Helena Bonham Carter

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Helena Bonham Carter

at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival promoting Curse of the Wererabbit
Born 26 May 1966 (1966-05-26) (age 42)
Golders Green, London, England
Years active 1983 - present
Domestic partner(s) Tim Burton (2001 - present) 2 children

Helena Bonham Carter (born May 26, 1966) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated English actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Marla Singer in the film Fight Club, Lucy Honeychurch in the film A Room with a View, her Oscar-nominated performance as Kate Croy in The Wings of the Dove, her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, as well as her other collaborations with her domestic partner, Tim Burton.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life & family background

Bonham Carter was born in Golders Green, London. Her mother, Elena (née Propper de Callejón), is a psychotherapist. Her father, Raymond Bonham Carter, was a merchant banker and the alternate UK director representing the Bank of England at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. during the 1960s;[1][2][3] he came from a famous British political family, being the son of Maurice Bonham Carter and Violet Bonham Carter, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury (whose father was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, H. H. Asquith). Helena Bonham Carter's maternal grandfather, Eduardo Propper de Callejón, was of half Spanish and half Jewish ancestry, and served as a diplomat and former Minister-Counsellor at the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D.C.[4][1][5] Helena Bonham Carter's Jewish maternal grandmother, Hélène Fould-Springer, was the daughter of Baron Eugène Fould-Springer (a French-born banker who was a cousin of Achille Fould), and Mitzi Springer (whose father was the industrialist Baron Gustav Springer).[4][6][7][8][1][5][9] Hélène Fould-Springer's sister was the French philanthropist Liliane de Rothschild (1916–2003), the wife of Baron Élie de Rothschild, and her other sister, Therese, was the mother of British writer David Pryce-Jones.[4]

Bonham Carter has two brothers, Edward and Thomas, and is a cousin of actor Crispin Bonham Carter, who she co-starred with in the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. Bonham Carter was educated at the South Hampstead High School, a girls' independent school in Hampstead, London and later at Westminster School, a co-educational independent school near the Palace of Westminster.

[edit] Career

Bonham Carter has not received any formal training in acting.[10] In 1979, she won a national writing contest and used the money won to pay for her entry into the actors directory 'Spotlight'. She made her professional acting début at the age of 16, in a television commercial. She also had a part in a minor TV film A Pattern of Roses (1983). Her first starring film role was in Lady Jane (1984, released 1986) which had mixed reviews. Her breakthrough performance was in the role of Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View (1985, released 1986) which was filmed after Lady Jane, but released first. Bonham Carter also appeared in episodes of Miami Vice as Don Johnson's love interest during the 1986-87 season.

These early films led to her being typecast as a "corset queen", and "English rose", playing pre- and early 20th century characters, particularly in Merchant-Ivory films. She eventually expanded her range,[10] and now has a high profile for more recent films such as Fight Club, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and Big Fish. She also speaks French fluently, starring in a 1996 French film Portraits chinois. In August 2001, she was featured in Maxim. Bonham Carter was a member of the jury at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival that unanimously selected The Wind That Shakes the Barley as the best film.

Bonham Carter played Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was released in 2007. She replaced Helen McCrory, who left due to pregnancy, (but will be portraying Narcissa Malfoy in the sixth and possibly seventh film adaptations). Bonham Carter received positive reviews as Lestrange, described as a "shining but underused talent";[11] her character will re-appear in the final three movie adaptations of the six and seventh books.[12] She then played Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney Todd's (Johnny Depp) amorous accomplice in the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The film was released on December 21, 2007 in the US[13] and January 25, 2008 in the UK. Directed by Tim Burton, Bonham Carter received a Golden Globe nomination ("Best Actress - Comedy or Musical") for her performance, though she did not win. She also won the Best Actress award in the 2007 Evening Standard British Film Awards for her performances in Sweeney Todd and Conversations With Other Women.

In addition to Sweeney she has acted in many Tim Burton movies, often with Johnny Depp who has also acted in many Tim Burton movies.

[edit] Personal life

Bonham Carter was in a relationship with actor Kenneth Branagh (with whom she appeared in several films) from 1994 to the summer of 1999. She then briefly dated actors Rufus Sewell and Steve Martin.[14] In October 2001, she began her current relationship with director Tim Burton, whom she met while filming Planet of the Apes. She has appeared in all of his subsequent films. They live in Belsize Park, London, in adjoining houses with a connecting hallway, each part decorated and styled to suit their own personalities, because they felt they couldn't live 'together' but didn't want to live apart. They purchased the house when she became pregnant with the couple's first child, son Billy Ray Burton, who was born on 4 October 2003. At age 41, she gave birth to her second child, a daughter, on 15 December 2007 in Central London.[15] The baby did not have a name for almost six weeks, as Burton and Bonham Carter guessed they were having a boy. Numerous Internet websites stated for weeks that the baby girl was named Indiana Rose Burton; Bonham Carter addressed these rumours by stating "Apparently on the internet she’s called Indiana Rose! [laughs] I don’t know where it’s come from but it can be that till she’s been named properly [laughs]."[16][17] The name of the baby is still unreleased.[18][19]

