timeless CC is available in four size and the most popular of them is the second one which is known as the middle one. Until today costumers of Chanel are confused about that mistake of its name when they ask for the 2.55 though they mean the Timeless CC. Finally the influence of the press is huge and is sticked on items for their whole product life cycle.

Watches

The first Chanel watch, named 'Premiere', debuted in 1987. The first model of the Chanel J12 watches line was introduced in 2000.

In 2005, Chanel designers introduced the J12 line into the area of fine jewelry timepieces – they developed the jewelry watch that was equipped with the tourbillion. Chanel asked experienced Swiss watchmakers to develop the exclusive 'CHANEL O5-T.1' movement.

In 2006, the line was joined by Chanel J12 Haute Joaillerie set with 597 baguette-cut diamonds, followed by the creation of the Chanel J12 Tourbillon Haute Joaillerie. In 2007, Chanel launched its first J12 GMT model.

In 2008, Chanel initiated the partnership with Audemars Piguet, who developed the 'J12 calibre 3125', equipped with an innovative automatic movement – CHANEL AP – 3125, the fusion of the AP 3120 movement and Chanel 'J12' ceramic.

Marketing filmography

Chanel No. 5

Chanel launched a new advertising film that cast Nicole Kidman as the new face of Chanel No. 5. It was produced by Baz Luhrmann, the director of ''Moulin Rouge and Romeo+Juliet'', and was shot on location in Sydney. Kidman takes on the role of the most famous woman in the world while Brazilian model/actor Rodrigo Santoro plays a struggling writer in love with Kidman. The commercial lasts three minutes, and reportedly took many months of pre- and post-production. It cost about €26 million ($46 million), making ''No. 5 The Film'' one of the most expensive commercials to produce in history.

Audrey Tautou, French actress and star of the film ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2006), replaced Kidman as spokesmodel for the No. 5 fragrance in 2008. Tautou officially became a spokesmodel for the perfume in 2009 when she appeared in the second short film for the fragrance. The short film was unveiled on the 5 May (5th of the 5th – in honour of No.5) on the Chanel website, 88 years to the day after the fragrance was introduced. The short film was directed by French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and was released in conjunction with Tautou's film ''Coco avant Chanel'', in which Tautou portrays Coco Chanel.

Coco Mademoiselle

British actress Keira Knightley, current spokesperson for the Coco Mademoiselle fragrance, starred as the young Coco Chanel in a short advertisement film for the fragrance directed by the English film director Joe Wright.

Bleu de Chanel

In August 2010, Chanel released the first short film for one of its men's fragrances – Bleu de Chanel. French actor Gaspard Ulliel became the face of the new fragrance and the film, directed by Academy Award-winner Martin Scorsese.

Chance Eau Tendre

Chance Eau Tendre was developed by Chanel’s in-house perfumer, Jacques Polge, and the fruity floral features notes of grapefruit, quince, hyacinth, jasmine, amber, cedar, iris and white musk.

See also

Pink Chanel suit of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

References

External links

Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum

Category:Companies of France Category:Clothing companies of France Category:High fashion brands Category:Companies established in the 1910s Category:Luxury brands Category:Haute couture Category:Privately held companies of France Category:Companies based in Paris

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birth date	June 20, 1967
birth place
birth name	Nicole Mary Kidman
nationality	Australian
citizenship	American-Australian
occupation	Actress, spokesmodel, singer, producer
years active	1983–present
spouse	Tom Cruise (1990–2001)Keith Urban (2006–present)
children	4
relatives	Antonia Kidman (sister)
website	http://www.nicolekidmanofficial.com/ }}

Nicole Mary Kidman, AC (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller ''Dead Calm''. Following several films over the early 1990s, she came to worldwide recognition for her performances in ''Days of Thunder'' (1990), ''Far and Away'' (1992), and ''Batman Forever'' (1995). Kidman followed this with other successful films in the late 1990s, it was her performance in the musical, ''Moulin Rouge!'' (2001) which earned Kidman her second Golden Globe Award and first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her performance as Virginia Woolf the following year in the drama film ''The Hours'' (2002) received critical acclaim and earned Kidman the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Kidman's other successful films include ''Cold Mountain'' (2003), ''The Interpreter'' (2005), ''Happy Feet'' (2006), and ''Australia'' (2008). Her performance in 2010's ''Rabbit Hole'' (which she also produced) earned Kidman further accolades including a subsequent Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Kidman has been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM since 2006. Kidman's work has earned her a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Golden Globe Awards, one BAFTA, and an Academy Award. In 2006, Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia's highest civilian honour, and was also the highest-paid actress in the motion picture industry. As a result of being born to Australian parents in Hawaii, Kidman has dual citizenship of Australia and the United States.

Life and career

1967–1987: Early life

Kidman was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since her parents were in the United States on educational visas, Kidman could claim both U.S. and Australian citizenship. Her father, Dr. Antony David Kidman, is a biochemist, clinical psychologist, and author, with an office in Lane Cove, Sydney, Australia. Her mother, Janelle Ann (née Glenny), is a nursing instructor who edits her husband's books and was a member of the Women's Electoral Lobby. At the time of Kidman's birth in 1967, her father was a visiting fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health of the United States. Opposed to the War in Vietnam, which was causing social unrest in both Australia and the United States, Kidman's parents participated in anti-war protests while they were living in Washington, DC. The family returned to Australia when Kidman was four and her parents now live on Sydney's North Shore. Kidman has a younger sister, Antonia Kidman, a journalist and TV presenter. She is of Irish descent through her great-great-great-grandparents, James and Bridget Callachor, who settled in Sydney in 1842.

Kidman attended Lane Cove Public School and North Sydney Girls' High School. She was enrolled in ballet at three and showed her natural talent for acting in her primary and high school years. Kidman revealed she was timid as a child, saying, "I am very shy – really shy – I even had a stutter as a kid, which I slowly got over, but I still regress into that shyness. So I don’t like walking into a crowded restaurant by myself; I don’t like going to a party by myself". In 1984, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, which caused Kidman to temporarily halt her education and help provide for the family by working as a massage therapist at age 17. This was followed by attending the Australian Theatre for Young People.

In 1983, aged 16, Kidman dropped out of high school and made her film debut in the Australian holiday season favourite, ''Bush Christmas''. By the end of 1983, she had a supporting role in the television series ''Five Mile Creek'' and began gaining popularity in the mid-1980s after appearing in several film roles, including ''BMX Bandits'', ''Watch the Shadows Dance'' (1987), and the romantic comedy ''Windrider'' (1986), which earned Kidman attention due to her racy scenes. Also during the decade, she appeared in several Australian productions, including the soap opera ''A Country Practice'' and the miniseries ''Vietnam'' (1986). She also made guest appearances on Australian television programs and TV movies.

1988–1994: Breakthrough

In 1988, Kidman appeared in ''Emerald City'', based on the play of the same name. The Australian film earned her an Australian Film Institute for Best Supporting Actress. After appearing in the Australian miniseries ''Bangkok Hilton'', Kidman starred in ''Dead Calm'' (1989) as Rae Ingram, playing the wife of a naval officer. The thriller garnered strong reviews and brought Kidman to international recognition; ''Variety'' commented: "Throughout the film, Kidman is excellent. She gives the character of Rae real tenacity and energy." Meanwhile, critic Roger Ebert noted the excellent chemistry between the leads, stating, "Kidman and Zane do generate real, palpable hatred in their scenes together." She moved on to star alongside her then-boyfriend and future husband, Tom Cruise, in the 1990 auto racing film ''Days of Thunder'', playing a young doctor who falls in love with a NASCAR driver. This was Kidman's American debut and was among the highest-grossing films of the year.

