Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is an English 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 A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

'' Grosse Pointe Blank'', Gus Van Sant's ''

Good Will Hunting ''Good Will Hunting'' is a 1997 American psychological drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård and Minnie Driver. The film received positiv ...

'' for which she was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie and ...

, the musical '' The Phantom of the Opera'', '' Owning Mahowny'', and providing the voice of Lady Eboshi in

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

's ''

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ish ...

''. In television, Driver starred with

Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...

in '' The Riches'' for which she was nominated for both an Emmy and a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

. 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 miniseries in the UK including '' The Deep'' for

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

. 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 Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' as well as video games including '' Jurassic Park: Trespasser''.

Early life and education

Amelia Fiona Jessica Driver was born in London and raised in Barbados until she was six. The nickname Minnie was given to her by her older sister Kate in childhood. Her mother, Gaynor Churchward () (1937–2021), was a fabric designer and former couture model. Her father, Charles Ronald Driver (1921–2009), was born in Swansea, Wales, and was of English and Scottish descent. He earned the Distinguished Flying Medal for his role in the Battle of Heligoland Bight and was a director of London United Investments. Her parents never married as 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. She was sent to

Bedales School Bedales School is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conventi ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

as a boarder soon after. She later attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, and Collingham College, an independent college in Kensington, Central London. Minnie's older sister Kate is a film producer and manager. She also has one older half-sister, Susan Driver, from her father's prior 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.

Career

Acting

Driver's television debut was in a 1991 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. In 1993 she featured in an episode of '' Maigret'', alongside

Michael Gambon Sir Michael John Gambon (; born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-English actor. Regarded as one of Ireland and Britain's most distinguished actors, he is known for his work on stage and screen. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivi ...

and

Michael Sheen Michael Christopher Sheen OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh actor, television producer and political activist. After training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he worked mainly in theatre throughout the 1990s with stage rol ...

. She appeared in '' The Day Today'', on British television, with comedian

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, whic ...

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 John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays '' Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his o ...

. Driver played opposite

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among '' Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Amer ...

as Skylar in the drama ''

'' (1997), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a

. Driver was also considered to play Rose DeWitt Butaker in the 1997 film ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'', but director

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...

felt she was too old so

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

was cast instead. In 1998, Driver starred in

Sandra Goldbacher Sandra A. Goldbacher (born 1960) is a British film director, TV director, and screenwriter. Early life and education Goldbacher grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, the daughter of an Italian Sephardic Jewish ...

's film '' The Governess''. 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 The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's 1999 version of ''

'' and Lady Eboshi in the 1999 English-dubbed release of the Japanese film ''

''. In 2003 and 2004, she had a recurring role on '' Will & Grace'' as

Lorraine Finster This list provides descriptions of the supporting or recurring characters and guest stars on the NBC situation comedy ''Will & Grace''. Main characters * Eric McCormack as Will Truman: The first titular protagonist in the show, Will is a gay ma ...

, the nemesis of Karen Walker (

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is best known for playing Karen Walker on the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award ...

) and daughter of Karen's lover, Lyle Finster (

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

). In March 2007, Driver made her return to television in the FX Network show '' The Riches''. She was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

as Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 and 2008, respectively. She was scheduled to appear in ''

The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...

'', although her appearance was cut from the final version. Driver appeared in the January 2010 episode of ''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of t ...

'' entitled "

Moon Landing A Moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both crewed and robotic missions. The first human-made object to touch the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2, on 13 September 1959. The United S ...

". She also starred in the television series '' The Deep'' and appeared in ''

Conviction In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is ...

'', in the comedy drama '' Barney's Version'', winning a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...

for Best Supporting Actress. In October 2013, Driver started filming for '' The Crash'' which was released on 13 January 2017. Driver landed the lead role in the ABC sitcom '' Speechless'', playing the mother of three children, one of whom has

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be p ...

and uses a wheelchair. The series debuted in the 2016–17 TV season. It was cancelled in May 2019 after three seasons.

Music

Driver began making music at boarding school. 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. In 2001 she signed with EMI and

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

and performed at the

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

music festival. The title song of ''

Everything I've Got in My Pocket ''Everything I've Got in My Pocket'' is the debut album by actor and singer Minnie Driver, and was released in 2004. The tracks "Everything I've Got in My Pocket" and "Invisible Girl" were released as singles. In the US, the album reached 43 ...

'', her first album, reached No. 34 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. In 2004, Driver played Carlotta Giudicelli in

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. He ...

's film '' The Phantom of the Opera'', based on the musical of the same name by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musica ...

. 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 Margaret Preece is an English operatic soprano. She trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio. Originally from Solihull, she has worked with English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North a ...

. Driver released her second album, ''

Seastories ''Seastories'' is the second studio album by actress Minnie Driver, released in 2007. The album features collaborations with Ryan Adams, Neal Casal and Liz Phair. The album peaked at 25 on ''Billboard''s Top Heatseekers Chart The Heatseekers c ...

'', in July 2007, featuring guest appearances by Ryan Adams, the Cardinals and

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

. Driver released a third album in October 2014 called '' Ask Me to Dance'' that includes songs by

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

and

The Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drum ...

Podcast

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 Chelsea Victoria Clinton (born February 27, 1980) is an American writer and global health advocate. She is the only child of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clint ...

Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...

and

Cindy Crawford Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model, actress and television personality. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, as well as fash ...

Personal life

Driver has been in a relationship with Addison O'Dea since 2019. She was briefly engaged to

Josh Brolin Joshua James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as '' The Goonies'' (1985), '' Mimic'' (1997), '' Hollow Man'' (2000), ''Grindhouse'' (2007), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' American Gan ...

in 2001. She has a son, Henry (born 5 September 2008), from a brief relationship with television writer and producer Timothy J. Lea. In 2016, Driver revealed that she was sexually assaulted at age 17 while on holiday in Greece. On 21 December 2017, Driver became an American citizen. Driver was a long-time ambassador for and supporter of

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

until withdrawing her support in 2018 over the sexual abuse scandal in the organisation. Driver has a long and involved history of legal-dispute with her neighbor Daniel Perelmutter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Other media

Web

Video games

Discography

Albums

Singles

Works

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Driver, Minnie 1970 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American memoirists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century English actresses 21st-century English non-fiction writers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers 21st-century English women writers Actresses from London Actresses from Los Angeles Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art American film actresses American people of Scottish descent American television actresses American voice actresses American women memoirists American women podcasters American podcasters Best Supporting Actress Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners British expatriate actresses in the United States British expatriates in Barbados British women podcasters English emigrants to the United States English film actresses English memoirists English people of Scottish descent English podcasters English television actresses English video game actresses English voice actresses English women non-fiction writers English women singer-songwriters People educated at Bedales School People with acquired American citizenship Rounder Records artists Singers from London Singers from Los Angeles Writers from London Writers from Los Angeles Zoë Records artists