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The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold.

Used for goods that by their nature, e.g. too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the legislator (those are termed contraband in se) are forbidden, and for so-called derivative contrabande, i.e. goods that may normally be owned but are liable to be seized because they were used in committing an unlawful act and hence begot illegally, such as:

• Smuggling goods
• stolen goods – knowingly participating in their trade is an offense in itself, called fencing
• the fruits of fraud, forgery etc.

The word is also used as an adjective, again meaning 'distributed or sold illicitly'.

International law of war[link]

In international law, contraband is enemy goods carried by vessels of neutral nations during wartime that may be confiscated by a belligerent power and thus prohibited from delivery to the enemy.^[1] Traditionally, contraband is classified into two categories, absolute contraband and conditional contraband. The former category includes arms, munitions, and various materials, such as chemicals and certain types of machinery that may be used directly to wage war or be converted into instruments of war.

Conditional contraband, formerly known as occasional contraband, consists of such materials as provisions and livestock feed. Cargo of this kind, while presumably innocent in character, is subject to seizure if, in the opinion of the belligerent nation that seizes them, the supplies are destined for the armed forces of the enemy rather than for civilian use and consumption. In former agreements among nations, certain other commodities, including soap, paper, clocks, agricultural machinery and jewelry, have been classified as non-contraband, although these distinctions have proved meaningless in practice.

Under conditions of modern warfare, in which armed conflict has largely become a struggle involving the total populations of the contending powers, virtually all commodities are classified by belligerents as absolute contraband.

During the American Civil War, Confederate-owned slaves who sought refuge in Union military camps or who lived in territories that fell under Union control were declared "contraband of war." This policy was first articulated by General Benjamin F. Butler in 1861, in what came to be known as the "Fort Monroe Doctrine," established in Hampton, Virginia. By war's end, the Union had set up 100 contraband camps in the South, and the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony (1863–1867) was developed to be a self-sustaining colony.^[2] Many adult freedmen worked for wages for the Army at such camps, teachers were recruited from the North for their schools by the American Missionary Association, and thousands of freedmen enlisted from such camps in the United States Colored Troops to fight with the Union against the Confederacy.^[3]

Numerous treaties defining contraband have been concluded among nations. In time of war, the nations involved have invariably violated these agreements, formulating their own definitions as the fortunes of war indicated. The Declaration of London, drafted at the London Naval Conference of 1908–1909, and made partly effective by most of the European maritime nations at the outbreak of World War I, established comprehensive classifications of absolute and conditional contraband. As the war developed, the lists of articles in each category were constantly revised by the various belligerents, despite protests by neutral powers engaged in the carrying trade. By 1916 the list of conditional contraband included practically all waterborne cargo. Thereafter, for the duration of World War I, nearly all cargo in transit to an enemy nation was treated as contraband of war by the intercepting belligerent, regardless of the nature of the cargo. A similar policy was inaugurated by the belligerent powers early in World War II.

Under international law, the citizens of neutral nations are entitled to trade, at their own risk, with any or all powers engaged in war. No duty to restrain contraband trade is imposed on the neutral governments, but neither have neutral governments the right to interfere on behalf of citizens whose property is seized by one belligerent while in transit to another. The penalty traditionally imposed by belligerents on neutral carriers engaged in commercial traffic with the enemy consists of confiscation of cargo. By the people of London, this was extended to include condemnation of the carrying vessel provided that more than half the cargo was contraband. The right of warring nations to sink neutral ships transporting contraband is not recognized in international law, but this practice was initiated by Germany in World War I and was often resorted to by the Axis Powers in World War II.

The possibility that two or more different sub-classifications of contraband, either absolute or conditional, such as weapons, drugs, people etc., could or would be smuggled by the same smuggling network or during the same smuggling run referred to as Multi Consignment Contraband smuggling was studied in 2009.^[4] The study located sixteen different cases of Multi Consignment contraband which occurred around the world – four of which were targeting the United States of America. A 2011 study comparing North America, the Middle East and Asia smuggling tunnels identified smuggling tunnels dug and maintained by different groups ranging from small family business to terrorist organizations.^[5] The primary purposes of Middle East tunnels were to generate a profit and other tunnels’ primary purpose was to support terrorists, either through profit or action missions. The majority of the smuggling tunnels in the Middle East smuggled Multi Consignment Contraband, specifically conditional contraband although some smuggled both conditional and absolute including terrorist action missions (Hybrid tunnels). Most Hybrid tunnels rarely smuggled both conditional and absolute contraband at the same time because conditional and absolute contraband served different purposes. North American tunnels smuggled drugs and North America sewer/drainage ditched tunnels supported both drug and people smuggling. Asian smuggling tunnels in North Korea supported absolute contraband, principally terrorist action missions.

Footnotes[link]

Sources[link]

• Dictionary.com
• EtymologyOnLine

Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg at the 2011 Time 100 gala
Born	Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (1971-06-05) June 5, 1971 (age 41) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Other names	Marky Mark Monk D
Occupation	Actor Producer Rapper (former)
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Rhea Durham (m. 2009–present; 4 children)
Relatives	Donnie Wahlberg, Robert Wahlberg (brothers)

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971) is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1989 debut as frontman with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90's. Wahlberg is well known for his roles in films such as Boogie Nights (1997), Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), Rock Star (2001), The Italian Job (2003), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Four Brothers (2005), The Departed (2006), Invincible (2006), Shooter (2007), and The Fighter (2010), Date Night (2010). He has also served as the executive producer of the TV series Entourage, Boardwalk Empire and How to Make It in America.

