Emily Olivia Leah Blunt (born 23 February 1983) is an English actress best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Young Victoria (2009), The Adjustment Bureau (2011), and Looper (2012). She has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two London Film Critics' Circle Awards, and one BAFTA Award. She won a Golden Globe Award for her work in theBBC television drama Gideon's Daughter (2007).
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Early life[edit | edit source]
Emily Blunt was born 23 February 1983 in Roehampton in South West London. She is the second of four children born to Joanna, a teacher and former actress, and barrister Oliver Simon Peter Blunt, QC, one of the highest-profile barristers in the United Kingdom, earning an estimated £1 million annually.[4][5][6][7][8] Her siblings are Felicity, Sebastian, and Suzanna. Her grandfather was Major-General Peter Blunt, and one of her paternal uncles is Crispin Blunt, Conservative Member of Parliament for Reigate.[9][10]
Blunt attended Ibstock Place School and, at the age of 16, went to Hurtwood House, a private sixth-form college known for its performing arts programme.[11] There, she was discovered by an agent.[11] Blunt made her professional debut in The Royal Family, a play opposite Judi Dench in Sir Peter Hall's production.[11] Hailed by critics for her performance, she was named "Best Newcomer" by The Evening Standard.[11] She went on to perform as Eugenie in Nicholas Wright's Vincent in Brixton at the National Theatre, and as Juliet in Indhu Rubasingham's production of Romeo and Juliet at Chichester Festival Theatre, both in 2002.[11]
Film career[edit | edit source]
In 2003, Blunt made her screen debut in the British television drama Boudica, about the life of the ancient Celtic warrior-queen who fought the Romans.[11] That same year, she was praised for her performance as the 16th-century queen Catherine Howard in the two-part British television drama Henry VIII.[11]
In 2004, Blunt delivered her breakout performance as Tamsin in the dark British film, My Summer of Love, a story of deception and lesbian love in the English countryside.[11] She shared anEvening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer with co-star Natalie Press.[12]
In 2005, Blunt co-starred with Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson in the British television drama Gideon's Daughter,[11] an original screenplay written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, in which she played the troubled only child of New Labour spin doctor Gideon Warner, played by Nighy. Blunt won a Golden Globe for her performance.[13]
[1][2]Blunt at the 2007 BAFTAs
In 2006, Blunt appeared opposite Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the box-office success The Devil Wears Prada. Streep and Hathaway received most of the critical attention initially, but Blunt proved to be equally memorable, with Entertainment Weekly naming her the Best Female Scene-Stealer in their end-of-summer special issue. She appeared at the 79th Academy Awardswhere she co-presented the award for best costume design with her Prada co-star Hathaway. Blunt spoke about the weight loss, claiming she had to go "painfully thin".[14] That same year, Blunt co-starred with Susan Sarandon in the independent drama Irresistible. Following production, Sarandon strongly suggested to director David Auburn that he cast Blunt in his next film, The Girl in the Park— a role she did not accept.
In 2007, Blunt appeared in four films: Wind Chill, The Jane Austen Book Club, Dan in Real Life, and Charlie Wilson's War.[11] In 2008, Blunt appeared in two films, Sunshine Cleaning in the role of Norah Lorkowski, and The Great Buck Howard as Valerie Brennan.[11] In 2009, Blunt played Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Julian Fellowes. She also starred in the Toby Spanton-directed short film Curiosity. She was director Jon Favreau's first choice to play the Black Widow in Iron Man 2 but scheduling conflicts withGulliver's Travels forced her to cede the role to Scarlett Johansson.[15] She voiced Angelina's mother, Matilda Mouseling, in the television series, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps.
In 2010, Blunt co-starred with Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins in the big-budget movie The Wolfman, which was released on 12 February. She also starred in Gulliver's Travels and in The Adjustment Bureau, alongside Matt Damon, as a ballet dancer "being mysteriously kept apart" from Damon's character.[16] Blunt was offered the female lead in Captain America: The First Avenger but turned it down.[17] She was replaced by Australian actress Abbie Cornish to play the lead in David Riker's independent film The Girl. She dropped out the film due to scheduling conflicts. In 2011, Blunt was named the ambassadress of the new Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, Opium.[18]
Blunt starred in the 2011 British comedy film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, directed by Lasse Hallström and co-starring Ewan McGregor and Kristin Scott Thomas.[19] Also that year, she briefly appeared in The Muppets, as Miss Piggy's receptionist. She starred in the 2012 film The Five-Year Engagement, directed by Nicholas Stoller and co-starring Jason Segel. In January 2011, Blunt began filming an American science-fiction film, Looper, directed by Rian Johnson and co-starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt; the film was released in September 2012.
In 2013, she is set to star alongside Tom Cruise in the film adaptation of the Japanese novel, All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka.[20] She is scheduled to star in Arthur Newman, Golf Pro with Colin Firth.[21] Blunt will play the Baker's Wife in the film adaptation of the musical, Into the Woods, which also feature her Devil Wears Prada co-star Meryl Streep as the Witch.[22][23]
Personal life[edit | edit source]
Blunt had a three-year relationship with Canadian singer Michael Bublé. They met in 2005, while backstage at the Australian television Logie Awards in Melbourne. They later shared a home in Vancouver, Canada, before breaking up in 2008.[24] In November 2008, Blunt began dating American actor John Krasinski. The couple became engaged in August 2009,[25] and married on 10 July 2010 in Como, Italy.[26]
Blunt's brother-in-law is her The Devil Wears Prada co-star Stanley Tucci. In 2012, Tucci married Blunt's sister Felicity, who works as a literary agent. Blunt was responsible for introducing the couple.[27][28] Her brother Sebastian is an actor.[29]
As a child, approximately from ages 7 to 14, Blunt struggled with stuttering. She credits a school teacher for helping her overcome the stutter through acting.[30] She now sits on the Board of Directors for the American Institute for Stuttering.[31] Blunt has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder.[32]
Filmography[edit | edit source]
[3][4]Blunt at the Adjustment Bureau Premiere
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Henry VIII | Catherine Howard | TV movie |
| 2003 | Foyle's War | Lucy Markham | Episode: "War Games" |
| 2004 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Linnet Ridgeway | Episode: "Death on the Nile" |
| 2005 | Empire | Camane | TV miniseries |
| 2005 | The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle | Jean Leckie | TV movie |
| 2005 | Gideon's Daughter | Natasha | TV movie
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2009 | The Simpsons | Juliet Hobbes (voice) | Episode: "Lisa the Drama Queen" |
| 2009 | Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps | Matilda Mouseling (voice) | TV series |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Bliss[34] | Maddy | Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland |
| 2001–2002 | The Royal Family | Gwen | Theatre Royal Haymarket, London |
| 2002 | Vincent in Brixton | Eugenie Loyer | National Theatre, London |
| 2002 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | Chichester Festival Theatre, Chicester |
| 2004 | Bumps and Bruises | Holly | BBC Radio 4 |
