Minnie Driver

Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver is a British and American actress and singer. Born on 31 January 1970 in London, she rose to prominence with her breakout role in the 1995 film Circle of Friends. Over the course of her career, she has achieved recognition across film, television, voice acting, and music, earning nominations for an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

Driver spent her early childhood in Barbados until she was six years old. Her mother was a fabric designer and former model, while her father was of English and Scottish descent, served in the Battle of Heligoland Bight earning the Distinguished Flying Medal, and worked as a company director. Her elder sister gave her the nickname Minnie during childhood. Driver attended Bedales School as a boarder before studying at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and Collingham College in London.

Driver made her acting and stage debuts in 1991, initially supporting herself as a jazz vocalist and guitarist. During the early 1990s, she appeared in a variety of British television productions, including Maigret, Mr Wroe's Virgins, The Day Today, Casualty, The House of Eliott, Lovejoy, and Peak Practice. Her major film breakthrough came when she starred in Circle of Friends in 1995, followed by appearances in GoldenEye, Sleepers, and Big Night.

In 1997, Driver earned critical acclaim for her role as Skylar in Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting, which garnered her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She subsequently starred in films such as Grosse Pointe Blank, The Governess, Hard Rain, Return to Me, Owning Mahowny, and Joel Schumacher's film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. For her work in the comedy drama Barney's Version, she won a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In television, Driver co-starred with Eddie Izzard in the series The Riches, earning nominations for both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She held recurring roles in Will & Grace and Modern Family, and starred in series such as The Deep, About a Boy, and the sitcom Speechless. In 2026, she appeared in the Canadian drama series The Murder Line.

Driver has also worked extensively as a voice artist, contributing to animated features and games including Tarzan, Princess Mononoke, SuperMansion, and Jurassic Park: Trespasser. As a musical artist, she has released three solo albums: Everything I've Got in My Pocket, Seastories, and Ask Me to Dance. In 2021, she launched the interview podcast Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver.