Coordinates: 52°11′24″N 0°03′40″W / 52.19°N 0.061°W / 52.19; -0.061

Bourn
Bourn  Bourn shown within Cambridgeshire
Population	1,764 (2001)
OS grid reference	TL327563
District	South Cambridgeshire
Shire county	Cambridgeshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CAMBRIDGE
Postcode district	CB23
Dialling code	01954
Police	Cambridgeshire
Fire	Cambridgeshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
List of places: UK • England • Cambridgeshire

Bourn is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. Surrounding villages include Caxton, Eltisley and Cambourne. It is 8 miles (12 km) from the county town of Cambridge.^[1] The population of the parish was 1,764 people at the time of the 2001 census.^[2]

Bourn has a Church of England primary school, a doctors' surgery, the Church of St. Mary & St. Helena, a golf club, a former Royal Air Force base (RAF Bourn 1940-1945), which is used for light aircraft, and an old windmill. Bourn Hall Clinic, a centre for infertility treatment, is located here. A small stream called Bourn Brook runs through the village, eventually joining the River Cam.

History[link]

The name Bourn is derived from the Old English burna or Old Scandinavian brunnr, meaning '(place at) the spring(s) or stream(s)'. It was spelled Brune in the 1086 Domesday book.^[3]

Bourn has existed as a settlement for over a thousand years. Roman remains have been found along the Bourn Brook and near Bourn Hall and there is evidence of Romano-British activity along the top of the valley on the airfield and in the direction of Caxton. Three tumuli on Alms Hill are of Roman and Danish origin and the two which were excavated in 1909 contained Roman coins and pottery, a Celtic button and evidence of Danish feasting commemorating the death of a leader or celebrating a victory around 1010.

The mediaeval village was in a wooded valley and developed along both sides of the Bourn Brook. The farming system of common grazing land and six large fields managed in a three-course rotation lasted until the Enclosure Act in 1809. By 1279 there were 183 families and 900 people; the names of fields and families from this time are still known in the area. By the 14th century, Bourn's population dropped to 299 because of factors including the plague, high taxes, poor weather, the emergence of the yeoman farmer and decrease in serfdom.

By the 19th century, settlement in Bourn parish was concentrated along the High Street near the church, though there were also streets and ancient closes in the areas of the village known as Caxton End and Crow End.^[4]

The population grew to 945 by 1851. This fell to 587 in 1931, during the Great Depression, but after World War II a large influx of squatters from London came to live on the disused airfield and the population was 1,053 in 1951.^[4] Some later occupied Bourn's first council housing estate, Hall Close.^[5]

RAF Bourn[link]

Bourn Airfield was constructed for RAF Bomber Command in 1940 as a satellite airfield for nearby RAF Oakington. It was used by 101 Squadron Wellingtons for training purposes from 23 July 1941, and from October of that year 101 and 7 Squadrons used the airfield when Oakington became unavailable.

On 9 April 1941, the airfield was subjected to the first of four raids when a Junkers Ju88C strafed the airfield buildings and bombed the runway; however, little damage was done and there were no injuries. Two more raids on the 8th and 23 May 1944 were made, the latter damaging two parked De Havilland Mosquitos.

As the strategic bombing offensive intensified, the losses mounted. By the time of the last operational sortie on 4 April 1945, a total of 164 aircraft had been lost, either from the squadrons based at Bourn or from others trying, and failing, to land on the field. The average age of aircrew was 23 and over a third of these were under 20 years of age. Of the 886 listed names, 648 were killed and many of the 35 injured subsequently died of their wounds. The number killed was probably greater than that of the entire population of the village at the time.

97 Squadron's Lancasters were replaced by the Mosquito IXs of 105 Sqn in March 1944. These Oboe-equipped aircraft were able to identify targets with great precision and then mark them accurately.

In December 1944, 162 Squadron was formed at Bourn with Canadian-built Mosquito XXs and XXVs which flew almost nightly to Berlin, target-marking for the Light Night Strike Force. The two squadrons operated together from Bourn for much of the rest of the war.

