Biography for
Janet McTeer More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

8 May 1961, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, UK

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Janet was born in Newcastle, UK, to parents Jean and Allan. She was raised in York from the age of 6. She attended Queen Anne School Grammar School for girls, where there wasn't much opportunity for drama. She became interested in acting at age 16 when she saw 'She Stoops to Conquer' at the York theater. She worked as a waitress at the same theater, where she served a coffee to Gary Oldman. He suggested that she should apply to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he had just finished studying.

She successfully gained a place at RADA. After graduation, she began her career acting on stage joining the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Her on-screen film debut came in Half Moon Street (1986). In 2000, she was nominated for her first Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Tumbleweeds (1999).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Kad

Trivia

She was awarded the 1997 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Play of the 1996 season for her performance A Doll's House at the Playhouse.

She was awarded the 1996 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre) for Best Actress for her performance in A Doll's House.

Became an Associate Member of Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Graduated from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Won Broadway's 1997 Tony Award as Best Actress (Play) for portraying Nora in a revival of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House."

She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honors List for her services to drama.

Nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance for a Leading Actress in a Play for "Mary Stuart".

Personal Quotes

The older you get, the better you get, because you've seen more. You don't necessarily have to go through a lot, but you have to witness it in order to recreate it.

Q: If someone saw one of your performances in 1,000 years' time, what would it tell them about the year 2007? A: That nothing has really changed. People will still love and hurt and yearn.

(On the Academy Awards) The whole thing was just silly. All those awards are a bit silly, aren't they? It's quite funny if you're English, because we take them all with a bucket of salt really; we're always a bit embarrassed to go 'I'd quite like to win that award'. The Americans are very: 'Oh my God! Is this the most exciting day of your life?' I just thought 'no, not really. It's good fun and you get to see everyone on the carpet, but frankly, get a grip!

[on being honored with an Oscar nomination for 'Albert Nobbs'] There were a lot of people who lived like this. One thing you have to remember in England that is different from over here, is that sodomy if you're a guy was illegal. You'd be kicked out of the country. There was nothing against lesbianism because Queen Victoria didn't believe it existed.