Born: 26-07-1973
Birthplace: London
Country: England
Occupation: Actress and Model
Height: 5' 7" (1,70 m)

She's the only child of actor Richard Beckinsale and actress Judy Loe. Her father comes from Nottingham and starred in a number of popular British television comedies during the 70s. Her mother played in a number of British dramas and television productions. Her 31-year-old father died suddenly on a heart attack, while she is deeply traumatised by the loss when she was five years old. Her widowed mother moved in with director Roy Battersby when she was nine years old. She was brought up alongside his four sons and daughter. She has an paternal half-sister named Samantha Beckinsale who is also actress.

She has an relation with Edmund Moriarty from 1992 until 1993. She met Michael Sheen at the cast of the touring production ''The Seagull'' early 1995. They fall in love and their relation ended early 2003 after the filming of Underworld. The pair have a daughter named Lily who was born in 1999. She starts an relation with director Len Wiseman in 2003, soon after her relation with Micheal. The couple is engaged in june 2003 and marries on 9th may, 2004 at the Bel-Air Hotel. Daughter Lily received her own "wedding ring" from Len Wiseman. The pair stays together until they divorce in november 2015.

She studied and took ballet lessons at the Flexlands Private School in London. She studied at the independent school for girls the Godolphin and Latymer School located in Hammersmith, West London. She was also involved at the Orange Tree Youth Theatre in London. She read French, Russian and German literature at the New College Oxford and managed to complete the A-levels in Russian, German and French, which resulted in her admission to Oxford University. She studied at the Oxford University Dramatic Society where she appeared in the production ''A View from the Bridge'' at the Oxford Playhouse. She spent her third study year in Paris as part of her compulsory year abroad as Modern Languages student. She decides later to quit with her university education in order to concentrate on her burgeoning acting career. She's trained in martial arts in order to prepare her for action roles and does boxing also.

Model Career

There are covershoots and articles about her in magazines as Accion Cine-Video, Cinema, Cosmopolitan, Premiere, Tantler, Jane, Total Film, TV Star, Women's Health, Los Angeles Confidential, Women's Weekly and many more.

She appeared in the music video of George Michael's Waltz ''Away Dreaming'' in 1997. She appeared opposite Orlando Bloom in director Cameron Crowe's Gap television advert in 2002. She appeared in director Michael Gondryin's Diet Coke television advert in 2004. She advertises for Absolut Vodka in a  print campaign which is photographed by Ellen von Unwerth in 2009. She has promoted Lux shampoo in a Japanese television advert.

Action Movie Career

She made her action movie debut as nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson who met childhood friends and US Air Force pilots Rafe (played by Ben Affleck) and Danny (played by Josh Hartnett) in ''Pearl Harbor'' (2001). Rafe was shot down over the English Channel during his fight against the Nazis as volunteer with a flight squadron from England. Evelyn and Danny get a relationship in the mean time, when they are transferred to Pearl Harbor for work. Rafe returns to Evelyn in Pearl Harbor after his recovery when he notice that his best friend Danny has a relation with Evelyn. He does everything to get her back even if he must play dirty during the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor.

She plays Selene who is a leading member of the Death Dealers in ''Underworld'' (2003). Medical student Michael Corvin (played by Scott Speedman) finds himself in the middle of an fight between street gangs during his walk bck home, after a long day of school and work. He doesn't know that he is witnessing a skirmish between two deadly underground communities who are unknown to the mortal world. An gang of vampires named the Death Dealers are battling for supremacy with a gang of werewolves named Lycans. Selene hears through the grapevine, that the Lycans have the plan to capture the aspiring doctor who is witness of the battle. She follows Michael around the city because she wants protecting him. Selene becomes attracted to Michael and is convinced that the Lycans are planning a major attack against the Death Dealers.

She plays Anna Valerious next to Hugh Jackman who plays the lead role of monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing in the action movie ''Van Helsing'' (2004). Gabriel's life is dedicated to fight against evil forces who exist outside the bounds of nature. Gabriel hunts on three deadly foes in Transylvania in the behest of Anna, because he is summoned by her.

She plays Selene again who is a leading member of the Death Dealers in the sequel ''Underworld: Evolution'' (2006). Selene and hunky Lycan Michael (played by Scott Speedman) explore their own past and pasts of their comrades, in the hope to uncover the secrets of the centuries-old conflict. They try to trace the bloody history of the ongoing war between the vampire gang named Death Dealers and the scruffy werewolves gang named the Lycans, who fight for the supremacy among the undead.

