Miranda Otto was born on December 16, 1967 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto, who were graduates of the prestigious NIDA theatrical school. She also considered being a ballerina and excelled in it, but acting became her career choice. She appeared in several plays at the Nimrod Theatre, and got the attention of casting director Faith Martin. Otto began acting when she was nineteen, appearing in low-budget and major studio films. In 1990, she graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where her parents were educated. Her first major film appearance was in Emma's War, a 1986 movie in which she played a teenager who moved to Australia during the World War II.

Miranda Otto appeared in films like The Girl Who Came Late in 1991, after her graduation. This brought her the attention of the Australian film industry and the public. This became her breakthrough role, earning her an Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actress. She garnered another one for her role in The Last Days of Chez Nous for Best Supporting Actress. In 1993, she starred with Noah Taylor in The Nostradamus Kid. This was followed in 1996’s Love Serenade, and her more popular supporting roles on The Thin Red Line in 1998, What Lies Beneath in 2000, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She was cast as Éowyn, the shield maiden of Rohan. She had to learn stunt choreography and horseback riding for six weeks. Her television series appearances include The Way We Live Now, Through My Eyes: The Lindy Chamberlain Story, The Starter Wife and 2007’s Cashmere Mafia. Her character on the series is Juliet Draper, one of the four women who make up the Cashmere Mafia. Otto has also been involved in theatre, making her debut in the 1986 production of The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant. She continued to star in several plays of the Sydney Theatre Company like A Doll’s House and Boy Gets Girl.



(Photo courtesy of ABC)