Carey Mulligan
In the span of a decade, actress Carey Mulligan has earned a place among the top talents working in films today. An Oscar nominee for "An Education," and a Tony Award nominee for "Skylight," she has made memorable appearances in such films as "Drive," "Shame," "The Great Gatsby," "Inside Llewyn Davis," and the new period drama, "Suffragette," about the fight for women's rights in early 20th century Britain.
Pictured: Mulligan poses for a portrait at the Hotel Adlon on February 12, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.
On the Boards
Born in London in 1985, Carey Mulligan was bitten by the acting bug early. From about age six, she was in every school play that would have her.
Her parents wanted Carey to go to university and then pursue acting once she had a degree. But, she told CBS News' Ben Tracy, Mulligan went off to auditions and lied about where she was going. "You know, it was the most deceitful I've ever been, and probably the biggest fight I've ever had with my parents when they found out."
She was featured in the play "Forty Winks" at London's Royal Court Theatre when she was 19.
"Pride and Prejudice"
In 2005 she landed a small part in her first feature, a film version of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."
Pictured: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet (Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn) with their five marriageable daughters (Jena Malone, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Talulah Riley) in "Pride & Prejudice."
"Pride and Prejudice"
Carey Mulligan as Kitty Bennet, with Jena Malone as Lydia, in "Pride & Prejudice" (2005).
"Bleak House"
Carey Mulligan as Ada Clare, with Patrick Kennedy as Richard Carstone - cousins falling in love - in the 2005 BBC mini-series of Charles Dickens' "Bleak House."
"Agatha Christie's Marple"
Carey Mulligan in a 2006 "Marple" adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel, "The Sittaford Mystery."
"Northanger Abbey"
Felicity Jones and Carey Mulligan in the 2007 TV adaptation of Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey."
"Doctor Who"
In the 2007 "Doctor Who" episode, "Blink," Carey Mulligan played a young girl investigating the mysterious Weeping Angels, whose appearance holds a key to a friend's disappearance - and to the fate of the time-traveling Time Lord.
British Independent Film Awards
Carey Mulligan arrives at the 10th annual British Independent Film Awards at the Roundhouse, Camden on November 28, 2007 in London, England.
"And When Did You Last See Your Father?"
Carey Mulligan in the British family drama, "And When Did You Last See Your Father?" (2007).
"My Boy Jack"
Based on the play by David Haig, the TV drama "My Boy Jack" (2007) starred Daniel Radcliffe as the only son of author Rudyard Kipling, who would die in the Battle of Loos during World War I. Carey Mulligan and Kim Cattrall co-starred as Jack's sister and mother.
"The Greatest"
In flashback scenes, Carey Mulligan recalls her relationship with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who has died in a car crash (and who fathered her unborn child), in "The Greatest" (2009). The film costarred Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon.
"An Education"
Carey Mulligan played Jenny, a 16-year-old English schoolgirl, who finds herself in a whirlwind romance with an older man (Peter Sarsgaard) in the coming-of-age drama, "An Education" (2009), based on Lynn Barber's memoir.
"An Education"
Mulligan earned several critics groups' awards and the BAFTA for her performance in "An Education," along with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Academy Awards
Actress Carey Mulligan arrives at the 82nd annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre on March 7, 2010 in Hollywood, California. Mulligan was a Best Actress Oscar nominee for "An Education."
Her performance in "An Education" drew comparisons to Audrey Hepburn. "When you have a moment like that where you have people saying, 'She's the next Audrey Hepburn,' what does that do to you?" CBS News' Ben Tracy asked in 2015.
"I think it made me feel a bit anxious when that all happened," Mulligan replied. "Obviously I was excited by the work prospects that would come from it, but I did feel kind of trepidacious and a little reticent about the whole thing. My agent said to me, 'You're in this extraordinary moment, and it may just be a moment, so enjoy it. But you should only take a role unless you can't bear the idea of anybody else doing it.'"
"Brothers"
Carey Mulligan as Cassie Wills, wife of an Army private taken prisoner in Afghanistan, in the 2009 drama, "Brothers."
"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
Carey Mulligan starred as the estranged daughter of disgraced financier Gordon Gekko (Michaerl Douglas) in the 2010 sequel, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." Shia LaBeouf costarred as a young trader and romantic interest.
"Never Let Me Go"
Based on the emotional sci-fi novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, "Never Let Me Go" (2010) starred Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley as students who discover an unsettling truth about their boarding school, Hailsham, and about their future.
Mulligan won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.
"Drive"
Carey Mulligan plays a young mother whose husband is in prison, who befriends her neighbor, the mysterious Driver (Ryan Gosling), in Nicolas Winding Refn's crime drama, "Drive" (2011).
