|
Samantha Morton Profile |
|
-
Birth Date: May 13, 1977
-
Birth Place: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, USA
-
Birth Name: Samantha Morton
-
Height: 5'3"
|
|
|
Biography |
Samantha Morton was born May 13, 1977, in Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, England. One of eight children, her parents
divorced by the time she was 3 and she spent much of her
childhood shuttling back and forth between foster homes and
orphanages. Although her existence was far from cheery, she
did manage to find a measure of escapism in acting.
"It started when I was 7 or 8,” she recalls. “In school, I
had a brilliant teacher and it was the highlight of my day
to write little plays with somebody or perform in front of
the class. It just went on from there; if you really enjoy
something you can feel complete when you're doing it."
Certain that her future was in the theater, Samantha dropped
out of school at the age of 13 and began her training as an
actress at the Central Junior Television Workshop. It proved
to be a savvy decision and she soon landed a handful of
small roles in series such as Boon, Soldier Soldier, Peak
Practice, and Cracker.
Samantha's early success paved the way for a starring role
in 1995’s Band of Gold, a well received mini-series about a
desperate young mother. In fact, producers of the series
were so impressed with Samantha’s work that they offered her
a lucrative one-million pound deal. “They wanted to make me
a big star but I didn't want to do it,'' she says.
Samantha stayed her course, appearing instead in classic
period pieces like Emma (1996), Jane Eyre (1997) and The
History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997). Indeed, 1997 was a
big year for the young actress as she also made her
big-screen debut in Under the Skin, a provocative drama
about a girl who loses herself in a string of one-night
stands. Samantha’s performance in the film was applauded by
critics on both sides of the pond and it garnered her a Best
Actress Award from the Boston Film Critics Society.
Next up for Samantha was Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown
(2000), a comedic biopic costarring Sean Penn. The film
resulted in her first Oscar nomination, a remarkable honor
given the fact that Samantha’s character was a deaf mute.
Samantha enjoyed another great honor in 2000 as she and
fellow actor Charlie Creed-Miles welcomed their first
daughter, Esme, into the world.
Although Samantha didn’t win an Oscar in 2000, she did win a
succession of big roles including parts in Minority Report
(2002), costarring Tom Cruise and In America (2002), for
which she received her second Oscar nomination. Samantha
also won a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress
that same year thanks to her stellar performance in Morvern
Callar, in which she played a woman who passes off her dead
boyfriend’s novel as her own.
Samantha was cast to star in six films in 2006: Free Jimmy,
Expired, Control, Mister Lonely, Longford, and The Golden
Age, in which she plays Mary, Queen of Scots.
Regardless of which project she takes on next you can be
certain Samantha will continue to challenge herself as an
actress. "You gotta do stuff that inspires you," she
explains, "otherwise your life's so boring, and you go home
and feel a fraud." |
|
|
Other
Information |
Daughter, Esme, born 5 February 2000 in London. Father is
actor Charlie Creed-Miles.
Her performance as a mute in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown
(1999) earned her an Oscar nomination for 2000 Academy
Awards.
Has eight siblings.
Samantha is the mermaid in the U2 music video "Electrical
Storm" released in 2002.
Dropped out of school at 13.
Moved to London from Nottingham at 16.
Born in a Nottingham council estate.
Turned down the role of Lisa in Girl, Interrupted (1999).
Turned down the role of Ophelia in Hamlet (2000) due to
scheduling conflicts with Sweet and Lowdown (1999).
Turned down the title role in Iris (2001/I).
Wanted a role in Love Actually (2003) but was turned down in
favor of Martine McCutcheon and Keira Knightley.
Was actually the third choice to play Agatha in Minority
Report (2002); Cate Blanchett and Jenna Elfman both turned
it down.
Attended The West Bridgford Comprehensive School,
Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham. The school
has a book containing newspaper cuttings of her achievements
in the reception. |
|
|
|
