Tilda Swinton
Born: 1960-11-05 in London, England, UK
Known For: Acting
Biography
Katherine Matilda Swinton (born November 5, 1960) is an award-winning British actress of Scottish descent, known for her versatile roles in independent films and blockbusters. She is a recipient various accolades throughout her long career, including an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards, in addition to being nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and five Screen Actors Guild Awards. Swinton began her career by appearing in experimental films starting with Caravaggio (1986), followed by The Last of England (1988), War Requiem (1989), and The Garden (1990). She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her portrayal of Isabella of France in Edward II (1991). She next starred in Sally Potter's Orlando (1992), for which she received a nomination for the European Film Award for Best Actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance in The Deep End (2001), and followed this with appearances in Vanilla Sky (2001), Adaptation (2002), Constantine (2005), Julia (2008), and I Am Love (2009). For the film Young Adam (2003), she won the British Academy Scotland Award for Best Actress. Her performance in Michael Clayton (2007) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Additionally, she won the European Film Award for Best Actress and received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the psychological thriller We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). Swinton has also played the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia series (2005–2010) and the Ancient One in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Swinton was awarded the Richard Harris Award by the British Independent Film Awards in recognition of her contributions to the British film industry. In 2013, she was given a special tribute by the Museum of Modern Art. In 2020, Swinton was awarded the British Film Institute Fellowship, the highest honour presented by the institution, for her "daringly eclectic and striking talents as a performer and film-maker and recognizes her great contribution to film culture, independent film exhibition and philanthropy." That same year, The New York Times ranked her thirteenth on its list of the greatest actors of the 21st century up to that point.
Filmography
2026
- Broken English as The Overseer
- Heart of Light: Eleven Songs for Fiji
- WOLF as Narrator (voice)
- A Flower of Forgetfulness
2025
- Ballad of a Small Player as Cynthia Blithe
- The Coen Brothers - An American Story as Self
- The Tree
- Karl as Self
- Phantoms
- Camaraderie
- Timeslip
- Flat 19
- Instant Coffee as Self
2024
- Fantasmas as Water (voice)
- The Room Next Door as Martha / Michelle
- The End as Mother
- Problemista as Elizabeth
- Chroma
- A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things as Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (voice)
- The Hexagonal Hive and a Mouse in a Maze as Self
- January Stories
- Transparent
- Impulse: Playing with Reality as Narrator
- Obertura as The Gardenerette
2023
- The Killer as The Expert
- Asteroid City as Dr. Hickenlooper
- Cannes Uncut as Self
- Some Thoughts On The Common Toad as Narrator (voice)
- Personal History
- All Kinds of Love as Self
2022
- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio as Wood Sprite / Death (voice)
- Three Thousand Years of Longing as Alithea
- The Eternal Daughter as Julie / Rosalind
- Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema as Self
- Sleep Song
- Durmiente
- There Was a Tower: A Portrait of Mihály Víg ... (Executive Producer)
2021
- What If...? as The Ancient One (voice)
- Marvel Studios Legends as The Ancient One (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun as J.K.L. Berensen
- Memoria as Jessica Holland
- The Souvenir: Part II as Rosalind
- The Storms of Jeremy Thomas as Self
- Goliath: Playing with Reality as Narrator (voice)
2020
- Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema as Narrator (voice)
- The Human Voice as Woman
- Last and First Men as Narrator (voice)
- The Human Voice Q&A With Pedro Almodovar And Tilda Swinton, Hosted By Mark Kermode as Self
- Schlingensief – A Voice That Shook the Silence as Self (archive footage)
2019
- The Boys as Ambrosius (voice)
- Avengers: Endgame as The Ancient One
- What We Do in the Shadows as Tilda
- Uncut Gems as Anne - Adley's Auction Manager (voice)
- The Dead Don't Die as Zelda Winston
- The Personal History of David Copperfield as Betsey Trotwood
- The Souvenir as Rosalind
2018
- Isle of Dogs as Oracle (voice)
- Suspiria as Madame Blanc / Dr. Klemperer / Helena Markos
2017
- Call Me by Your Name ... (Thanks)
- Okja as Lucy Mirando / Nancy Mirando
- War Machine as German Politician
- Letters from Baghdad as Gertrude Bell (voice)
- Letters from Generation Rx as Narrator (voice)
- async - first light
- The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger as Self
- Tania Libre as Narrator (voice)
2016
- Doctor Strange as The Ancient One
- Hail, Caesar! as Thora Thacker / Thessaly Thacker
- Paterson ... (Thanks)
- Phantom of the Universe as Narrator
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- Trainwreck as Dianna
- A Bigger Splash as Marianne Lane
- B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989 as Self
- Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom' as Self / Social Services
- Dreams Rewired as Narrator (voice)
- Moonrise Kingdom Extras - Eleven iPhone Videos by Edward Norton. as Self
2014
- Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self - Guest
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- The Grand Budapest Hotel as Madame D.
