Amelia Fiona "Minnie" Driver is an English 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.
Early life Driver was born in London, the daughter of
Gaynor F., a designer and former couture model, and Charles Ronald "Ronnie" Driver, a businessman
and financial adviser.
Her father, who was born in Swansea, Wales, to parents from England, was acknowledged
as a war hero and awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for bravery shown as a gunner
in an RAF Wellington bomber during the Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1939, when his aircraft
was shot down.
Driver was brought up in Barbados and was educated at Bedales and the Webber Douglas
Academy of Dramatic Art.
Acting career Driver's television debut was in a 1991 UK
TV advertisement for Right Guard deodorant.
Driver also made her stage debut in 1991, supplementing her income by performing as
a jazz vocalist and guitarist.
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, Sleepers, and Grosse Pointe Blank.
She achieved greater recognition playing opposite Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting,
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 recurring role on Will & Grace as Lorraine Finster, the nemesis
of Karen Walker and daughter of Karen's lover, Lyle Finster.
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 and a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actress in
a Drama Series in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
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.
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.
In 2010, Driver appeared in Conviction, a film depicting the real-life story of Betty
Ann Waters, a single mother who spends a decade pursuing a law degree so she can represent
her wrongfully convicted brother 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.
Also in 2010, Driver starred alongside Paul Giamatti in the comedy-drama Barney's Version.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film received 80% positive reviews from critics and Driver
herself went on to win a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Music career 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.
She began a low-profile return to music in 2000; the following year, she signed with
EMI and Rounder Records and performed at SXSW.
Canadian music producer Colin Craig assisted in the eventual release of Everything I've
Got in My Pocket, which reached No. 34 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.
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.
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.
Personal life On 5 September 2008, Driver gave birth to
a son, Henry Story Driver, but she did not reveal the identity of his father at that
time.
Driver dated Good Will Hunting co-star Matt Damon in a high-profile celebrity relationship
under intense media scrutiny.
She was once engaged to Josh Brolin, but the pair amicably split.
Filmography Film
Television Other
Driver provided the voice of Anne in the videogame Jurassic Park: Trespasser.
Discography Albums
Singles References
External links
Official website Minnie Driver at the Internet Movie Database
September 2004 interview from The Guardian Minnie Driver at Emmys.com