From 1941 to 1945, damaged Stirlings were repaired and test-flown from Bourn. These were transported to the airfield from the Sebro factory near Madingley which later continued its work with RAF and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), B-24 Liberators. The Bourn and Madingley units together employed up to 4,500 personnel.

The airfield was passed on to Maintenance Command in 1947. By 1948, the station was closed and the last sections were sold off for agricultural use in 1961.^[6]

Now the Rural Flying Corps uses part of the runway for light aircraft; small industrial developments occupy other areas of the site. On Bank Holidays, Bourn Market uses much of the old runways for stalls.^[7]

Governance[link]

Bourn parish council has nine councillors.^[8] The parish is represented on South Cambridgeshire District Council by three councillors for the Bourn ward^[9] and on Cambridgeshire County Council by one councillor.^[10] It is in the parliamentary constituency of South Cambridgeshire, represented at the House of Commons by Andrew Lansley.^[11]

Geography[link]

Neighbouring parishes

	Caxton	Cambourne	Caldecote
	Caxton		Caldecote
		Bourn    East
	Longstowe	Kingston	Kingston

Bourn village is north of the B1046 road, east of Caxton and south of Cambourne.^[1] It is 8 miles (12 km) west of Cambridge and 47 miles (76 km) north of London. The South Cambridgeshire (Parishes) Order 2004 created a new parish of Cambourne and changed the boundaries of Bourn parish.^[12]

Bourn parish ranges from 32 to 72 metres above sea level^[1] and the soil is clay with a gault subsoil.^[13] In 2001, the area of the parish was 1,660 hectares.^[2]

Demography[link]

At the time of the 2001 census, the population of Bourn parish was 1,764 people living in 713 households. 96.1% were White, 1.4% Asian or Asian British, 0.2% Black or Black British, and 1.2% 'other'. 68.6% described themselves as Christian and 29.9% said they had no religion or did not state one.^[2]

Landmarks[link]

A war memorial to commemorate Bourn men who died in the First and Second World Wars stands at the junction of the High Street and Short Street.^[14]

Mill[link]

The Post Mill dates from at least 1636, when it was sold by John Cook. In 1741, Richard Bishop was killed when he was trying to turn the mill in high winds and part of it blew down. The mill was sold in 1926 when it became outmoded by engines fuelled by paraffin. It has been owned by the Cambridge Preservation Society since 1932.

The body of the mill, the 'buck', contains all the machinery and is balanced on a 'post' supported by an oak trestle, which supports the entire weight of the mill, and bolted to four brick piers. Four sails and millstones in front of the post balance the double steps (which act as a thrust support when down) and the tail pole behind (which is used to turn the sails into the wind). It is called a 'Post Mill' because of its supporting post.

The sails have to face squarely into the wind so the buck, with the weight of all its machinery, has to be turned. First the talber (step lever) is pulled down and hooked into place to raise the steps, then the miller pushes the tail pole round and lastly lowers the steps again. The sails will turn without canvas in a strong wind but two 'common sails' (with close slats) can be 'clothed' by threading ringed canvasses on to central steel rods and roping them on to the sails. The other pair were fitted with 'automatic spring shutters' which opened releasing wind pressure when it blew too hard. Only two broken shutters remain of these.^[15]

The mill was repaired and restored in 2003 after a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund and the sails can now turn, though it is not used for grinding.^[16]

Bourn Hall[link]

Bourn Hall Clinic

The present Bourn Hall is built on the site of a wooden castle that was burnt down during the Peasants' Revolt. A timber-framed house built early in the 16th Century was added to in 1602 by the Hagar family in the form of a three-sided courtyard hall. Rainwater gutters at the front of the Hall still have the initials of John and Francis Hagar.