In 1991, she co-starred with former classmate and friend Naomi Watts and Thandie Newton in the independent film ''Flirting''. Kidman and Watts portrayed two high school girls in this coming of age story, which won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film. That same year, her work in the film ''Billy Bathgate'' earned Kidman her first Golden Globe Award nomination, for Best Supporting Actress. ''The New York Times'', in its film review, called her "a beauty with, it seems, a sense of humor". The following year, she and Cruise re-teamed for Ron Howard's Irish epic ''Far and Away'' (1992), which was a modest critical and commercial success. In 1993, she starred in ''My Life'' opposite Michael Keaton and the thriller, ''Malice'' opposite Alec Baldwin.

1995–2003: International success

In 1995, Kidman appeared in her highest-grossing film as of 2011, playing Dr. Chase Meridian, the damsel in distress, in the superhero film ''Batman Forever'', opposite Val Kilmer as the film's title character. That same year Kidman appeared in Gus Van Sant's critically acclaimed ''To Die For'', earning praise for her portrayal of murderous newscaster Suzanne Stone Maretto.

Kidman next appeared in ''The Portrait of a Lady'' (1996), based on the novel the same name, alongside, Barbara Hershey, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker. The following year she appeared in the action-thriller ''The Peacemaker'' (1997) as White House nuclear expert Dr. Julia Kelly, opposite George Clooney. The film received mixed reviews but grossed some $110,000,000 worldwide. That same year she appeared opposite Sandra Bullock in the poorly received fantasy ''Practical Magic'' as a modern-day witch. Kidman returned to her work on stage the same year in the David Hare play ''The Blue Room'', which opened in London.

In 1999, Kidman reunited with then husband, Tom Cruise, to portray a married couple in ''Eyes Wide Shut'', the final film of Stanley Kubrick. The film opened to generally positive reviews but was subject to censorship controversies due to the explicit nature of its sex scenes. The film received further attention following Kubrick's death shortly before its release. After brief hiatus and a highly publicized divorce from Cruise, Kidman returned to the screen to play a mail-order bride in the British-American drama ''Birthday Girl''.

In 2001, Kidman appeared in two of her most critically and commercially successful films. In the first she played the cabaret actress and courtesan Satine in Baz Luhrmann's musical ''Moulin Rouge!'', opposite Ewan McGregor. In her first singing role, Kidman's musical numbers and performance earned her critical praise. Subsequently, Kidman received her second Golden Globe Award, for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, as well as other acting awards. She also received her first Academy Award nomination, for Best Actress. Also in 2001, she had a well-received starring role in Alejandro Amenábar's Spanish horror film ''The Others'' as Grace Stewart. Grossing over $210,947,037 worldwide, the film also earned several Goya Awards award nominations, including a Best Actress nomination for Kidman. Additionally she received her second BAFTA and fifth Golden Globe nominations.

In 2003, Kidman won critical praise for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in Stephen Daldry's ''The Hours'', which also featured Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. Kidman wore prosthetics that were applied to her nose making her almost unrecognisable playing the author during her time in 1920s England, and her bouts with depression and mental illness while trying to write her novel, ''Mrs. Dalloway''. The film earned positive notices and several nominations, including for an Academy Award for Best Picture. ''The New York Times'' wrote that , "Kidman tunnels like a ferret into the soul of a woman besieged by excruciating bouts of mental illness. As you watch her wrestle with the demon of depression, it is as if its torment has never been shown on the screen before. Directing her desperate, furious stare into the void, her eyes not really focusing, Ms. Kidman, in a performance of astounding bravery, evokes the savage inner war waged by a brilliant mind against a system of faulty wiring that transmits a searing, crazy static into her brain". Kidman won numerous critics' awards, including her first BAFTA, third Golden Globe, and the Academy Award for Best Actress. As the first Australian actress to win an Academy Award, Kidman made a teary acceptance speech about the importance of art, even during times of war, saying, "Why do you come to the Academy Awards when the world is in such turmoil? Because art is important. And because you believe in what you do and you want to honour that, and it is a tradition that needs to be upheld."

Following her Oscar win, Kidman appeared in three very different films in 2003. The first, a leading role in ''Dogville'', by Danish director Lars von Trier, was an experimental film set on a bare soundstage. The second was an adaptation of Philip Roth's novel ''The Human Stain'', opposite Anthony Hopkins. Her third film, Anthony Minghella's war drama ''Cold Mountain'', was a critical and commercial success. Kidman appeared opposite Jude Law and Renée Zellweger, playing Southerner Ada Monroe, who is in love with Law's character and separated by the Civil War. ''TIME'' magazine wrote, "Kidman takes strength from Ada's plight and grows steadily, literally luminous. Her sculptural pallor gives way to warm radiance in the firelight". The film garnered several award nominations and wins for its actors; Kidman received her sixth Golden Globe nomination at the 61st Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress.

2004–2008: Continued acting

In 2004 she appeared in the film, ''Birth'', which received controversy over a scene in which Kidman shares a bath with her co-star, 10-year old Cameron Bright. At a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, Kidman addressed the controversy saying, "It wasn't that I wanted to make a film where I kiss a 10-year-old boy. I wanted to make a film where you understand love". Though the film received negative to mixed reviews, Kidman earned her seventh Golden Globe nomination, for Best Actress – Motion Picture. That same year she appeared in the black comedy-science-fiction film ''The Stepford Wives'', a remake of the 1975 film of the same name. Kidman appeared in the lead role as Joanna Eberhart, a successful producer. The film, directed by Frank Oz, was critically panned and a commercial failure. The following year, Kidman appeared opposite Sean Penn in the Sydney Pollack thriller ''The Interpreter'', playing UN translator Silvia Broome. Also that year she starred in ''Bewitched'', based on the 1960s TV sitcom of the same name, opposite Will Ferrell. Both Kidman and Ferrell earned that year's Razzie Award for "Worst Screen Couple". Neither film fared well in the United States, with box office sales falling well short of the production costs, but both films fared well internationally.

In conjunction with her success in the film industry, Kidman became the face of the ''Chanel No. 5'' perfume brand. She starred in a campaign of television and print ads with Rodrigo Santoro, directed by ''Moulin Rouge!'' director Baz Luhrmann, to promote the fragrance during the holiday seasons of 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008. The three-minute commercial produced for ''Chanel No. 5'' made Kidman the record holder for the most money paid per minute to an actor after she reportedly earned US$12million for the three-minute advert. During this time, Kidman was also listed as the 45th Most Powerful Celebrity on the 2005 ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 List. She made a reported US$14.5 million in 2004–2005. On ''People'' magazine's list of 2005's highest paid actresses, Kidman was second behind Julia Roberts, with US$16–17 million per-film price tag. Nintendo in 2007 announced that Kidman would be the new face of Nintendo's advertising campaign for the Nintendo DS game More Brain Training in its European market.

