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Uma Thurman

Uma Thurman has proven herself to be one of the world's most versatile young actresses by playing a variety of compelling characters. The daughter of a psychologist and a college professor, Thurman was raised in Amherst, Massachusetts, and Woodstock, New York. She attended a preparatory school in New England, where at 15 she was discovered by two New York agents. At 16 she transferred to the Professional Children's School in New York City to pursue an acting career.

Thurman's entrance onto the mainstream film scene began with Johnny Be Good, opposite Anthony Michael Hall. But it was her role as the goddess Venus in Terry Gilliam's 1988 fantasy The Adventures of Baron Munchausen which brought her international attention. This striking and versatile actress went on to receive critical acclaim for her portrayal of a virginal 18th century convent girl, C?cile de Volanges, seduced by John Malkovich in Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons. The following year she starred opposite Fred Ward and Maria de Medeiros in Philip Kaufman's Henry & June playing the neurotic and exotic bisexual spouse of Henry Miller. She then played Daphne McBain, one of a trio of Dabney Coleman's spoiled children in the comedy Where the Heart Is, directed by John Boorman. In 1991, Thurman starred opposite Richard Gere and Kim Basinger as Diana, a conniving therapy patient in Phil Joanou's thriller Final Analysis. She then reunited with Malkovich in the thriller Jennifer 8, playing Andy Garcia's blind girlfriend, Helena. In Mad Dog and Glory, she played a barmaid who becomes an indentured servant to Robert De Niro for saving Bill Murray's life. Her most eccentric movie to date is Gus Van Sant's film Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, in which she played Sissy Hankshaw, a big-thumbed, bisexual hippie hitchhiker.

In 1996, Thurman received an Academy Award nomination for Quentin Tarantino's critically lauded Pulp Fiction, in which she played Mia Wallace, a sexy and comedic mobster's wife. Later that year, she was seen in the period romance A Month by the Lake with Vanessa Redgrave and the contemporary romance Beautiful Girls, directed by Ted Demme. Thurman next appeared in The Truth About Cats & Dogs, Batman & Robin, Gattaca opposite Ethan Hawke, Les Mis?rables with Liam Neeson and The Avengers. In the spring of 1999, she made her stage debut in an updated version of Molière's The Misanthrope at the Classic Stage Company in New York.

Her most recent films include Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown, opposite Sean Penn and Samantha Morton; Vatel, opposite G?rard Depardieu and Tim Roth; the Merchant/Ivory film The Golden Bowl, with Nick Nolte, Angelica Huston and Jeremy Northam; and Tape with Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as Best Supporting Actress. She also starred in both installments of Quentin Tarantino's bloody action film, Kill Bill (for Vol. II she was nominated for a Golden Globe), as well as in John Woo's thriller Paycheck. Thurman also starred in the HBO film Hysterical Blindness with Juliette Lewis and Gena Rowlands, which she also produced. She won the 2003 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television for her portrayal of Debby Miller and was nominated for a SAG Award. Other recent projects include MGM's Be Cool, a sequel to the hit Get Shorty, opposite John Travolta.

Thurman's latest film, Prime, in which she stars opposite Meryl Streep, opened October 28, 2005.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2006.
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Uma Thurman Facts

Birth NameUma Karuna Thurman
OccupationActress, Model
BirthdayApril 29, 1970 (53)
SignTaurus
BirthplaceBoston, Massachusetts, USA
Height6' (1m83)  How tall is Uma Thurman compared to you?
Awards2004 MTV Movie Awards: Best Female Performance (for Kill Bill Vol. 1)
2004 MTV Movie Awards: Best Fight (for Kill Bill Vol. 1)
2003 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Mini-Series or a TV Film (for Hysterical Blindness)

Selected Filmography

Burnt
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Beautiful Girls
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Zoolander
Pulp Fiction
Gattaca
Term Life
Batman & Robin
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