Daughter of Australian actor Barry Otto and graduate of the prestigious NIDA theatrical school (which spawned such down-under luminaries as Mel Gibson and Judy Davis), Miranda Otto's role as Eowyn in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy had the four-time AFA nominated actress excited and overwhelmed. Likening the experience to being in The Wizard of Oz, actress speculated that the trilogy will withstand the test of time, endearing itself to generations to come as a timeless fantasy for all ages.
Gaining critical recognition for roles in such films as "The Girl Who Came Late" (1991) and Gillian Anderson's Last Days of Chez Nous, Miranda Otto made her feature debut in "Emma's War" (1986). Her portrayal of a daughter who is blind to the crippling tolls that World War II has taken on her fragile mother led the actress to roles in many critically acclaimed but little-seen films. After a decade of powerful roles in Australian films, Otto gained Hollywood recognition in the late '90s with roles in Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" (1998) and as the mysterious neighbor in Robert Zemeckis' supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath (2000). In addition to her appearance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Miranda Otto's other 2001 films include the offbeat comedy "Human Nature", scripted by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich). Her role as an affectionate French lab assistant proving without question that her comic skills were indeed as intact as her dramatic skills, it wasn't long before the offers were rolling in and Miranda Otto was deemed the new "it" girl.