Early life[link]

Wahlberg was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest of nine children,^[1] with siblings Arthur, Jim, Paul, Robert, Tracey, Michelle, Debbie (died in 2003 at age 44), and Donnie. His father was of half Swedish and half Irish ancestry, and his mother is of Irish, English, and French Canadian descent.^[2] Maternally, Wahlberg is distantly related to author Nathaniel Hawthorne.^[3] Wahlberg's mother, Alma Elaine (née Donnelly), was a bank clerk and nurse's aide, and Wahlberg's father, Donald Edward Wahlberg, was a Teamster who worked as a delivery driver. His parents divorced in 1982.^[4] Wahlberg had a Roman Catholic^[5][6] upbringing and attended Copley Square High School (but never graduated) on Newbury Street in Boston.

Racist assaults and attempted murder charges[link]

Wahlberg claims to have been in trouble 20–25 times with the Boston Police Department as a youth. By the age of 13, Wahlberg had developed an addiction to cocaine and other substances.^[7][8] At 15, he harassed a group of black school children on a field trip by throwing rocks and shouting racial epithets.^[9] When he was 16, while high on PCP, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street and, using a large wooden stick, knocked him unconscious (while calling him "Vietnam fucking shit"). He also attacked another Vietnamese man, leaving him permanently blind in one eye, and attacked a security guard (using foul language).^[10][11]

For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to two years in jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, of which he served 45 days.^[10][12] In another incident, the 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.^[13] "I did a lot of things that I regretted and I certainly paid for my mistakes," Wahlberg says. "You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn't until I really started doing good and doing right, by other people as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don't have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning."^[14]

^[15]

Career[link]

Music[link]

Wahlberg first came to fame as the younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg of the successful 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark, at age thirteen, had been one of the group's original members, along with Donnie, Danny Wood, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight. However, he soon quit. It was his departure that eventually allowed Joe McIntyre to take his place as the fifth member of the group.

Wahlberg began recording as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, earning a hit with "Good Vibrations" from the album Music for the People. The record was produced by brother Donnie and later hit No.1 on The Billboard Hot 100, later becoming certified as a Platinum single. The second single, "Wildside," peaked at No.5 on Billboards Hot Singles Sales chart and at No.10 on The Billboard Hot 100.^[16] It was certified as a Gold Single. Marky Mark opened for the New Kids on the Block during their last tour. The second Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch LP, You Gotta Believe, was not as successful as the prior, yielding only a minor hit single in the title track. Wahlberg later collaborated with the late reggae / ragga singer Prince Ital Joe on the album Life in the Streets. The project combined rap and ragga vocals with strong eurodance music (as in the singles Happy People, German No.1 hit United, Life in the Streets, and Babylon) courtesy of Frank Peterson and Alex Christensen as producers.

He was also featured in the Black Label Society music video for "Counterfeit God", as a stand-in for the band's bassist.^[17]

Advertising[link]

Wahlberg first displayed his physique in the Good Vibrations music video and most prominently in a series of underwear ads for Calvin Klein shot by Herb Ritts, following it with Calvin Klein television advertisements.^[18] Magazine and television promotions would sometimes feature Mark exclusively or accompanied by model Kate Moss. Annie Leibovitz also shot a famous session of Mark Wahlberg in underwear for Vanity Fair's annual Hall of Fame issue.^[19] He also made a workout video titled The Marky Mark Workout: Form... Focus... Fitness (ISBN 1-55510-910-1).

Film[link]

Wahlberg at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011.

Wahlberg dropped the "Marky Mark" moniker and began an acting career, making his debut in the 1993 TV movie The Substitute. His big screen debut came the next year, with the Danny DeVito feature Renaissance Man. A basketball fanatic, he caught the attention of critics after appearing in The Basketball Diaries in 1995, playing the role of Mickey alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, in a film adaptation of the Jim Carroll book of the same name. He also starred in the 1996 James Foley thriller Fear.

He has earned many positive reviews after successful movies like Boogie Nights as Dirk Diggler, Three Kings, The Perfect Storm, The Italian Job, and Four Brothers. His performance in I ♥ Huckabees was voted best supporting performance of the year in the 2004 Village Voice Critics Poll. Wahlberg was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in Ocean's Eleven; Matt Damon played the role instead. The two later worked together in The Departed.^[20] Wahlberg was also considered for a role in the film Brokeback Mountain. It was originally intended to star him and Joaquin Phoenix, but Wahlberg was uncomfortable with the film's sex scenes and his role ultimately went to Jake Gyllenhaal.^[21]

Wahlberg starred in the American football drama, Invincible, based on the true story of bartender Vince Papale. He is also the executive producer of the HBO series Entourage which is loosely based on his experiences in Hollywood. He also appeared as a foul-mouthed Massachusetts State Police detective in Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed thriller, The Departed in 2006, which netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, and an NSFC Best Supporting Actor award. Wahlberg has confirmed that he was approached to star in a sequel to The Departed, but it is still early in development. The sequel would reportedly revolve around the Staff Sergeant played by Wahlberg.^[22]

Wahlberg at the Shooter premiere in London, March 2007

Wahlberg at the premiere of Max Payne.

To prepare for his role in Shooter, Wahlberg attended long-range shooting training at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute near Pahrump, Nevada, and was able to hit a target at 1100 yards on his second day, a feat which usually takes weeks to achieve.^[23] He has said in a number of interviews that he will retire at the age of 40 to concentrate on parenthood^[24] and professional golf. However, in early 2007 he indicated that the latter was no longer the plan as "his golf game is horrible".^[25] He played Jack Salmon, a leading role in Peter Jackson's film of The Lovely Bones.^[26] In 2007, he starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix in We Own the Night, a movie about a family of police officers in New York City.

