Minnie Driver

Early life and education

Amelia Fiona Jessica Driver was born in London on 31 January 1970, and was raised in Barbados until she was six. The nickname Minnie was given to her by her elder sister, Kate, in childhood.

Her mother, Gaynor Churchward (), was a fabric designer and former couture model. Her father, Charles Ronald Driver, was born in Swansea, Wales, and was of English and Scottish descent. He earned the Distinguished Flying Medal and was a director of London United Investments.

Her parents never married. Her father was married to another woman throughout his relationship with her mother. Her parents broke off their relationship when she was six years old. and Collingham College in Kensington, Central London.

Career

Acting

Driver's television debut was in a 1991 TV advertisement for Right Guard deodorant. Driver also made her stage debut in 1991, supplementing her income by performing as a jazz vocalist and guitarist. In 1993 she featured in an episode of Maigret, alongside Michael Gambon and Michael Sheen. Also in 1993, she played alongside Jonathan Pryce in the mini-series Mr Wroe's Virgins. She appeared in The Day Today, on British television, with comedian Steve Coogan and for satirist Armando Iannucci, and had small parts in Casualty, The House of Eliott, Lovejoy and Peak Practice.

Driver gained broader public attention when she played the lead role in Circle of Friends in 1995, opposite Chris O'Donnell. She followed this with a minor role in GoldenEye (1995), a supporting role in Sleepers (1996), a leading role in Big Night (1996), and as a co-star in Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), opposite John Cusack.

Driver played opposite Matt Damon as Skylar in the drama Good Will Hunting (1997), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

In 1998, Driver starred in Sandra Goldbacher's film The Governess. That year, she co-starred opposite Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman in the action thriller Hard Rain. Driver has also worked on several animated features, voicing Jane in Disney's 1999 version of Tarzan and Lady Eboshi in the 1999 English-dubbed release of the Japanese film Princess Mononoke. In 2003 and 2004, she had a recurring role on Will & Grace as Lorraine Finster, the nemesis of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) and daughter of Karen's lover, Lyle Finster (John Cleese).

In March 2007, Driver made her return to television in the FX Network show The Riches. She was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2007 and 2008, respectively. She was scheduled to appear in The Simpsons Movie, although her appearance was cut from the final version. Driver appeared in the January 2010 episode of Modern Family entitled "Moon Landing". She also starred in the television series The Deep and appeared in Conviction, in the comedy drama Barney's Version, winning a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In October 2013, Driver started filming for The Crash which was released on 13 January 2017.

Driver landed the lead role in the ABC sitcom Speechless, playing the mother of three children, one of whom has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. The series debuted in the 2016–17 TV season. It was cancelled in May 2019 after three seasons.

Driver was in Harlan Coben's Netflix show "Run Away", which premiered on Jan. 1, 2026.

Music

Driver began making music at boarding school. She collaborated on Bomb the Bass's album Clear, in 1994, as part of the outfit River. She was part of the Milo Roth Band, which received a recording contract when she was 19. The title song of Everything I've Got in My Pocket, her first album, reached No. 34 in the U.K., and the song "Invisible Girl" peaked at No. 68. Driver wrote 10 of the 11 songs on the album. In 2004, Driver was the supporting act for the Finn Brothers on the U.K. portion of their world tour.

In 2004, Driver played Carlotta Giudicelli in Joel Schumacher's film The Phantom of the Opera, based on the musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Driver sang "Learn to be Lonely", an original song written for the film by Lloyd Webber. However, because of her lack of opera experience, all her songs as Carlotta were dubbed by opera singer Margaret Preece. Driver released her second album, Seastories, in July 2007, featuring guest appearances by Ryan Adams, the Cardinals and Liz Phair. Driver released a third album in October 2014 called Ask Me to Dance that includes songs by Elliott Smith, Neil Young and The Killers.

Podcast

In 2021, Driver started a podcast, Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver, in which she asks guests a series of seven questions, inspired by the Proust Questionnaire. Guests have included Chelsea Clinton, Nick Jonas and Cindy Crawford.

Personal life

In 1997, Driver began dating Matt Damon while filming Good Will Hunting. The two split in early 1998. She was briefly engaged to Josh Brolin in 2001. She has a son born in 2008 from a brief relationship with television writer and producer Timothy J. Lea. Driver confirmed that she was in a relationship with Addison O'Dea in 2019.

In 2016, Driver revealed that she was sexually assaulted at age 17 while on holiday in Greece.

On 21 December 2017, Driver became a citizen of the United States. After living in California for 27 years, Driver moved back to London in 2024.

