Minnie Driver
| Minnie Driver | |
|---|---|
 Minnie Driver at the premiere of Barney's Version in January 2011 |
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| Born | Amelia Fiona Driver 31 January 1970 London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actress, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Website | |
| www.minniedriver.com | |
Amelia Fiona "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Good Will Hunting, and an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her work in the television series The Riches.
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Early life [edit]
Driver was born in London,[1] the daughter of Gaynor Churchward (née Millington), a designer and former couture model, and Ronnie Driver, a Welsh businessman and financial adviser from Swansea.[2][3][4] Driver was brought up in Barbados and was educated at Bedales and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.[5] Driver has Welsh, Italian, Irish, Scottish, and French ancestry.[2][6]
Acting career [edit]
Driver's television debut was in a 1991 UK TV advert for Right Guard deodorant.[7] Driver also made her stage debut in 1991,[8] supplementing her income by performing as a jazz vocalist and guitarist.[9] She appeared on British television with comedians such as Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci and had small parts in such shows as Casualty, The House of Eliott, Lovejoy, and Peak Practice. Driver first came to broad public attention when she played the lead role in Circle of Friends in 1995. She followed this with a string of supporting roles in big studio films like the 17th James Bond installment GoldenEye (1995), Sleepers (1996), and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997). She achieved greater recognition playing opposite Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting (1997), a role for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award, among others. In 2003 and 2004, she had a noted recurring role on Will & Grace as Lorraine Finster, the nemesis of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) and daughter of Karen's lover, Lyle Finster (John Cleese). Driver has also worked on several animated features, voicing Jane in Disney's 1999 version of Tarzan, and Lady Eboshi in the 1999 English dubbed release of the Japanese film Princess Mononoke.
On 12 March 2007, Driver made her return to television starring alongside Eddie Izzard on the FX Network show The Riches, a series about a family of Travellers living in an upscale gated community in the suburbs. She was nominated for an Emmy Award[10] and a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 and 2008, respectively.[11]
Driver guest-starred in the January 2010 episode of Modern Family entitled "Moon Landing". Her role was that of Claire's friend and former co-worker whom she hasn't seen in years.[12] She also starred alongside James Nesbitt and Goran Visnjic in the British series The Deep, which was shown on BBC One over the summer of 2010.[13]
In 2010, Driver appeared in Conviction, a film depicting the real-life story of Betty Ann Waters (Hilary Swank), a single mother who spends a decade pursuing a law degree so she can represent her wrongfully convicted brother (played by Sam Rockwell) at court. Driver plays a fellow law student and friend of Swank's character who helps her with the case. The film received generally positive reviews according to the review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes listing an average score of 6.3/10 and a 68% of approval from critics.[14] Also in 2010, Driver starred alongside Paul Giamatti in the comedy-drama Barney's Version. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an 80% of positive reviews from critics[15] and Driver herself went on to win a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress.[15]
Music career [edit]
Early in her career, Driver was a member of a band called "Puff, Rocks and Brown"; the band was signed to a development deal with Island Records, which ended without a release.[16]
She began a low-profile return to music in 2000; the following year, she signed with EMI and Rounder Records and performed at SXSW.[17] Canadian music producer Colin Craig assisted in the eventual release of Everything I've Got in My Pocket, which reached No. 34[18] in the UK, and a second single, "Invisible Girl" peaking at No. 68. The album was backed by a group including members of the Wallflowers and Pete Yorn's band. Driver wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the album and also covered "Hungry Heart" from Bruce Springsteen's The River. In 2004, Driver was the support act for the Finn Brothers on the UK portion of their world tour.[19]
In 2004, Driver played Carlotta Giudicelli in Joel Schumacher's film of The Phantom of the Opera. Because of the vocal requirements of the role, Driver was the sole cast member to have her voice dubbed. However, she did lend her own voice to Learn to be Lonely, a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber specifically for the film version of his musical (it plays over the closing credits of the movie). Driver released her second album entitled Seastories on 17 July 2007. The 12-track set is produced by Marc "Doc" Dauer, who also produced Everything I've Got in My Pocket. Ryan Adams and his band the Cardinals and Liz Phair are among the list of collaborators for the album.[20]