He starred in M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening as Eliot Moore, which premiered in movie theatres on June 13, 2008. The same year, he played the title role in Max Payne, based on a video game of the same name. While promoting Max Payne, Mark became involved in a playful feud with Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and threatened to "crack that big fucking nose of his." Samberg had done an impression of Wahlberg in a Saturday Night Live skit titled "Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals."^[27][28] However, Wahlberg later appeared in a follow-up skit parodying both the original skit, Samberg's impression of Wahlberg, and his own threats to Samberg.^[29][30]

Personal life[link]

Family and relationships[link]

In the early '90s, Wahlberg dated former child actress Soleil Moon Frye.^[31] Wahlberg and model Rhea Durham have been together since 2001 and were married on August 1, 2009 at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills. The couple have four children, Ella Rae (born September 2, 2003), Michael Robert (born March 21, 2006), Brendan Joseph (born September 16, 2008) and Grace Margaret (born January 11, 2010). In a 2011 interview with USA Weekend, Wahlberg stated that he had taken his children to visit his old Dorchester neighborhood, saying "I want them to know that not everyone is as fortunate and how important it is to work hard and give back."^[32]

His father, a US Army veteran of the Korean War, died on February 14, 2008.^[33]

Religion[link]

Wahlberg is a committed Roman Catholic,^[34] who attends daily Mass, credits his faith and a priest from his childhood for helping him turn his life around, and recognizes the seriousness of his faith.^[6]

Charity work[link]

Actively involved in charity, Wahlberg established the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation in May 2001 for the purpose of raising and distributing funds to youth service and enrichment programs.^[35]

Wahlberg is also active with The Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children. In an interview, Mark said that it's important to let the homeless know that people care about them and are working to help the impoverished get back on their feet.^[36]

Tattoos[link]

Wahlberg has four tattoos done by various artists including Paul Timman.^[37] The tattoos include Sylvester the cat with Tweety Bird in his mouth on his ankle, a design of his initials "MW" with his surname "Wahlberg" on his upper right arm, and a Bob Marley tattoo with "One Love" on his upper left arm.^[38] The final tattoo, which Wahlberg holds as his most meaningful, is the rosary tattooed around his neck, with a crucifix and the words "In God I Trust" resting over his heart.^[38] On January 9, 2012 Wahlberg was a guest on The Late Show With David Letterman. He spoke about his tattoos and stated he is in the process of having them removed. Initially he was told it would take 8-10 laser treatments however he required over 30 treatments and is still in the process of getting them removed. He cited his career and children as the reason for the removal of the tattoos. His first tattoo was as a young teenager and it was of a shamrock. Because it was not professionally done, he said the shamrock was not straight and had the Tweety Bird tattoo placed over it after arriving in Los Angeles.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mark Wahlberg

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mark Wahlberg

• Mark Wahlberg at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Mark Wahlberg in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Kate Beckinsale
Beckinsale at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con
Born	Kathrin Romary Beckinsale (1973-07-26) 26 July 1973 (age 38) Finsbury Park, London, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	Len Wiseman (2004–present)
Partner	Michael Sheen (1995–2003)
Children	1
Parents	Richard Beckinsale Judy Loe

Kathrin Romary "Kate" Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing (1993) while still a student at Oxford University. She then appeared in British costume dramas such as Prince of Jutland (1994), Cold Comfort Farm (1995), Emma (1996) and The Golden Bowl (2000), in addition to various stage and radio productions. She began to seek film work in the United States in the late 1990s and, after appearing in small-scale dramas The Last Days of Disco (1998) and Brokedown Palace (1999), she had a breakout year in 2001 with starring roles in the war epic Pearl Harbor and the romantic comedy Serendipity. She built on this success with appearances in the bio-pic The Aviator (2004) and the comedy Click (2006).

Beckinsale became known as an action star following an appearance in 2003's Underworld and has since starred in many action films, including Van Helsing (2004), Underworld: Evolution (2006), Whiteout (2009), Contraband (2012), and Underworld: Awakening (2012). She also makes occasional appearances in smaller dramatic projects such as Snow Angels (2007), Winged Creatures (2008), Nothing but the Truth (for which she earned a Critic's Choice Award nomination in 2008) and Everybody's Fine (2009). Her next onscreen appearance will be in the sci-fi action remake Total Recall, due for release in August 2012.

Born and raised in London, Beckinsale is the child of actor Richard Beckinsale (1947–1979) and actress Judy Loe. She had an eight-year relationship with Welsh actor Michael Sheen from 1995 until 2003; they have one daughter. She married American film director Len Wiseman in 2004 and they live in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Publications such as Esquire and People Magazine have repeatedly included Beckinsale in their annual rankings of the world's sexiest and most beautiful women. She has worked occasionally as a model in television and print campaigns to promote Gap denim, Diet Coke, Absolut Vodka and Lux shampoo.

Early life[link]

Kathrin Romary Beckinsale^[1][2] was born in London. She is the only child of actor Richard Beckinsale and actress Judy Loe.^[3] She made her first television appearance at the age of four, in an episode of This is Your Life dedicated to her father.^[4][5] When she was five years old, her 31-year-old father died suddenly of a heart attack. Beckinsale was deeply traumatised by the loss and "started expecting bad things to happen".^[6] While she has seen her father "more on television than I have in life," "there are certainly enough memories for me not to feel that it's somebody I didn't know."^[3] Her widowed mother moved in with director Roy Battersby when Beckinsale was nine and she was brought up alongside his four sons and daughter.^[7] She has a close relationship with her step-father: "I couldn't have knitted a better one ... He wasn't pushy, he let me come to him."^[3] She has a paternal half-sister, actress Samantha Beckinsale, but they have not had regular contact.^[3]