The Hagar family left Bourn Hall in 1733 and the estate belonged to the De La Warrs until 1883. During this period Bourn was visited by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert while they were staying at Wimpole Hall. The last family connection with the village was Lady Mary, daughter of the 7th Earl and wife of Major Griffin, who bought the Hall in 1921 and lived there until 1957. The property was then acquired by Peter and Ann King. Bourn Hall was bought by Patrick Steptoe and Bob Edwards in 1980 and became a world-famous clinic for the treatment of infertility.

Education[link]

Bourn has a history of education in the village from 1520. From 1819, boys were taught in the church tower and girls received a more limited education in a nearby cottage. The Church and the Hall combined to build a school in 1866, designed for 144 children. Within three years, 81 children were attending, paying 2d, 3d or 6d for their schooling. This school was closed in 1958 and became the Village Hall which has recently been extended and improved with grant aid, and is a meeting place for village functions.

A new school building was built in 1958 on the edge of the village, adjacent to open fields. It is within walking distance of most of the village. The school serves a large rural area of about 24 square miles (62 km²). It is designated a Church of England controlled school. Bourn School serves the villages of Bourn, Caxton, Longstowe and Kingston and is in the catchment area of Comberton Village College, one of the best state secondary schools in the country (as of 2005).

Religious sites[link]

Following the Norman Conquest, a wooden church at Bourn was given to the monks of Barnwell Priory by Picot, the Sheriff of Cambridgeshire, who built his wooden castle next to it.^[5] The current stone church, dedicated to St Mary and St Helena, dates from the 12th century onwards and is built of field stones and ashlar, with dressings of limestone and clunch, in the Transition Norman, Early English and Later styles.^[13] Following the Reformation, the church was given to Christ's College, Cambridge, which is patron and responsible for the chancel repairs. The tower has a twisted spire and houses a belfry with a full peal of eight bells. There are some pictures and a description of the church at the Cambridgeshire Churches website .^[17]

Memorials in the church include one to Erasmus Ferrar, brother of Nicholas Ferrar, founder of the Anglican community at Little Gidding. John Collett, farmer, of Bourn Manor was the husband of Susannah, sister to Erasmus and Nicholas who were frequent visitors to the parish where the family took refuge from the plague. There were Protestant dissenters in Bourn from 1644 and there was a Methodist Chapel active in the village until 1982. The ecclesiastical parish is in the diocese of Ely.^[18]

See also[link]

• List of places in Cambridgeshire

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bourn

• Bourn Village Website
• Bourn Hall Clinic for infertility
• Bourn Church of England Primary School
• Rural Flying Corps
• Bourn Golf club
• Black Thursday The story of a tragic night in the history of 97 Squadron and RAF Bourn

Jeremy Renner
Renner at the 82nd Academy Awards, March 7, 2010
Born	Jeremy Lee Renner (1971-01-07) January 7, 1971 (age 41) Modesto, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, musician
Years active	1995–present

Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor, film producer and musician. Renner appeared largely in independent films throughout the 2000's such as Dahmer (2002) and Neo Ned (2005). He also offered supporting acting work in bigger films, S.W.A.T. and 28 Weeks Later (2007). He eventually came to prominence for his critically acclaimed performance in The Hurt Locker (2009) which garnered him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He then turned out another praised performance for his role in The Town for which he received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This subsequent recognition gave him the opportunity to star alongside some of Hollywood's biggest talent in blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) and The Avengers (2012) which broke records grossing more than a billion dollars internationally.

Early life[link]

Renner was born in Modesto, California, the first child of Valerie and Lee Renner, who managed a bowling alley.^[1][2] His parents married as teenagers and divorced when he was ten.^[3][4][5] He has five younger siblings, He graduated from Fred C. Beyer High School and attended Modesto Junior College. Renner is of German and Irish descent.^[6]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Renner's film debut came in 1995 when he played an underachieving student in the cult favorite National Lampoon's Senior Trip. Although the film was critically panned, he went on to guest star on two television shows, Deadly Games and Strange Luck and had a minor role in the television movie, A Friend's Betrayal as the friend of Brian Austin Green's character. Over the next few years, Renner had guest roles in Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane (1999), The Net (1999), The Time of Your Life (1999) and Angel (2000).^[7] Renner also had a small role on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2001. In between acting roles, Renner worked as a makeup artist to make ends meet.^[8]