Kidman portrayed photographer Diane Arbus in the biography ''Fur'' (2006), opposite Robert Downey Jr.. Though the film was released to mixed reviews, both Kidman and Downey Jr. received praise for their performances. She also lent her voice to the animated film ''Happy Feet'' (2006), which grossed over US$384 million worldwide. In 2007, she starred in the science-fiction movie ''The Invasion'' directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, a remake of the 1956 ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' that proved a critical and commercial failure. She also played opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black in Noah Baumbach's comedy-drama ''Margot at the Wedding'', released to positive reviews and earning Kidman a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy. She then starred in the commercially successful fantasy-adventure, ''The Golden Compass'' (2007), playing the villainous Marisa Coulter. In 2008, she reunited with ''Moulin Rouge!'' director Baz Luhrmann in the Australian period film ''Australia'', set in the remote Northern Territory during the Japanese attack on Darwin during World War II. Kidman played opposite Hugh Jackman as an Englishwoman feeling overwhelmed by the continent. Despite the film's mixed reviews, the acting was praised and the movie was a box office success worldwide. Kidman was originally set to star in the post-World War II German drama, ''The Reader'', working with previous collaborators Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, but due to her pregnancy prior to filming she had to back out. The role went to Kate Winslet, who ultimately won the Oscar for Best Actress, which Kidman presented to her during the 81st Academy Awards.

2009–present: Recent work

Kidman appeared in the 2009 Rob Marshall musical ''Nine'', portraying the Federico Fellini-like character's muse, Claudia Jenssen. She was featured alongside fellow Oscar winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz and Sophia Loren. Kidman's, whose screen time was brief compared to the other actresses, performed the musical number "Unusual Way" alongside Day-Lewis. Although the film was released to mixed reviews, it received several Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and earned Kidman a third Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, as part of the Outstanding Cast. Also in 2009, Kidman was the face of an international Schweppes advertisement. In 2010, she starred with Aaron Eckhart in the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''Rabbit Hole'', for which she vacated her role in the Woody Allen picture ''You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger''. She lent her voice to a promotional video that Australia used to support its bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The five-minute video was broadcast at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

''TV Guide'' reported in 2008 that Kidman will star in ''The Danish Girl'', a film adaptation of the novel of the same name, playing Lili Elbe, the world's first postoperative transsexual. ''Screen Daily'' reported that shooting would begin in Germany in July 2011. However the project has been delayed following the exit of the director, Lasse Hallström and Kidman's co-star Rachel Weisz. In 2009, ''Variety'' said that she would produce and star in a film adaptation of the Chris Cleave novel ''Little Bee'', in association with BBC Films.

In June 2010, ''TV Guide'' announced that Kidman and Clive Owen will star in an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn. entitled ''Hemingway & Gellhorn''. The film, directed by Philip Kaufman, began shooting in March 2011, with an air date scheduled for 2012. She also stars alongside Nicolas Cage in director Joel Schumacher's action-thriller ''Trespass'', with the stars playing a married couple taken hostage.

On 17 September 2010, ContactMusic.com said Kidman will return to Broadway to portray Alexandra Del Lago in David Cromer's revival of Tennessee Williams' ''Sweet Bird of Youth'', with Scott Rudin producing On 30 August 2011 Cromer spoke to the ''The New York Times'' and explained that the production will not meet its original fall 2011 revival date but that it remains an active project. In February 2011, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported Kidman is in talks to join the cast of Park Chan Wook's ''Stoker''. In May 2011 it was reported that Kidman would star and produce in ''Spectre'', a supernatural thriller directed by James Wan. The film closed major territory deals at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In June Kidman was cast in Lee Daniels' upcoming adaptation of the Pete Dexter novel, ''The Paperboy'' and began filming the thriller on 1 August 2011.

Singing

Not a singer before ''Moulin Rouge!'', Kidman had well-received vocal performances in the film. Her collaboration with Ewan McGregor on "Come What May" peaked at No.27 in the UK Singles Chart. Later she collaborated with Robbie Williams on "Somethin' Stupid", a cover of Williams' swing covers album ''Swing When You're Winning''. It peaked at No.8 in the Australian ARIAnet Singles Chart, and at No.1 for three weeks in the UK.

In 2006, while voicing a role in the animated movie ''Happy Feet'', she provided vocals for Norma Jean's "heartsong", a slightly altered version of "Kiss" by Prince. Kidman sang in Rob Marshall's movie musical ''Nine''.

Personal life

Kidman has been married twice, first to actor Tom Cruise, and then to singer Keith Urban.

She met Cruise in December 1989 on the set of their 1990 movie ''Days of Thunder''. Kidman and Cruise were married on Christmas Eve 1990 in Telluride, Colorado. The couple adopted a daughter, Isabella Jane (born 22 December 1992), and a son, Connor Anthony (born 17 January 1995). They separated on 25 May 1998. Kidman was three months pregnant at the time; shortly afterward, she suffered a miscarriage. Cruise filed for divorce in February 2001, and the marriage was dissolved that year, with Cruise citing irreconcilable differences. The reasons for dissolution have never been made public. In ''Marie Claire'', Kidman said she had an ectopic pregnancy early in their marriage. In the June 2006 ''Ladies' Home Journal'', she said she still loved Cruise: "He was huge; still is. To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge. But he was lovely to me and I loved him. I still love him." In addition, she has expressed shock about their divorce.

Prior to marrying Cruise, Kidman had a relationship with fellow Australian Marcus Graham in the 1980s. The 2003 film ''Cold Mountain'' brought rumours that an affair between Kidman and co-star Jude Law was responsible for the break-up of his marriage. Both denied the allegations, and Kidman won an undisclosed sum from the British tabloids that published the story. She gave the money to a Romanian orphanage in the town where the movie was filmed. Robbie Williams confirmed they had a short romance on her yacht in summer 2004. She met musician Lenny Kravitz in 2003 and dated him into 2004. In a 2007 interview, Kidman revealed that she was secretly engaged to someone prior to her marriage to Urban.

Kidman met her second husband, New Zealand-born country singer Urban, at G'Day LA, an event honouring Australians, in January 2005. They married on 25 June 2006, at Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in the grounds of St Patrick's Estate, Manly in Sydney. They maintain homes in Sydney, Sutton Forest, New South Wales, Los Angeles, California, and Nashville, Tennessee. The couple's daughter, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, was born on 7 July 2008, in Nashville. Kidman's father said the daughter's middle name was after Urban's late grandmother, Rose. On 28 December 2010, Kidman and Urban welcomed his second daughter and her third daughter, Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, via gestational carrier at Nashville's Centennial Women's Hospital. The child is biologically Kidman and Urban's. Faith's middle name is after Kidman's late grandmother.

In 2005, Kidman mentioned in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres that she is banned from doing one of her favourite hobbies – sky diving – while shooting a movie.

In January 2005, Kidman won interim restraining orders against two Sydney paparazzi who persistently stationed themselves outside her Darling Point mansion.

In the beginning of 2009, Kidman appeared in a series of postage stamps featuring Australian actors. She, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, and Cate Blanchett each appear twice in the series: once as themselves and once as their Academy Award-winning character.

Religious and political views

Kidman is a practicing Roman Catholic. She attended Mary Mackillop Chapel in North Sydney. During her divorce from Tom Cruise, she stated that she did not want the children raised as Scientologists. She has been reluctant to discuss Scientology since her divorce.

Kidman has donated to U.S. Democratic party candidates and she endorsed John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.

Charitable work

She has raised money for, and drawn attention to, disadvantaged children around the world. In 2004, she was honored as a "Citizen of the World" by the United Nations.

On Australia Day 2006, Kidman received Australia's highest civilian honor when she was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. She was also nominated goodwill ambassador for UNIFEM.

Kidman joined the Little Tee Campaign for breast cancer care to design T-shirts or vests to raise money to fight the disease. Kidman's mother had breast cancer in 1984.

Kidman was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in January 2006. In this capacity, Kidman has addressed international audiences at UN events, raised awareness through the media and testified before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs to support the International Violence against Women Act. Kidman visited Kosovo in 2006 to learn about women's experiences of conflict and UNIFEM's support efforts. She is the international spokesperson for UNIFEM's Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women initiative. Kidman and the UNIFEM executive director presented over five million signatures collected during the first phase of this to the UN Secretary-General on 25 November 2008.

On 8 January 2010, Kidman, alongside Nancy Pelosi, Joan Chen and Joe Torre, attended the ceremony to help Family Violence Prevention Fund break ground on a new international center located in the Presidio of San Francisco.

Filmography

Kidman's movies have grossed more than $2 billion (US), with 17 movies making more than $100 million.

+ Feature films and television
! Year	! Title	Role	Notes
1983		Judy
1983	''Bush Christmas''	Helen
1983	''Five Mile Creek''	Annie	TV series
1983	''Skin Deep''	Sheena Henderson	TV movie
1983	''Chase Through the Night''	Petra	TV movie
1984	''Matthew and Son''	Bridget Elliot	TV movie
1984	''The Wacky World of Wills & Burke''	Julia Matthews
1984	''''	Simone Jenkins	TV series, 2 episodes (4x43-44)
1985	''Archer's Adventure''	Catherine	TV movie
1985	''Winners''	Carol Trig	TV series – episode 1
1986	''Windrider''	Jade
1987	''Watch the Shadows Dance''	Amy Gabriel
1987	''''	Mary McAllister
1987	''Room to Move''	Carol Trig	TV miniseries
1987	''''	Jill	TV movie
1987		Megan Goddard	Australian Film Institute Awards
1988		Helen
1989		Rae Ingram	Nominated—[[Saturn Award for Best Actress
1989	''Bangkok Hilton''	Katrina Stanton	Logie Award for Most Popular Actress in a Miniseries/TelemovieSilver Logie Award for Most Popular ActressNominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Lead Actress in a Telefeature
1990	''Days of Thunder''	Dr. Claire Lewicki
1991		Nicola
1991		Drew Preston	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1992	''Far and Away''	Shannon Christie
1993		Tracy Kennsinger
1993		Gail Jones
1995	''To Die For''	Suzanne Stone Maretto	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best ActressBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressEmpire Award for Best ActressGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyLondon Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the YearSeattle International Film Festival Award for Best ActressSoutheastern Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Leading Actress in a Motion PictureNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best ActressNominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
1995	''Batman Forever''
1996	''''	Isabel Archer
1996		Woman in bar	uncredited cameo
1996	''''	Academy Awards Presenter
1997	''''	Dr. Julia Kelly
1998	''Practical Magic''	Gillian Owens
1998		Irene/Marie/Emma/Kelly	Evening Standard Special AwardTheatre World Award 1999Nominated—Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play
1999	''Eyes Wide Shut''	Alice Harford
2001	''Moulin Rouge!''	Satine	Empire Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyGransito Movie Award for Best ActressSatellite Award for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for The Others) MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Sequence (with Ewan McGregor)Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards for Best Female ActorNominated—IF Award for Best ActressNominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Ewan McGregor)Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Musical Sequence Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2001	''''	Grace Stewart	Fangoria
2001	''[[Birthday Girl''	Sophia/Nadia
2002	''Panic Room''	Stephen's girlfriend, on the phone
2002	''''	Virginia Woolf	Academy Award for Best ActressBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBerlin Film Festival For Best ActressGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaItalian Online Movie Award for Best ActressItalian Online Movie Award for Best CastLas Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—International Online Cinema Award for Best ActressNominated—International Online Cinema Award for Best EnsembleNominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated—Seattle Film Critics Award for Best ActressNominated—Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
2003	''Dogville''	Grace Margaret Mulligan	Russian Guild of Film Critics Golden Aries Award for Best Foreign ActressNominated—Bodil Award for Best ActressNominated—Cannes Film Festival Award for Best ActressNominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best CastNominated—International Online Cinema Award for Best EnsembleNominated—Italian Online Movie Award for Best Actress
2003	''''	Faunia Farley
2003		Ada Monroe	Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Empire Award for Best Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—International Online Cinema Award for Best EnsembleNominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
2003	''In the Cut''	Producer
2004	''''	Joanna Eberhart
2004		Anna
2005	''''	Silvia Broome
2005		Isabel Bigelow/Samantha	Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with Will Ferrell)Nominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Leading Lady
2006		Diane Arbus
2006	''Happy Feet''	Norma Jean
2005	''God Grew Tired of Us''	Narrator
2007	''''	Dr. Carol Bennell
2007	''Margot at the Wedding''	Margot	Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyNominated—Gotham Awards 2007
2007	''''	[[Marisa Coulter	Nominated—Australian Film Institute Awards
2008		Lady Sarah Ashley
2009		Claudia Jenssen
2010		Becca Corbett	Nominated—Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best ActressNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—International Cinema Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Italian Online Movie Award for Best ActressNominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Female LeadNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
2011	''Just Go With It''	Devlin Adams
2011		Producer
2011		Sarah	''Post-Production''
2012	''Hemingway & Gellhorn''	Martha Gellhorn	''Post-Production''
2012	''The Paperboy''	Charlotte Bless	''Filming''

Awards

In 2003, Kidman received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition to her 2003 Academy Award for Best Actress, Kidman has received Best Actress awards from the following critics' groups or award-granting organisations: the Hollywood Foreign Press (Golden Globes), the Australian Film Institute, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Empire Awards, Golden Satellite Awards, Hollywood Film Festival, London Critics Circle, Russian Guild of Film Critics, and the Southeastern Film Critics Association. In 2003, Kidman was given the American Cinematheque Award. She also received recognition from the National Association of Theatre Owners at the ShoWest Convention in 1992 as the Female Star of Tomorrow and in 2002 for a Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film.

Government honours

In 2006, Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest civilian honour, for "service to the performing arts as an acclaimed motion picture performer, to health care through contributions to improve medical treatment for women and children and advocacy for cancer research, to youth as a principal supporter of young performing artists, and to humanitarian causes in Australia and internationally." However, due to film commitments and her wedding to Urban, it was 13 April 2007 that she was presented with the honour. It was presented by Governor-General of Australia, Major General Michael Jeffery in a ceremony at Government House, Canberra.

