Trivia

Aged six, a school report found she had the reading age of an eleven-year-old and an IQ of 152.

Spent her teens reading French, Russian and German novels because of her studies, and completed A-levels in Russian, German and French, which resulted in her admission to Oxford University.

Mother, with ex-boyfriend Michael Sheen (they dated from 1995 to 2003), of daughter Lily Mo Sheen (b. January 31, 1999).

Is known for her love of jokes and pranks, usually at the expense of her co-stars.

Director Stephen Sommers wanted Kate for the role of "Anna Valerious" in Van Helsing (2004). But Stephen feared that it was too similar in tone to Underworld (2003), a film that Kate started and was filming at the time. Eventually, her agent got Sommers to send the script and Kate immediately signed on.

Normally slender, she gained twenty pounds for roles in 2004 - ten pounds for Van Helsing (2004) and another ten pounds to portray the voluptuous Ava Gardner in The Aviator (2004).

Attended New College, Oxford, England where she studied French and Russian Literature, before dropping out in her third year to pursue acting.

Married Len Wiseman on 9th May 2004 at the Bel-Air Hotel. Her daughter, Lily, received her own "wedding ring" from Wiseman.

Was among over 80 women who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault in October 2017.

She had a body double for her nude scenes in Haunted (1995)

Got the lead female role in Pearl Harbor (2001) after Charlize Theron pulled out to do Sweet November (2001).

Won the prestigious WH Smith's Young Writers' competition for her poetry in 1986.

Her mother, Judy Loe is an actress, and her father, Richard Beckinsale, was famous as a comedy actor.

Has played a vampire (Underworld (2003)) and a vampire hunter (Van Helsing (2004)).

Attended grade/primary school at Flexlands Private School in London, England, she took ballet there and it was at this young age that her father died of a heart attack.

Met Len Wiseman when he directed her in Underworld (2003).

Was anorexic as a teenager.

She became a fan of comic books due to her ex-husband and daughter both being huge fans.

Suffers from stomach ulcers.

According to an interview she gave on the UK show The Big Breakfast (1992) (December 2001), she hates wearing knickers.

Lives in Venice, California because it reminds her of London.

The doormat in her Los Angeles home reads - "Nice to see you, to see you, nice" - a popular British catchphrase coined by TV personality Bruce Forsyth.

(January 26, 2019) Revealed she had been hospitalized with ruptured ovarian cyst.

One of Kate's paternal great-grandmothers, Mary Mitchell, was born in Burma, to a white father, Thomas Mitchell, and a Burmese (Asian) mother, Ma Ninhe.

Often brings a pantomime horse costume with her when she travels.

Esquire magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" in 2009.

Replaced Sarah Jessica Parker after she dropped out from the film Vacancy (2007).

Had an emergency appendectomy in January, 2004.

Was in close competition for the role of Rachel Keller in The Ring (2002), but lost out because producers felt she looked too young.

According to her interview on Live with Kelly and Mark (1988) (aka "Live with Regis and Kelly") that when she was working on Everybody's Fine (2009), she had never heard of nor had cannoli before until the film's star, Robert De Niro introduced her to it.

Supports various charities including The British Heart Foundation and Habitat for Humanity.

Demonstrated on Larry King's show her hidden talent for pretending to sneeze, which King called 'phenomenal'.

First screen kiss was with Robert Sean Leonard in Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

She did not like Physical Education at school. It was also her worst subject.

Lost out to Juliette Binoche for a part in Wuthering Heights (1992).

For her very first role, Kate appeared as an 18-month-old child with her mother Judy Loe in the British TV series pilot Episode #1.1 (1975).

When Kate was five years old, Her 31-year-old father Richard Beckinsale died from a sudden heart attack, Her mother Judy Loe however remarried Roy Battersby until his death in 2024.

IQ of 152.

Selected by Hello Magazine as England's Number #1 Beauty in 2002.

Has a cat named Clive and a dog named Myf.

Younger half-sister of Samantha Beckinsale.

Named "The Most Beautiful Face of 2007" by TC Candler's list of the "100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World", and ranked on their list for 18 consecutive years (1999-2016).

Ranked #10 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" list in 2009.

Kate Beckinsale thought that the American elections were a joke at first and agrees with the London Mayors' comment that "Trump's stance on Islam is ignorant" during an interview with Larry King on Larry King Now (2012).

Ranked #14 on AskMen's "Top 99 Women" list in 2011.

Ranked #12 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" list in 2008.

Ranked #43 on Maxim's "Hot 100" list in 2014.

Ranked #3 on AskMen's "Top 99 Women" list in 2010.

Ranked #22 on AskMen's "Top 99 Women" list in 2012.

Ranked #21 on Maxim's "Hot 100" list in 2007.