Born: 26 May 1966
Where: London, England
Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar, 2 BAFTAs, 4 Golden Globes
Height: 5' 3"

Helena Bonham Carter's career has been one long struggle against preconceptions and virus-like rumours. Many, particularly in America, believe her to be related to the Royal Family, and thus born with a silver spoon in her mouth - neither is true. Many more consider her to be the quintessential English rose, her pre-Raphaelite looks priming her for a lifetime of Shakespeare, EM Forster and Henry James adaptations. In fact, she's performed a huge variety of roles and, by birth, is actually far from pure-blood English. Only now, after her star-turn alongside Brad Pitt in Fight Club, her appearance with Steve Martin in Novocaine, and as Ari, an activist chimpanzee, in Tim Burton's Planet Of The Apes, has she come to be recognised for what she is - one of the UK's finest and most successful contemporary actresses.

She may not be royalty but, born in Golders Green, north London, on May 26th, 1966, Helena does come from classy stock. Her great-grandfather was Lord Asquith, liberal Prime Minister between 1908 and 1916. Her grandmother was Violet Bonham Carter, a renowned politician, orator and member of the House Of Lords (an excellent female role model), while her grand-uncle was Anthony Asquith, legendary English director of such classics as Carrington VC and The Importance Of Being Earnest. Yet, despite this exceptionally English bloodline, Helena's corpuscles are a heady mix, her father, Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant banker by trade, having married Elena, predominantly French and Spanish - with a smattering of Jewish, Russian and Viennese for good measure.