Kathrin Romany Beckinsale is an English actress. The only child of actors Richard Beckinsale and Judy Loe, she debuted onstage in a 1992 production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever. In 1993, she made her theatrical film debut with a brief role in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation Much Ado About Nothing whilst studying at the University of Oxford. She played leading roles in numerous British costume dramas such as Prince of Jutland, Cold Comfort Farm, Emma, and The Golden Bowl.