Beckinsale was educated at the fee-paying Godolphin and Latymer School in West London^[8] and was involved with the Orange Tree Youth Theatre.^[9] In her teens, she twice won the W.H. Smith Young Writers' competition—once for short stories and once for poetry^[10]—and was presented with the prize by poet Ted Hughes.^[11] She has described herself as "a late bloomer": "All of my friends were kissing boys and drinking cider way before me. I found it really depressing that we weren't making camp fires and everyone was doing grown-up stuff."^[12] "I loathed being a teenager."^[13] She had a nervous breakdown and developed anorexia at the age of 15 and underwent Freudian psychoanalysis for four years.^[3]

Beckinsale read French and Russian literature at New College, Oxford and was later described by a contemporary, journalist Victoria Coren, as "whip-clever, slightly nuts and very charming".^[14] She was involved with the Oxford University Dramatic Society, most notably being directed by fellow student Tom Hooper in a production of A View from the Bridge at the Oxford Playhouse.^[15] She spent her third year in Paris as required of all Modern Language students at Oxford, after which she decided to leave university to concentrate on her burgeoning acting career: "It was getting to the point where I wasn't enjoying either thing enough because both were very high pressure. I was burning out and I knew I had to make a decision."^[3]

Acting career[link]

Early roles (1991–1997)[link]

Beckinsale decided at a young age that she wanted to be an actress: "I grew up immersed in film. My family were in the business. I quickly realised that my parents seemed to have much more fun in their work than any of my friends’ parents."^[16] She made her television debut in 1991 with a small part in an ITV adaptation of P.D. James’ Devices and Desires.^[17] Also that year, she appeared as a young woman engaging in a forbidden affair with a Nazi officer in the Hallmark film One Against The Wind.^[18] In 1992, she starred alongside Christopher Eccleston in Rachel’s Dream, a 30-minute Channel 4 short,^[19] and in 1993, she appeared in the pilot of the ITV detective series, Anna Lee, starring Imogen Stubbs.^[20]

In 1993, Beckinsale landed the role of Hero in Kenneth Branagh's big-screen adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. It was filmed in Tuscany, Italy during a summer holiday from Oxford University.^[21] She attended the film's Cannes Film Festival premiere and later remembered it as an overwhelming experience. "Nobody even told me I could bring a friend!"^[12] "I had Doc Martens boots on, and I think I put the flower from the breakfast tray in my hair".^[22] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was won over by her "lovely" performance^[23] while Vincent Canby of The New York Times noted that she and Robert Sean Leonard "look right and behave with a certain naive sincerity, although they often seem numb with surprise at hearing the complex locutions they speak."^[24] The film earned over $22 million at the box office.^[25] She made three other films while at university. In 1994, she appeared as Christian Bale's love interest in Prince of Jutland, a film based on the Danish legend which inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet,^[26] and starred in the murder mystery Uncovered.^[27] In 1995, while studying in Paris, she filmed the French language Marie-Louise Ou La Permission.^[28]

Shortly after leaving Oxford University in 1995, Beckinsale starred in Cold Comfort Farm as Flora Poste, a newly orphaned 1930s socialite sent to live with distant family members in rural England. The John Schlesinger-directed film was an adaptation of Stella Gibbons's novel and also featured Joanna Lumley, Eileen Atkins, Ian McKellen, Rufus Sewell and Stephen Fry. Beckinsale was initially considered too young, but was cast after she wrote a pleading letter to the director.^[29] Emanuel Levy of Variety was reminded of "the strength of a young Glenda Jackson and the charm of a young Julie Christie.^[30] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times classed the actress as "yet another of those effortlessly skilled British beauties who light up the screen."^[31] Janet Maslin of The New York Times felt she played the role "with the perfect snippy aplomb".^[32] The film grossed over $5 million at the US box office.^[33] Also in 1995, she appeared in Haunted, a ghost story in which Derek Elley of Variety felt she "holds the screen, with both physical looks and verbal poise".^[34]

1995 also saw Beckinsale's first professional stage appearance as Nina in The Seagull at Theatre Royal, Bath. She became romantically involved with co-star Michael Sheen after meeting during play rehearsals.^[35] "He was the young lion of the theatre".^[36] "I was all revved up to feel very intimidated. It was my first-ever play and my mother had cut out reviews of him in previous productions. And then he walked in ... It was almost like, 'God, well, I'm finished now. That's it, then.'... He's the most outrageously talented person I've ever met."^[37] Irving Wardle of The Independent felt that "the casting, including Michael Sheen's volcanic Kostya and Kate Beckinsale's steadily freezing Nina, is mainly spot-on."^[38] In early 1996, she starred in two further plays; Sweetheart at the Royal Court Theatre^[39] and Clocks and Whistles at the Bush Theatre.^[40]

Beckinsale next starred in an ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, playing Emma to Mark Strong's Mr Knightley and Samantha Morton's Harriet Smith. "You shouldn't necessarily like Emma," Beckinsale has said of her character. "You do love her, but in the way the family of a teenage girl could be exasperated by her outrageous behaviour and still love her."^[29] The programme was aired in autumn 1996, just months after Gwyneth Paltrow had starred in a film adaptation of the same story.^[29] Caryn James of The New York Times felt that, while "Ms. Beckinsale's Emma is plainer looking than Ms. Paltrow's", she is "altogether more believable and funnier."^[41] Jonathan Brown of The Independent has described Beckinsale's interpretation as "the most enduring modern performance" as Emma.^[42]

