Information
Biography
Quick Stats
Full Name: Miranda Otto
Birthdate: 16 December 1967
Place of Birth: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height: somewhere around 5' 4"
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue/Green
Spouse: Peter O'Brien (II) (since 1 January 2003)
Short Bio
Daughter of Australian actor Barry Otto and graduate of the prestigious NIDA
theatrical school (which spawned such down-under luminaries as Mel Gibson and
Judy Davis), Miranda Otto's role as Eowyn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy
had the four-time AFA nominated actress excited and overwhelmed. Likening the
experience to being in The Wizard of Oz, Otto speculated that the trilogy
will withstand the test of time, endearing itself to generations to come as
a timeless fantasy for all ages.
Gaining critical recognition for roles in such films as The Girl Who Came
Late (1991) and Gillian Anderson's Last Days of Chez Nous, Otto made
her feature debut in Emma's War (1986). Otto's portrayal of a daughter who is
blind to the crippling tolls that World War II has taken on her fragile mother
led the actress to roles in many critically acclaimed but little-seen films.
After a decade of powerful roles in Australian films, Otto gained Hollywood
recognition in the late '90s with roles in Terrence Malick's The Thin Red
Line (1998) and as the mysterious neighbor in Robert Zemeckis' supernatural
thriller What Lies Beneath (2000). In addition to her appearance in the
Lord of the Rings trilogy, Otto's other 2001 films include the offbeat
comedy Human Nature, scripted by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich).
Her role as an affectionate French lab assistant proving without question that
her comic skills were indeed as intact as her dramatic skills, it wasn't long
before the offers were rolling in and Otto was deemed the new "it"
girl.
Next turning up in the barely-released thriller Hypnotic (aka Doctor
Sleep), Otto gained positive notice for her supporting role despite the fact
that the film went largely unseen. Both that film and the subsequent indie-drama
Julie Walking Home (2002) proved a perfect low-key balance to the grandiose
second chapter in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A bleak tale of a mother's
desperate and unyielding last ditch attempts to save her cancer-stircken son
when mainstream medicine fails him, Julie Walking Home ultimately proved
too melodramatic for many though Otto was frequently singled out for praise
by critics for her powerful and moving performance. In 2003 Otto re-teamed with
Human Nature star Rhys Ifans for the quirky comedy Danny Deckchair.
The tale of a man who, desperate to escape his mundane day-to-day reality, takes
to the sky by means of some large helium balloons and a sturdy deck chair, Donny
Deckchair once again found the genre hopping Otto utilizing her comic abilities
to charming effect as a parking cop who becomes the eponymous character's love
interest.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
