Born:
November 05, 1960
in
London
Best Known For:
Bagging an Oscar for Michael Clayton.
Early-life:
Born Katherine Mathilda Swinton on November 5, 1960, into a military family - her father is Major-General Sir John Swinton, former Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire. She was educated at boarding school, including West Heath School, where a fellow pupil was the future Diana, Princess of Wales. Tilda studied Social and Political Science at Cambridge University, graduating in 1983. During her time as a student, she performed countless stage productions and proceeded to work for a season in the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Career:
Finding herself drawn to more obscure fare, Swinton began an association with experimental director Derek Jarman. She continued to work with Jarman for the next nine years, developing seven critically acclaimed films, including Caravaggio, The Last of England, The Garden, Edward II and Wittgenstein. After Jarman's untimely death in 1994, she took the title role in the hugely popular arthouse flick Orlando and began experimenting with new and untried directors and mediums, but also starred in more mainstream productions, such as The Beach, Constantine, Michael Clayton (for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar), and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She also had roles in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I Am Love and Only Lovers Left Alive.
Quote:
On the Oscar statuette: 'I have an American agent who is the spitting image of this. Really truly, the same shape head and, it has to be said, the buttocks.'