Kate Winsletis one of Hollywood’s most decorated and dynamic actresses, dazzling audiences with her honest and vulnerable performances for 30 years. The charismatic star made her film debut in the 1994 psychological dramaHeavenly Creatures, portraying a teenage murderess and showcasing her impeccable range at just 19 years old. Winslet would go on to appear inSense and SensibilityandHamlet, before skyrocketing to fame with her iconic role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio inthe blockbusterTitanic.
Winslet continued to dominate the big screen with unforgettable performances in acclaimed hits likeEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,Little Children,The Reader, andSteve Jobs, as well as in shows includingMildred PierceandThe Mare of Easttown.Her most recent work was in the single drama “I Am Ruth," which features the actress as a working-class mother who becomes worried about the impact social media has on her daughter; the film is inspired by real-life situations parents struggle with in the modern digital age.
The illustrious performer has won an Academy Award, five BAFTAs, and five Golden Globes, and her next role will be in the upcoming biographical dramaLee.Let’s check out Kate Winslet’s best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
12Iris - 79%
Based on the life of novelist Iris Murdoch and adapted from her husband John Bayley’s memoir, the 2001 biographical dramaIrisstars both Kate Winslet and Judy Dench as the trailblazing writer and chronicles her lifelong romance with the literary critic from their early days at Oxford to their massive professional successes, while also depicting Murdoch’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease and subsequent death.
Both Winslet and Dench received Academy Award nominations for their impressive performances as the celebrated visionary, and the enthralling film was also a commercial hit at the box office.
11Little Children - 80%
Touting a stellar cast led by Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, and Jennifer Connelly, the 2006 romantic psychological dramaLittle Childrencenters on the torrid and forbidden love affairbetween unhappy housewifeSarah Pierce and her law student neighbor Brad Adamson. They share secret rendezvous while their children share playdates and their spouses are at work.
Based on the Tom Perotta novel of the same name, the engrossing picture landed on numerous critics' top ten lists of the year and Winslet once again nabbed both an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
10Jude - 81%
In the 1996 British period dramaJude, Christopher Eccleston stars as the eponymous academically gifted young man who dreams of being a scholar at a university but due to his lower-class status is forced to marry a farmer’s daughter (Rachel Griffiths) and work as a stonemason.
When Jude relocates to the city after his wife leaves him, he encounters his beautiful and headstrong cousin Sue Bridehead (Winslet) and they share a passionate love affair that inspires them both but leads to an unforeseen tragedy.
Judeis adapted from English novelist Thomas Hardy’s literary work and is one of Winslet’s more underrated films, with her role in the ’90s flick being lauded bycritic Roger Ebert, who wrote, “Winslet shows her range again this time, making Sue into a sassy, defiant woman who would rather be right than happy. Together they take a difficult story and make it into a haunting film.”
9Finding Neverland - 83%
Johnny Depp earned an Oscar nomination for his sensitive and whimsicalportrayal ofPeter Pancreator James Matthew Barry in the 2004 biographical fantasyFinding Neverland, chronicling the writer’s relationship with the family who inspired his beloved children’s story and his endearing friendship with the widowed Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Winslet) and her four young sons.
Freddie Highmore appeared as Sylvia’s son Peter, who was the direct source for his titular character and whom the public would later refer to as “the original Peter Pan.” Depp would alter recommend the young actor to star in Tim Burton’sCharlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Finding Neverlandwas both a critical and commercial triumph, earning over $116 million at the box office and garnering widespread acclaim for the phenomenal performances of Depp and Winslet and their sweet chemistry on screen. The fantasy became Winslet’s most widely viewed film at the time sinceTitanicand was awarded an A CinemaScore by audiences.
8Contagion - 85%
Steven Soderbergh’s chilling 2011 medical disaster thrillerContagionfeatures a dynamic ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet. It focuses on a highly contagious and deadly virus that begins to spread and quickly becomes a worldwide pandemic that ravages society and causes a massive panic to come up with a vaccine. Winslet appears as Dr. Erin Mears, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer who looks into the origins of the disease and attempts to help contain the lethal virus.
Contagionexperienced a massive resurgence in both popularity and prominence in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the thriller paralleling the real-life tragic emergence of the virus and public response. Scientists praised the picture for its accuracy and sensitive handling of the subject matter, anda “philosophical sequel"to the film is currently in the works with Soderbergh returning to direct.
