Top 23 Ranked

Kate Beckinsale's Best Movies

From Gothic Heroines to Period Drama Icons

Explore the most essential performances of Kate Beckinsale, featuring her iconic role in Underworld, acclaimed dramas, and blockbuster action hits.

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About Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale

Long before she was a fixture of the digital age, Kate Beckinsale occupied a space in the British imagination as the definitive literary ingenue. Watching her early work in Much Ado About Nothing or the cheeky Cold Comfort Farm, one sees a performer with a sharp, crystalline intelligence that seemed destined for a lifetime of corsets and parasols. She possessed that rare ability to make period dialogue feel spontaneous rather than rehearsed, a skill she perfected in the 1996 adaptation of Emma and the cult favorite The Last Days of Disco. In those roles, she established a persona that was both elegant and slightly dangerous, masking a wicked wit behind a porcelain exterior.

The trajectory of her career took a sharp, unexpected turn at the dawn of the millennium. Most actors choose a lane and stay in it, but she effectively blew the doors off her own typecasting. Transitioning from the sweeping, high-stakes romance of Pearl Harbor and the whimsical, fate-driven charm of Serendipity, she pivoted into a leather-clad icon of the action genre. When Underworld arrived in 2003, it reinvented her image entirely. As Selene, she provided a template for the modern female action lead, balancing physical intensity with a brooding, gothic emotional core. This franchise, stretching through Evolution and Awakening, proved she could carry a blockbuster on her back while maintaining the craft she honed in London theaters.

What draws audiences to her is this refusal to be pinned down. She can disappear into the gritty tension of a thriller like Vacancy or the moral complexities of Nothing But the Truth, yet she remains a master of the heightened reality required for films like Stonehearst Asylum. Even when she leaned into the visceral heartache of Snow Angels, there was a sense that she was searching for the most challenging version of every character. She treats a horror script with the same gravity she brings to a Martin Scorsese set, notably evidenced by her shimmering, classic Hollywood turn as Ava Gardner in The Aviator. To watch her on screen is to watch a performer who understands the power of a gaze, whether she is holding a gun or a champagne flute.

Perhaps her most impressive feat is her late-career return to the sharp-tongued wit that defined her youth. In 2016, Love and Friendship reminded the world that she is arguably the finest interpreter of Jane Austen’s more cynical side. Her performance as the manipulative, brilliant Lady Susan Vernon was a masterclass in comic timing and linguistic agility. It served as a bridge between the two halves of her career, marrying the physical confidence of an action star with the intellectual bite of a classical stage veteran. She remains an enigma in the best possible way, a movie star who operates with the precision of a character actor and the charisma of a golden age legend. She does not just inhabit a role; she commands the frame with a self-assuredness that suggests she is always the smartest person in the room.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

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23
Kate Beckinsale in Everybody's Fine (2009)
Everybody's Fine
2009

Eight months after the death of his wife, Frank Goode looks forward to a reunion with his four adult children. When all of them cancel their visits at the last minute, Frank, against the advice of his doctor, sets out on a road trip to reconnect with his offspring. As he visits each one in turn, Frank finds that his children's lives are not quite as picture-perfect as they've made them out to be.

Drama
1h 39m
Kirk Jones
22
Kate Beckinsale in Winged Creatures (2009)
Winged Creatures
2009

A psychotic man opens fire in a diner, murdering numerous people before killing himself. The survivors struggle in different ways following this horrendous event: a doctor doubts his own instincts and elects to use an experimental medical procedure on his wife, while a gambler believes he's on a lucky streak. A waitress begins engaging in promiscuous sex, and a young girl whose father is among the dead gains unexpected fame.

Crime
Drama
1h 35m
Rowan Woods
21
Kate Beckinsale in The Trials of Cate McCall (2013)
The Trials of Cate McCall
2013

In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.

Drama
1h 29m
Karen Moncrieff
Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte, James Cromwell, Anna Schafer

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20
Kate Beckinsale in Contraband (2012)
Contraband
2012

When his brother-in-law runs afoul of a drug lord, family man Chris Farraday turns to a skill he abandoned long ago—smuggling—to repay the debt. But the job goes wrong, and Farraday finds himself wanted by cops, crooks and killers alike.

Thriller
Action
1h 49m
Baltasar Kormákur
Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi
19
Kate Beckinsale in Brokedown Palace (1999)
Brokedown Palace
1999

Best friends Alice and Darlene take a trip to Thailand after graduating high school. In Thailand, they meet a captivating Australian man, who calls himself Nick Parks. Darlene is particularly smitten with Nick and convinces Alice to take Nick up on his offer to treat the two of them to what amounts to a day trip to Hong Kong. In the airport, the girls are seized by the police and shocked to discover that one of their bags contains heroin.

Drama
Thriller
1h 40m
Jonathan Kaplan
Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman, Jacqueline Kim
18
Kate Beckinsale in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
2009

A prequel to the first two Underworld films, this fantasy explains the origins of the feud between the Vampires and the Lycans. Aided by his secret love, Sonja, courageous Lucian leads the Lycans in battle against brutal Vampire king Viktor. Determined to break the king's enslavement of his people, Lucian faces off against the Death Dealer army in a bid for Lycan independence.

Fantasy
Action
1h 32m
Patrick Tatopoulos
Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly
17
Kate Beckinsale in Click (2006)
Click
2006

A married workaholic, Michael Newman doesn't have time for his wife and children, not if he's to impress his ungrateful boss and earn a well-deserved promotion. So when he meets Morty, a loopy sales clerk, he gets the answer to his prayers: a magical remote that allows him to bypass life's little distractions with increasingly hysterical results.

Comedy
Drama
1h 47m
Frank Coraci
Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, David Hasselhoff
16
Kate Beckinsale in Van Helsing (2004)
Van Helsing
2004

Famed monster slayer Gabriel Van Helsing is dispatched to Transylvania to assist the last of the Valerious bloodline in defeating Count Dracula. Anna Valerious reveals that Dracula has formed an unholy alliance with Dr. Frankenstein's monster and is hell-bent on exacting a centuries-old curse on her family.

Horror
Adventure
2h 12m
Stephen Sommers
Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham
15
Kate Beckinsale in Vacancy (2007)
Vacancy
2007

A young married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel and find hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film.

Horror
Thriller
1h 25m
Nimród Antal
Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson, Frank Whaley, Ethan Embry
14
Kate Beckinsale in Nothing But the Truth (2008)
Nothing But the Truth
2008

When reporter Rachel Armstrong writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. She defies the special prosecutor and is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside argues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Drama
Thriller
1h 48m
Rod Lurie
13
Kate Beckinsale in Snow Angels (2007)
Snow Angels
2007

Waitress Annie has separated from her suicidal alcoholic husband, Glenn. Glenn has become an evangelical Christian, but his erratic attempts at getting back into Annie's life have alarmed her. High school student Arthur works at Annie's restaurant, growing closer to a new kid in town, Lila, after class. When Glenn and Annie's daughter go missing, the whole town searches for her, as he increasingly spirals out of control.

Drama
Romance
1h 46m
David Gordon Green
Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Jeannetta Arnette
12
Kate Beckinsale in Underworld: Awakening (2012)
Underworld: Awakening
2012

Having escaped years of imprisonment, vampire warrioress Selene finds herself in a changed world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now Selene must battle the humans and a frightening new breed of super Lycans to ensure the death dealers' survival.

Fantasy
Action
1h 28m
Måns Mårlind
Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James
11
Kate Beckinsale in Underworld: Evolution (2006)
Underworld: Evolution
2006

As the war between the vampires and the Lycans rages on, Selene, a former member of the Death Dealers (an elite vampire special forces unit that hunts werewolves), and Michael, the werewolf hybrid, work together in an effort to unlock the secrets of their respective bloodlines.

Fantasy
Action
1h 46m
Len Wiseman
Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly
10
Kate Beckinsale in Emma (1996)
Emma
1996

Emma Woodhouse is a congenial young lady who delights in meddling in other people’s affairs. She is perpetually trying to unite men and women who are utterly wrong for each other. Despite her interest in romance, Emma is clueless about her own feelings, and her relationship with gentle Mr. Knightley.

Comedy
Drama
1h 47m
Diarmuid Lawrence
Kate Beckinsale, Mark Strong, Samantha Morton, Raymond Coulthard
Why it ranks

In this early television turn, she finds the perfect balance of youthful arrogance and eventually humbled grace. Her interpretation of Austen's most flawed heroine offers a gritty, spirited alternative to more polished adaptations of the era.

9
Kate Beckinsale in Stonehearst Asylum (2014)
Stonehearst Asylum
2014

An Oxford Medical School graduate takes a position at a mental institution and soon becomes obsessed with a female mental patient, but he has no idea of a recent and horrifying staffing change.

Thriller
Mystery
1h 52m
Brad Anderson
Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson
Why it ranks

Beckinsale utilizes her refined screen persona to great effect in this Victorian thriller, portraying a woman of secrets with haunting fragility. It serves as a reminder of her skill in atmospheric, character driven genre pieces outside the typical action mold.

8
Kate Beckinsale in The Last Days of Disco (1998)
The Last Days of Disco
1998

Two young women and their friends spend spare time at an exclusive nightclub in 1980s New York.

Comedy
Drama
1h 53m
Whit Stillman
Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman, Mackenzie Astin
Why it ranks

She captures the condescending nuance of a social climber with frightening accuracy in this cult favorite. Her ability to play unlikability with such magnetic charisma makes her the perfect foil to Chloe Sevigny's reserved protagonist.