In 1997, Beckinsale appeared opposite Stuart Townsend in the comedy Shooting Fish, one of the most commercially successful British films of that year.^[43][44] "I'd just had my wisdom teeth out," Beckinsale later recalled of the initial audition. "I was also on very strong painkillers, so it was not the most conventional of meetings."^[45] Elley wrote of "an incredibly laid-back performance"^[46] while Thomas felt she "just glows as an aristocrat facing disaster with considerable aplomb".^[47] She narrated Austen's Emma for Hodder & Stoughton AudioBooks^[48] and Diana Hendry's The Proposal for BBC Radio 4.^[49] Also in 1997, she played Juliet to Michael Sheen's Romeo in a radio production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Sheen.^[50]

Move to Hollywood (1998–2002)[link]

At this point in her career, Beckinsale began to seek work in the United States, something she has said wasn't "a conscious decision ... My boyfriend was in a play on Broadway so that's why we ended up in New York, and my auditions happened to be for American films".^[51] She starred opposite Chloe Sevigny in 1998's The Last Days of Disco. The Whit Stillman film focused on a group of Ivy League graduates socialising in the Manhattan disco scene of the early 1980s. Beckinsale's attempt at an American accent was widely praised.^[52][53][54] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times felt her role as the bossy Charlotte was "beautifully played".^[55] Todd McCarthy of Variety was unimpressed by the film but noted that "compensations include Beckinsale, looking incredible in a succession of black dresses, whose character can get on your nerves even if the actress doesn't."^[56] Her performance earned her a London Critics' Circle Film Award.^[57] The film grossed $3 million worldwide.^[58] Also that year, she starred as Alice in a Channel 4 production of Through the Looking-Glass.^[59]

In 1999, Beckinsale appeared opposite Claire Danes in Brokedown Palace, a drama about two teenage Americans forced to deal with the Thai justice system on a post-graduation trip abroad. A then-26 year old Beckinsale played a teenager.^[60] Danes had hoped to become friends with Beckinsale during the shoot but found her "complicated" and "prickly".^[61] McCarthy said the leads "confirm their status as two of the young actresses on the scene today most worth watching", finding Beckinsale "very effective at getting across layered character traits and emotions."^[62] "Danes and Beckinsale are exceptionally talented young actresses", said Thomas, but "unfortunately, the script's seriously underdeveloped context defeats their considerable efforts at every turn."^[63] Stephen Holden of The New York Times felt that Beckinsale's character "never comes into focus".^[64] The film was a box office failure.^[65]

2000's The Golden Bowl marked Beckinsale's first role following the birth of her daughter. The Merchant/Ivory production was based on the novel by Henry James and also starred Uma Thurman and Jeremy Northam. Beckinsale's partner, Michael Sheen, hit Northam on the film set after he followed Beckinsale to her trailer to scold her for forgetting a line.^[66] Holden noted that "the most satisfying of the four lead performances belong to the British cast members, Ms. Beckinsale and Mr. Northam, who are better than their American counterparts at layers of emotional concealment", adding that each beat of Beckinsale's performance "registers precisely".^[67] Thomas felt her performance would take her to "a new career level".^[68] Andrew Sarris of The New York Observer asserted that she "comes close to capturing the sublimity of Maggie, despite the obvious fact that no movie can capture the elegant copiousness of James’ prose."^[69] The film grossed over $5 million worldwide.^[70]

Beckinsale rose to fame in 2001 with a leading role in the war epic Pearl Harbour as a nurse torn between two pilots, played by Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett. She was drawn to the project by the script: "It's so unusual these days to read a script that has those old-fashioned values to it. Not morals, but movie values. It's a big, sweeping epic ...You just never get the chance to do that."^[71] Director Michael Bay initially had doubts about casting the actress: "I wasn't sure about her at first ... she wore black leather trousers in her screen test and I thought she was a little nasty ... it was easy to think of this woman as a slut".^[72] He eventually decided to hire her because she wasn't "too beautiful. Women feel disturbed when they see someone’s too pretty."^[73] He asked her to lose weight during filming.^[74] In a 2004 interview, the actress noted that his comments were "upsetting"^[75] and said she wore leather trousers because "it was snowing out. It wasn't exactly like I had my nipple rings in."^[76] She felt grateful that she had not had to deal with such criticism at a younger age: "If I had come on to a movie set at [a younger] age and someone had said, 'You're a bit funny-looking, can you go on a diet?' - I might have jumped off a building. I just didn't have the confidence to put that into perspective at the time."^[72] However, speaking in 2011, she said she was "very fond" of Bay.^[77]

Pearl Harbor received negative reviews. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praised "the avid eyed, ruby lipped Kate Beckinsale, the rare actress whose intelligence gives her a sensual bloom; she's like Parker Posey without irony."^[78] A.O. Scott of The New York Times noted that "Mr. Affleck and Ms. Beckinsale do what they can with their lines, and glow with the satiny shine of real movie stars."^[79] However, Mike Clark of USA Today felt that the "usually appealing Kate Beckinsale" is "inexplicably submerged — like her hospital colleagues — under heaps of tarty makeup that even actresses of the era didn't wear."^[80] The film was a commercial success, grossing $449 million worldwide.^[81]

Beckinsale's second film appearance of 2001 was in the romantic comedy Serendipity as the love interest of John Cusack. It was filmed directly after Pearl Harbour and Beckinsale found it "a real relief to return to something slightly more familiar."^[51] Turan praised the "appealing and believable" leads, adding that Beckinsale "reinforces the strong impression she made in Cold Comfort Farm, The Golden Bowl and The Last Days of Disco" after "recovering nicely" from her appearance in the much-maligned Pearl Harbor.^[82] Claudia Puig of USA Today felt that "Beckinsale's talents haven't been mined as effectively in any other film since Cold Comfort Farm".^[83] McCarthy found her "energetic and appealing"^[84] while Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times described her as "luminous but determined".^[85] In an uncomplimentary review of the film, Ebert described her as "a good actress, but not good enough to play this dumb".^[86] The film has grossed over $77 million at the worldwide box office.^[87]

