Biography

Tilda Swinton

Posted on Dec 19, 2023, Modified : Jan 8, 2024 reasonbhattarai

Table of Contents

Tilda Swinton is a Scottish actress best known for films like “Michael Clayton,” “Young Adam,” “Orlando,” and “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” She is well known for her roles in experimental art films and major blockbusters. She played the White Witch in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series and the Ancient One in “Doctor Strange” and several other MCU films. She has won several prestigious awards throughout her career. In 2020, the British Film Institute Fellowship honored her.

Quick Info
Full Name	Katherine Matilda Swinton
Date of Birth	5 November 1960
Birth Place	London, England
Parent(s)	Judith Balfour and Sir John Swinton
Occupation	Actress
Partner(s)	John Byrne (1989–2003) Sandro Kopp (2004–present)
Net Worth	US $12 Million

Early Life and Bio

Tilda Swinton’s full name is Katherine Matilda Swinton. She was born to parents Judith Balfour and Sir John Swinton on November 5, 1960, in London. Her father was the Laird of Kimmerghame House and a retired British army major general.

Tilda went to Queen’s Gate School, West Heath Girls’ School, and Fettes College. Swinging got her degree in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1983. Before university, she spent two years of her life in Kenya and South Africa. She started acting while in college. She also joined the political party called the Scottish Socialist Party.

Career

Tilda Swinton’s first film role was Lena in the British historical drama film titled “Caravaggio” in 1986. The same year she appeared as Sally in the movie “Egomania – Insel ohne Hoffnung” and as Lucky in the short film titled “Caprice.” In 1987, she played Friendship in the film “Friendship’s Death.” She also starred as The Maid in the arthouse film “The Last of England” in the same year. In 1988, she acted in four films, namely, “Das Andere Ende der Welt,” “Cycling the Frame,” “L’Ispirazione,” and “Degrees of Blindness.”

In 1989, she appeared as a hairdresser in “Play Me Something” and a nurse in the film “War Requiem.” She portrayed Madonna in the 1990 movie titled “The Garden.” In 1991’s “Edward II,” she performed the role of Isabella. In 1992, she starred in the film “Orlando” as the character named Orlando. She was the narrator for the drama film “Blue” in 1993. The same year she played the role of Lady Ottoline Morrill in the movie titled “Wittgenstein.”

In the 1996 film, “Female Perversions,” she played the role of Eve Stephens. The following year, she acted in the role of Ada Byron King in the film “Convincing Ada.” She voiced Diera in the 1998 film “Herlizeares.” She played the Actress in the 1999 crime thriller film titled “The Protagonists.” The same year she also appeared in the movie “The War Zone.” She started the 2000s with the film “The Beach,” in which she appeared in the role of Sal. In 2000, she also played Joyce in the movie “Possible Worlds.”

The following year, Tilda Swinton was seen as Margaret Hall in “The Deep End” and as Rebecca Dearborn in “Vanilla Sky.” In the 2002 comedy-drama, she played the role of Valerie Thomas. She starred in the film “Teknolust” as Rosetta/Ruby/Olive/Marnie in 2002. The following year, she appeared in two films: “The Statement” and “Young Adam.”

She played the role of the White Witch in the film “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in 2001. The film was a hit. She also appeared in the superhero film “Constantine” in 2005. The same year, she played Audrey Cobb in “Stephanie Daley.” 2007 saw her appear in four films, “The Man from London,” “Michael Clayton,” the documentary “Strange Culture,” and the short film “Sleepwalkers.”

Tilda Swinton reprised her role as the White Witch in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” in 2008. She starred as Julia in a film of the same name in 2008. She also appeared in the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” In 2009, she acted as Emma in “I Am Love” and appeared in “The Limit of Control.”

Tilda Swinton once again portrayed the role of the White Witch in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” in 2010. From 2011 to 2015, she worked in films like “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “Only Lovers Left Alive,” “Snowpiercer,” “The Zero Theorem,” and “Trainwreck.” She played the role of the Ancient One in the critically acclaimed box-office hit superhero film “Doctor Strange.” She also appeared in “Hail, Caesar!” in 2016. In 2017, she voiced Gertrude Bell in the documentary “Letters from Baghdad.”

In the 2018 sci-fi comedy titled “The Isle of Dogs,” she voiced Oracle. In 2019, she reprised her role as the Ancient One in the film “Avengers: Endgame.” She played Zelda Winston in the 2019 zombie film “The Dead Don’t Die.” She is to voice The Fairy with Turquoise Hair in the upcoming movie “Pinocchio.” She will also be appearing in films like “Memorial,” “The Souvenir Part II” and “The French Dispatch.”

Personal Life

Tilda Swinton and John Byrne dated from 1989 to 2003. They welcomed their twin children, Honor and Xavier Swinging Byrne, in 1997. She is currently involved with Sandro Kopp, who is a German painter. As of September 2020, she lives in Nairn, Scotland.