Tilda Swinton Career Summary
Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) , known for her roles in both independent arthouse films and blockbusters, won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in the 2007 film Michael Clayton.
She also won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actress for the 2003 film Young Adam, and has received three Golden Globe Award nominations.
Swinton began her career in experimental films, directed by Derek Jarman, starting with Caravaggio (1986), followed by The Last of England (1988), War Requiem (1989), and The Garden (1990).
European Film Award Nomination
Swinton won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her portrayal of Isabella of France in Edward II (1991). She next starred in Sally Potter’s Orlando (1992), and was nominated for the European Film Award for Best Actress.
Swinton was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in The Deep End (2001). She followed this with appearances in Vanilla Sky (2001), Adaptation (2002), Constantine (2005), Michael Clayton (2007), Julia (2008), and I Am Love (2009).
She won the European Film Award for Best Actress and received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the psychological thriller We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011).
She played the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia series (2005–2010) and the Ancient One in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise.
Swinton was given the Richard Harris Award by the British Independent Film Awards in recognition of her contributions to the British film industry. In 2013, she was given a special tribute by the Museum of Modern Art.
In 2020, Swinton was named as a recipient of the British Film Institute Fellowship, the highest honor presented by the Institute which honors individuals in “recognition of their outstanding contribution to film or television culture”.
Born on November 5, 1960 in London, Swinton is the daughter of Judith Balfour (née Killen) and Sir John Swinton, the Laird of Kimmerghame House. She has three brothers. Her father was a retired major general in the British Army, and was Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1989 to 2000. Her mother was Australian. Her paternal great-grandfather was a Scottish politician and herald, George Swinton, and her maternal great-great-grandfather was the Scottish botanist John Hutton Balfour. The Swinton family is an ancient Anglo-Scots family that can trace its lineage to the Middle Ages.
Swinton attended three independent schools: Queen’s Gate School in London, the West Heath Girls’ School, and also Fettes College. West Heath was an expensive boarding school, where she was a classmate and friend of Lady Diana Spencer. Swinton spent two years as a volunteer in South Africa and Kenya before University.
