Janet McTeer

Born: May 8, 1961
Where: Newcastle, England

Classical British actress Janet McTeer has often been referred to as 'Amazonian' due to her six foot one stance, and although she hasn't played any sylph-like nymphets, her career has not suffer from her height.

The RADA graduate became an award winning stage actress - her 1992 performance as Yelena opposite Anthony Sher in Uncle Vanya lead to a Nomination for the Olivier Award - and she is also a prolific big and small screen veteran.

As far as features go, McTeer delivered an outstanding performance as the clumsy, unsure Hazel in the feature Hawks in 1988.

Three years later she played Celeste opposite Alan Bates' Marcel Proust in 102 Boulevard Haussmann, and in 1992 she accepted the role of narrator Ellen Dean in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, featuring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.

In 1995 she portrayed Vanessa Bell in Carrington, written and directed by Christopher Hampton, and subsequently provided the opening narration for Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine.

The height of Janet's career was in 1999 when Tumbleweeds was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, and she then received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a Southern woman fleeing an unhappy marriage with her daughter.

2000 was a busy time for McTeer. She played a major role in Songcatcher, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival ands had a supporting role in the romantic mystery Waking the Dead.