Minnie Driver Biography

(born Amelia Driver on January 31, 1970) is an English actress and singer-songwriter, born in London. She first came to broad public attention when she played the lead role in Circle of Friends. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting.

Minnie Driver charmed the hearts of America as ‘Benny’ Hogan, the plump and plain Irish co-ed who wins Chris O’Donnell’s heart in Pat O’Connor’s “Circle of Friends” (1995). The tall, slender beauty gained 25 pounds and wore little make-up in her portrayal of the small-town girl who heads to a Dublin university and learns about love and life. Owen Gliberman in Entertainment Weekly wrote “Driver has a touchingly awkward prettiness. Her jaw may be as square as a picture frame, but her smile lights her up from within.” Girl wins the boy in the end, and Driver attracted the notice of every studio in Hollywood. Slimming down after production, she appeared as a Russian country-western singer in “GoldenEye”, the 1995 James Bond offering. She also displayed her sexy allure as the mistress of a British parliamentarian in “The Politician’s Wife” (PBS, 1996).

Driver was subsequently wooed to star in numerous American and British films, opting to co-star as the girlfriend of a struggling restaurateur in “Big Night” (1996), co-directed by actors Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott. She also landed a key role as the woman with feelings for both Brad Pitt and Jason Patric in Barry Levinson’s “Sleepers” (also 1996) before continuing her streak as leading lady to up-and-coming actors. Driver (complete with Chicago accent) was the jilted prom date of hit man John Cusack who remeet at their high school reunion in “Grosse Point Blank” (1997). In “Good Will Hunting” (also 1997), Driver got to employ her own British accent as an exchange student who romances a troubled young genius (Matt Damon). “Hard Rain” (1998) put her in action mode as a feisty woman who saves the life of a security guard (Christian Slater). Driver segued to the role of a Jewish girl forced by circumstances to work for a family in rural Scotland in the period film “The Governess” (also 1998).

The actress’ career continued to flourish at a brisk pace: she was an effective presence in the powerhouse acting ensemble of the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband” (1999), playing Mabel, the sweet love interest of the idle bachelor Lord Goring (Rupert Everett); the appropriately adventurous voice of Jane Porter in Disney’s fact-paced animated adaptation of “Tarzan” (1999); a heart transplant patient who falls for the husband (David Duchovny of the dead woman who donated her heart in the sweet romantic comedy “Return to Me” (2000)–Driver also cheekily played herself on a 2000 episode of “The X-Files” directed by Duchovny; as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s devoted fiance in the crime drama “Owning Mahowny” (2003); and as the not-so-skilled household fairy Mandy in the endearing fable update “Ella Enchanted” (2004).

Driver also appeared in her share of disappointing films, including director Sally Field’s beauty pageant comedy “Beautiful” (2000), the clunky caper comedy “High Heels and Low Lifes” (2001), the little-seen romantic comedy “Hope Springs” (2003). But any comic misfires were offset by her hilarious recurring performances on the hit NBC sit-com “Will & Grace” beginning in 2003, playing Karen Walker’s haughty nemesis Lorraine Finster at a high-camp high pitch, and by her bravura supporting turn as the Italian opera diva Carlotta in the film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical “The Phantom of the Opera” (2004). Driver stole virtually every scene she appeared in, and while the actress had enjoyed a side career as a singer (her debut album, Everything I’ve Got In My Pocket was released in 2004 to a warm critical response) the role required that a full-voiced opera singer dub her singing voice. In return, Driver herself sang the closing credits song, “Learn to Be Lonely,” a new composition from Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber created specficially for the film.

• Also Credited As:
  Amelia Driver
• Born:
  on 01/31/71 in London, England
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Singer, Waitress

Family

• Father: Ronnie Driver. divorced from Driver’s mother c. 1976
• Mother: Gaynor Churchward. divorced from Driver’s father c. 1976
• Sister: Kate Driver. born c. 1968
• : also has two half-brothers and one half-sister

Significant Others

• Companion: John Cusack. met during filming of “Grosse Point Blank”
• Companion: Josh Brolin. dating as of late 1998; acted together in “Slow Burn” (2000); announced engagement in April 2001; announced separation in October 2001
• Companion: Matt Damon. dated in 1997
• Companion: Spencer McLung. together in late 1996 to early 1997
• Companion: Taylor Hawkins. with the band Foo Fighters; dated in 1998

Education

• Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England, acting, 1991
• Bedales School, Petersfield, England

Milestones

• — Will play a journalist in the drama “The Virgin of Juarez” (lensed 2004)
• 1976 Moved to England with her mother and older sister after her parents’ divorce (date approximate)
• 1981 Sent to boarding school at age 10 (date approximate)
• 1991 Made stage debut two weeks after graduating from drama school (date approximate)
• 1994 Co-starred in “Maigret and the Nightclub Dancer,” a BBC production seen in the US as “Maigret II”, a “Mystery!” presentation on PBS
• 1995 Featured as country-western lounge singer in “GoldenEye”
• 1995 Gained 25 pounds to star in feature film debut, “Circle of Friends”
• 1996 Had featured role as the mistress to a member of Parliament in the British miniseries “The Politician’s Wife” (aired in the USA on PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre”)
• 1997 Co-starred in both “Grosse Pointe Blank” and “Good Will Hunting”; received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as an English medical student in the latter
• 1998 Producing debut with “At Sachem Farm”; also co-starred
• 1999 Provided the voice of Jane in the Disney animated film “Tarzan”
• 1999 Voiced the character of “Winona Ryder” in “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”
• 2000 Had leading role of a single mother competing in a beauty pageant in “Beautiful”
• 2000 Starred opposite David Duchovny in “Return to Me”, playing a woman who has received a heart transplant
• 2001 Made guest appearance as “Minnie Driver” on Showtime’s “The Chris Isaak Show”; also sang
• 2001 Starred in the British comedy “High Heels and Lowlifes”
• 2003 Acted in the drama “Owning Mahowny”
• 2003 Guest starred as herself on an episode of the british sitcom “Absolutely Fabulous”
• 2003 Played Stan’s Mistress, Lorraine, on the sitcom “Will and Grace”
• 2004 Cast in the big-screen version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “The Phantom of the Opera”
• 2004 Cast opposite Anne Hathaway in “Ella Enchanted”
• Raised in Barbados
• Starred in her own BBC series, “My Good Friend”
• With sister Kate, formed the production company Two Drivers