Early success: 2002–2008[link]

In 2002, Renner had a starring role in the film Dahmer playing serial-killer Jeffrey Dahmer. He found the role a challenge to cope with after he had finished shooting after seeing how easily Dahmer took advantage of his victims.^[9] His performance was well received, and he gained a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male. He also appeared in Pink's 2003 music video for her song "Trouble" as a Bad Boy Sheriff.^[10] Renner went on to appear in S.W.A.T.^[11] as the former police partner of Colin Farrell's character in 2003 and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things^[12] in 2004.

In 2005, Renner starred with Julia Stiles and Forest Whitaker in A Little Trip to Heaven, North Country and 12 and Holding.^[13] He next starred as a neo-Nazi skinhead who is admitted into a psychiatric hospital in Neo Ned opposite Gabrielle Union. The film won all of the awards it was nominated for at festivals, including the Palm Beach International Film Festival Award for Best Actor. Renner also had a small (though uncredited) role in skateboard film Lords of Dogtown as the manager of Emile Hirsch's character. In 2006 he starred with Ginnifer Goodwin in Love Comes to the Executioner.

Renner had supporting roles in 2007 in the critically acclaimed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford as Wood Hite, the cousin of outlaw Jesse James portrayed by Brad Pitt, and as Sergeant Doyle in 28 Weeks Later.^[14] He appeared alongside Minnie Driver in Take and guest starred as a patient in an episode of House as a reckless musician. Renner had a role in the pilot of The Oaks^[15] but the series was not picked up.^[16]

Breakthrough: 2009–present[link]

After starring with Dallas Roberts in the comedy-drama Lightbulb and starring in the short-lived television series The Unusuals, Renner went on to achieve critical success for his portrayal as bomb disposal expert, Sergeant William James in the 2009 Iraq war thriller The Hurt Locker (directed by Kathryn Bigelow). The role earned him several awards in the Best Actor category and his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor^[17] as well a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.^[18]

In 2010, Renner's performance in Ben Affleck's The Town alongside Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Slaine and Michael Yebba garnered him rave reviews and his second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.^[19] He also gained his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor^[20] and his second Screen Actors Guild nomination.^[21]

In 2011, Renner had an uncredited cameo appearance as Hawkeye in Thor for familiarity with his character for The Avengers, which was released in May 2012.^[22] He starred alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment of the Mission: Impossible series, as a new addition to Ethan Hunt's team. The film was released in December 2011.^[23]

Renner has completed filming for the action horror-comedy Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, in which he and Gemma Arterton star as both Hansel and Gretel. The 3-D film is set 15 years after Hansel and Gretel kill the witch who kidnapped them. The film's release date has been pushed to January 2013 by the Studio.^[24] He is also the star of the fourth film in the Bourne franchise, The Bourne Legacy, written and directed by Tony Gilroy.^[25] Renner plays the new lead character, Aaron Cross, in the place of Jason Bourne who was played by Matt Damon in the first three films. Renner has expressed interest in doing a Bourne film with Damon in the future, stating that "[it] would be kick-ass. I love Matt". In 2012, Renner starred as Hawkeye in the Marvel film, The Avengers.

Other interests[link]

Music[link]

As well as acting, Renner is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and drummer. Early in his acting career, he performed in the Sons of Ben. For the soundtrack of North Country he performed "I Drink Alone". In the 2006 films Love Comes to the Executioner and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Renner performed the songs "American Pie" and "Good Ole Rebel." He also appeared in music videos like Trouble by P!nk and Scenes on sunset by Brother Sal.

Property developing[link]

He and one of his best friends, Kristoffer Winters, have run a home renovation business since very early on in Renner's acting career, the job "paid his rent when acting didn't".^[4]

Personal life[link]

He is good friends with actors Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Scarlett Johansson and Charlize Theron.^[26]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Peter Howell (September 9, 2008). "Iraq War Movie Put Hurt on Actor". The Toronto Star. http://www.toronto.com/movies/article/623163. Retrieved February 25, 2010. 

