Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter was earlier in a relationship with actor Kenneth Branagh. In 2001, she began her current relationship with director Tim Burton. The couple lives in London and has two children - Billy Raymond and Nell.

Helena Bonham Carter was born to Elena, a psychotherapist, and Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant banker, on May 26, 1966.

She came from a renowned political family. Her paternal grandparents were successful politicians. She was the great grand daughter of former British PM Asquith. She has two older brothers, Edward and Thomas.

Her childhood was traumatic. Her mother had a serious nervous breakdown and took three years to recover. Her father suffered complications during a surgery to remove a tumor which left him half-paralyzed.

Educated at South Hampstead High School, she completed her A-levels at Westminster School. King's College, Cambridge, would not admit her because they felt that she would discontinue the course to pursue her acting career.

Helena Bonham Carter won a national writing contest in 1979. She used the prize money to pay for her entry into the actors' Spotlight directory. She debuted at 16 in a television commercial.

She played the title role in the movie, ‘Lady Jane’, in 1986. It tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days' Queen, her reign and romance with husband Lord Guilford Dudley.

In the Merchant-Ivory produced 1986 romance film, 'A Room with a View’ she had a significant role as Lucy Honeychurch, who falls in love with a free-spirited young man.

Between 1986 and 1988, she concentrated on television work. She appeared in episodes of Miami ‪Vice and Absolutely Fabulous, and starred in television films such as, A Hazard of Hearts and The Vision.

Her role as Helen Schlegel in the 1992 Merchant-Ivory film, ‘Howards End’, based upon the novel by E. M. Forster, brought her massive acclaim and a BAFTA nomination for best supporting actress.

In 1997, ‘Wings of the Dove’, an adaptation of a novel written by Henry James, Helena Bonham Carter played the manipulative Kate Croy. Her performance won her an Oscar nomination and many accolades.

She gave a stunning performance in Tim Burton’s ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’, a 2007 musical horror film. Her performance as Mrs. Nellie Lovett was applauded, and she received many accolades.