In 2002, Beckinsale starred in Lisa Cholodenko's Laurel Canyon as a strait-laced academic who finds herself increasingly attracted to her free-spirited future mother-in-law. The independent film was another opportunity for Beckinsale to work with Christian Bale, her Prince of Jutland co-star. She found their sex scene awkward because she knew Bale well: "If it was a stranger, it would have been easier."^[88] While Frances MacDormand's performance as Bale's mother was widely praised, Beckinsale received negative reviews. Holden found the film "superbly acted, with the exception of Ms. Beckinsale, whose tense, colourless Alex conveys no inner life".^[89] Schwarzbaum was unimpressed by the "tedious" characters and criticised "the fussy performances of Bale and Beckinsale" in particular.^[90] The film has grossed over $4 million worldwide.^[91]

Action heroine roles (2003–2006)[link]

Beckinsale became known as an action star following an appearance as a vampire in 2003's Underworld. It was markedly different from her previous work and Beckinsale has said she was grateful for the change of pace after appearing in "a bunch of period stuff and then a bunch of romantic comedies."^[92] "It was quite a challenge for me to play an action heroine and pull off all that training when [in real life] I can’t catch a ball if it’s coming my way."^[93] The film received negative to mixed reviews but was a surprise box office hit and has gained a cult following.^[94] Also that year, she starred in the little-seen Tiptoes with Gary Oldman and Matthew McConaughey.^[95]

Beckinsale at the San Sebastián Film Festival in 2006

In 2004, Beckinsale starred in the action horror film Van Helsing. She was "so surprised" to be appearing in her second action film in two years. "It just seemed like a very good role."^[96] Beckinsale had just separated from her long-term partner Michael Sheen at the time of filming and appreciated the warm atmosphere created on set by director Stephen Sommers and co-star Hugh Jackman: "I really did find that working with people like Stephen and Hugh made it possible to get through what I was going through."^[97] The film grossed over $120 million at the United States box office and over $300 million worldwide, but it was not well-reviewed.^[98][99] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle described her as "a pretty actress doing her best to maintain dignity, vainly trying to craft a feminist statement from a filmmaker's whimsy"^[100] while Rex Reed of The New York Observer felt she was "desperately in need of a new agent".^[101]

Also in 2004, Beckinsale portrayed Ava Gardner in Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator. Scorsese decided to cast Beckinsale because, "I’ve always liked her. I’ve seen all her work, and I was glad that she agreed to audition."^[102] Beckinsale's performance received mixed reviews. Ken Tucker of New York Magazine said she played the part "in full va-va-voom blossom"^[103] while LaSalle felt that she manages "to convince us that Ava was one of the great broads of all time."^[104] However, Clark described it as "the one performance that doesn't come off (though Beckinsale has the requisite beauty)"^[105] while Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian stated that "Gardner's rich, voluptuous sexiness is completely absent as Beckinsale sleepwalks through the role as if she was advertising perfume."^[106] The film grossed over $213 million worldwide.^[107]

In 2006, Beckinsale reprised her role as Selene in the successful vampire sequel Underworld: Evolution, directed by her husband.^[108] It was the first time she had "been involved with a movie from the moment it’s a germ of an idea right through the whole editing process."^[109] Her daughter had a small role as the younger Selene.^[109] The film was a box office success, grossing $111 million worldwide.^[110] Beckinsale's second film appearance of 2006 was opposite Adam Sandler in Click, a comedy about an overworked family man who discovers a magical remote control that allows him to control time. The opportunity to play a mother "was one of the things that was attractive to me" about the part.^[111] The film was also a chance to work with Christopher Walken.^[112] The film was highly profitable, grossing $237 million worldwide from a production budget of $82.5 million.^[113]

Focus on small-scale drama (2007–2011)[link]

Beckinsale then made a return to smaller-scale projects: "My experience is that I sort of stepped away from the independent movies and did a couple of big movies. But that's not necessarily how it's perceived by everybody else, which I do understand."^[114] "I enjoy an action movie as much as the next person [but] it’s not something that I would like to do solely."^[115] She explained that she had originally decided to appear in Underworld because she felt typecast in classical roles — it was "assumed that I use a chamber pot and wear bloomers"^[116] - but that her action career "kind of took off a little too much".^[117]

In 2007, Beckinsale starred opposite Sam Rockwell in the independent drama Snow Angels, based on the novel by Stewart O'Nan. The harrowing film, in which she played an overwhelmed single mother, put Beckinsale "in kind of a tough place". "I did have my kid, my husband and, in fact, my ex was around a lot, so it was very nice to come home to my people whom I love."^[115] Puig felt "Beckinsale gives her best performance in years"^[118] while Richard Corliss of Time described it as "her sharpest work yet".^[119] However, Scott felt that "her skill and discipline cannot overcome the sense that she is an exotic species transplanted into this grim ecosystem. Hard as she works to convince us otherwise, it’s a stretch to believe that a woman with the kind of poised confidence in her own beauty she manifests would wind up with an underachieving mouth breather like Glenn."^[120] The film grossed just $414,404 worldwide.^[121]

Beckinsale at the Live Free or Die Hard London premiere in 2007

Also in 2007, Beckinsale appeared alongside Luke Wilson in Vacancy, a thriller set in an isolated motel. Sarah Jessica Parker was originally cast in the part, but dropped out before filming began.^[122] Bradshaw felt that "Wilson and Beckinsale have the chops for scary movies"^[123] while Gleiberman noted that "Luke Wilson, with his hangdog defensive mopiness, and Kate Beckinsale, all sexy severity, are ideally matched as a couple who hate each other."^[124] However, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times was unimpressed, referring to Beckinsale as "the reigning queen of the bland B's".^[125] The film was profitable, grossing $35 million worldwide from a production budget of $19 million.^[126]