External links[link]

• Jeremy Renner at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeremy Lee Renner – fansite

Rachel Weisz
Weisz at the 2010 TIFF premiere of The Whistleblower.
Born	Rachel Hannah Weisz (1970-03-07) 7 March 1970 (age 42) Westminster, London, England
Alma mater	Cambridge University
Occupation	Actress, Fashion Model
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Daniel Craig (2011–present)
Partner	Darren Aronofsky (2002–2010)
Children	Henry Chance Aronofsky (b. 2006)

Rachel Hannah Weisz ( /ˈvaɪs/ / vice /;^[1] born 7 March 1970^[2]) is an English film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues. The group was awarded the Student Drama Award for the improvised piece Slight Possession during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by The Guardian.

Weisz started working in television, appearing in Inspector Morse, the British mini-series Scarlet and Black, and the television film Advocates II. She made her film début in the 1994 film Death Machine, but her breakthrough role came in the 1996 film Chain Reaction, leading to a high-profile role as Evelyn Carnahan-O'Connell in the films The Mummy, in 1999, and The Mummy Returns in 2001. Other notable films featuring Weisz are Enemy at the Gates, About a Boy, Constantine, The Fountain and The Constant Gardener, for which she received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors' Guild award for her supporting role as Tessa Quayle.

Weisz also works in theatre. Her stage breakthrough was the 1994 revival of Noël Coward's play Design for Living, which earned her the London Critics Circle Award for the most promising newcomer. Weisz's performances also include the 1999 Donmar Warehouse production of Tennessee Williams" Suddenly Last Summer, and their 2009 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. Her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in the latter play earned her the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress of 2009.

Early life and background[link]

Weisz was born in Westminster, London, and grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb.^[3] Her mother, Edith Ruth (née Teich), is a teacher turned psychotherapist from Austria.^[4][5] Her father, George Weisz, was an inventor from Hungary.^[6][7] Her parents moved to England during the Holocaust and Second World War. Her father is Jewish and her mother has Jewish, "Catholic Viennese", and Italian ancestry.^[8][9] Weisz' maternal grandfather, Alexander Teich, was a secretary of the World Union of Jewish Students;^[10][11][12] whilst one of Weisz' maternal great-grandmothers was Italian.^[9] She has a sister, Minnie, who is a photographer and curator.^[13]

Weisz's parents valued the arts, and encouraged her and her sister to form opinions of their own by introducing them to family debates. Her parents later divorced.^[14] Weisz left North London Collegiate School and attended Benenden School for one year completing A-levels at St Paul's Girls School.^[15] Weisz claimed that she was a bad student until an English Literature teacher inspired her at the age of sixteen.^[16]

Weisz started modelling when she was fourteen.^[17] In 1984, she gained public attention when she turned down an offer to star in King David, along with Richard Gere.^[15]

After school, she entered Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she graduated with a 2:1 in English. During her university years, she appeared in various student productions, co-founding a student drama group called Cambridge Talking Tongues.^[18] It won a Guardian Student Drama Award at the 1991 Edinburgh Fringe Festival for an improvised piece called Slight Possession,^[19] directed by David Farr. The group existed until 1993.^[20]

Films[link]

1992–1998[link]

She appeared on the 1992 television film Advocates II, followed by roles in the Inspector Morse episode "Twilight of the Gods", and steamy period drama Scarlet and Black, alongside Ewan McGregor.^[21]

Rachel Weisz signing an autograph during the press conference for The Brothers Bloom in 2008

Weisz started her film career with a minor role in the 1994 film Death Machine,^[21] but her first major role came in the 1996 film Chain Reaction, which also starred Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman.^[22] She next appeared as Miranda Fox in Stealing Beauty, directed by the Italian Academy Award-winner Bernardo Bertolucci.^[23]

