Helena Bonham Carter
English actress (born 1966)
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- Her brother Edward is married to TV presenter Victoria Studd.
- She gave birth to her second child, a girl, on December 15th, 2007. She was 41, and her fiancé was 49.
- She is the granddaughter of Violet Bonham Carter, a Life Peeress in her own right and the niece of Mark Bonham Carter, who was created a Life Peer in his own right as well. Her half-Spanish mother 'Elena Propper de Callejon' is niece of Baroness Liliane de Rothschild, née Fould-Springer.
- She is the daughter of a prominent British banker and the great-granddaughter of Asquith, the Liberal prime minister.
- Delivered her first child, a boy, Billy Ray, with boyfriend Tim Burton on October 6, 2003.
- Turned down the role of Bess in Breaking the Waves (1996) due to the sexual content. The role went to Emily Watson who was nominated for an Oscar for that role.
- Engaged to director Tim Burton (October 2001 - present).
- In May 2006, she launched her own fashion line, "The Pantaloonies," with swimwear designer Samantha Sage. Their first collection, called Bloomin' Bloomers, is a Victoriana style selection of camisoles, mop caps and bloomers. The duo are now working on Pantaloonies customized jeans which Helena describes as "a kind of scrapbook on the bum.".
- Was cast as Bellatrix Lestrange after Helen McCrory became pregnant, and would have been nearly full-term when her scenes were shot. She returned to the role for one scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008), opposite McCrory as her sister Narcissa Malfoy. Ironically, Carter was able to be in this scene because it was scheduled to be filmed after she gave birth to her own child.
- Cousin of Crispin Bonham-Carter and Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter.
- Is close friends with Johnny Depp, who often works with her husband, Tim Burton. In fact, Depp is the godfather of her child with Burton, Billy Ray.
- Given indefinite leave from the set of Terminator Salvation in Mexico after her relatives were on a South African safari holiday on Wednesday, 20 August, 2008, when the minibus they were travelling in spun out of control and flipped after a tyre burst. Helena's cousin, Fiona Bonham Carter, 51, escaped with a broken shoulder but Fiona's son Marcus Egerton-Warburton, 14; mother Brenda, 74; stepfather Francis Kirkwood, 75; and sister-in-law Kay Boardman, 54, all died.
- She is a first cousin of Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter, and only a distant cousin of Crispin Bonham-Carter: Crispin's father, Peter Malcolm Bonham-Carter, is a third cousin of Helena Bonham Carter. The first ancestors that Crispin and Helena have in common, are John Bonham-Carter (1788-1838) and his wife Joanna Maria Smith (1791-1884).
- Great-granddaughter of H.H. Asquith, British Prime Minister (1908-1916).
- In 2005, her voice appeared in two stop-motion animated films. They were Corpse Bride (2005) and Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005). Both films were nominated for the Academy award for best animated film. The award went to Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
- Was cast as Bellatrix Lestrange after Helen McCrory became pregnant, and would have been nearly full-term when her scenes were shot. She returned to the role for one scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), opposite McCrory as her sister Narcissa Malfoy. Ironically, Carter was able to be in this scene because it was scheduled to be filmed after she gave birth to her own child.
- Tested for the role of Nancy Spungen in Sid and Nancy (1986).
- Is close friends with Johnny Depp, who often works with her fiancé, Tim Burton. In fact, Depp is the godfather of her child with Burton, Billy Ray.
- Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.
- Planned to return to the West End with an appearance in "Rubenstein's Kiss"; however, the play was delayed because of her busy schedule. The production, also set to star Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet fame, was due to open in November 2004 but has now been postponed.
- Engaged to director Tim Burton (2001 - present) 2 children.
- She was denied admission to King's College, Cambridge University, not because of her grades or her test scores but because school officials were afraid that she would leave mid-term to pursue her acting career. Because of Cambridge's rejection, Helena decided to concentrate fully on acting.
- Speaks French fluently.
- Her father was severely paralyzed by botched brain surgery in the 1980s.