Activism

Driver was a long-time ambassador for and supporter of Oxfam until withdrawing her support in 2018 over a sexual abuse scandal in the organisation.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

Other media

Web

Video games

Discography

Albums

Singles

Works

References

References

1. "Repertory: Invisible Girl". ASCAP.
2. David, Mark. (9 October 2014). "Minnie Driver Lists Hollywood Hills House".
3. Borne, Air. (22 December 2009). "Barbados-raised Actress' father's ashes to be scattered on Bajan polo field".
4. Mears, Jo. (24 September 2010). "Minnie Driver: My family values – The actress talks about her family". [[The Guardian]].
5. "Driver, Charles Ronald". Traces of War.
6. (7 August 2013). "Minnie Driver".
7. (17 June 2020). "Minnie Driver".
8. Hutchinson, Clare. (20 August 2010). "Hollywood star calls for Wales' only lido to be opened". [[WalesOnline]].
9. Winters, Laura. (2 August 1998). "Film; When the Character Calls, Minnie Driver Listens". [[The New York Times]].
10. (3 August 1997). "Minnie the minx: She used to be an English public school mouse; now she's a Hollywood babe". [[The Guardian]].
11. "Home".
12. Agencies. (5 August 2013). "Minnie Driver unearths father's secret double life on TV show". [[Telegraph.co.uk.
13. "UK TV Adverts 1991 (part 3)".
14. "Minnie Driver Biography". [[Biography.com]].
15. (March 23, 1998). "'Titanic's' 11 Oscars Ties Record; Night 'Good' for Nicholson, Hunt". Washington Post.
16. (10 September 1997). "Minnie the mix: How has Hampshire-bred actress Minnie Driver come to be a big success in Hollywood? By going native". [[The Guardian]].
17. "Minnie Driver".
18. "Minnie Driver – Awards".
19. Abrams, Natalie. (12 November 2009). "Minnie Driver to Guest-Star on Modern Family". [[TV Guide]].
20. (17 December 2009). "James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver and Goran Visnjic star in new BBC One drama serial, The Deep". [[BBC]].
21. Vlessing, Etan. (3 October 2011). "'Incendies' Takes Top Prize at Canadian Film Awards".
22. Kroll, Justin. (29 October 2013). "'The Butler' Producer Sets up Next Pic Starring Frank Grillo and Minnie Driver (EXCLUSIVE)".
23. Swift, Andy. (10 May 2019). "Speechless Cancelled at ABC". [[TVLine]].
24. Barnett, Laura. (12 May 2008). "Portrait of the artist: Minnie Driver, actor and musician". [[The Guardian]].
25. Petridis, Alexis. (2 September 2004). "'I've taken a pounding'". [[The Guardian]].
26. (5 October 2004). "(((Everything I've Got in My Pocket> Charts & Awards> Billboard Albums)))". [[AllMusic]].
27. (8 October 2004). "Minnie Drives at Musical Success With Finn Brothers Tour". [[Contact Music]].
28. (16 March 2007). "Phair, Ryan Adams Enhance Minnie Driver Sophomore Set".
29. Roy Trakin. (28 July 2014). "Minnie Driver to Release 'Ask Me to Dance,' Cover Album". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
30. Spangler, Todd. (17 March 2021). "Minnie Driver to Launch Talk-Show Podcast Asking Celeb Guests Same Seven Existential Questions (EXCLUSIVE)". [[Variety (magazine).
31. (13 December 2023). "Minnie Driver recalls being 'devastated' by Matt Damon breakup at 1998 Oscars". [[USA Today]].
32. (4 October 2001). "Minnie Driver Breaks Off Engagement". [[ABC News (United States).
33. (8 September 2008). "Minnie Driver Welcomes a Son!".
34. (11 June 2019). "Mum's the Word! Mindy Kaling, Minnie Driver & More Celebs Who've Kept Quiet About Their Baby's Father".
35. Todisco, Eric. (23 September 2019). "Minnie Driver Confirms Romance with Addison O'Dea at Emmys Afterparty".
36. Williams, Marielle. (23 September 2019). "Minnie Driver Debuts Blinged Out Engagement Ring From New Love Addison O'Dea At Emmys After Party". [[Access Hollywood]].
37. Delbyck, Cole. (12 October 2016). "Minnie Driver Shares Deeply Personal Story About Teenage Sexual Assault". [[Huffington Post]].
38. Bitette, Nicole. (12 October 2016). "Minnie Driver reveals she was sexually assaulted as a teenager, says it happens to all women". [[New York Daily News]].
39. Driver, Minnie. (12 December 2017). "I'll tell you what, I became a duel citizen on Friday. I have never been so proud to be an Anglo-American. #DougJonesAL @GDouglasJones #alabama 🇺🇸🇬🇧".
40. Driver, Minnie. (21 December 2017). "I will! I'm having a 'WE THE PEOPLE' tea party. ( the tea will be in a pot, not thrown in the harbor) https://t.co/H8zCRnwMAi".
41. USCIS Media - Western Region. (21 December 2017). "Today more than 8,000 people from 120 countries became #newUScitizens in #DTLA, including the talented @driverminnie! https://t.co/HpEgSw2Aag".
42. (22 October 2017). "Minnie Driver Sworn in As US Citizen in LA Ceremony".
43. Mulkerrins, Jane. (6 July 2024). "Minnie Driver: sexism, misogyny and Hollywood harassment". The Sunday Times.
44. Shanfield, Ethan. (6 July 2024). "Minnie Driver Says Donald Trump 'Deserves to Be in Prison' and She Refuses to Live in a Red State if He Is Re-Elected". Variety.
45. "Minnie Driver".
46. (2018-02-13). "Minnie Driver cuts ties with Oxfam over sex scandal". [[The Guardian]].
47. "Minnie Driver (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
48. (3 July 2007). "'Driver tapped for 'Re\Visioned' Raider".
49. (24 August 2023). "'Our Flag Means Death Season 2': Exclusive First Look".
50. (9 December 2021). "Manilla Press to publish the "tell-most" memoir of Minnie Driver".