Discography

"Come What May" single (Duet with Ewan McGregor – October 2001) AUS #10, UK #27

"One Day I'll Fly Away" – October 2001 (''Moulin Rouge!'' soundtrack)

"Sparkling Diamonds" (with Caroline O'Connor) – October 2001 (''Moulin Rouge!'' soundtrack)

"Hindi Sad Diamonds" -October 2001 (''Moulin Rouge!'' soundtrack)

"Somethin' Stupid" single (Duet with Robbie Williams – December 2001) AUS #8, UK #1

"Kiss" / "Heartbreak Hotel" – Nicole Kidman / Hugh Jackman – November 2006 (''Happy Feet'' soundtrack)

"Unusual Way"– December 2009 (''Nine'' soundtrack)

References

Additional reading

External links

Nicole Kidman's charity work

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from Hawaii Category:Actors from New South Wales Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American Roman Catholics Category:American television actors Category:American people of Australian descent Category:Australian people of Irish descent Category:Australian child actors Category:Australian female singers Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian Roman Catholics Category:Australian television actors Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Companions of the Order of Australia Category:People from Honolulu, Hawaii Category:People from Sydney Category:Saturn Award winners Category:Miscarriage victims

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Name	Coco Chanel
Nationality	French
Birth name	Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel
Birth date	August 19, 1883
Birth place	Saumur, France
Death date	January 10, 1971
Death place	Paris, France
Education	Catholic Monastery in Aubazine
Label name	Chanel
Significant design	Little black dress
Awards	Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, 1957 }}

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel. Her extraordinary influence on fashion was such that she was the only person in the couturier field to be named on Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.

Early life

Chanel was born in Saumur, France. She was the second daughter of Albert Chanel and Jeanne Devolle, a market stallholder and laundrywoman respectively at the time of her birth. Her birth was declared by employees of the hospital in which she was born. They, being illiterate, could not provide or confirm the correct spelling of the surname and it was recorded by the mayor François Poitou as "Chasnel". This misspelling made the tracing of her roots almost impossible for biographers when Chanel later rose to prominence.

Her parents married in 1883. She had five siblings: two sisters, Julie (1882–1913) and Antoinette (born 1887) and three brothers, Alphonse (born 1885), Lucien (born 1889) and Augustin (born and died 1891). In 1895, when she was 12 years old, Chanel's mother died of tuberculosis and her father left the family. Because of this, the young Chanel spent six years in the orphanage of the Roman Catholic monastery of Aubazine, where she learned the trade of a seamstress. School vacations were spent with relatives in the provincial capital, where female relatives taught her to sew with more flourish than the nuns at the monastery were able to demonstrate.

When Coco turned eighteen, she was obliged to leave the orphanage, and affiliated with the circus of Moulins as a cabaret singer. During this time, Chanel performed in bars in Vichy and Moulins where she was called "Coco." Some say that the name comes from one of the songs she used to sing, and Chanel herself said that it was a "shortened version of coquette, the French word for 'kept woman'," according to an article in ''The Atlantic''.

Personal life and entry into fashion

While she failed to get steady work as a singer, it was at Moulins that she met rich, young French textile heir Étienne Balsan, to whom she soon became an acknowledged mistress, keeping her day job in a tailoring shop. Balsan lavished on her the beauties of "the rich life": diamonds, dresses, and pearls. While living with Balsan, Chanel began designing hats as a hobby, which soon became a deeper interest of hers. "After opening her eyes," as she would say, Coco left Balsan and took over his apartment in Paris. Biographer Justine Picardie, in her 2010 study ''Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life'' (Harper Collins), suggests that the fashion designer's nephew André Palasse—supposedly the only child of her sister Julie—may actually have been Chanel's child by Balsan.

In 1909 Chanel met and began an affair with one of Balsan's friends, Captain Arthur Edward 'Boy' Capel. Capel financed Chanel's first shops and his own clothing style, notably his jersey blazers, inspired her creation of the Chanel look. The couple spent time together at fashionable resorts such as Deauville, but he was never faithful to Chanel. The affair lasted nine years, but even after Capel married an aristocratic English beauty in 1918, he did not completely break off with Chanel. His death in a car accident, in late 1919, was the single most devastating event in Chanel's life. A roadside memorial at the site of the accident was placed there by Chanel, who visited it in later years to place flowers there.

Chanel became a licensed modiste (hat maker) in 1910 and opened a boutique at 21 rue Cambon, Paris named ''Chanel Modes''. Chanel's modiste career bloomed once theatre actress Gabrielle Dorziat modelled her hats in the F Noziere's play ''Bel Ami'' in 1912 (Subsequently, Dorizat modelled her hats again in ''Les Modes''). In 1913, she established a boutique in Deauville, where she introduced luxe casual clothes that were suitable for leisure and sport. Chanel launched her career as fashion designer when she opened her next boutique, titled Chanel-Biarritz, in 1915, catering to the wealthy Spanish clientele who holidayed in Biarritz and were less affected by the war. Fashionable like Deauville, Chanel created loose casual clothes made out of jersey, a material typically used for men's underwear. By 1919, Chanel was registered as a couturiere and established her maison de couture at 31 rue Cambon.

Later in life, she concocted an elaborate false history for her humble beginnings. Chanel would steadfastly claim that when her mother died, her father sailed for America to get rich and she was sent to live with two cold-hearted spinster aunts. She even claimed to have been born in 1893 as opposed to 1883, and that her mother had died when Coco was two instead of twelve.

In 1920, she was introduced by ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev to Igor Stravinsky, composer of ''The Rite of Spring'', to whom she extended an offer for him and his family to reside with her.

In 1924, Chanel made an agreement with the Wertheimer brothers, Pierre and Paul, directors of the eminent perfume house Bourgeois since 1917, creating a corporate entity, "Parfums Chanel." The Wertheimers agreed to provide full financing for production, marketing and distribution of Chanel No. 5. For ten percent of the stock, Chanel licensed her name to "Parfums Chanel" and removed herself from involvement in all business operations. Displeased with the arrangement, Chanel worked for more than twenty years to gain full control of "Parfums Chanel." She proclaimed that Pierre Wertheimer was “the bandit who screwed me.”

Coco dated some of the most influential men of her time, but she never married. The reason may be found in her answer, when asked why she did not marry the Duke of Westminster: "There have been several Duchesses of Westminster. There is only one Chanel."

In 1925, Vera Bate Lombardi, née Sarah Gertrude Arkwright, reputedly the illegitimate daughter of the Marquess of Cambridge, became Chanel's muse, and also her liaison to a number of European royal families. Chanel established the ''English look'' based upon Lombardi's personal style. Lombardi also had the highest possible social connections. She introduced Chanel to her uncle, the Duke of Westminster, her cousin, the Duke of Windsor, and many other aristocratic families. In 1927 she built Villa La Pausa in Roquebrune on the French Riviera hiring the architect Robert Streitz. The villa has a staircase and a patio inspired by her orphanage, Aubazine. La Pausa has been partially replicated at the Dallas Museum of Art to welcome the Reves collection and part of Chanel's original furniture for the house.

It was in 1931 while in Monte Carlo that Chanel made the acquaintance of Samuel Goldwyn. The introduction was made through a mutual friend, the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, cousin to the last czar of Russia, Nicolas II. Goldwyn offered Chanel a tantalizing proposition. For the sum of a million dollars (approximately seventy-five million today), he would bring her to Hollywood twice a year to design costumes for MGM stars. Chanel accepted the offer. En route to California from New York traveling in a white train car, which had been luxuriously outfitted specifically for her use, she was interviewed by Colliers magazine in 1932. Chanel said she had agreed to the arrangement to "see what the pictures have to offer me and what I have to offer the pictures."

