Biography - Tilda Swinton

British actress Tilda Swinton possesses exhilarating beauty, a muse-like screen presence, and acting talents that have set her apart from many of her contemporaries. Known for taking on daring roles for experimental directors, she has branched out to more mainstream projects in the past few years, and has recently received an Oscar nomination for her bold turn in the George Clooney-starring “Michael Clayton.”

After working with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company, Swinton began a film career in the 80s. She rose to fame as a protégé and frequent collaborator of experimental gay director, writer, and artist Derek Jarman. Famous for his visually iconoclastic, often violent film art that commonly eschewed conventional narrative (“Jubilee,” “Caravaggio”), Jarman utilized Swinton’s unique talents in pieces including “Aria,” “Caravaggio,” “Blue,” “Edward II,” “Wittgenstein,” and others. The fruitful collaboration ended with Jarman’s tragic death from AIDS complications in 1994, an untimely end to the life of one of the great screen artists of the last 30 years. Swinton recently completed work as the narrator of Isaac Julien’s documentary on Jarman, entitled “Derek.” It had its premiere at the 59th Berlinale.

Swinton’s list of credits is impressive by any standards, but especially considering that she has remained outside of the Hollywood mainstream. Her most well-known films include Sally Potter’s “Orlando,” “The Deep End” (a remarkable performance), “The Beach,” “Adaptation,” “Thumbsucker,” “Broken Flowers,” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” Swinton’s performance in “Michael Clayton” as a cutthroat, icy corporate litigator has earned her near-universal acclaim along with a BAFTA Award and an Oscar nomination. Though “Narnia” exposed her to tens of millions around the world, her most high-profile roles to date are expected in 2008 with David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett), Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Burn After Reading” (with George Clooney and Brad Pitt), an appearance in “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” and Marilyn Manson’s Tim Burton-esque gothic fantasy “Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.”