Samantha Morton

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Samantha Morton

Samantha Morton, February 2008
Born May 13, 1977 (1977-05-13) (age 31)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Samantha Morton (born May 13, 1977) is an Academy Award-nominated English actress.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Morton was born in Nottingham, England, the daughter of Pamela, a factory worker, and Peter Morton.[1] Her parents divorced in 1979.[2] She attended West Bridgford Comprehensive School and spent part of her childhood in care.

Morton was reported to have had a stroke in 2006, as a result she was said to be close to death and had to relearn how to walk and talk.[3]

Morton has a daughter, Esme (born in 2000), with actor Charlie Creed-Miles. Morton is engaged to filmmaker Harry Holm, son of actor Ian Holm. At age 30, she gave birth to her second child. Daughter, Edie, was born January 4, 2008 in London weighing 7 lbs, 8 oz.

[edit] Career

Morton began her career as a child actor. At 13 she joined the Central Junior Television Workshop. At 16 she moved to London and appeared in plays at the Royal Court Theatre, also securing an early break as a guest star in an episode of Cracker. Although she applied to institutions such as RADA, she received no further formal training.[4] She went on to star in television productions like Jane Eyre and The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.

Starring roles in Band of Gold (1995), and the film Under the Skin in 1997, raised her profile in the UK. The latter impressed Woody Allen so much he cast her in his film Sweet and Lowdown for which she would receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1999. In 2002 she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for her work in Morvern Callar, followed by a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for In America in 2003.

Morton played the Moors Murderess Myra Hindley in a television film Longford (2006). Set between 1967 and 1997, the film depicts the relationship between the infamous child killer and Lord Longford, the politician who spent years campaigning for her release. Morton was severely criticised by the relatives of the children who were killed by Hindley and Ian Brady but she insisted, "It is my duty as a performer to raise issues...we're afraid to look at".[5] Morton received a 2007 Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, both for Best Supporting Actress.

She plans to make her directorial debut in 2008 with the semi-autobiographical piece The Unloved.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Awards and Nominations

  • Academy Awards
  • BAFTA
    • 2007 - BAFTA TV Award / Best Actress - Longford (nominee)
    • 2008 - BAFTA Film Award / Best Supporting Actress - Control (nominee)
  • Golden Globe
    • 2000 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Sweet and Lowdown (nominee)
    • 2008 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Longford (winner)
Awards
Golden Globe Award
Preceded by
Emily Blunt
for Gideon's Daughter		 Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
2008
for Longford		 Succeeded by
TBD

[edit] References

  1. ^ Samantha Morton Biography (1977-)
  2. ^ Samantha Morton Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  3. ^ Tahira Yaqoob. "Actress Samantha Morton was 'close to death' after a secret stroke two years ago", Daily Mail, 9 March 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-10. 
  4. ^ Young, gifted and gabby | | Guardian Unlimited Film
  5. ^ 'Yes, I'm playing Myra Hindley. It's my duty to raise things we're afraid of' - News, Film & TV - Independent.co.uk

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Morton, Samantha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actress
DATE OF BIRTH May 13, 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH