Natascha McElhone Biography
Summary
"Natascha McElhone" (born 14 December 1971) is an English actress of stage, screen and television, best known for her roles in "Ronin", "The Truman Show" and "Solaris". McElhone also plays a leading role in the Showtime series "Californication".
Early life
McElhone was born "Natascha Taylor" in Hampton Court, Surrey, London, England to parents who were both journalists. She took the maiden name of her mother, Noreen, as her stage name. McElhone has a script writer brother Damon who lives in Los Angeles, and two half brothers Alexander and Nicholas, who live in Stockholm. Her parents separated when she was two and her Irish mother subsequently moved the family to Brighton and later married journalist and columnist Roy Greenslade. The couple now live in Ireland and Brighton.
McElhone took lessons in Irish dancing from ages six to twelve, and was educated at St. Mary's Hall School for Girls, an independent boarding school in Brighton, East Sussex, England, after which she graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1993.
Career
McElhone began her career in the theater, including starring in "Richard III" in Regent's Park, "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Cherry Orchard" at the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester; and in "Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Open Air Theatre. McElhone made her television debut in the BBC's "Bergerac" in 1991, and was seen in an episode of "Absolutely Fabulous" in 1992.
McElhone made her film debut in 1996's "Surviving Picasso" with Anthony Hopkins. In the same year she was seen in the Dennis Potter TV mini-series "Karaoke." Although she has made relatively few films, her most successful to date has been 1998's "The Truman Show" with Jim Carrey. She had leading roles opposite Brad Pitt in The Devil's Own, Robert DeNiro in "Ronin" and George Clooney in "Solaris".
In 2005, the actress co-starred in the NBC miniseries "Revelations" with actor Bill Pullman. She starred in a 2006 West End production of "Honour" at the Wyndham's Theatre alongside Diana Rigg and Martin Jarvis. She then accepted a leading role in the sexually provocative Showtime cable television series "Californication" as Karen, alongside David Duchovny.
McElhone is the newest Neutrogena spokeswoman and the face of the Ageless Essentials Continuous Hydration line.
Personal life
McElhone married plastic surgeon Dr. Martin Hirigoyen Kelly on 19 May 1998. The couple lived in Fulham, west London with their two sons: Theodore (born 2000) and Otis (born May 2003); their third son, Rex, was born after Kelly's death, in October 2008.
On 20 May 2008, 43-year-old Kelly was found slumped in the doorway of the family home by a fellow doctor. He was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where he worked, but could not be revived. A post-mortem exam revealed the cause of death to have been dilated cardiomyopathy.
Filmography/shows
"Bergerac" (TV, aired 19 January 1991), Louise Calder (guest appearance) in episode: 'Snow in Provence'
"A Breed of Heroes" (1994, TV), Janet
"Cold Lazarus" (1996), Angie (Third Hostess)
"Surviving Picasso" (1996), Françoise Gilot
"Karaoke" (1996), Angie (Third Hostess)
"The Devil's Own" (1997), Megan Doherty
"Mrs. Dalloway" (1997), Young Clarissa
"The Truman Show" (1998), Lauren/Sylvia
"Ronin" (1998), Deirdre
"Love's Labour's Lost" (2000), Rosaline
"The Contaminated Man" (2002), Holly Anderson
"Killing Me Softly" (2002), Deborah
"Laurel Canyon" (2002), Sara
"FeardotCom" (2002), Terry Huston, Dept. of Health
"City of Ghosts" (2002), Sophie
"Solaris" (2002), Rheya
"The Other Boleyn Girl" (2003 television film) Mary Boleyn
"Ladies in Lavender" (2004), Olga
"Revelations" (2005 miniseries), Sister Josepha Montafiore
"Guy X" (2005), Irene Teal
"Big Nothing" (2006), Penelope Wood
"The Company" (2007 miniseries), Elizabet
"Californication" (TV;2007-preseent), Karen
"The Secret of Moonacre" (2008), Loveday
"Heaven and Earth" (2009), Dr. James Barry
"Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (video game)" (2010)
External links
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Natascha McElhone.