Following this, Weisz found roles in the 1997 American drama Swept from the Sea,^[24] the 1998 television comedy-drama My Summer with Des, the Michael Winterbottom's crime movie I Want You,^[25] and David Leland's The Land Girls, based on Angela Huth's book of the same name.^[26]

1999–2003[link]

In 1999 Weisz played Greta in the historical film Sunshine.^[27] The same year, her international breakthrough came with the 1999 adventure film The Mummy, in which she played the female lead opposite Brendan Fraser. Her character was the English Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan,^[28] who undertook an expedition to the fictional ancient Egyptian city of Hamunaptra to discover an ancient book. Variety criticised the direction of the film, writing: "(the actors) have been directed to broad, undisciplined performances [...] Buffoonery hardly seems like Weisz's natural domain, as the actress strains for comic effects that she can't achieve".^[29] She followed this up with the sequel The Mummy Returns in 2001, which grossed an estimated $433 million worldwide,^[30] (equivalent to $568 million in 2012 dollars ^[31]) higher than the original's $260 million^[32] (equal to $363 million in 2012 dollars ^[31]). In 2000 she portrayed Petula in the film Beautiful Creatures,^[21] following this up with 2001's Enemy at the Gates,^[33] and the 2002 comedy-drama About a Boy, with Hugh Grant, based on Nick Hornby's 1998 novel.^[34] In 2003 she played Marlee in the adaptation of John Grisham's legal thriller novel The Runaway Jury, along with Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack and Gene Hackman;^[35] as well as starring in the film adaptation of the romantic comedy-drama play The Shape of Things.^[36]

2004–2009[link]

In 2004, Weisz appeared in the comedy Envy, opposite Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Christopher Walken. The film failed at the box office.^[37] Variety magazine opined that Weisz and co-star Amy Poehler "get fewer choice moments than they deserve."^[38] Her next role was alongside Keanu Reeves in Constantine, based on the comic book Hellblazer.^[39] Film Threat called her portrayal "effective at projecting scepticism and, eventually, dawning horror".^[40]

Her next appearance, in 2005, was in Fernando Meirelles's The Constant Gardener,^[41] a film adaptation of a John le Carré thriller set in the slums of Kibera and Loiyangalani, Kenya.^[42][43] Weisz played an activist, Tessa Quayle, married to a British embassy official.^[44] The film was critically acclaimed,^[45] earning Weisz the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress,^[46] the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress,^[47] and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.^[48] UK newspaper The Guardian noted that the film "established her in the front rank of British actors",^[49] while BBC wrote: "Weisz is exceptional: film star charisma coupled with raw emotion in a performance to fall in love with".^[50]

Weisz in 2007

In 2006, she starred in Darren Aronofsky's romantic drama The Fountain.^[51] The San Francisco Chronicle found her portrayal of Queen Isabel "less convincing" than other roles.^[52] That same year, she provided the voice for Saphira in the fantasy film Eragon;^[53] and rejected an offer to star in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor due to script issues.^[54][55] The part eventually went to Maria Bello.^[56] Her subsequent films include the 2007 Wong Kar-wai drama My Blueberry Nights,^[57] and Rian Johnson's 2008 caper film The Brothers Bloom, alongside Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo.^[57] In 2009 she played the lead role of Hypatia of Alexandria in the historical drama film Agora, a Spanish production directed by Alejandro Amenábar.^[58] The New York Times called her portrayal "adept", noting that she imparted "a sympathetic presence".^[59]

2010–present[link]

