Actress Anne Hathaway was born on November 12, 1982, in Brooklyn, New York. The daughter of an actress and a lawyer, Hathaway grew up in Millburn, NJ. She excelled at performing early on, becoming the first and only teenager accepted to The Barrow Group, a theater company and acting school in New York City.

In 1999, Hathaway got her first big break on the television series "Get Real," which only lasted one season. She played the oldest daughter, Meghan, on the family drama. Her work on the series earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination (best actress in a drama).

Shortly after the series ended, Hathaway took on the role that made her famous: She starred as Mia Thermopolis, a smart, klutzy teen who learns she is actually a princess of a small country called Genovia, in "The Princess Diaries" (2001). Thermopolis's grandmother, played by Julie Andrews, instructs her in all things royal. The film scored big with audiences, earning approximately $108 million at the box office. Hathaway earned another Teen Choice Award nomination for her work on the film.

Hathaway returned to the role for the 2004 sequel, "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement." That same year, she played the title character in "Ella Enchanted," a twist on the Cinderella story. Roger Ebert described her as "beautiful" and "luminous."

Hathaway departed from making family friendly films in 2005, with "Havoc" and "Brokeback Mountain." In the independent film "Havoc," she played a privileged Los Angeles teen who drawn to the city's grittier side. The Academy Award-winning "Brokeback Mountain," directed by Ang Lee, featured Hathaway in a supporting role as Lureen, a wife whose husband is in love with a man. She earned strong reviews for her portrayal of a tough, sexy Texan.

Hathaway's success on the silver screen continued with "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006), a film adaptation of the best-selling novel by Lauren Weisberger. In the film, Hathaway plays a struggling journalist who takes a job at a fashion magazine out of desperation, and finds herself working as an assistant for the publication's difficult and demanding editor-in-chief.

For her next role, Hathaway took on an English accent to play literary legend Jane Austen. The historical romance, "Becoming Jane" (2007), focuses on the relationship between Austen and a young Irish lawyer, played by James McAvoy. She demonstrated her range on this and other films, including "Get Smart" (2008), a big-screen adaptation of the similarly titled hit TV comedy, in which Hathaway stars opposite Steve Carell; and the 2008 thriller "Passengers." Hathaway's role as Kym in the movie "Rachel Getting Married" (2008) earned her an Academy Award nod (best actress).

Hathaway returned to lighter fare with the romantic comedy "Bride Wars" in 2009, starring opposite Kate Hudson. The following year, Hathaway had a supporting role in the ensemble comedy "Valentine's Day," which also featured Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Biel.

Tackling a famous literary character in her next project, Hathaway played the White Queen in Tim Burton's reimagining of the famous children's tale "Alice in Wonderland" in 2010. The film, starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, proved to be a huge commercial and critical success. Hathaway also appeared in the 2010 satire of the pharmaceutical industry, "Love and Other Drugs," starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal; and in 2011's "One Day," a film based on the 2009 novel by David Nicholls.

In 2012, Hathaway landed one of her most exciting roles yet: Playing Catwoman in the third film of Christopher Nolan's Batman series, "The Dark Knight Rises." She then starred in "Les Miserables" (2012) alongside Hugh Jackman, Amanda Seyfried and Russell Crowe. In the film, Hathaway plays Fantine, a poor French woman who turns to prostitution to support her only child, Cosette. In January 2013, she received a Golden Globe Award (best supporting actress) for her performance in Les Miserables. Hathaway's winning streak continued with her first Academy Award win for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Fantine that February.

In addition to acting, Hathaway supports several charities, including the Step Up Women's Network and the Lollipop Theater Network.

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