Tilda Swinton: A Brief Biography
The Life And Work Of The Oscar-Winning Actress
Born in 1960, British actress Katherine Matilda "Tilda" Swinton has carved herself out a successful film career, while generally shunning the spotlight and trappings of celebrity. With her striking pale skin and red hair combining to give her an almost other-worldly unique appearance, Swinton doesn’t fit the conventional Hollywood actress mould – in either looks or career choices. Her work has seen her mix small independent films and art projects, with roles in big budget movies.
Personal Life
Boarding school educated, Tilda Swinton attended the same school as Princess Diana and has a degree from Cambridge University. It seems that nothing about Swinton is conventional, she lives with Scottish writer, John Byrne, who she met in 1985. He is the father of her twins – Honor and Xavier, who were born in 1997. In 2004, Swinton started a relationship with German actor / painter Sandro Kopp. However, she did not end her relationship with Byrne and both men are happy for her to have a relationship with each.
Film Career
Her selected film bibliography includes:
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
- Burn After Reading (2008)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)
- Michael Clayton (2007)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
- Young Adam (2003)
- Adaptation (2002)
- Vanilla Sky (2001)
- The Deep End (2001)
- The Beach (2000)
- Love Is the Devil (1998)
- Orlando (1992)
- Edward II (1991)
- Caravaggio (1986)
Through the early years of her career, Swinton made nine films with director Derek Jarman, including Edward II (1991). In recent years she has made the move into more mainstream films and in 2008 she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Bafta for her role as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton (2007).
Fashion, Art and Music Projects
Tilda Swinton has recently been named as the Spring / Summer ‘10 face of British fashion brand Pringle of Scotland. She will also be making a short film for the campaign. Although it at first seems an unusual move for such a private actress, Swinton has long since had a love and connection with the fashion industry, plus she resides in Nairn, Scotland, so is perhaps showing her affiliation with the country by taking on this collaboration.
Back in 1995, Tilda Swinton collaborated with artist Cornelia Parker. Swinton was literally part of the art installation, "The Maybe", in which she slept in a glass case, four feet above the ground, for 8 hours a day at the Serpentine gallery in London.
In 2002 she struck up a friendship with Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf, they made her their muse for their Autumn / Winter ’03 collection entitled "One Woman Show", where she opened the show and all the models were made-up in her image.
Swinton crossed her fashion and art paths in 2005 when she starred in British designer Hussein Chalayan’s short film, The Absent Passage, which explored issues of paranoia and terrorism.
In 2009, Swinton added another creative string to her bow by contributing spoken vocals to English singer Patrick Wolf’s album, The Bachelor (2009). On her reasons for working with Wolf, Swinton says, “His music sounds like the great unexpressed soundtrack of a great film I want to see - and try to catch every night before I go to sleep. It's a lovely thing to be part of that magical landscape."
Fitting words to describe not only that project but the attitude with which she approaches all her work.
Sources:
- www.stereogum.com
- imdb.com – Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
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