Weisz's latest film, The Whistleblower, debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in 2010. The film was based on the true story of human trafficking by employees of contractor DynCorp. During its première, the intense depiction of the treatment meted out to victims by the kidnappers made a woman in the audience faint.^[60] Variety magazine wrote "Weisz's performance holds the viewer every step of the way.".^[61] That same year, she guest-starred in the animated series The Simpsons, in the 22nd season episode "How Munched is That Birdie in the Window?".^[62][63] Weisz's 2011 roles included an adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play The Deep Blue Sea^[64] and the thriller film Dream House, alongside Daniel Craig.^[65] She will appear in To the Wonder, an upcoming romantic drama written and directed by Terrence Malick, alongside Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem and Rachel McAdams.^[66][67] As of February 2011^[update], other upcoming movies include BBC's espionage thriller Page 8,^[68] and Fernando Meirelles' psychosexual drama 360.^[69] She is in talks with Walt Disney Pictures to play Evanora in Oz: The Great and Powerful.^[70]

Theatre[link]

On stage, Weisz's breakthrough role was that of Gilda in Sean Mathias's 1994 revival of Noël Coward's Design for Living at the Gielgud Theatre,^[71][72] for which she received the London Critics' Circle Award for the most promising newcomer.^[73][74] Her portrayal was described as "wonderful" by a contemporary review.^[75] In 1999, she played the role of Catherine in the Donmar Warehouse production of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer,^[72] What's on Stage called her "captivating", stating that she brought "a degree of credibility to a difficult part".^[76] The same year, Weisz appeared in Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things at the Almeida Theatre, then temporarily located in London's Kings Cross.^[77] CurtainUp called her "a sophisticated, independent artist" with "great stage presence".^[78] In 2009, she appeared Blanche DuBois, in Rob Ashford's revival of the play A Streetcar Named Desire.^[79] Her performance in the play was praised by the critics, the Daily Telegraph noted that she "rises to the challenge magnificently".^[80]

Awards and honours[link]

Film[link]

Weisz gained honours for her work in The Constant Gardener, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. She was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.^[81] Furthermore, the role also led to her receiving the London Critics' Circle Film Award for British Actress of the Year, the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress,^[82] and the San Diego Film Critics' Society Award for Best Supporting Actress. Additionally, she was nominated for the Online Film Critics' Society Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[82] In 2006, Weisz was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,^[83] and was also honoured at the Los Angeles BAFTA ceremony with the Britannia Award for Artist of the Year.^[84]

Theatre[link]

In 1991 Weisz received the Student Drama Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, for her part in the play Slight Possession. In 1994 she was awarded with the London Critics' Circle Award for Most Promising Newcomer, for the play Design for Living. In January 2010, the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards in London named her Best Actress of 2009, for her performance as Blanche Dubois in the Donmar revival of A Streetcar Named Desire.^[85] She also won the coveted 2010 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the same role.^[86]

Personal life[link]

Weisz began dating American filmmaker and producer Darren Aronofsky in the summer of 2001. They met backstage at London's Almeida Theatre, where she was starring in The Shape of Things. Weisz moved to New York with Aronofsky the following year;^[77] in 2005, they were engaged.^[87] Their son, Henry Chance, was born on 31 May 2006 in New York City.^[88][89] The couple resided in the East Village in Manhattan. In November 2010, Weisz and Aronofsky announced that they had been apart for months, but remain close friends and are committed to bringing up their son together in New York.^[90]

Weisz began dating actor Daniel Craig in December 2010^[91] and they married on 22 June 2011^[92][93] in a private New York ceremony, with only four guests in attendance, including Weisz's son and Craig's daughter.^[94]

In 2009, Weisz expressed her views on Botox to Harper's Bazaar – "It should be banned for actors, as steroids are for sportsmen. Acting is all about expression; why would you want to iron out a frown?"^[95]

Weisz is represented by Creative Artists Agency.^[96] In 2001, she was involved in a traffic accident, while travelling in a cab that was hit by a lorry, Weisz was unharmed.^[97] On 7 July 2007, she presented at the American leg of Live Earth, along with Alec Baldwin and Kevin Bacon.^[98]

During her career, she has been featured on the covers of magazines such as Vogue^[99] and Esquire.^[100] She serves as a muse to fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez,^[101] and was named L’Oréal's global ambassador in 2010.^[102]

Weisz, a British citizen by birth, became a naturalized American citizen in 2011.^[103]

Filmography[link]

References[link]