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Other notes
1983 A Pattern of Roses Netty
1986 A Room with a View Lucy Honeychurch novel by E. M. Forster
Lady Jane Lady Jane Grey
1987 Maurice Lady at Cricket Match (cameo) novel by E. M. Forster
A Hazard of Hearts Serena Staverley novel by Barbara Cartland
1989 Francesco Chiara Offreduccio
Getting It Right Lady Minerva Munday
1990 Hamlet Ophelia
1991 Where Angels Fear to Tread Caroline Abbott novel by E. M. Forster
1991 De montagne Julienne Dosiar Nominated César award
1992 Howards End Helen Schlegel novel by E. M. Forster
Nominated for BAFTA
1994 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Elizabeth Frankenstein
Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald Marina Oswald Nominated for Golden Globe
1995 Mighty Aphrodite Amanda Weinrib
Margaret's Museum Margaret MacNeil Won Genie award and

Won Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress (with The Wings of the Dove)

Won Fantasporto award
1996 Twelfth Night Olivia
1997 Keep the Aspidistra Flying Rosemary novel by George Orwell
The Revengers' Comedies Karen Knightly Play by Alan Ayckbourn; U.S. title: Sweet Revenge
The Wings of the Dove Kate Croy novel by Henry James:

Nominated for Oscar,

Nominated BAFTA

Nominated Golden Globe

Nominated Satellite award

Nominated Critics Choice Award

Won Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress (with Margaret's Museum)

Won NBR awad
1998 Merlin Morgan le Fay Nominated for Golden Globe

Nominated Emmy
The Theory of Flight Jane Thatchard Nominated Satellite award
1999 Fight Club Marla Singer novel by Chuck Palahniuk :

Won an Empire Award
Women Talking Dirty Cora produced by David Furnish and Elton John (executive producer)
2001 Planet of the Apes Ari directed by Tim Burton:

Nominated for an Empire Award
Novocaine Susan Ivey
2002 The Heart Of Me Dinah novel by Rosamond Lehmann

Nominated British Independent Film Award
Live From Baghdad Ingrid Formanek Nominated for Golden Globe

Nominated Emmy
Till Human Voices Wake Us Ruby
2003 Big Fish Jenny/The Witch directed by Tim Burton

Nominated: César award
Henry VIII Anne Boleyn
2005 Conversations with Other Women Woman Won a Tokyo film award

Won Evening Standard British film award
Magnificent 7 Maggi
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Lady Tottington (voice role) Won an Annie award
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride Corpse Bride (voice role) directed by Tim Burton
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Mrs. Bucket directed by Tim Burton
2006 Sixty Six Esther Reuben
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Bellatrix Lestrange directed by David Yates :

Nominated Teen choice award coolest actress

Nominated Fantasporto award
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Mrs. Lovett directed by Tim Burton, musical by Stephen Sondheim,

Nominated for Golden Globe

Won Evening Standard British Film Awards Winning Best Actress
2008 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Bellatrix Lestrange directed by David Yates
2009 Wild Target Starring alongside Bill Nighy
2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Bellatrix Lestrange directed by David Yates
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Bellatrix Lestrange directed by David Yates

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Costa, Maddy. "'It's all gone widescreen'", Guardian Unlimited, 2006-11-03. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  2. ^ Helena Bonham Carter Biography (1966-). FilmReference.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  3. ^ Helena Bonham Carter. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  4. ^ a b c Frazer, Jenni. "How Helena’s grandfather was finally recognised as a true hero", The Jewish Chronicle, 2009-02-08. Retrieved on 2008-02-08. 
  5. ^ a b Barber, Lynn. "Helena Bonham Carter: 'Couldn't she just wear a babygro?'", Guardian Unlimited, 1997-04-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  6. ^ "Baroness Elie de Rothschild", Telegraph, 2003-02-20. Retrieved on 2008-02-08. 
  7. ^ "CARTER TOO JEWISH FOR JEWISH ROLE", ContactMusic, 2006-10-24. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  8. ^ Weisbach, Rachel. "Barmitzvah joy for Helena", SomethingJewish, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  9. ^ Obituary: Baroness Elie de Rothschild | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com
  10. ^ a b "Zen and the inner ape", telegraph.co.uk, 2001-08-02. Retrieved on 2008-01-19. 
  11. ^ Lewis, Leo. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: the first review", Times Online, 2007-06-28. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  12. ^ Daly, Steve. "Helena Bonham Carter Gets Wicked", Entertainment Weekly, 2007-07-13. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  13. ^ Broadway.com Staff. "Helena Bonham Carter Set to Play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd Film", Broadway.com, 2006-10-18. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  14. ^ WENN. "Steve Martin Dumped By Helena Bonham Carter", IMDB News, 2000-08-14. Retrieved on 2007-07-13. 
  15. ^ Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter take son Billy Ray for a walk. Celebrity-babies.com (2007-12-27). Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
  16. ^ Helena Bonham Carter and daughter out in London : Celebrity Baby Blog
  17. ^ Helena Bonham Carter speaks about new daughter, living with Tim Burton. Celebrity-babies.com (2008-01-19). Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
  18. ^ Helena Bonham Carter takes daughter out for a walk. Celebrity-babies.com (2008-01-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
  19. ^ Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton out for a walk in Primose Hill with children. Celebrity-babies.com (2008-01-28). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

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