Women We Love: Cate Blanchett

How does the cliché go? "So-and-so actor is so good, I'd watch him read the phone book"? Well, with Cate Blanchett, we'd watch her read a binary code; I'm sure she would make all those 1's and 0's riveting.

Most people "discovered" Blanchett with her brilliant, mesmerizing performance as Elizabeth; she made royalty sexy and alluring, earning her first Oscar nomination. Next, she delighted us with a string of supporting turns in a variety of films, from An Ideal Husband to The Talented Mr. Ripley to The Shipping News to The Lord of the Rings trilogy (her elfin goddess was so ethereal, she was downright scary).

More title roles in Charlotte Gray and Veronica Guerin followed, as well as her movie-stealing dual role as "herself" and her chain-smoking "cousin" in Coffee and Cigarettes, but it was her spot-on Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator that caught the Academy's attention again. She became the first actor to win an Academy Award for portraying an Academy Award-winning actor.

Last year was a big one for Blanchett, starring in three high-profile dramas: Babel, The Good German and Notes on a Scandal (another Oscar nod). However, this year is shaping up to be another busy one for the actress, playing two disparate icons in two very different biopics: Bob Dylan (yes, Bob Dylan) in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There and the Virgin Queen again in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I have a feeling Blanchett will be very busy come awards time this year as well.

Links via Imdb.com and AwardsDaily.com.