Biography for
Julia Ormond

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The dark and classically beautiful British actress Julia Ormond was born into privileged surroundings as the daughter of a well-to-do laboratory technician. Her parents divorced when she was young; she was the second of five children. She attended Cranleigh, a private school, and showed interest in theatrics way back then. Her grandparents were artists, and she initially intended to be one herself, but after one year of art school, she renewed her dedication to acting and transferred to Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, where she graduated in 1988.

She subsequently appeared in the play "Wuthering Heights" as Catherine, where she met her Heathcliff both onstage and in real life, actor Rory Edwards. In 1989 she won the London Drama Critic's Award for her performance in "Faith, Hope and Charity" as "best newcomer." Her marriage to actor Edwards, who also appeared with her in the TV-movie Young Catherine (1991) (TV), in which she played Catherine the Great, dissipated in 1994. In the meantime she slowly built up her reputation as a fine actress with the films The Baby of Mâcon (1993) and Captives (1994), but Hollywood finally took notice with her lauded support role in Legends of the Fall (1994) opposite Brad Pitt. As a result of this, she was practically handed Audrey Hepburn's role in the revival of Sabrina (1995), stealing the picture from co-star Harrison Ford.

She has since continued to glow in such international pictures as Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997), Sibirskiy tsiryulnik (1998) [The Barber of Siberia] and Resistance (2003), and in such TV mini-series showcases as Iron Jawed Angels (2004) (TV).

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Trivia

Signed a two-year contract with Fox Searchlight Pictures to produce, direct and write. [May 1997]

Attended West Surrey College of Art and Design (1989); received London Drama Critics Award for best newcomer.

Formed a production company called Indican (a take-off on the words "in the can").

For the title role Sabrina (1995), she was instructed to cut her waist-length hair, which did not thrill her fans.

She actually plays the intro piano part in an early scene in Legends of the Fall (1994).

She starred in three consecutive films in which she is caught between two or more men: Brad Pitt, Aidan Quinn, and Henry Thomas in Legends of the Fall (1994); Sean Connery and Richard Gere in First Knight (1995); and Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear in Sabrina (1995).

She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 (2000 season) for Best Actress for her performance in My Zinc Bed at the Royal Court Theatre.

She was awarded the 1989 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Most Promising Newcomer for her performance in Faith, Hope and Charity.

Trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, whose alumni include Terence Stamp, Hugh Bonneville, Rupert Friend, Angela Lansbury, Matthew Goode, Sue Johnston, Minnie Driver and Julian Fellowes.

Is said to be a direct, if distant niece of the Welsh rebel and prince Owain Glyndwr through her paternal grandmother, by way of Glyndwr's sister.

Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001.

Daughter, Sophie (born fall 2004).

Where Are They Now

(October 2004) She did an interview where she talked about her feelings and concerns as a new mother to her baby daughter.

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