Samantha Morton Biography
Summary
"Samantha Jane Morton" (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress and film director.
A campaigner for social justice, she is an ambassador for the Save the Children organisation. Because of her acting and commitment to political activism, a "Sunday Times" journalist described her as 'a working-class Vanessa Redgrave'.
Morton has twice been nominated for an Academy Award, twice for a BAFTA Award, twice for a Golden Globe and once each for an Emmy Award and SAG Award. Morton's acting has been recognised by several organizations, including the London Critics Circle, Toronto Film Critics Association, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Evening Standard British Film Awards, the European Film Awards, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, and the Satellite Awards.
Early life
Morton is the third child born in Clifton, Nottingham to Peter Morton and Pamela Freebury, a factory worker. She has a brother and a sister - Marcus (born 1971) is a Royal Marine, Penny (born 1972) works with children with learning disabilities - and six half-siblings from her parents' relationships subsequent to their 1979 divorce. At the age of seven, Morton was made a ward of court and never lived with her natural parents again. The next nine years were spent in and out of foster care and children's homes. She attended West Bridgford Comprehensive School, and, for a while, Haywood Comprehensive School, and was known for always getting in trouble. Under the effects of drugs, she threatened an older girl who had been bullying her. She was convicted of making threats to kill. She served 18 weeks in an attendance centre. Morton said in an interview, 'as a child I had a serious anger problem, but from the age of 16 I've been trying to turn bad things into positives'. She had an abortion at age 16. After leaving care, she lived in a hostel for the homeless and worked on a Youth Training Scheme in hairdressing.
Career
Morton took up acting as a child. She joined the Central Junior Television Workshop when she was thirteen and was soon being offered small-screen roles. In 1991 she was cast as Clare Anderson in the first series of Lucy Gannon's "Soldier Soldier" and also made a guest appearance, as Mandy, in an episode of "Boon" - both were Central TV productions.
Moving to London at sixteen, Morton applied to numerous drama schools, including RADA, without success. As a result she received no further formal acting training. Despite this she made her stage debut at the Royal Court Theatre, and continued her television career with a guest appearance on "Peak Practice" and an impressive performance in a memorable episode of "Cracker": 'The Big Crunch'.
A controversial role in the second series of Kay Mellor's successful "Band of Gold" (1995) resulted in a lot of tabloid interest, some of which focused on Morton's upbringing and personal life. Further television roles followed, including parts in period dramas including "Emma", "Jane Eyre" and "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling". Morton's reputation was growing fast and she was now able to move into films. The well-received "Under the Skin" (1997) continued to raise her profile and impressed Woody Allen enough for him to cast her in "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999). Morton gave an acclaimed performance and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2000. In 2002 Morton won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for her work in "Morvern Callar", followed by a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for "In America" in 2004.
Morton has also appeared in a number of music videos. She worked with director Chris Cunningham for English garage rock band The Horrors' debut video, 'Sheena Is a Parasite'; and played a mermaid opposite Larry Mullen in the Anton Corbijn-directed promotional video for U2's 'Electrical Storm'.
Morton played the Moors Murderess Myra Hindley in a television film "Longford" (2006). Set between 1967 and 1997, the film depicts the relationship between the infamous child killer and Lord Longford, the politician who spent years campaigning for her release. Morton was severely criticised by the relatives of the children who were killed by Hindley and Ian Brady but she insisted, 'It is my duty as a performer to raise issues...we're afraid to look at'. Morton received a 2007 Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, both for Best Supporting Actress.
Her directorial debut, the semi-autobiographical Channel 4 drama "The Unloved", written in collaboration with Tony Grisoni, was first broadcast on 17 May 2009.
Personal life
Morton has two daughters: Esme (born 5 February 2000 in London), with actor Charlie Creed-Miles; and Edie (born 4 January 2008 in London), with filmmaker Harry Holm. Morton is engaged to Holm, the son of actor Ian Holm. She lives in Spitalfields, East London.
It was reported, in March 2008, that Morton had suffered a stroke two years earlier. As a result she was said to have been close to death and had to relearn how to walk and talk.
Whilst attending a fundraiser for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in January 2009, she vowed to never work for the BBC again after their refusal to broadcast an emergency charity appeal for the victims of Israel's attack on Gaza on 27 December 2008. She was later joined by Tam Dean Burn, Pauline Goldmsith, Peter Mullan and Alison Peebles who also threatened to boycott the Corporation.
