To her growing legion of fans across the world, she is Galadriel, the elf queen who unites the Fellowship in their quest for the Ring.

To her new neighbours, she is Mrs Upton.

Australian act-ress Cate Blanchett has abandoned her palace in the mythic mountains of Lothlorien for a town house in Brighton.

Cate, 33, whose stars as the wise queen in the latest episode of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, spent £1.3 million on the Regency seafront bolthole in the summer.

She has snat-ched weekends away from her life in the spotlight to oversee extensive restoration work which could see its value rocket more than £3 million.

And she has also spent time meeting the locals.

But despite the star's growing profile, many of those who live nearby have been unaware of the A-list celebrity on their doorsteps.

As well as her chameleon-like changes of appearance which have seen her become Elizabeth I, young and old, and Tolkien's elfin sovereign, she has taken to using her married name when dropping in on her neighbours.

One neighbour said: "She's totally relaxed, easy going and unpretentious. Most people do not even realise at first who they are talking to."

Cate and scriptwriter husband Andrew, whose 14-month-old son Dashiell, found the property on the internet and bought it after a visit to look around.

The Hollywood star, who was performing at a charity gala at the Old Vic in London last night, is known to shun the glamour lifestyle.

The neighbour said: "She was obviously taken with the house when she first came down to Brighton."

The couple also have a home in Islington, London and a beach-side apartment in Sydney, which is often rented out.

Cate rose to prominence in the lead role of Elizabeth in 1998, managing to portray the Virgin Queen both as an innocent young girl and a stern, ruthless monarch - picking up a Bafta and Golden Globe, and an Oscar nomination.

She also played opposite Matt Damon in The Talented Mr Ripley.

Born in Melbourne, one of Cate's ancestors is believed to be Louis Bleriot, the first man to fly across the English Channel.

She met her husband in 1997 on the set of The Seagull. The couple married shortly after, just before she started filming Elizabeth.