Minnie Driver
Amelia Fiona "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is a British and American actress. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in 1995's Circle of Friends. She went on to star in a wide range of films including the cult classic Grosse Pointe Blank, Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting for which she was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award, the musical The Phantom of the Opera, Owning Mahowny, and providing the voice of Lady Eboshi in Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke.
Minnie Driver | |
|---|---|
Driver in 2010 | |
| Born | Amelia Fiona Driver 31 January 1970 London, England |
| Citizenship |
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| AlmaΒ mater | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupations |
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| YearsΒ active | 1991βpresent |
| Partner(s) | Addison O'Dea (2019βpresent; engaged) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | minniedriver |
In television, Driver starred with Eddie Izzard in The Riches for which she was nominated for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. She has starred in the ABC sitcom Speechless, the NBC sitcom About a Boy, and in a recurring role in the NBC series Will & Grace. She has also starred in several British dramas, including The Deep for BBC One.
Predating her work as an actress, Driver started as a singer and has released three full solo albums over the span of her career. She has also lent her voice to a variety of animated series and films including SuperMansion and Tarzan as well as video games including Jurassic Park: Trespasser.
Early life and education edit
Amelia Fiona Jessica Driver was born in London and raised in Barbados until she was six.[1][2][3][4] The nickname Minnie was given to her by her older sister Kate in childhood.[5][6]
Her mother, Gaynor Churchward (nΓ©eΒ Millington) (1937β2021), was a fabric designer and former couture model. Her father, Charles Ronald Driver (1921β2009),[7] was born in Swansea, Wales, and was of English and Scottish descent.[8] He earned the Distinguished Flying Medal[7] for his role in the Battle of Heligoland Bight[9] and was a director of London United Investments.[8][10][11]
Her parents never married.[9] Her father was married to another woman throughout his relationship with Minnie's mother. Her parents broke off their relationship when Minnie was six years old.[6] She was sent to Bedales School in Hampshire as a boarder soon after.[6] She later attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art,[12] and Collingham College, an independent college in Kensington, Central London.[13] Minnie's older sister Kate is a film producer and manager. She also has one older half-sister, Susan Driver, from her father's first marriage, and two younger half-brothers: Charlie Driver, a football agent, from Ronald's subsequent marriage, and Ed Churchward from her mother's subsequent one.[6][14]
Career edit
Acting edit
Driver's television debut was in a 1991 TV advertisement for Right Guard deodorant.[15] Driver also made her stage debut in 1991, supplementing her income by performing as a jazz vocalist and guitarist.[16] In 1993 she featured in an episode of Maigret, alongside Michael Gambon and Michael Sheen. Also in 1993, she played alongside Jonathan Pryce in the mini-series, Mr Wroe's Virgins. She appeared in The Day Today, on British television, with comedian Steve Coogan and for satirist Armando Iannucci, and had small parts in Casualty, The House of Eliott, Lovejoy and Peak Practice.
Driver gained broader public attention when she played the lead role in Circle of Friends in 1995, opposite Chris O'Donnell. She followed this with a minor role in GoldenEye (1995), a supporting role in Sleepers (1996), a leading role in Big Night (1996), and as a co-star in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), opposite John Cusack.
Driver played opposite Matt Damon as Skylar in the drama Good Will Hunting (1997), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award.[17]
In 1998, Driver starred in Sandra Goldbacher's film The Governess.[18] That year, she co-starred opposite Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman in the action thriller Hard Rain. 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. In 2003 and 2004, she had a 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).