World War II

In 1939, at the beginning of World War II, Chanel closed her shops. She believed that it was not a time for fashion. During the German occupation Chanel resided at the Hotel Ritz, which was also noteworthy for being the preferred place of residence for upper echelon German military staff. She also maintained an apartment above her couture house at 31 rue Cambon. During that time she was criticized for having an affair with Hans Günther von Dincklage, a German military intelligence officer who arranged for her to remain in the hotel.

World War II, specifically the Nazi seizure of all Jewish owned property and business enterprises, provided Chanel with the opportunity to gain the full monetary fortune generated by "Parfums Chanel" and its most profitable product, Chanel No. 5. The directors of "Parfums Chanel," the Wertheimers, were Jewish, and Chanel used her position as an “Aryan” to petition German officials to legalize her right to sole ownership. On 5 May 1941, she wrote to the government administrator charged with ruling on the disposition of Jewish financial assets. Her grounds for proprietary ownership were based on the claim that “Parfums Chanel “is still the property of Jews”…and had been legally “abandoned” by the owners. “I have,” she wrote, “an indisputable right of priority…the profits that I have received from my creations since the foundation of this business…are disproportionate…[and] you can help to repair in part the prejudices I have suffered in the course of these seventeen years.” Chanel was not aware that the Wertheimers, anticipating the forthcoming Nazi mandates against Jews had, in May 1940, legally turned control of “Parfums Chanel” over to a Christian, French businessman and industrialist, Felix Amiot. Chanel’s friend and biographer Marcel Haedrich provided a telling estimation of her wartime interaction with the Nazi regime: “If one took seriously the few disclosures that Mademoiselle Chanel allowed herself to make about those black years of the occupation, one’s teeth would be set on edge.”

In 1943, after four years of professional separation, Chanel contacted Lombardi, who was living in Rome. She invited Lombardi to come to Paris and renew their work together. This was actually a cover for "Operation Modellhut," an attempt by Nazi spymaster Walter Schellenberg to make secret contact with Lombardi's relative Winston Churchill. When Lombardi refused, she was arrested as a British spy by the Gestapo. Chanel was later charged as a collaborator, but avoided trial due to intervention by the British Royal family.

Chanel was a very close friend of Walter Schellenberg to the extent that when he died of cancer penniless in Turin, Chanel paid for his funeral.

Some references suggest that Coco Chanel had close contact with another Nazi, Walter Kutschmann, who was responsible for the murder of thousands of Poland's Jews early in World War II. He was transferred to France in 1943 where he became Chanel's Paris SS contact. Kutschmann made frequent trips to Spain with Chanel with large sums of money passing between them.

Later years and death

In 1945, she moved to Switzerland, eventually returning to Paris in 1954, the same year she returned to the fashion world. The re-establishment of her couture house in 1954 was fully financed by Chanel’s old nemesis in the perfume battle, Pierre Wertheimer. This new contractual agreement would also allow Wertheimer to maintain ownership of “Parfums Chanel.” In return, Wertheimer agreed to an unusual arrangement proposed by Chanel herself, attempting to revive her youthful years as the kept woman of wealthy men. Wertheimer would pay for all of Chanel’s expenses from the large to the trivial for as long as she lived.

Her new collection did not have much success with the Parisians because of her relationship with the Nazis; However, it was applauded by the British and Americans, who became her faithful customers.

In early 1971 Chanel, then eighty-seven years old, was tired and ailing but continued to adhere to her usual schedule, overseeing the preparation of the spring collection. She died on Sunday 10 January, at the Hotel Ritz where she had resided for more than thirty years. She had gone for a long drive that afternoon and, not feeling well, had retired early to bed.

Film depictions

The first film about Chanel was ''Chanel Solitaire'' (1981), directed by George Kaczender and starring Marie-France Pisier, Timothy Dalton, and Rutger Hauer.

The American television movie ''Coco Chanel'' debuted on 13 September 2008 on Lifetime Television, starring Shirley MacLaine as a 70-year-old Chanel. Directed by Christian Duguay, the film also starred Barbora Bobulova as the young Chanel, Olivier Sitruk as Boy Capel, and Malcolm McDowell. The movie substantially rewrote Chanel's personal history, such as its portrayal of her status as a professional mistress as instead a series of "love stories," and glossing over both her Nazi collaboration and her use of British Royal connections to avoid post-war trial as a collaborator.

A film starring Audrey Tautou as the young Coco, titled ''Coco avant Chanel'' (''Coco Before Chanel''), was released on 22 April 2009. Audrey Tautou is the new spokeswoman of Chanel S.A.

The film ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'', directed by Jan Kounen and starring Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen, concerns the purported affair between Chanel and Igor Stravinsky. The film is based on the 2002 novel ''Coco & Igor'' by Chris Greenhalgh, and was chosen to close the Cannes Film Festival of 2009. Two more projects are said to be in the works, including one directed by Daniele Thompson.

Literary depictions

''Coco & Igor'' is a novel, written by Chris Greenhalgh, which depicts the affair between Chanel and Igor Stravinsky and the creative achievements that this affair inspired. The novel was first published in 2003.

In 2008 a children's book entitled ''Different like Coco'' was published. It depicted the humble childhood of Coco Chanel and chronicled how she made drastic changes to the fashion industry.

''The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman'' is a novel written by Karen Karbo. Published in 2009, it chronicles the humble beginnings and legendary achievements of Coco Chanel while providing insight and advice on everything from embracing the moment to living life on your own terms.

Stage depictions

The Broadway musical '' Coco'', music by Andre Previn, book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, opened 18 December 1969 and closed 3 October 1970. It is set in 1953–1954 at the time that Chanel was reestablishing her couture house. Chanel was played by Katharine Hepburn for the first eight months, and by Danielle Darrieux for the rest of its run.

References

Further reading

External links

Official Site of Chanel

Coco Chanel in the 1920s

Coco Chanel in the Art Deco Era

Category:1883 births Category:1971 deaths Category:Artists from Paris Category:Ballet designers Category:Bisexual people Category:French fashion designers Category:French Nazi collaborators Category:LGBT people from France Category:People from Saumur

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name	Keira Knightley
birth name	Keira Christina Knightley
birth date	March 26, 1985
birth place	Teddington, London, England
occupation	Actress, model
years active	1993–present
parents	Will KnightleySharman MacDonald }}

Keira Christina Knightley (; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film ''Bend It Like Beckham''. From 2003 her appearances in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series took her to much greater prominence.

Knightley has appeared in several Hollywood films and earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel ''Pride and Prejudice''. Two years later she again was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, as well as the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in ''Atonement''.

In 2008, ''Forbes'' claimed Knightley to be the second highest paid actress in Hollywood, having reportedly earned $32 million in 2007, making her the only non-American on the list of highest paid actresses.

Early life

Knightley was born in Teddington, London, England, the daughter of Sharman MacDonald, an award-winning playwright, and Will Knightley, a theatre and television actor. Her father is English and her Scottish mother is of half Welsh ancestry. She has an elder brother, Caleb. Knightley, born Kiera, switched her name to Keira to make it easier for international audiences to pronounce.