She plays the lead role as Selene again and Rhona Mitra plays the role of Sonja in the story where the ancient war between the vampires Death Dealers and the werewolves the Lycans continues in the sequel ''Underworld: Rise of the Lycans'' (2009). Sonja is the daughter of Viktor (played by Bill Nighy) who's the King of the Death Dealers. She wants to prove to her parents that she can fight alone against ravenous werewolves outside the castle's borders. Sonja has also a secret love affair with Lucian (played by Michael Sheen), who is the first Lycan werewolf born in human form. His race was bred by vampires as slaves and protectors of the bloodsucking clan. The news of their love spreads to Viktor who helps Lucian to escape, what leads to a revolution of the Lycans against their masters.

She plays U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko who is stationed at the Antarctica's South Pole research base for two years in ''Whiteout'' (2009). She's looking forward to go home three days before her resignation, when a body is discovered in the tundra during the first winter storm of the continent. She investigates the person's death and finds more bodies, all without a clear motive and murderer. She realizes that the killer is ready to strike again in order to protect a grim secret. U.N. agent Robert Pryce (played by Gabriel Macht) is coming out of nowhere and teams up with Carrie in order to catch the killer, before the blinding white snow gives way to the deadly darkness of winter.

She plays Kate Farraday who is the wife of Chris Faraday (played by Mark Wahlberg) in ''Contraband'' (2012). Chris is a former smuggler who has smuggled illegal items on freighters to his country in the past. He left the crime very long ago and lives as an normal person now. His brother in law Andy (played by Caleb Landry Jones) steals a part of a drug deal from his ruthless boss Tim Briggs (played by Giovanni Ribisi). His boss demands restitution of the stolen goods which he can't deliver. Chris is forced to do what he does best, smuggling goods in order to settle Andy's debt. He's a legendary smuggler who gets help of his best friend Sebastian (played by Ben Foster). Both crooks do one final run to Panama in the hope to return with millions in counterfeit bills.

She plays Selene again who is still member of the vampire gang Death Dealer in the sequel ''Underworld: Awakening'' (2012). Mankind discovers the existence of the Vampire and Lycan species and a war begins  to annihilate the races. Selene meets Michael (played by Scott Speedman) in the harbor when they both are hit by an grenade, with result that they are unconscious. Selene awakes twelve years later from a cryogenic sleep in the Antigen laboratory. She meets vampire David (played by Theo James), who tells her that she is subject of scientist Dr. Jacob Lane (played by Stephen Rea). She notices that the Vampire and Lycan species are practically eradicated by the mankind of Earth. She's surprised when she finds out that she has a powerful daughter named Eve, which is raised in the laboratory. Selene and David must protect Eve against the Lycans that intend to use her to inoculate their species against silver.

She plays Lori Quaid and Jessica Biel plays the role of Melina in the action movie ''Total Recall'' (2012). Douglas Quaid (played by Colin Farrell) is an factory worker with a beautiful wife Lori who needs holiday. The mind-trip vacation of Rekall (the company that can turn your dreams into real memories) sounds like the perfect vacation for his frustrating life. The simulation procedure goes horribly wrong and he becomes a hunted man, in an virtual world. He finds himself on the run for the police which is led by the leader of the free world Chancellor Cohaagen (played by Bryan Cranston). He works together with rebel fighter Melina in order to stop Chancellor Cohaagen and his men.

Achievements And Nominations

• She won the Gran Angular Award for "Best Actress" at the Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival (1997).
• She won the ALFS Award for "British Supporting Actress of the Year" at the London Critics Circle Film Awards (1999).
• She was selected by Hello Magazine as England's Number #1 Beauty in 2002.
• She was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Actress category on the 2005 ballot for Her performance in the film ''Van Helsing'' (2004) and two years later again in the same category for her roles in the films ''Click'' (2006) and ''Underworld: Evolution'' (2006).
• She was listed as a potential nominee on both the 2005 and 2007 Razzie Award nominating ballots.
• Esquire magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" in 2009.
• She won the prestigious WH Smith's Young Writers' competition for her poetry in 1986.
• Ranked #63 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002).
• Named #23 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
• Ranked #71 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.
• Named as #78 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement.
• Ranked #21 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list.
• Ranked #12 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women 2008".
• Ranked #3 in the 2010 Ask Men list of the top 99 "most desirable" women.
• Ranked #41 in the 2010 FHM UK list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
• Ranked #14 in the 2011 Ask Men list of the top 99 "most desirable" women.
• Ranked #21 in the 2011 FHM Australia list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
• She won the Spotlight Award at the Costume Designers Guild Awards (2012).
• Voted #22 on Ask men's top 99 'most desirable' women of 2012.
• Ranked #43 on Maxim's "Hot 100" of 2014 list.
• Ranked #10 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World"
• She was two times winner of the WH Smith Young Writers Award for both fiction and poetry.

Action Movie Filmography

• Total Recall (2012)
• Underworld: Awakening (2012)
• Contraband (2012)
• Whiteout (2009)
• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
• Underworld Evolution (2006)
• Van Helsing (2004)
• Underworld (2003)
• Pearl Harbor (2001)