[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kate_beckinsale.jpg]]
->''"I think I like playing the bad girl. I like complicated. I like flawed, messed up complicated. It's more interesting."''

Kathrin Romary "Kate" Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973 in Chiswick, London) is an English actor. She is the daughter of actor Creator/RichardBeckinsale and actress Judy Loe and made her first acting appearance at only eighteen months old, playing her mother's daughter on TV.

She made her film debut as Hero in the 1993 version of ''[[Film/MuchAdoAboutNothing1993 Much Ado About Nothing]]''. She is known for starring in the ''Film/Underworld2003'' movies, ''Film/VanHelsing'', ''Film/{{Click}}'', ''{{Film/Serendipity}}'', ''Film/{{Total Recall|2012}}'' (the 2012 remake) and ''Film/{{Vacancy}}''.

She used to date Creator/MichaelSheen, with whom she had a daughter. Both Kate and Michael worked on ''Underworld''. During filming, they broke up. From 2004 to 2016, she was married to ''Underworld'' director Len Wiseman.

----
!!Tropes associated with her career:
* ActionGirl: She started playing this role with ''Film/Underworld2003'' and has kicked a lot of butt since then, as both a hero and [[DarkActionGirl villain]].
* FunnyCharacterBoringActor: Inverted. She often plays very serious, reserved and upper class characters. In real life, she's far more laid-back and outgoing and famous for her sense of humor and love of jokes and pranks.
* IAmVeryBritish: On the occasion that she uses her own accent, she often plays these characters.
* MsFanservice: She has a habit of showing off her fit, attractive body in her movies.
* OlderThanSheLooks: She's aged very well, to the point where many have pondered if she may not actually be playing a vampire.
* ThePrankster: Her poise and composure do very well to hide this aspect of her; she's stated a strong fondness for classic sleeping pranks, more devious sleeping pranks, and perhaps most amusingly, going around with various partners while disguised in comical pantomime horse costumes.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Her general look which nicely fits with playing a vampire.
----