7Steve Jobs - 85%
Michael Fassbender delivered a spectacular performance as the revolutionary Apple Inc. co-founder in Danny Boyle’s 2015 biographical dramaSteve Jobs, which focuses on 14 years of the inventor’s life.
It begins in 1984 at the unveiling of the first Macintosh and his subsequent relationships with fellow founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) and his ultimate confidante and Apple marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet). Audiences aregiven a behind-the-scenes lookat three crucial press conferences Jobs gave during this pivotal time in his career, and both his professional and personal hurdles.
Winslet spent months preparing for her role, spending time with Hoffman and working closely with a dialect coach to master her Polish and Armenian accent, which the actress would later declare to be one ofthe most difficult accentsshe’s ever had to attempt. Her hard work paid off, as Winslet earned rave reviews for her scene-stealing portrayal and took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
6Titanic - 88%
Without a doubt, Kate Winslet’s most iconic and buzzed about performance of her illustrious career was inJames Cameron’s blockbuster1997 disaster dramaTitanic, appearing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as star-crossed lovers Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson as they meet and fall in love despite their vastly different social backgrounds while on the doomed passenger liner in 1912.
Related:12 Movies Like Titanic If You Want to Watch an Epic Story
With an additional cast of Hollywood greats like Kathy Bates, Billy Zane, Bill Paxton, and Gloria Stuart, the groundbreaking picture showcases the many prominent figures who were onboard the ship as well as the devastating lead-up and aftermath of the maritime tragedy.
Cameron felt that Winslet"had the thing that you look for” and felt there was “a quality in her face, in her eyes” that he “just knew people would be ready to go the distance with her.“Titanicgrossed a whopping $1.84 billion during its initial run and became the first film to reach the billion dollar mark, and took home eleven Academy Awards including Best Picture.
5Mary and the Witch’s Flower - 89%
Kate Winslet lent her voice to the English-dubbed version of the 2017 Japanese animated fantasyMary and the Witch’s Flower, telling the story of the lonely and precocious little girl Mary Smith (Ruby Barnhill) as she stumbles upon an enchanting and rare blossom known as a Fly-by-Night flower. The plant grants her magical powers and allows her to become a witch for just one night only. Winslet appears as Madam Mumblechook, the headmistress at the school of magic who wants the blossom to conduct magical transformation experiments on her young pupils.
Mary and the Witch’s Floweris based on Mary Stewart’s novelThe Little Broomstick, and upon its worldwide release went on to achieve widespread praise for its stunning animation, charming voice performances, and breathtaking visuals. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi had formerly worked for Studio Ghibli, and the gifted filmmaker paid homage to his time with the beloved animation studio.
4Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 92%
Jim Carrey showed off his dramatic acting chops when he appeared alongside Kate Winslet in the 2004 romantic sci-fi dramaEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The talented performers star as recently separated couple Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski as they set out to undergo a procedure that would allow them to wipe out memories of one another and their relationship. After Clementine successfully erases her memories, an angry and heartbroken Joel decides to do the same but quickly has second thoughts as he doesn’t want to imagine a world without the vivacious woman.
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindhas been hailed as one of the best films of the 2000s and attracted numerous accolades and overwhelming appreciation upon its release, with many also considering it one of the greatest pictures of all time. Once again Winslet earned an Oscar nomination for her role in the cult classic, and her moving chemistry with Carrey was lauded.
3Heavenly Creatures - 95%
Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey made their cinematic film debuts in the 1994 biographical psychological dramaHeavenly Creatures, based on the infamous Parker-Hulme murder case in 1954. The case involved teenage girls and best friends Juliet Hulme (Winslet) and Pauline Parker (Lynskey) as they developed an intense bond and friendship that resulted in the two murdering Pauline’s mother Honorah Rieper after they were going to be forced apart. The girls were ultimately convicted of the shocking murder and sentenced to five years in prison before they were released separately in 1959.
Winslet beat out 175 other actresses for the lead role of Juliet, which helped launch an esteemed and celebrated career for the performer that has spanned nearly three decades. She won British Actress of the Year at the London Film Critics' Circle, withThe Washington Postcalling her “a bright-eyed ball of fire, lighting up every scene she’s in.”
