- 2008: Re-teamed with Brad Pitt to play lovers in David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
- 2008: Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (December)
- 2008: Cast as the villian in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"; directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford
- 2008: Nominated for the 2008 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Female Action Star
- 2007: Reprised her award winning role in the sequal, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; earned Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
- 2007: Portrayed Bob Dylan at one distinct stage of his life, in Todd Haynes' film "I'm Not There"; received SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress
- 2006: With husband Andrew Upton, named as joint artistic directors of Australia's Sydney Theatre Company (STC).
- 2006: Portrayed an art teacher who is arrested for having an affair with a 15-year-old student in "Notes on a Scandal"; received Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- 2006: Co-starred with Brad Pitt to play a tragedy-stricken American couple vacationing in Morocco in Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Babel"
- 2004: Cast in Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes" a series of short stories that all have coffee and cigarettes in common; received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female
- 2004: Portrayed legendary screen icon Katharine Hepburn opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in "The Aviator"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress
- 2003: Again portrayed Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
- 2003: Starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in the suspense thriller "The Missing," directed by Ron Howard
- 2002: Starred in "Heaven," Tom Tykwer's English-language directorial debut
- 2002: Reprised Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings; The Two Towers"
- 2002: Portrayed slain Irish journalist Veronica Guerin in "Chasing the Dragon: The Veronica Guerin Story"; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Drama
- 2001: Played the title character in Gillian Armstrong's "Charlotte Gray"
- 2001: Portrayed the elf queen Galadriel in the Peter Jackson-directed "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings"
- 2001: Cast as Petal Bear, the wife of Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) in "The Shipping News"
- 2000: Co-starred as a Russian chorus girl in "The Man Who Cried"; screened at Venice; released in USA in 2001
- 2000: Cast as a Southern widow with psychic abilities in "The Gift"
- 1999: Had featured roles in Barry Levinson's "Pushing Tin" and Anthony Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley"
- 1999: Made London stage debut in the Donmar revival of David Hare's "Plenty"
- 1998: Played title role in Shekhar Kapur's "Elizabeth," a film biography of Queen Elizabeth I; received Best Actress Oscar nomination
- 1997: Had featured role in the Australian film "Thank God He Met Lizzie"; won Best Supporting Actress Award from Australian Film Institute
- 1997: Feature film debut in "Paradise Road"
- 1997: Co-starred opposite Ralph Fiennes in "Oscar and Lucinda," directed by Gillian Armstrong
- 1996: Made film acting debut in the short "Parklands"
- 1994: Co-starred in the Australian TV program "Heartland"
- 1994: TV acting debut in episodes of the Australian series "Police Rescue"
- 1993: Made TV debut in a commercial
- 1992: Joined Sydney Theatre Company, appeared in "Oleanna," starring opposite Geoffrey Rush
- Appeared as an extra in a film made in Egypt while visiting the country on holiday
- Attracted attention for her performance in "Electra" at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
- Born and raised in Melbourne