March 2009 saw Morton return to her home town to show her support for its children's homes and protest against the threatened closure, by Nottingham City Council, of one of the four establishments with 24 social-care staff facing redundancy.
Filmography
Film
"John Carter of Mars" (2012) ... Sola (director: Andrew Stanton)
"The Messenger" (2009) ... Olivia Pitterson (director: Oren Moverman)
"The Daisy Chain" (2008) ... Martha Conroy (director: Aisling Walsh)
"Synecdoche, New York" (2008) ... Hazel (director: Charlie Kaufman)
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (2007) ... Mary Queen of Scots (director: Shekhar Kapur)
"Mister Lonely" (2007) ... Marilyn Monroe impersonator (director: Harmony Korine)
"Control" (2007) ... Deborah Curtis (director: Anton Corbijn)
"Expired" (2007) ... Claire (director: Cecilia Miniucchi)
"Sheena Is a Parasite" (2006) ... Sheena; promotional music video (director: Chris Cunningham)
"Free Jimmy" (2006) ... Sonia (voice)
"Lassie" (2005) ... Sarah Carraclough (director: Charles Sturridge)
"The Libertine" (2005) ... Elizabeth Barry (director: Laurence Dunmore)
"River Queen" (2005) ... Sarah O'Brien (director: Vincent Ward)
"Enduring Love" (2004) ... Claire (director: Roger Michell)
"Code 46" (2003) ... Maria Gonzales (director: Michael Winterbottom)
"In America" (2003) ... Sarah (director: Jim Sheridan)
"Morvern Callar" (2002) ... Morvern (director: Lynne Ramsay)
"Minority Report" (2002) ... Agatha (director: Steven Spielberg)
"Electrical Storm" (2002) ... Mermaid; promotional music video (director: Anton Corbijn)
"Pandaemonium" (2000) ... Sara Coleridge (director: Julien Temple)
"Dreaming of Joseph Lees" (1999) ... Eva (director: Eric Styles)
"Jesus' Son" (1999) ... Michelle (director: Alison Maclean)
"Sweet and Lowdown" (1999) ... Hattie (director: Woody Allen)
"The Last Yellow" (1999) ... Jackie (director: Julian Farino)
"Under the Skin" (1997) ... Iris Kelly (director: Carine Adler)
"This Is the Sea" (1997) ... Hazel Stokes (director: Mary McGuckian)
Television
"Longford" ... Myra Hindley; 26 October 2006, Channel 4 (director: Tom Hooper)
"Max and Ruby" ... Ruby (voice); 2002-03
"The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" ... Sophia Western; 9 November - 7 December 1997, ITV
"Jane Eyre" (1997) ... Jane Eyre; 9 March 1997 (director: Robert Young)
"Emma" (1996) ... Harriet Smith; 24 November 1996, ITV (director: Diarmuid Lawrence)
"The Future Lasts a Long Time" ... May; 1996 (director: David Jackson)
"The Vet" ... Amanda Mulholland; 28 May - 11 June 1995, ITV
"Band of Gold" ... Tracy Richards; 12 March 1995 - 7 April 1996, ITV
"Cracker" (1994) ... Joanne Barnes in 'The Big Crunch'; 31 October - 7 November 1994, ITV
"Peak Practice" ... Abbey, aka Pauline Jones in 'Abbey' (#2.10); 3 May 1994, ITV
"The Token King" ... Vicky; 10 November 1993, ITV
"Boon" ... Mandy in 'Cab Rank Cowboys' (#6.9); 19 November 1991, ITV
"Soldier Soldier" ... Clare Anderson; 10 June - 22 July 1991, ITV
Non-acting roles
"The Unloved" ... Writer and Director; 17 May 2009, Channel 4
Awards and nominations
Academy Awards
2000: Best Actress in a Supporting Role: "Sweet and Lowdown" - nominee
2004: Best Actress in a Leading Role: "In America" - nominee
BAFTA
2007: TV Award for Best Actress: "Longford" - nominee
2008: Film Award for Best Supporting Actress: "Control" - nominee
Golden Globe
2000: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: "Sweet and Lowdown" - nominee
2008: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: "Longford" - "winner"
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Samantha Morton.
