biography

Minnie Driver is such a master of accents it's hard to believe she's English, not a New Jersey/New York girl. She was born Amelia Driver in London on January 31st, 1971. She was christened "Minnie" by her sister, who was too young to pronounce her name properly.

Minnie was raised in the Barbados and schooled such diverse locales such as Paris, Grenoble, and Hampshire, England. She completed her drama degree in 1991 at the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She then found stage and television work almost immediately after and in 1995made her film debut in "Circle of Friends," in which she had to gain 20 pounds for the role. She gave an outstanding performance and won the acclaim of audiences and critics alike.

She was then cast in the James Bond flick "GoldenEye" and was soon being written up in magazine articles hailing her as "one to watch." Since then she has stared in dozens of movies including "Sleepers," "Hard Rain," "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Ideal Husband."

It wasn't until she was cast in "Good Will Hunting," as Matt Damon's love interest, that she gained the acclaim she deserved. She won and was nominated for numerous awards for her marvelous performance in the movie. Among the awards were: The London Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actress of the Year. ShoWest Award for Female Star of the Year. Was nominated for Best supporting Actress Oscar. Nomination for Blockbuster Entertainment award for Favorite Actress and the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

Driver has had a history of falling for her leading men. She has been reported to have had an off screen romance with John Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank), Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting) and her most recent is with Josh Brolin (Slow Burn). She has denied a report that they are engaged however. Josh is the son of James Brolin, which would mean Barbra Steisand would be Driver's step-mother-in-law if the couple ever did swap nuptials.