Helena Bonham Carter
(26 May 1966, Golders Green, London, England)
"All the ancient classic fairy tales have always been scary and dark."
Today is the birthday of the beautiful English Rose, Queen of the freaks, inspiring muse of Tim Burton and the one and only Bellatrix Lestrange, Marla Singer and Mrs. Lovett - Helena Bonham Carter.
Helena Bonham Carter, daughter of Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant banker, and Elena Bonham Carter (née Propper de Callejón), a psychotherapist is the youngest of three children. She is the great-granddaughter of former Prime Minister Herbert H. Asquith and her blue-blooded family tree also contains Barons and Baronesses, diplomats, and a director, Bonham Carter's great-uncle Anthony Asquith, who made Pygmalion (1938) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), among others.
After experiencing family dramas that included her father's stroke-which left him wheelchair-bound-and attending South Hampstead High School and Westminster School in London, Bonham Carter devoted herself to an acting career. That trajectory actually began in 1979 when, at age 13, she entered a national poetry writing competition and used her second place winnings to place her photo in the casting directory "Spotlight."
She went on to star in many costume dramas - "Frankenstein", "Howard's End", "Hamlet" but is best known for her quirky and eccentric characters such as the ones in "Fight Club" and many Tim Burton's movies. Though consistently a versatile and engaging actress, Bonham Carter has never won a major American film award. However, she has received a number of critical awards and has been nominated for five Golden Globes, an Oscar, a SAG Award, and two Emmys.
She has worked with Tim Burton many times, who is also her partner in real life ever since 2001. They live in adjoining residences in London, sharing a connecting hallway, and have two children: Billy Ray Burton, 4, and Nell Burton, who was born December 15, 2007.
5 favorite films:
Fight Club
Big Fish
Sweeney Todd
The King's Speech
Harry Potter series
5 favorite performances:
Fight Club
Sweeney Todd
The Wings of the Dove
Big Fish
Harry Pottter series
5 Fun facts:
- Speaks French fluently.
- Turned down the role of Bess in Breaking the Waves due to the sexual content.
- Tested for the role of Nancy Spungen in Sid and Nancy.
- She based her performance of Marla Singer in Fight Club on Judy Garland in the later stages of her life. To help her get into the mindset, director David Fincher would often call her Judy on-set.
- A distant cousin of Kate Middleton.
Favorite photos of her from her films:
Favorite pictures of her:
Aww I love HBC. She's all kinds of awesome. There are times when I think Marla is my favourite character in Fight Club. I was going to name my alter ego that, just because of HBC's brilliant performance of hers. And she's an uhmazing Bellatrix.
ReplyDeleteShe is the fantastic choice for Bellatrix and she delivered truly wonderful performance. Marla is my favorite character from FC, she should get more recognition for her work there.
DeleteNice write up :-) I find her one of the more underated actresses working today. I also love the living arrangement her and Burton have.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely, just like with Frida Kahlo and her husband. I agree, she should get more recognition, such a charismatic actress.
DeleteI love HBC, even though I've seen so few of her films :( My favourite film/performance of hers is definitely Fight Club!
ReplyDeleteYou should check her older films, Howard's End and Wings of the Dove are wonderful.
DeleteThey called their kid Billy Ray? She's a distant cousin of Kate Middleton? wow crazy facts! It's all about Fight Club for me. She is hilarious but also a deeply sad character. The look of utter confusion and sadness when Ed Norton says 'Tyler's not here, Tyler's gone away' is heartbreaking. I'm so glad she took that role!
ReplyDeleteThat was a terrific scene. I also love her attempted suicide and her haze after she takes all the pills.
DeleteLoved Helena since I watched Sweeney Todd - she has a beautiful singing voice too!
ReplyDeleteI love her singing in the movie, especially in "My friends" and "Little Priest".
DeleteWow, I didn't realize Judy was her inspiration for her role in Fight Club. I gotta go rewatch that movie now.
ReplyDeleteI never realized this either, whcih is odd because it is one of my favorite movies.
DeleteI love HBC, I did an ICON post on her yonks ago! I think she is aces and stunning to boot.
ReplyDeleteGreat post matey
Thank you! I can't wait to see her as Miss Havisham in new Great Expectations, what a great casting.
DeleteShe is insane. And a fantastic actress. I guess that goes hand in hand :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonderful mix and the result is greatness :)
DeleteFight Club was the first movie I saw her in, and I became a big fan after that. She's crazy, but always fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Even in crap like Dark shadows she was so much fun to watch. When she disappeared the movie was beyond redemption.
DeleteI LOVE the photos you used in this post, Sati. Helena is such a unique and versatile actress. I like her in her crazier roles as well as more understated ones such as in The King's Speech and A Room with a View. Great tribute to a wonderful actress!
ReplyDeleteThank you! There was plenty to chose from, Helena has a lot of great pictures of her taken, many mirroring the style of Burton's films.
DeleteHBC is one crazy lady, but I love her, she is like a breath of fresh air in the industry. Her wacky roles are starting to offer problems, as she is typecasted into them, I hope she gets more King's Speech roles, I like her that way, too!
ReplyDeleteI wonder who she is playing in Les Miserables as I'm not too familiar with the book, I hope her role in Great Expectations will bring in some much deserved spotlight towards her.
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