Minnie Driver
(born 31 January 1970) is an English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting
.
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MINNIE DRIVER TICKETS
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Early life
Minnie Driver was born
Amelia Fiona J. Driver
[1] in
Finsbury Park,
London, the daughter of Gaynor Churchward (
née Millington) a designer and former
couture model, and Ronnie Driver, a businessman.
[2] [3] Her sister, Kate Driver, is a model and producer.Minnie is cousin to American entertainer Josh Driver. She has
Irish,
French, and
Scottish ancestry.
[4] Driver's mother was her father's mistress, and her father's wife was not aware of his other family.
[5] She was raised in
Barbados, and educated at
Bedales school near
Petersfield, Hampshire, England, and the
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Acting career
Before receiving worldwide recognition, she appeared on British television with renowned 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
, among others. Driver first came to broad public attention when she played the lead role in
Circle of Friends
in 1995 and then with her Academy Award nominated performance in
Good Will Hunting
in 1997. 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, including
Disney's 1999 version of
Tarzan
and the 1999 dubbed-English version of the Japanese film
Princess Mononoke
in which she voices the fictional character
Lady Eboshi
.
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 the 2007
Emmy Award as Best Actress in a Dramatic Series.
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
[6] 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 (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
Liz Phair are among the list of collaborators for the album.
[7]
Personal life
On 13 March 2008, during an appearance on
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
, she announced that she was expecting her first child in August. On 5 September 2008, she gave birth to a boy named Henry Story Driver.
[8] The father's identity remains private.
Filmography
Features
Film
|
Year
| Film
| Role
| Notes
|
1995
| Circle of Friends
| Bernadette 'Benny' Hogan
|
|
GoldenEye
| Irina
|
|
1996
| Big Night
| Phyllis
|
|
Sleepers
| Carol Martinez
|
|
1997
| Grosse Pointe Blank
| Debi Newberry
|
|
Mononoke-hime
| Lady Eboshi
|
|
Good Will Hunting
| Skylar
|
|
1998
| Hard Rain
| Karen
|
|
The Governess
| Rosina da Silva
|
|
At Sachem Farm
| Kendal
|
|
1999
| An Ideal Husband
| Miss Mabel Chiltern
|
|
Tarzan
| Jane Porter
|
|
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
| Brooke Shields
|
|
2000
| Return to Me
| Grace Briggs
|
|
Beautiful
| Mona Higgard
|
|
Slow Burn
| Trina McTeague
|
|
2001
| High Heels and Low Lifes
| Shannon
|
|
2003
| Owning Mahowny
| Belinda
|
|
Hope Springs
| Vera Edwards
|
|
2004
| Ella Enchanted
| Mandy
|
|
The Phantom of the Opera
| Carlotta
|
|
2006
| The Virgin of Juarez
| Karina Danes
|
|
Delirious
|
|
|
2007
| Ripple Effect
| Kitty
|
|
Take
| Ana
|
|
2009
| Motherhood
| Sheila
|
|
Betty Anne Waters
| Abra
|
|
2010
| Barney's Version
| Mrs. P
|
|
Television
- Mr. Wroe's Virgins
(1993)
- The Day Today
(1994)
- The Politician's Wife
(1995)
- The X Files
(2000)
- Will & Grace
(2003)
- Freedom2speak v2.0
(2004) (documentary)
- The Riches
(2007–2008) (television series)
Short Subjects
- The Zebra Man
(1992)
- Baggage
(1997)
- The Upgrade
(2000)
- D.C. Smalls
(2001)
- Film Trix 2004
(2004)
- Portrait
(2004)
Other
- Minnie played herself in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous
, a British sitcom. [9]
- Minnie provides the voice of adventurer Lara Croft in Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider Animated Series
.
- Minnie provided the voice of Anne in the videogame Jurassic Park: Trespasser
.
- She played Lilith in the early series of the popular British children's game show, Knightmare
.
- She was given a cut scene in Family Guy
s "Saving Private Brian" as having a big head, and the director had difficulty fitting it on stage.
Discography
Albums
Year
| Album
| US Heat
| Label
|
2004
| Everything I've Got in My Pocket
| 43
| Zoë
|
2007
| Seastories
| 25
|
Singles
Year
| Single
| Album
|
2004
| "Invisible Girl"
| Everything I've Got in My Pocket
|
2005
| "Everything I've Got in My Pocket"
|
References
- Minnie Driver (photos)
- Minnie Driver Biography(1970?-
- FILM; When the Character Calls, Minnie Driver Listens - New York Times
- Cranky Critic StarTalk: Minnie Driver
- DRIVER IN REVERSE - Mirror.co.uk
- allmusic ((( Everything I've Got in My Pocket > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
- Phair, Ryan Adams Enhance Minnie Driver Sophomore Set
- Jordan, Julie and Chi, Paul. Minnie Driver Welcomes a Son!. ''People'', 8 September 2008.
- Minnie Driver