In 2008, Beckinsale appeared in Winged Creatures, a film about how six different witnesses cope with the aftermath of a shooting. Beckinsale played a waitressing single mother in an ensemble cast which included Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson and Forest Whitaker. "It was a really, really nice experience but it was quick," said Beckinsale of the filming process. "I just felt a bit like I was shot through a cannon."^[115] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times felt she played the role "with a white-trash verve" and found that her character's "raw ache for that someone with money and respectability is palpable."^[127] However, Dargis felt that Beckinsale and her cast mates have "a tough time filling out characters that are at best abstractions of grief and often just clichés".^[128] The film received a very limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles only. It was released simultaneously on DVD.^[129]

Also in 2008, Beckinsale starred in Nothing but the Truth as a journalist who refuses to reveal her source. The film, co-starring Vera Farmiga and Matt Dillon, was inspired by the case of Judith Miller. As part of her research for the role, "I spent some time at The L.A. Times with some female reporters, and I spoke to Judith Miller about her experience ... I really researched the hell out of that one and it was an amazingly fulfilling, brilliant experience."^[115] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post asserted that Beckinsale and Farmiga played "two of the most fascinating female movie characters to hit screens in a long while, and they've been brought to life by two gifted actresses, each working at the top of her game".^[130] Beckinsale received a Critic's Choice Award nomination for her performance.^[131] The film never received a full theatrical release after the distributor filed for bankruptcy^[132] and the film has grossed just $186,702 worldwide.^[133] "I have prayed - prayed - for film companies to go bankrupt on films I've made, and then this happens on the one I love," said Beckinsale. "Usually it's the ones you're most embarrassed about that are on the side of every bus."^[134]

In 2009, Beckinsale starred in the comic-book adaption Whiteout as a US Marshal tasked with investigating a murder in Antarctica. It was filmed in Manitoba, Canada.^[117] She found the action scenes less physically demanding than those in Underworld because "three pairs of trousers and a parka gives you a bit more protection than the latex suit."^[117] The film was critically panned and a box office failure, failing to recoup its budget.^[135] She also made a brief cameo in the prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans; she appeared in flashforwards composed of footage from 2003's Underworld.^[136] Also in 2009, Beckinsale starred in the family drama Everybody's Fine alongside Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore and Rockwell, her Snow Angels co-star. Beckinsale was excited for the opportunity to work with De Niro whom she had first encountered "years and years ago when I just had Lily and he was putting together a reading of The Good Shepherd. I was in New York because Michael [Sheen] was doing Amadeus".^[114] Everybody's Fine was a box office failure, failing to recoup its production budget.^[137] In May 2010, Beckinsale sat on the nine-member 2010 Cannes Film Festival jury, chaired by director Tim Burton.^[138] Unable to find a script she felt passionate about, Beckinsale otherwise kept a low profile in 2010 and 2011, opting to spend time with her daughter.^[11]

Return to action films (2012)[link]

Beckinsale returned to work in 2012 with appearances in three action films. Beckinsale first appeared in the action thriller Contraband. She had a supporting role as the wife of Mark Wahlberg's character, a former criminal who gets forced back into a life of crime after his family are threatened. The film was directed by Baltasar Kormákur, who also starred in the Icelandic language version of the film, Reykjavík-Rotterdam.^[139] The San Francisco Chronicle felt Beckinsale was "stuck in a bit of a thankless role as the victimised wife, but she does try to infuse a harder edge to the character".^[140] The Hollywood Reporter stated that "Beckinsale, her innate classiness calibrated down a few notches, has little to do but be supportive, worried and, eventually, besieged".^[141] Entertainment Weekly felt that the "woman-in-peril stuff is second-rate, giving off a whiff of exploitation"^[142] while Variety found the repeated violence towards Beckinsale's character disturbing.^[143] The film had a production budget of $25 million and has grossed over $94 million worldwide.^[144]

Beckinsale next reprised her role as Selene in the fourth installment of the vampire franchise Underworld: Awakening.^[136] The franchise was initially conceived of as a trilogy and Beckinsale was not "intending to do another one" but was convinced by the quality of the script.^[145] The Hollywood Reporter noted that "when she’s not actually fighting, her performance consists of little more than striding purposefully toward or away from the camera".^[146] The Los Angeles Times remarked that she "finally manages to perfect the monotone delivery she'd been honing for the series' first two entries".^[147] The film had a production budget of $70 million and has grossed over $160 million worldwide.^[148] With adjustments for inflation, Underworld:Awakening is the lowest grossing Beckinsale-led film in the franchise.^[149]

In August 2012, Beckinsale will appear in the sci-fi action remake Total Recall, directed by her husband Len Wiseman. She will star as Lori, a villain played by Sharon Stone in the original film.^[150] Beckinsale has said that Wiseman joined the project because he was unable to receive studio financing for an original sci-fi idea: "You’re constantly finding yourself having to defend doing a remake when you didn’t really want to make one in the first place."^[11] Beckinsale is currently filming The Trials of McCall opposite Nick Nolte and James Cromwell.^[151] She will play a recovering alcoholic lawyer who becomes convinced that a woman was framed for murder.^[152]

Modelling career[link]

Beckinsale has worked occasionally as a model. In 1997, she appeared in the music video for George Michael's Waltz Away Dreaming.^[57] She starred opposite Orlando Bloom in a 2002 Gap television advert, directed by Cameron Crowe.^[153] She appeared in a Diet Coke television advert in 2004, directed by Michael Gondry.^[154][155] She advertised Absolut Vodka in a 2009 print campaign photographed by Ellen von Unwerth.^[156][157] She has also promoted Lux shampoo in a Japanese television advert.^[158]