In March 2007, Driver made her return to television in the FX Network show The Riches. She was nominated for an Emmy Award[19] and a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 and 2008, respectively.[20] She was scheduled to appear in The Simpsons Movie, although her appearance was cut from the final version. Driver appeared in the January 2010 episode of Modern Family entitled "Moon Landing".[21] She also starred in the television series The Deep[22] and appeared in Conviction, in the comedy drama Barney's Version, winning a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress.[23]
In October 2013, Driver started filming for The Crash which was released on 13 January 2017.[24]
Driver landed the lead role in the ABC sitcom Speechless, playing the mother of three children, one of whom has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. The series debuted in the 2016β17 TV season. It was cancelled in May 2019 after three seasons.[25]
Music edit
Driver began making music at boarding school.[26] She collaborated on Bomb the Bass's album Clear, in 1994, as part of the outfit River. She was part of the Milo Roth Band, which received a recording contract when she was 19.[26] In 2001 she signed with EMI and Rounder Records and performed at the SXSW music festival.[27] The title song of Everything I've Got in My Pocket, her first album, reached No. 34[28] in the U.K., and the song "Invisible Girl" peaked at No. 68. Driver wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the album. In 2004, Driver was the supporting act for the Finn Brothers on the U.K. portion of their world tour.[29]
In 2004, Driver played Carlotta Giudicelli in Joel Schumacher's film The Phantom of the Opera, based on the musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Driver sang "Learn to be Lonely", an original song written for the film by Lloyd Webber. However, because of her lack of opera experience, all her songs as Carlotta were dubbed by opera singer Margaret Preece. Driver released her second album, Seastories, in July 2007, featuring guest appearances by Ryan Adams, the Cardinals and Liz Phair.[30] Driver released a third album in October 2014 called Ask Me to Dance that includes songs by Elliott Smith, Neil Young and The Killers.[31]
Podcast edit
In 2021, Driver started a podcast, Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver, in which she asks guests a series of seven questions, inspired by the Proust Questionnaire. Guests have included Chelsea Clinton, Nick Jonas and Cindy Crawford.[32]
Personal life edit
Driver has been in a relationship with Addison O'Dea since 2019.[33][34] She was briefly engaged to Josh Brolin in 2001.[35] She has a son (born 5 September 2008)[36] from a brief relationship with television writer and producer Timothy J. Lea.[37]
In 2016, Driver revealed that she was sexually assaulted at age 17 while on holiday in Greece.[38][39]
On 21 December 2017, Driver became a United States citizen.[40][41][42][43]
Driver was a long-time ambassador for and supporter of Oxfam[44] until withdrawing her support in 2018 over a sexual abuse scandal in the organisation.[45]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Zebra Man | Emily Ashdown | Short |
| 1994 | That Sunday | Rachel | Short |
| 1995 | Circle of Friends | Bernadette 'Benny' Hogan | |
| GoldenEye | Irina | ||
| 1996 | Big Night | Phyllis | |
| Sleepers | Carol Martinez | ||
| 1997 | Grosse Pointe Blank | Debi Newberry | |
| Good Will Hunting | Skylar Satenstein | ||
| 1998 | Hard Rain | Karen | |
| The Governess | Rosina Da Silva | ||
| At Sachem Farm | Kendal | ||
| 1999 | An Ideal Husband | Miss Mabel Chiltern | |
| Princess Mononoke | Lady Eboshi | Voice, English dub[46] | |
| Tarzan | Jane Porter | Voice[46] | |
| South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut | Brooke Shields | Voice[46] | |
| 2000 | Return to Me | Grace Briggs | |
| Beautiful | Mona Hibbard | ||
| Slow Burn | Trina McTeague | ||
| The Upgrade | Constance Levine | Short | |
| 2001 | High Heels and Low Lifes | Shannon | |
| D.C. Smalls | Waitress | Short | |
| 2003 | Owning Mahowny | Belinda | |
| Hope Springs | Vera Edwards | ||
| 2004 | Ella Enchanted | Mandy | |
| Portrait | Donna | Short | |
| The Phantom of the Opera | Carlotta | ||
| 2006 | The Virgin of Juarez | Karina Danes | |
| 2007 | Take | Ana Nichols | |
| Ripple Effect | Kitty | ||
| The Simpsons Movie | Grievance Counselor | Scenes deleted[47] | |
| 2009 | Motherhood | Sheila | |
| 2010 | Conviction | Abra Rice | |
| Barney's Version | Mrs. P. | ||
| 2011 | Hunky Dory | Vivienne Mae | |
| 2012 | Goats | Shaman | Uncredited |
| 2013 | I Give It a Year | Naomi | |
| 2014 | Return to Zero | Maggie Royal | |
| Stage Fright | Kylie Swanson | ||
| Beyond the Lights | Macy Jean | ||
| 2015 | Unity | Narrator (voice) | Documentary |
| 2017 | The Crash | Shannon Clifton | |
| The Wilde Wedding | Priscilla Jones | ||
| Laboratory Conditions | Marjorie Cane | Short | |
| 2018 | Spinning Man | Ellen Birch | |
| 2021 | Cinderella | Queen Beatrice | |
| 2022 | Rosaline | The Nurse | |
| Chevalier | Marie-Madeleine Guimard | ||