Knightley lived in Richmond, attending Stanley Junior School, Teddington School and Esher College. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of six, but nevertheless was successful in school and was thus permitted to acquire a talent agent and pursue an acting career. She requested an agent as early as the age of three and got one when she turned six, from her mother as a reward for studying hard. Knightley has noted that she was "single-minded about acting" during her childhood. She performed in a number of local amateur productions, including ''After Juliet'' (written by her mother) and ''United States'' (written by her then drama teacher, Ian McShane, no relation to the actor). She focused on art, history, and English literature while at Esher, but left after a year to focus on her acting and she also turned down her spot at the London Academy of Music and Drama.

Career

Film and television work

After getting an agent at 6, she did work mostly on commercials and small TV roles. Her first role was "Little Girl" in ''Royal Celebration'', a 1993 TV movie. A year later, she had a small role in the movie ''A Village Affair''. She later starred in 1995's ''Innocent Lies'' and 1998's ''Coming Home''. She was a princess in the 1996 movie ''The Treasure Seekers''. Later in 1999, she appeared as Rose in ''Oliver Twist''.

Keira Knightley appeared in several television films in the mid to late 1990s—as well as ITV1's ''The Bill''—before being cast as Sabé, Padmé Amidala's decoy, in the 1999 science fiction blockbuster ''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace''. Sabé's dialogue was dubbed over with Natalie Portman's voice. This was to hide the fact that the handmaiden Padmé (played by Natalie Portman) was actually disclosed as the real Queen Amidala at the end of the film. Knightley was cast in the role due to her close resemblance to Portman; even the two actresses' mothers had difficulty telling their daughters apart when the girls were in full makeup. Knightley's first starring role followed in 2001, when she played the daughter of Robin Hood in the made-for-television Walt Disney Productions feature, ''Princess of Thieves''. She trained for several weeks in archery, sword fighting, and horse riding. During this time, Knightley also appeared in ''The Hole'', a thriller that received a direct-to-video release in the United States. She appeared in a miniseries adaptation of ''Doctor Zhivago'' that first aired in 2002 to mixed reviews but high ratings. In the same year, she also was in the movie ''Pure'', in which she portrays a pregnant teenager who is a heroin addict and had a child taken by social services.

Knightley's breakthrough role was in the football-themed film, ''Bend It Like Beckham'', which was a success in its August 2002 UK release, grossing $18 million, and in its March 2003 U.S. release, grossing $32 million. After ''Bend It Like Beckham'''s UK release raised her profile, she was cast in the big budget action film, ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (along with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp) which was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and opened in July 2003 to positive reviews and high box office grosses, becoming one of the biggest hits of summer 2003 and cementing Knightley as the new "It" girl.

Knightley had a role in the British romantic comedy ''Love Actually'', which opened in November 2003, which co-starred her childhood idol Emma Thompson. Her next film, ''King Arthur'', opened in July 2004 to negative reviews, however in preparation for the role she took boxing, fighting, archery, and horseback-riding lessons for four days a week for three months. In the same month, Knightley was voted by readers of ''Hello!'' magazine as the film industry's most promising teen star. Additionally, ''TIME'' magazine noted in a 2004 feature that Knightley seemed dedicated to developing herself as a serious actress rather than a film star.

thumb|left|200px|Knightley at a London ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' premiere in July 2006 She appeared in three films in 2005, the first of which was ''The Jacket'', alongside Adrien Brody. She next appeared in Tony Scott's ''Domino'', an action film based on the life of bounty hunter Domino Harvey. The film has been Knightley's greatest critical flop to date. Knightley's critics often suggested she was nothing more than a pretty face, which led the young starlet to comment to ''Elle'' magazine, "I always feel like I’m the one with everything to prove."

''Pride & Prejudice'' rounded out 2005. Knightley loved the book since she was seven, and she with her first acting paycheck she bought a dollhouse of the hero's mansion. She said of her character, "The beauty of Elizabeth is that every woman who ever reads the book seems to recognize herself, with all her faults and imperfections. If you give an actress who is even remotely good the chance to play a fantastic character like that, they are going to revel in it." ''Variety'' wrote about her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet: "Looking every bit a star, Knightley, who's shown more spirit than acting smarts so far in her career, really steps up to the plate here, holding her own against the more classically trained Matthew Macfadyen, as well as vets like Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Penelope Wilton, and Judi Dench with a luminous strength that recalls a young Audrey Hepburn. More than the older Jennifer Ehle in the TV series, she catches Elizabeth's essential skittishness and youthful braggadocio, making her final conversion all the more moving." The film grossed more than $100 million worldwide, and Knightley earned a Golden Globe nomination and an Oscar nomination (the Oscar ultimately went to Reese Witherspoon). The Academy Award nomination made her the third-youngest performer ever nominated. BAFTA's decision not to nominate her drew criticism from ''Pride & Prejudice'' producer Tim Bevan.

In 2006, Knightley was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her biggest financial hit thus far, ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'', was released in July.

Knightley starred in three major films in 2007: ''Silk'', an adaptation of the novel by Alessandro Baricco, ''Atonement'', a feature film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel of the same name (co-starring James McAvoy, Vanessa Redgrave, and Brenda Blethyn), and ''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'', which was released in May 2007. For her performance in ''Atonement'', Knightley was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Dramatic Actress category for the role, as well as a BAFTA Award. Critic Richard Roeper was puzzled by both Knightley's and McAvoy's Academy Award snubs, stating "I thought McAvoy and Knightley were superb."

In the late spring of 2007, Knightley shot ''The Edge of Love'' with Cillian Murphy as her husband, Matthew Rhys as her childhood sweetheart, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, and Sienna Miller as Thomas' wife Caitlin Macnamara. She received positive reviews for her role. The 2008 release was penned by Knightley's mother, Sharman Macdonald, and directed by John Maybury. She then filmed ''The Duchess'', based on the best-selling biography, ''Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire'' by Amanda Foreman, in which she played Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire; the film was released in cinemas on 5 September 2008 in the U.K.

Knightley appears in the drama ''Last Night'', in which she co-starred with Eva Mendes, Sam Worthington, and Guillaume Canet; it was directed by Massy Tadjedin. In April 2009, Knightley began work on an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's dystopian novel, ''Never Let Me Go'' with Andrew Garfield and Carey Mulligan. Filming took place in Norfolk and Clevedon in Somerset.

Theatre

Knightley made her West End debut in Martin Crimp's version of Molière's comedy, ''The Misanthrope'', at the Comedy Theatre in London alongside Damian Lewis, Tara FitzGerald, and Dominic Rowan. in December 2009. Reviews for her portrayal of Jennifer in the play were generally positive. ''The Daily Telegraph'' described her performance as revealing "both power and poignancy" and ''The Independent'' called her performance "not only strikingly convincing but, at times, rather thrilling in its satiric aplomb" ''The Guardian,'' however, noted that due to the nature of the role "one could say that she is not unduly stretched" and ''The Daily Mail'' described her as "little better than adequate" and "dull" and the ''Daily Express'' stated that "Her lack of stage experience is sometimes painfully evident."

Knightley has been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award as Best Supporting Actress as Jennifer in ''The Misanthrope'', recognising her theatre debut. Knightley also received an Evening Standard Award nomination for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress.