Beckinsale was named "England's Number One Beauty" by Hello! in 2002^[159] and appeared at number 41 in People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People list in 2008.^[160] Many publications have included her in their rankings of the world's sexiest women. Esquire named her the Sexiest Woman Alive in 2009.^[161] She was at number 22 in Maxim's Hot 100 2009 list.^[162] She came in at number 41 on FHM's Sexiest Women of 2010 list,^[163] having previously appeared at number 15 in their 2009 list^[164] and at number 12 in their 2008 list.^[165] She has frequently appeared in AskMen.com's annual list of the 99 Most Desired Women: she was at number 22 in 2012,^[166] at number 14 in 2011,^[167] at number 3 in 2010,^[168] at number 10 in 2009^[168] and at number 3 in 2008.^[169]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Beckinsale had an eight-year relationship with actor Michael Sheen from 1995 until 2003. They met when cast in a touring production of The Seagull in early 1995 and moved in together shortly afterwards.^[170] She has said it was "love at first sight"^[171] and that he saved her from "a hospital for the criminally insane".^[172] In 1997, they appeared in a radio production of Romeo and Juliet.^[50] Their daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, was born in London in 1999. The actress has said she was "embarrassed" that Sheen never proposed^[37][173] but remarked, "If you keep a library book out long enough, you feel it's yours."^[174]

Their relationship ended in early 2003, after the filming of Underworld.^[175] Beckinsale had persuaded director Len Wiseman to cast Sheen in the film^[176] but, while on set, she and Wiseman (who was married) fell in love. All parties, aside from Wiseman's first wife,^[177] have maintained that there was no infidelity.^[176] Beckinsale and Wiseman both remain friends with Sheen.^[178] "We were very lucky in that we didn't have an acrimonious split," Beckinsale has said. "We are still very close and [our daughter] sees us around each other."^[179] "He's absolutely one of my most favourite people ever."^[180] "I love him dearly – I would miss him dreadfully if he wasn't in my life."^[181] Sheen has said that Beckinsale "will always be one of the most important people in my life. I have real love for her and a lot of affection for Len."^[182]

Beckinsale moved with her daughter from London to Brentwood, Los Angeles, in 2003 to live with Wiseman. She has said she is "a fish out of water" in Los Angeles^[183] but that residing in London would be impractical for Wiseman's career.^[172] They married in 2004 at the Hotel Bel-Air in California,^[184] choosing a passage from Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass as their first reading.^[185] While she is not religious, she has said it was "very nice to be asked [to get married], which I wasn't in my previous relationship".^[186] Since their marriage, Wiseman has directed her in two further films: an Underworld sequel and Total Recall. She has no plans for more children: "Maybe I will at some point but I feel I have everything I want. Lily is the perfect child ... I am my mum and dad’s only child so I don’t really have the mindset for more children."^[187]

Legal actions[link]

In July 2003, the Press Complaints Commission dismissed a complaint filed by Beckinsale. Beckinsale had claimed that the Daily Mail invaded her and her daughter's privacy by publishing photographs of the actress embracing and kissing her new partner Len Wiseman.^[188] The article was headlined "Mummy's latest love scene leaves Lily unimpressed" and included a picture in which her four-year-old daughter appeared to be ignoring her mother's romantic actions.^[188] The Commission found that "the photographs had been taken in a public place and did not reveal any private details about Lily — such as her health or schooling — but were restricted to general observations about her apparent reaction to her surroundings".^[188]

In August 2003, Beckinsale received a published apology from the Daily Mail after the newspaper reported that she had "spent time in a clinic" following her split from partner Michael Sheen.^[189] The apology was issued after the actress filed a complaint with the Press Complaints Commission.^[189] In 2009, Beckinsale was awarded £20,000 in damages by the British High Court after taking legal action against Express Newspapers.^[190] The Daily Express had falsely reported that the actress was "facing heartbreak" after losing out on a part in a remake of Barbarella.^[190]

Health[link]

In 2004, Beckinsale underwent emergency surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to remove a burst appendix.^[191] In 2007, she was treated for exhaustion at a Memphis hospital after experiencing numbness in her left arm and leg.^[192] Beckinsale does not drink alcohol, "not because I’m an alcoholic, I just don’t really like it": "If I drank a whole glass of red wine I would have Chekhovian despair the next day."^[193][194] She has smoked since the age of 16,^[195] but stopped for three years after becoming pregnant with her daughter.^[196] She has since said, "I’d be insufferable if I didn’t smoke. You’d have to push me off a balcony I’d be so boring.”^[197]

Charity work[link]

The British Heart Foundation has been Beckinsale's charity of choice "ever since I was six years old".^[198] She has also donated film memorabilia to the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation,^[199][200] MediCinema,^[201] Habitat For Humanity^[202] and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.^[203] In 2008, she hosted the 4th Annual Pink Party to raise funds for the Women’s Cancer Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center^[204] and organised a screening of All About Eve for FilmAid International.^[205] In 2012, Beckinsale joined Nestlé's Share the Joy of Reading Programme to raise awareness about the importance of children's literacy.^[206]

Filmography[link]

Stage

• The Seagull (as Nina), Theatre Royal, Bath and Tour, 1995
• Sweetheart (as Toni), Royal Court Theatre, 1996
• Clocks and Whistles (as Anne), The Bush, 1996

Radio

• Narrated Emma (1997) for Hodder & Stoughton AudioBooks
• Narrated Diana Hendry's The Proposal (1997) for BBC Radio 4
• Appeared as Juliet in the Naxos AudioBooks's production of Romeo and Juliet (1997)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]