| 2023 | Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose | Anne | |
| Uproar | Shirley Waaka |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | God on the Rocks | Lydia | Television film |
| 1991 | The House of Eliott | Mary | Episode #1.4 |
| Casualty | Zena Mitchell | Episode: "The Last Word" | |
| 1992 | Lovejoy | Sarah | Episode: "Kids" |
| Kinsey | Louise Kinsey | 3 episodes | |
| 1993 | Maigret | Arlette | Episode: "Maigret and the Night Club Dancer" |
| Mr Wroe's Virgins | Leah | 4 episodes | |
| Screen One | Sally | Episode: "Royal Celebration" | |
| 1994 | The Day Today | Mila Milandrovicz, Lally Sampson | 2 episodes |
| Peak Practice | Sue Keel | Episode: "Enemy Within" | |
| Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge | Daniella Forrest | Episode #1.2 | |
| 1995 | My Good Friend | Ellie | 7 episodes |
| The Politician's Wife | Jennifer Caird | 3 episodes | |
| 1996 | Cruel Train | Flora Mussell | Television film |
| Murder Most Horrid | Sergeant Cole | Episode: "Confess" | |
| 2000 | The X-Files | Cinema Audience | Uncredited; episode: "Hollywood A.D." |
| 2003β2020 | Will & Grace | Lorraine Finster | Recurring role; 9 episodes |
| 2003 | Absolutely Fabulous | Herself | Episode: "Panickin'" |
| 2007β2008 | The Riches | Dahlia Malloy | Lead Role |
| 2010 | Modern Family | Valerie | Episode: "Moon Landing" |
| The Deep | Frances Kelly | Lead Role, miniseries | |
| 2011 | Hail Mary | Mary Beth Baker | Television film |
| 2012 | Lady Friends | Jennifer Rensen | Television film |
| QuickBites | Ellen | Episode: "Food for Thought" | |
| Web Therapy | Allegra Favreau | 5 episodes | |
| 2013 | Hollywood Game Night | Herself | Episode: "The Office Party" |
| 2014 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Episode: "7 Chefs Again" |
| The Red Tent | Leah | Lead Role, miniseries | |
| 2014β2015 | About a Boy | Fiona Bowa | Lead Role |
| 2014 | Peter Pan Live! | Narrator/Adult Wendy Darling | TV special |
| 2015 | Undateable | Ally's Friend | Episode: "A Live Show Walks Into a Bar: Part 1" |
| 2016β2019 | Speechless | Maya DiMeo | Lead role |
| 2018β2019 | SuperMansion | Debby Devizo | Voice, 5 episodes |
| 2021 | Modern Love | Stephanie Curran | Episode: "On a Serpentine Road, With the Top Down" |
| 2022 | The Witcher: Blood Origin | Seanchai | 3 Episodes |
| 2021β2023 | Starstruck | Cath | 4 Episodes |
| 2023 | Our Flag Means Death | Anne Bonny | Season 2[48] |
Awards and nominations edit
Other media edit
Web edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Revisioned: Tomb Raider | Lara Croft | Voice, 10 episodes[46] |
Video games edit
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Trespasser | Anne | [46] |
| 2002 | Quest for the Code | Smokita |
Discography edit
Albums edit
| Year | Album | US Heat | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Everything I've Got in My Pocket | 43 | ZoΓ« |
| 2007 | Seastories | 25 | |
| 2014 | Ask Me to Dance | 11 | Rounder |
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Invisible Girl" | Everything I've Got in My Pocket |
| 2005 | "Everything I've Got in My Pocket" |
Works edit
- Managing Expectations: A Memoir. London: Manilla Press. 2022. ISBNΒ 9781786582409. OCLCΒ 1300420971.[49]
References edit
- ^ Marx, Rebecca Flint. "Minnie Driver: Overview". Allmovie. from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "Repertory: Invisible Girl". ASCAP. from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ David, Mark (9 October 2014). "Minnie Driver Lists Hollywood Hills House". Variety. from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Borne, Air (22 December 2009). "Barbados-raised Actress' father's ashes to be scattered on Bajan polo field". Bajan Reporter. from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d Mears, Jo (24 September 2010). "Minnie Driver: My family values β The actress talks about her family". The Guardian. from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Driver, Charles Ronald". Traces of War. from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ a b "Minnie Driver". Who Do You Think You Are?. Series 10. Episode 3. 7 August 2013. BBC. from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Minnie Driver". Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine. from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ^ Hutchinson, Clare (20 August 2010). "Hollywood star calls for Wales' only lido to be opened". WalesOnline. from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ Winters, Laura (2 August 1998). "Film; When the Character Calls, Minnie Driver Listens". The New York Times. from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ Lane, Harriet (3 August 1997). "Minnie the minx: She used to be an English public school mouse; now she's a Hollywood babe". The Guardian. from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Home". Collingham College. from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Agencies (5 August 2013). "Minnie Driver unearths father's secret double life on TV show". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 9 June 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2012 β via YouTube.
