Samantha Morton Biography



Samantha Morton
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Samantha Morton

Samantha Morton, February 2008
Born 13 May 1977 (1977-05-13) (age 31)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Samantha Morton (born 13 May 1977) is a Golden Globe Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated English actress.

Contents

Biography

Personal life

Morton was born in Clifton Nottingham, England, the daughter of Pamela Freebury, a factory worker, and Peter Morton.12 Her parents divorced in 1979.3 She attended West Bridgford Comprehensive School and spent part of her childhood in care.

Morton was reported to have had a stroke in 2006, as a result she was said to be close to death and had to relearn how to walk and talk4, although the truth of this is debated.5

Morton has a daughter, Esme (born in 2000), with actor Charlie Creed-Miles. Morton is engaged to filmmaker Harry Holm, son of actor Ian Holm. Their daughter, Edie, was born on 4 January 2008 in London.

Career

Morton began her career as a child actor. At 13 she joined the Central Junior Television Workshop. At 16 she moved to London and appeared in plays at the Royal Court Theatre, also securing an early break as a guest star in an episode of Cracker. Although she applied to institutions such as RADA, she received no further formal training.6 She went on to star in television productions like Jane Eyre and The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.

Starring roles in Band of Gold (1995), and the film Under the Skin in 1997, raised her profile in the UK. The latter impressed Woody Allen so much he cast her in his film Sweet and Lowdown for which she would receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1999. She is the second actress nominated for the Oscar for roles in a film in which she does not utter even a single word. Jane Wyman won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a deaf rape victim in Johnny Belinda. In 2002 she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for her work in Morvern Callar, followed by a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for In America in 2003.

Morton played the Moors Murderess Myra Hindley in a television film Longford (2006). Set between 1967 and 1997, the film depicts the relationship between the infamous child killer and Lord Longford, the politician who spent years campaigning for her release. Morton was severely criticised by the relatives of the children who were killed by Hindley and Ian Brady but she insisted, "It is my duty as a performer to raise issues...we're afraid to look at".7 Morton received a 2007 Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, both for Best Supporting Actress.

She also worked with English garage rock band 'The Horrors' on their debut video for 'Sheena Is A Parasite' and appeared in the video as the woman spilling her guts.

She plans to make her directorial debut in 2008 with the semi-autobiographical piece The Unloved, a collaboration with screenwriter Tony Grisoni.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

  • Academy Awards
  • BAFTA
    • 2007 - BAFTA TV Award / Best Actress - Longford (nominee)
    • 2008 - BAFTA Film Award / Best Supporting Actress - Control (nominee)
  • Golden Globe
    • 2000 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Sweet and Lowdown (nominee)
    • 2008 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Longford (winner)
Awards and achievements
Golden Globe Award
Preceded by
Emily Blunt
for Gideon's Daughter		 Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
2008
for Longford		 Succeeded by
TBD

References

  1. ^ Samantha Morton Biography (1977-)
  2. ^ I may have left Sam in care but she still flies me First Class to Hollywood; EXCLUSIVE: MOTHER'S PRIDE AT BRITAIN'S NEW MOVIE STAR.(Features) | Article from Sunday Mirror (Lon...
  3. ^ Samantha Morton Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  4. ^ Tahira Yaqoob (9 March 2008), "Actress Samantha Morton was 'close to death' after a secret stroke two years ago", Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=528844&in_page_id=1773, retrieved on 10 March 2008 
  5. ^ Paul Scott (16 March 2008), "The curious case of Samantha Morton's stroke", Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-534213/The-curious-case-Samantha-Mortons-stroke.html 
  6. ^ Young, gifted and gabby | | Guardian Unlimited Film
  7. ^ 'Yes, I'm playing Myra Hindley. It's my duty to raise things we're afraid of' - News, Film & TV - Independent.co.uk

External links

Persondata
NAME Morton, Samantha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actress
DATE OF BIRTH 13 May 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
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