Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. Born in Brisbane, Queensland, she is the daughter of actor Barry Otto. She is best known for playing Éowyn in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and for playing Mary Ann Ferrier in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds. Otto graduated from the prestigious NIDA theatrical school (which spawned such down-under luminaries as Mel Gibson and Judy Davis), after giving up a medical career. Otto made her feature debut in "Emma's War" in 1986. She began to gain critical recognition for roles in such films as "The Girl Who Came Late" in 1991 and in Gillian Armstrong's "Last Days of Chez Nous". After a decade of critically acclaimed roles in Australian films, Otto gained Hollywood's attention after landing roles in Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" in 1998 and in Robert Zemeckis' supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath" in 2000. Otto's big Hollywood breakthrough came in 2003 when her character Éowyn was introduced to audiences in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Otto has followed up this breakthrough with more low key roles in Australian films and as Mary Ann Ferrier in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds. |