Personal life [edit]
On 5 September 2008, Driver gave birth to a son, Henry Story Driver. She did not then reveal the identity of the father.[21] In February 2012, she revealed that her son's father was a writer on her television show The Riches.[22] She was once engaged to Josh Brolin but the pair amicably split.[23]
Filmography [edit]
Film [edit]
Television series [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The House of Eliott | Mary | |
| Casualty | Zena Mitchell | ||
| 1992 | Lovejoy | Sarah | |
| 1993 | Mr. Wroe's Virgins | Leah | |
| Maigret | Arlette | ||
| Screen One | Sally | ||
| 1994 | Peak Practice | Sue Keel | |
| The Day Today | Lally Sampson | ||
| Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge | Daniella Forrest | ||
| 1995 | My Good Friend | Ellie | |
| 1996 | Murder Most Horrid | Sgt. Cole | |
| 2000 | The X-Files | Cinema Audience | |
| 2001 | The Kumars at No. 42 | Herself | |
| 2003 | Absolutely Fabulous | Herself | |
| 2003–2004 | Will & Grace | Lorraine Finster | |
| 2007 | Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider Animated Series | Lara Croft | |
| 2007–2008 | The Riches | Dahlia Malloy | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Drama Series Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama |
| 2010 | Modern Family | Valerie | Season 1, Episode 14: "Moon Landing" |
| The Deep | Frances Kelly |
Other [edit]
- Driver provided the voice of Anne in the videogame Jurassic Park: Trespasser.
- She was the subject of a cut-away gag in Family Guy's "Saving Private Brian" as having a big head, and the director had difficulty fitting it on the screen.
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
| Year | Album | US Heat | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Everything I've Got in My Pocket | 43 | Zoë |
| 2007 | Seastories | 25 |
Singles [edit]
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Invisible Girl" | Everything I've Got in My Pocket |
| 2005 | "Everything I've Got in My Pocket" |
References [edit]
- ^ "Minnie Driver (photos)". CBS News. 23 March 2006. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ^ a b Clare Hutchinson (20 August 2010). "Hollywood star calls for Wales’ only lido to be opened". WalesOnline. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ "Minnie Driver profile". at Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Winters, Laura (2 August 1998). "FILM; When the Character Calls, Minnie Driver Listens". New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ "Minnie Driver- Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Cranky Critic StarTalk: Minnie Driver". Crankycritic.com. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ "UK TV Adverts 1991 (part 3)". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
- ^ Home. "Latest news and profile of Minnie Driver". hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ "Minnie Driver Biography". Biography.com. 31 January 1971. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Minnie Driver Emmy Nominated
- ^ "Awards for Minnie Driver" at IMDb
- ^ Natalie Abrams. "Minnie Driver to Guest-Star on Modern Family". TVGuide.com.
- ^ BBC Press Office (17 December 2009). "James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver and Goran Visnjic star in new BBC One drama serial, The Deep". Press release. Retrieved on 17 December 2009.
- ^ Information on Conviction at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ a b information on Barney's Version at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Woodcraft, Molloy (16 October 2004). "Minnie Driver, Everything I've Got in My Pocket". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (2 September 2004). "'I've taken a pounding'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "(((Everything I've Got in My Pocket> Charts & Awards> Billboard Albums)))". allmusic. 5 October 2004. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ "Minnie Drives At Musical Success With Finn Brothers Tour". contactmusic.com. 8 October 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ Up for DiscussionPost Comment. "Phair, Ryan Adams Enhance Minnie Driver Sophomore Set". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Jordan, Julie and Chi, Paul. Minnie Driver Welcomes a Son!. People, 8 September 2008.
- ^ Sarah Bull and Nadia Mendoza. Minnie Driver FINALLY reveals the identity of son Henry's father. Mail Online, 20 February 2012.
- ^ "Minnie Driver breaks engagement". Hollywood.com. 2001-10-04. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
External links [edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Minnie Driver |
- Official website
- Minnie Driver at the Internet Movie Database
- September 2004 interview from The Guardian
- Minnie Driver at Emmys.com
|
- 1970 births
- Living people
- People from Finsbury Park
- English people of French descent
- English people of Irish descent
- English people of Italian descent
- English people of Scottish descent
- English people of Welsh descent
- People educated at Bedales School
- Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
- English female singers
- English film actresses
- English singer-songwriters
- English television actresses
- Actresses from London
- English expatriates in the United States
- Genie Award winners for Best Supporting Actress
- British expatriates in Barbados