"Drive"
Director Nicolas Winding Refn explained to CBS News' David Morgan why Mulligan won the role of Irene in "Drive":
"I was meeting a lot of great actresses for the part, people that could clearly do the job very well, but I couldn't connect with them for some reason. And it wasn't until Carey Mulligan basically called and asked if she could come and meet and talk about doing something together, that I realized what I was looking for.
"Because the moment Carey walked through the door, it wasn't that I fell in love, but I knew I wanted to protect her, because she reminded me of my own wife in certain sensibilities. And then I realized that this whole film is basically about my relationship with my wife and what I would do to protect her."
"Drive"
British actress Carey Mulligan at the premiere of "Drive."
"Shame"
In Steve McQueen's 2011 drama, "Shame," Carey Mulligan played the suicidal sister of a sex addict (Michael Fassbender).
Costume Institute Gala
Carey Mulligan attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013 in New York City.
"The Great Gatsby"
In Baz Luhrmann's 3D telling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" (2013), Carey Mulligan starred as Daisy Buchanan, who begins an affair with the young tycoon Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).
"The Great Gatsby"
Carey Mulligan as Daisy, with Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joel Edgerton, in "The Great Gatsby" (2013).
"The Great Gatsby"
Carey Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Great Gatsby" (2013).
Cannes Film Festival
Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan attend the premiere of "The Great Gatsby" during the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival, at the Theatre Lumiere on May 15, 2013 in Cannes, France.
Costume Institute Gala
Carey Mulligan arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala 2015 celebrating the opening of "China: Through the Looking Glass," in Manhattan, New York May 4, 2015.
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
In the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013), Carey Mulligan played a folk singer, Jean, opposite Justin Timberlake.
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
Carey Mulligan as Jean, who is pregnant from her fling with a fellow singer (played by Oscar Isaac), in the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013). In her performance she demonstrates the power of a flick of an eyebrow to speak volumes.
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
Actor-singer Justin Timberlake and British actress Carey Mulligan pose on May 19, 2013 during a photocall for the film "Inside Llewyn Davis," presented in Competition at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.
"Skylight"
After making her Broadway debut as Nina in the 2008 revival of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull," Carey Mulligan starred as the former mistress of Bill Nighy in David Hare's "Skylight." Both Mulligan and Nighy received Tony Award nominations.
Tony Awards
Carey Mulligan attends the 2015 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2015, in New York.
"Far from the Madding Crowd"
In the 2015 film version of Thomas Hardy's drama, "Far From the Madding Crowd," Carey Mulligan starred as Bathsheba Everdene, an independent woman who inherits her uncle's farm, and finds herself the object of both gender discrimination and romantic interest.
Mulligan told CBS News' Ben Tracy that it's no coincidence her desire to play strong female characters has led to many film projects adapted from classic works of literature.
"I think it's improving, but largely, roles for women just aren't that interesting," she said. "The new writing is often, you know, very two-dimensional depictions of women. And to find those, you have to go into literature and to novels [with] very full-body depictions of women, or in great classic literature where you find some really brilliant heroines."
"Far from the Madding Crowd"
He's no good for you! Carey Mulligan's Bathsheba is swayed by the rakish military officer Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge) in "Far From the Madding Crowd" (2015).
Mulligan knows her film choices may have given her a certain reputation. CBS News' Ben Tracy asked her, "Are you a serious person?"
"No. No, I'm not!" she replied. "I think I'm drawn to serious material because I find it difficult, and that's exciting and challenging. But I'm not a serious person in my own life. And I don't do serious things. I don't go home and read Nietzsche! I'm pretty kind of relaxed. I mean, the thing with the literary adaptations, they've just been the roles that have spoken to me. They've been the strongest roles."
"Far from the Madding Crowd"
Matthias Schoenaerts, Carey Mulligan, and a Dorset sunrise in Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd" (2015).
Governors Awards
Carey Mulligan attends the Academy's 7th annual Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif., on Saturday, November 14, 2015.
"Suffragette"
In "Suffragette" (2015), Carey Mulligan plays a woman who loses her son in the violent fight for women's rights in early 20th century Britain.
"Suffragette"
"I was just so shocked by everything that I read in it," Mulligan said of the script. "I think it's largely because, you know, women's history in general has been marginalized.
"It was so shocking that we'd never told this story. But sort of so shocking to remember that this is still the case with so many women now. Sixty-two million girls in the world can't go to school, one in three women experience sexual violence. So it never felt like we were making historical drama; it felt like were sort of saluting these women for the sacrifices that they made, but also trying to look at where we are now."
"Suffragette"
Carey Mulligan on the set of "Suffragette" with director Sarah Gavron.
BFI London Film Festival
Actresses Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep attend the "Suffragette" press conference during the BFI London Film Festival at the Lanesborough Hotel on October 7, 2015 in London, England.
"Suffragette"
Actress Carey Mulligan attends the New York premiere of "Suffragette" at the Paris Theatre on October 12, 2015 in New York City.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan