Kate Winslet, actor
Kate Winslet, actor and director, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item she would take with her if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.
Kate Winslet is an actor who achieved global fame playing Rose DeWitt Bukater, opposite Leonard DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, in the 1997 James Cameron epic Titanic. During her career she has won five BAFTAs, two Emmys, five Golden Globes and an Academy Award for her role in the Reader.
Kate was born in Reading in 1975 and attended Redroofs School for the Performing Arts in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Her film debut came in 1994 when she played a teenage killer in Peter Jackson鈥檚 film Heavenly Creatures. The following year she played Marianne Dashwood opposite Emma Thompson鈥檚 Elinor in Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee. Kate鈥檚 performance earned her a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
She went on to consolidate her reputation as one of the most versatile actors of her generation by starring in a list of popular and critically acclaimed films including Hideous Kinky, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Holiday.
Last year Kate directed her first film, Goodbye June, starring Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall and Andrea Riseborough.
Kate has three children and lives in West Sussex with her husband Ned and her family.
DISC ONE: Georgia on my Mind - Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge
DISC TWO: Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs - Brian and Michael
DISC THREE: Kiss from a Rose - Seal
DISC FOUR: Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald
DISC FIVE: Nuvole Bianche - Ludovico Einaudi
DISC SIX: Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi - Radiohead
DISC SEVEN: Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes
DISC EIGHT: Pump up the Jam - Technotronic
BOOK CHOICE: Outside: Recipes for a Wilder Way of Eating by Gill Meller
LUXURY ITEM: Freshly ground coffee
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Georgia on my Mind 鈥� Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley
Desert Island Discs has cast many actors away over the years including Dame Emma Thompson, Cate Blanchett and Dame Helen Mirren. You can hear their programmes if you search through 麻豆社 Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Next
![]()
Nine things we learned from Kate Winslet鈥檚 Desert Island Discs
The actress on being bullied, fibbing in auditions and falling in love during a house fire
Music Played
-
![]()
Roger Winslet and Sophie Breakenridge
Georgia on my Mind
-
![]()
Brian and Michael
Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs
- The Matchstalk Men.
- Castle Communications.
- 1.
-
![]()
Seal
Kiss From A Rose
- Seal.
- Warner Records.
- 6.
-
![]()
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Summertime
- Vocal Jazz Chillout - 100 Relaxing Jazz Classics.
- AudioSonic Music.
- 15.
-
![]()
Ludovico Einaudi
Nuvole Bianche
- Islands: Essential Einaudi.
- Decca.
- 8.
-
![]()
Radiohead
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
- In Rainbows.
- XL Recordings Limited.
- 4.
-
![]()
Fleet Foxes
Blue Ridge Mountains
- Fleet Foxes.
- Sub Pop Records.
- 10.
-
![]()
Technotronic
Pump up the Jam
- Pump up the Jam.
- Universal Music S.A..
- 1.
Broadcasts
- Sun 21 Dec 2025 10:00麻豆社 Radio 4
- Boxing Day 2025 09:00麻豆社 Radio 4
Featured in...
![]()
Christmas Chill
Settle in with cosy stories, festive laughs and chilled vibes for the big holiday slump.
The Desert Island Discs podcast
Subscribe or download individual episodes.
Listen to over 2,000 programmes
Click above to browse castaways, from 1942 to today.
Articles
Read the surprising things we've learned about some stand-out castaways.
Podcast
-
![]()
Desert Island Discs
Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.