- ^ "Minnie Driver Biography". Biography.com. from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Waxman, Sharon; Booth, William (23 March 1998). "'Titanic's' 11 Oscars Ties Record; Night 'Good' for Nicholson, Hunt". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ Matthews, Tom Dewe (10 September 1997). "Minnie the mix: How has Hampshire-bred actress Minnie Driver come to be a big success in Hollywood? By going native". The Guardian. from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ "Minnie Driver". Emmys. from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "Minnie Driver β Awards". IMDb. from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Abrams, Natalie (12 November 2009). "Minnie Driver to Guest-Star on Modern Family". TV Guide. from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver and Goran Visnjic star in new BBC One drama serial, The Deep". BBC. 17 December 2009. from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (3 October 2011). "'Incendies' Takes Top Prize at Canadian Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (29 October 2013). "'The Butler' Producer Sets up Next Pic Starring Frank Grillo and Minnie Driver (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ Swift, Andy (10 May 2019). "Speechless Cancelled at ABC". TVLine. from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ a b Barnett, Laura (12 May 2008). "Portrait of the artist: Minnie Driver, actor and musician". The Guardian. from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (2 September 2004). "'I've taken a pounding'". The Guardian. from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "(Everything I've Got in My Pocket> Charts & Awards> Billboard Albums)". AllMusic. 5 October 2004. from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ "Minnie Drives at Musical Success With Finn Brothers Tour". Contact Music. 8 October 2004. from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "Phair, Ryan Adams Enhance Minnie Driver Sophomore Set". Billboard. 16 March 2007. from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
- ^ Roy Trakin (28 July 2014). "Minnie Driver to Release 'Ask Me to Dance,' Cover Album". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (17 March 2021). "Minnie Driver to Launch Talk-Show Podcast Asking Celeb Guests Same Seven Existential Questions (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ Todisco, Eric (23 September 2019). "Minnie Driver Confirms Romance with Addison O'Dea at Emmys Afterparty". People. from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Williams, Marielle (23 September 2019). "Minnie Driver Debuts Blinged Out Engagement Ring From New Love Addison O'Dea At Emmys After Party". Access Hollywood. from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ "Minnie Driver Breaks Off Engagement". ABC News. 4 October 2001. from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ Jordan, Julie; Chi, Paul (8 September 2008). "Minnie Driver Welcomes a Son!". People. from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ "Mum's the Word! Mindy Kaling, Minnie Driver & More Celebs Who've Kept Quiet About Their Baby's Father". People. 11 June 2019. from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ Delbyck, Cole (12 October 2016). "Minnie Driver Shares Deeply Personal Story About Teenage Sexual Assault". Huffington Post. from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ Bitette, Nicole (12 October 2016). "Minnie Driver reveals she was sexually assaulted as a teenager, says it happens to all women". New York Daily News. from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ Driver, Minnie [@driverminnie] (12 December 2017). "I'll tell you what, I became a duel citizen on Friday. I have never been so proud to be an Anglo-American. #DougJonesAL @GDouglasJones #alabama πΊπΈπ¬π§" (Tweet). from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2021 β via Twitter.
- ^ Driver, Minnie [@driverminnie] (21 December 2017). "I will! I'm having a 'WE THE PEOPLE' tea party. ( the tea will be in a pot, not thrown in the harbor) t.co/H8zCRnwMAi" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 June 2021 β via Twitter.
- ^ USCIS Media - Western Region [@USCISMediaWest] (21 December 2017). "Today more than 8,000 people from 120 countries became #newUScitizens in #DTLA, including the talented @driverminnie! t.co/HpEgSw2Aag" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 June 2021 β via Twitter.
- ^ "Minnie Driver Sworn in As US Citizen in LA Ceremony". Patch. 22 October 2017. from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ . Oxfam America. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Slawson, Nicola (13 February 2018). "Minnie Driver cuts ties with Oxfam over sex scandal". The Guardian. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Minnie Driver (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 24 October 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Shawn Adler; Larry Carroll (1 October 2021). "Movie File: 'Dark Knight,' Christian Bale, 'Simpsons Movie' & More". MTV. from the original on 4 May 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
- ^ "'Our Flag Means Death Season 2': Exclusive First Look". Vanity Fair. 24 August 2023. from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Manilla Press to publish the "tell-most" memoir of Minnie Driver". Bonnier Books UK. 9 December 2021. from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
Managing Expectations will be published in hardback, audio and eBook in May 2022. It will be published simultaneously by HarperOne in the US.
External links edit
- Official website
- Minnie Driver at IMDb