Anne Hathaway's first major role came in the short-lived television series Get Real. She gained widespread recognition for her roles in The Princess Diaries and its 2004 sequel as a young girl who discovers she's a member of royalty, opposite Julie Andrews and Heather Matarazzo.

She also had a notable role in Nicholas Nickleby opposite Charlie Hunnam and Jamie Bell, and a starring role in Ella Enchanted. A former top-ranking soprano in New York, Hathaway was reportedly a front-runner for the role of "Christine" in the 2004 The Phantom of the Opera. However, due to scheduling conflicts with The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, she couldn't take the role, which was later given to newcomer Emmy Rossum.

Hathaway soon started to move away from family-friendly films. Following The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, she appeared topless in the films Havoc opposite Josh Peck and Brokeback Mountain opposite Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Her desire to break out of her "Princess Diaries" image parallels that of her one-time co-star, Julie Andrews, who went topless in the film S.O.B. in order to break away from the image she created from her 1960s musicals. In interviews, Hathaway said that doing family-friendly films didn't mean she was similar to their characters or mean she objected to appearing nude in other films.

Her upcoming films are The Devil Wears Prada opposite Meryl Streep, and Becoming Jane, in which she'll play a young Jane Austen.
First and only teenager admitted to the acting program at the award-winning The Barrow Group in New York. Three days before being cast in Get Real, she performed in two concerts at Carnegie Hall as member of All- Eastern U.S. High School Honors Chorus. Appeared at both 1999 Teen Choice Awards and 1999 Billboard Awards, introducing musical acts. In his column "Just for Variety" published on October 25, 2000 in Daily Variety, columnist Army Archerd quotes Garry Marshall, the director of The Princess Diaries: "The multi-talented Hathaway is a combination Julia Roberts, Audrey Hepburn and Judy Garland." Goes by the name Annie with all of her friends. Attended Millburn High school. Daughter of stage actress Kate McCauley. Has the same name as William Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. Named one of People Magazine's 'Breakthrough Stars of 2001'. Named one of Teen People Magazine's 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 in its June 2002 issue. Won the Clarence Derwent Award for her performance as Lili in the City Center Encores! production of Carnival (2002) Is a vegetarian. Father Gerard is an Attorney, mother Kate McCauley is a singer/actress. Grew up in New Jersey. Was majoring in English & minoring in Women's Studies at Vassar. Transferred to New York University in 2005. Was nominated for the Paper Mill's "Rising Star Award" for the best high school performance by an actress in New Jersey She was nominated for the 2002 Teens Choice Award in the Best Actress/ Comedy (The Princess Diaries) series category. In 1998, was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the Paper Mill Playhouse "Rising Star Awards", an award given to high schools across New Jersey. Ironically, she was nominated for playing the Princess in "Once Upon A Mattress". To further the irony, she lost to a girl who was played the exact same role. The nomination billet listed her as Annie Hathaway. Parents Gerard and Kate attended La Salle University in Philadelphia during the 1970s graduating one year apart. Everyone knows that The Princess Diaries was her breakthrough role, but it is a little known fact that she auditioned for that part on her way to New Zealand to co-star in another film with Christopher Gorham. She reported to others on the set that she felt really good about the audition. Film-makers knew that she would be a big star, so the film in question, The Other Side of Heaven, was delayed in post production and released after The Princess Diaries in order to capitalize on her stardom. Was not available for role of Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera due to contractual obligation to Disney for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.. The two movies had overlapping filming schedules. Attended Wyoming School in Millburn, New Jersey. Has stated that she would only appear nude/topless in a film if she felt it would add significance to it. She appeared topless for the first time in Havoc and then in the same year in Brokeback Mountain. Has a dog (chocolate Labrador) named Esmerelda, born July 2004. Named one of Teen People Magazine's 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 in its June 2006 issue for the second time. She was also on the list in 2002. Was ranked #85 on FHM's sexiest women in the world list 2006. In July 2006 she spent a week in Nicaragua helping vaccinate kids there against Hepatitis A. She called the experience "..an eye opener" for her. Beat out Sienna Miller for the role of "Lureen Twist" in the movie Brokeback Mountain. Was very reluctant to take on the role of Jane Austen in Becoming Jane as she didn't think she would be suited for the role but Ang Lee, who was directing Anne in Brokeback Mountain (and who also directed Sense and Sensibility) persuaded her to take on the role. Favorite actresses are Cate Blanchett, Sigourney Weaverand Michelle Pfeiffer Plans on finishing her degree from NYU someday. Her role models are Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep Learning how to play the piano and working with a dialect coach for Becoming Jane. She is an honoree of women's empowerment organization the Step Up Women's Network and is also an advisor for the Lollipop Theater Network, that screens movies in hospitals for the terminally ill. Friends with Heather Matarazzo In 2004 received Chanel's Spotlight Award for Emerging Talent. Has an older brother Michael who is a writer and a younger brother Tom who is an aspiring actor. Named #85 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006). Bust 36C (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine). She befriended Emily Blunt on the set of The Devil Wears Prada. They are fast friends now, Emily calls Anne 'her rock'. Favorite movies are Elizabeth, Stand by Me, Amélie, Pretty Woman and City of God (City of God). Favorite actors are Joaquin Phoenix and Ralph Fiennes. After the release of The Princess Diaries, Anne's hometown newspaper, The Item, printed an article comparing Anne to Greta Garbo because of the paper's inability to get an interview with Anne (who was busy making movies and living in LA at the time). She grew up in Millburn Township, New Jersey, which is adjacent to the town of Summit, NJ, which is the hometown of her The Devil Wears Prada co-star Meryl Streep. It is also adjacent to Maplewood, NJ, which has Columbia High School that Zach Braff attended (as well as Grammy-winning artist and former Fugee Lauryn Hill), and Zach Braff's Scrubs co-star, John C. McGinley, attended Millburn High School - Anne's alma mater. Ranked #80 on Askmen.com's 100 Most desirable Women in the World. (2006). One of People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in the world. (2006). Born in New York but was raised in New Jersey. Is a fan of Audrey Hepburn and Judy Garland. Her TV debut was in a Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate commercial filmed in 1997 in Maplewood, New Jersey. Her fiancé is Raffaello Follieri, a Real Estate developer, whom she has been dating since 2004. Greatly admires Ryan Gosling and Bryce Dallas Howard. Was almost cast as Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, but Tim Burton wanted an unknown actress for the role, and newcomer Jayne Wisener got the role. Cites Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead (1943) as her favorite novel. Named as one People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in the world 2007. Turned down the lead role in Knocked Up. Accidentally fell off of her chair during her audition for the role of the klutzy princess in The Princess Diaries. She was hired on the spot. Is of French, Irish, German and Native American descent. Good friends with Sienna Miller. Ranked #6 by InStyle magazine as one of the 10 most stylish stars in Hollywood (2007). Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#18). [2007]. Announced as the new face of "Lancome" [January 1, 2008]. Ranked #63 on Askmen.com's 100 Most Desirable Women in the World. (2008). Was ranked #3 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actress list. (2008).