Birth name: Catherine "Cate" Elise Blanchett
Birth date: May 14, 1969

Remember her from Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth? Completely deglamourised and (we must say!) made to look quite like the Queen of England, the world was forced to sit up and take notice of this powerful actor.

She and her producer/director husband Andrew Upton, met on the sets of Chekov's The Seagull. We hear that at first glace, Andrew thought she was uptight and arrogant. But one kiss and the rest, as they all say, is history!

They were married in 1997, and now after more than 10 years of marriage, Cate is expecting their third child this month.

Cate and Andrew do all they can to provide a stable environment for their kids. No wonder they are media recluses. To stay away from the papparazzi, they live in Australia, where the kids are getting their education.

And with Cate getting ready to become momma for the third time, an Australian setting couldn't be any better.

Photograph: Getty Images