Helena Bonham Carter is an actress of remarkable versatility, hailed as one of the UK's finest and most successful. Born on May 26, 1966, in Golders Green, London, England, she is the youngest of three children to Elena (née Propper de Callejón),a psychotherapist, and Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant banker. Through her father, 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.
Helena's maternal grandfather, Eduardo Propper de Callejón, was a Spanish diplomat who was awarded the honorific Righteous Among the Nations, by Israel, for helping save Jews during World War II. Her maternal grandmother, Hélène Fould-Springer, was from an upper-class Jewish family from France, Austria, and Germany, and later converted to her husband's Catholic faith.
Helena experienced family dramas during her childhood, including her father's stroke, which left him wheelchair-bound. She attended South Hampstead High School and Westminster School in London, and subsequently devoted herself to an acting career.
Her early work led to her being referred to as the "corset queen" or "English rose." She continued to surprise audiences with magnificent performances in a variety of roles, from traditional corset-clad characters to dark and neurotic anti-heroines.
In the late 1990s, Helena embarked on the next phase of her career, moving from capable actress to compelling star. Her late '90s and early and mid 2000s roles included notable credits such as Live from Baghdad, The Theory of Flight, Twelfth Night, Mighty Aphrodite, Margaret's Museum, Frankenstein, Hamlet, Novocaine, Planet of the Apes, The Heart of Me, Big Fish, and more.
Helena has also managed a few television appearances, including her portrayal of Jacqui Jackson in Magnificent 7, Anne Boleyn in the two-parter biopic of Henry VIII, and Morgan Le Fey in Merlin. She has also appeared on stage in productions of Trelawney of the Wells, The Barber of Seville, House of Bernarda Alba, The Chalk Garden, and Woman in White.
Helena was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in partner Tim Burton's film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. For the role, she was awarded Best Actress at the Evening Standard British Film Awards 2008.