7
Kate Beckinsale in Cold Comfort Farm (1995)
Cold Comfort Farm
1995

In this adaptation of the satirical British novel, Flora Poste, a plucky London society girl orphaned at age 19, finds a new home with some rough relatives, the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm. With a take-charge attitude and some encouragement from her mischievous friend, Mary, Flora changes the Starkadders' lives forever when she settles into their rustic estate, bringing the backward clan up to date and finding inspiration for her novel in the process.

Comedy
Romance
1h 35m
John Schlesinger
Eileen Atkins, Kate Beckinsale, Sheila Burrell, Stephen Fry
Why it ranks

Playing the meddling Flora Poste, she displays a razor sharp comedic timing that skewers the rural gothic genre. This early performance revealed her capacity for intellectual irony, a trait that would become a hallmark of her most acclaimed work.

6

The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

War
Romance
Why it ranks

She provides the tragic heartbeat within Michael Bay's pyrotechnic spectacle, humanizing the grand scale of the conflict through her internal conflict. The role solidified her status as a bankable star capable of carrying the emotional weight of a blockbuster.

5
Kate Beckinsale in Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Much Ado About Nothing
1993

In this Shakespearean farce, Hero and her groom-to-be, Claudio, team up with Claudio's commanding officer, Don Pedro, the week before their wedding to hatch a matchmaking scheme. Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick and Beatrice -- a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other. Meanwhile, meddling Don John plots to ruin the wedding.

Why it ranks

As the radiant Hero, a teenage Beckinsale held her own in Kenneth Branagh's star studded Shakespearean romp. This debut established her innate ability to handle complex classical dialogue with a freshness that signaled the arrival of a major talent.

4
Kate Beckinsale in Serendipity (2001)
Serendipity
2001

Although strangers Sara and Jonathan are both already in relationships, they realize they have genuine chemistry after a chance encounter – but part company soon after. Years later, they each yearn to reunite, despite being destined for the altar. But to give true love a chance, they have to find one another again.

Comedy
Romance
1h 30m
Peter Chelsom
John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven, Bridget Moynahan
Why it ranks

Her luminosity elevates this whimsical romance, where she balances fate and logic with a delicate, enchanting touch. It remains her most effective showcase as a traditional leading lady in the American studio system.

3
Kate Beckinsale in Underworld (2003)
Underworld
2003

Vampires and werewolves have waged a nocturnal war against each other for centuries. But all bets are off when a female vampire warrior named Selene, who's famous for her strength and werewolf-hunting prowess, becomes smitten with a peace-loving male werewolf, Michael, who wants to end the war.

Fantasy
Action
2h 2m
Len Wiseman
Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly
Why it ranks

Stepping into the latex boots of Selene, Beckinsale pivoted from English rose to global action icon with a steely gaze and physical precision. This performance redefined her career trajectory by proving she could anchor a multi-million dollar franchise through sheer screen presence.

2
Kate Beckinsale in Love & Friendship (2016)
Love & Friendship
2016

From Jane Austen’s novella, the beautiful and cunning Lady Susan Vernon visits the estate of her in-laws to wait out colorful rumors of her dalliances and to find husbands for herself and her daughter. Two young men, handsome Reginald DeCourcy and wealthy Sir James Martin, severely complicate her plans.

Drama
Romance
1h 34m
Whit Stillman
Kate Beckinsale, Xavier Samuel, Morfydd Clark, Emma Greenwell
Why it ranks

Reuniting with Whit Stillman, she delivers a masterclass in devious charm as the calculating Lady Susan Vernon. Her rapid fire delivery and cold wit transformed her into the definitive Austen anti-heroine, marking a triumphant return to high brow period comedy.

1

A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable due to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Why it ranks

Beckinsale masterfully conjures the fiery spirit of Ava Gardner, providing the essential emotional friction that keeps Scorsese's soaring biopic grounded in human desire. This role proved she could command the screen alongside heavy hitters while channeling the golden age of Hollywood with effortless sophistication.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

Kate Beckinsale's iconic role as vampire warrior Selene is showcased in the fantasy action thriller "Underworld," a film that established her as a prominent figure in the genre.

Kate Beckinsale appears in the acclaimed drama "The Aviator," directed by Martin Scorsese, where she delivers a compelling performance that adds depth to the biographical narrative.

Kate Beckinsale has demonstrated exceptional skill in period dramas and literary adaptations such as "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Emma," where her ability to make period dialogue feel natural has been widely praised.

"Serendipity" is a romantic comedy featuring Kate Beckinsale, known for its charming blend of humor and romance as her character navigates love and fate in New York City.

Films like "Pearl Harbor" and the "Underworld" series showcase Kate Beckinsale in roles that uniquely blend romance with action and thriller elements, highlighting her versatility as an actress.

Yes, Kate Beckinsale starred in Whit Stillman's "Love & Friendship" and "The Last Days of Disco," both of which are noted for their sharp dialogue and her standout performances in comedic and romantic roles.

"Cold Comfort Farm" is one of Kate Beckinsale's earlier films that highlights her talent in comedy and romance, contributing to her rise as a versatile British actress.
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