Upcoming roles

Knightley is filming under the direction of David Cronenberg in the feature film ''A Dangerous Method'', where she plays the role of Sabina Spielrein, the real-life psychoanalyst who worked with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Vincent Cassel will be co-starring. She is slated to appear in ''The Emperor's Children'' with Eric Bana and Richard Gere. The film, a dark comedy, will be directed by Noah Baumbach. Knightley will star in ''London Boulevard'' with Colin Farrell, written by William Monahan, who will also make his directing debut.

Media attention

As a result of her rapid rise to fame, Knightley has been the focus of significant media attention. She has been described by press reports as "famously open with media," although Knightley herself has stated "I don't talk about my private life."

Knightley's look has often been described in publications as gamine.

Knightley has appeared many times in FHMs ''100 Sexiest Women in the World'' list. Ranked No.79 in 2004 she climbed to No.18 in 2005, and was named "the sexiest woman in the world in 2006." In 2007 she was 12th, 10th in 2008 and came 36th in 2009. The US edition ranked her No.54 in 2004, No.11 in 2005, and No.5 in 2006. In May 2006, she was No.9 on ''Maxim'''s 2006 Hot 100. She was also named "the number one beauty icon of 2007" by a poll of 2500 people conducted by British high street chain Superdrug. Knightley appeared nude, along with Scarlett Johansson, on the cover of ''Vanity Fair'' magazine's March 2006 "Hollywood" issue.

Knightley was the celebrity face for the luxury goods brand Asprey, Shiatzy Chen as well as Lux haircare products in Japanese television commercials. In April 2006, she was confirmed as the new celebrity face of Chanel's perfume Coco Mademoiselle, though the first photo from the campaign was not released until May 2007.

Knightley's Valentino gown at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards won her much acclaim and even landed her the top spot on Steven Cojocaru's "Best Dressed List" on ''Entertainment Tonight'', while the dress she wore to the 2006 Academy Awards was donated to the charity Oxfam, where it raised £4,300.

Knightley has warned children who dream of the celebrity life that it's not all what it seems to be. "It frightens me when kids go, 'I want to be famous.'" In a 2007 interview with the BBC Knightley said that she feels "de-humanised." She also said that when a person becomes a celebrity, the public doesn't care that the person's life is constantly watched.

While she has no current plans to leave the world of film, Knightley has said that she could not imagine subjecting a child to the media. She is quoted as saying, "I'm not planning to have children at the moment... everyone changes, and I'm sure there will be a time I will want to do something different. I could completely see myself moving away [from acting]."

She has expressed concern in the past about unsolicited attention from stalkers, and a 41-year-old man was charged with harassment in February 2010 after trying to contact the actress on several occasions outside the Comedy Theatre in London, where she appeared in the play ''The Misanthrope''. The subsequent trial folded after the actress was unavailable to testify in court.

Charity work

Knightley is the face of an Amnesty International campaign to support human rights, marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As part of the campaign, the star also made a short film. Knightley stated she wanted to help raise awareness of the UDHR and human rights abuses. She said "The UDHR is something that everyone should be aware of and be proud of as a statement of our common humanity."

She posed for photos for WaterAid in 2005 and also for the American Library Association's "Read" campaign (A promotional poster of ''Pride and Prejudice'').

Knightley contributed her voice to a 2007 ''Robbie the Reindeer'' animation, all profits of which will be donated to Comic Relief. In 2004, she travelled to Ethiopia with a group that included Richard Curtis, who had directed her in ''Love, Actually'', on behalf of that charity.

In April 2009, Knightley appeared in a video to raise awareness of domestic abuse entitled ''Cut''. The video was directed by Joe Wright, who directed Knightley in ''Pride and Prejudice'' and ''Atonement'', and shot for "Women's Aid," a British women and children aid group. The video has created controversy, with some sources calling it too graphic, while other groups support the video for showing a realistic depiction of domestic violence.

In November 2010, Knightley became patron of The SMA Trust, a British charity that funds medical research into the children's disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

In March 2011, she appeared briefly in the ''Smithy'' sketch for Red Nose Day 2011, alongside Sir Paul McCartney, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Davina McCall, Justin Bieber and JLS, amongst others.

Personal life

Knightley, who lives in London, had a relationship with her ''Pride & Prejudice'' co-star Rupert Friend from 2005 until the couple split in December 2010. She has reportedly been dating James Righton since late February 2011.

Knightley has denied rumours she is anorexic, although she did say—after her appearance at the ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' premiere led to media speculation that her extremely slender figure was due to an eating disorder—that her family has a history of anorexia. Knightley sued the ''Daily Mail'' after they claimed she lied about having anorexia; the article said that a teenage girl died from anorexia, indicating that Knightley's physical appearance may have influenced her in some way. She was awarded a settlement.

In July 2006, Knightley said she has become a workaholic, detailing that "the last five years have blended into one. I can't tell you what was last year and what was the year before" and specifying that she was "working too much" and was "quite frightened that if I continue at this rate I will start to hate what I love," suggesting that she would take a one-year break from acting to travel and focus on her personal life.

Filmography

; Feature films

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1995	''Innocent Lies''	Young Celia
1999	''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace''
2001		Jogger
2001	''Princess of Thieves''	Gwyn
2001	''''	Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith
2002	''Thunderpants''	Music school student	Uncredited
2002		Louise
2002	''Bend It Like Beckham''	Juliette "Jules" Paxton
2002	''New Year's Eve''	Leah
2002	''''	Helena
2003	''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl''	Elizabeth Swann	|Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock |Nominated – Empire Award for Best British Actress|Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress|Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Breakout Performance on Screen|Nominated – Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male or Female Actor in an Effects Film|Nominated – Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award|Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance|Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Movie Star - Female}}
2003	''Love Actually''	Juliet
2004		Guinevere
2005	''''	Jackie
2005		Domino Harvey
2005		Elizabeth Bennet
2006	''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest''	Elizabeth Swann	|Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock |Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Scream|Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy Fit|Nominated – Empire Awards for Best Actress|Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Performace|Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress Drama/Action Adventure}}
2007	''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End''	Elizabeth Swann
2007		Hélène Joncour
2007		Cecilia Tallis
2008	''''	Vera Phillips
2008	''''
2009	''The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers''
2010	''London Boulevard''	Charlotte
2010		Ruth
2010		Joanna Reed
2010		Woman
2011	''''	Sabina Spielrein	post-production
2012	''Seeking A Friend for the End of the World''	Penny	filming
2012		Anna Karenina	pre-production

; Television appearances

! Year	! Title	! Role
1993	''Screen One''	Little Girl
1995	''''	Natasha Jordan
1995	''''	Sheena Rose
1996	''''	The Princess
1998		Young Judith Dunbar
1999		Rose Fleming
2001	''Princess of Thieves''	Gwyn (daughter of Robin Hood)
2002		Lara Antipova
2003		Kate
2007		Em

Theatre appearances

! Year	! Production	! Theatre	! Role	! Awards
2009/2010	''The Misanthrope''	Comedy Theatre, London	Jennifer (Celimene)
2011		Comedy Theatre, London	Karen Wright

References

External links

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:English child actors Category:English film actors Category:English people of Scottish descent Category:English people of Welsh descent Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:People from London Category:People from Teddington Category:English female models

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