- Antarctica: On the Edge as Narrator (voice)
- The Gospel According to St Derek as Self
- Travelling at Night with Jim Jarmusch as Self
- Snowpiercer: Transperceneige, From the Blank Page to the Black Screen as Self
- Tilda in de Menil Land
- Hot Dollar
2013
- Snowpiercer as Mason
- Only Lovers Left Alive as Eve
- The Zero Theorem as Dr. Shrink-Rom
- David Bowie: Five Years as Self (archive footage)
- Love Flesh as Self
- Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes as Narrator (voice)
- When Björk Met Attenborough as Narrator (voice)
- The Stars (Are Out Tonight)
- Death for a Unicorn as Narrator (voice)
- One Water
2012
- Moonrise Kingdom as Social Services
- Radioman as Self
- Ashes as Self
- Song 1 as Self
2011
- We Need to Talk About Kevin as Eva Khatchadourian
- Women, War & Peace as Narrator (voice)
- Cinema Is Everywhere as Self
- Planet Tilda
2010
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as White Witch
- I Am Love as Emma Recchi
- Behind Jim Jarmusch as Self
- Climate of Change as Narrator (voice)
- Orlando In Uzbekistan as Self
2009
- Getting On as Elke
- The Limits of Control as Blonde
- Moments on the Set of I Am Love as Self
- The Invisible Frame as The Cyclist
2008
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Elizabeth Abbott
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian as White Witch
- Burn After Reading as Katie Cox
- Julia as Julia
- The Man from London as Camélia
- DC Insiders Run Amuck as Self
- Derek as Narrator (voice)
- Finding the Burn as Self / Katie Cox (archive footage)
- The New Ten Commandments as Self
2007
- Michael Clayton as Karen Crowder
- Stephanie Daley as Lydie Crane
- Cannes: All Access as Self
- Here’s Looking at You, Boy as Self
- Sleepwalkers as Violinist Working As a Copy Clerk
- Strange Culture as Hope Kurtz
- Faceless as Narrator (voice)
- Hitler's Favourite Royal as Narrator
2006
- Galapagos as Self - Presenter
- Deep Water as Narrator (voice)
- Thumbsucker - Behind the Scenes as Self
2005
- Constantine as Gabriel
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as White Witch
- Made in Hollywood as Self
- Broken Flowers as Penny
- Thumbsucker as Audrey Cobb
- The Somme as Narrator (voice)
- Absent Presence
2003
- Young Adam as Ella Gault
- The Statement as Annemarie Livi
2002
- Adaptation. as Valerie Thomas
- Teknolust as Rosetta / Ruby / Marinne / Olive
- Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory as Self
2001
- Vanilla Sky as Rebecca Dearborn
- The Deep End as Margaret Hall
2000
- The Beach as Sal
- Possible Worlds as Joyce
- The Dilapidated Dwelling as Narrator (voice)
1999
- The War Zone as Mum
- The Protagonists as Actress
- Conceiving Ada as Ada Augusta Byron King, Countess of Lovelace
1998
- Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon as Muriel Belcher
1996
- The Daily Show as Self
- Female Perversions as Evelyn Stephens
1994
- Glitterbug as Self
- Visions of Heaven and Hell as Narrator (voice)
- Death of a World Star as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Remembrance of Things Fast: True Stories Visual Lies
1993
- Blue as (voice)
- Wittgenstein as Lady Ottoline Morrell
- The Open Universe as Carla
1992
- Shakespeare: The Animated Tales as Ophelia (voice)
- Orlando as Orlando
- Man to Man as Ella / Max Gerike
- Hamlet as Ophelia
1991
- Edward II as Isabella
- The Party: Nature Morte as Queenie
- Derek Jarman: A Portrait as Self
1990
- Your Cheatin' Heart as Cissie Crouch
- The Garden as Madonna/Voice Overs
- Your Cheatin' Heart
1989
- War Requiem as The Nurse
- Play Me Something as Hairdresser
- Volcano Saga as Gudrun
- A Call to Arms
1988
- Cycling the Frame as The Cyclist
- Degrees of Blindness
1987
- Aria as Young Girl
- The Last of England as The Maid
- Friendship's Death as Friendship
- Egomania: Island Without Hope as Sally
- Depuis le Jour
1986
- Caravaggio as Lena
- Zastrozzi: A Romance as Julia
- Caprice as Lucky
- The Sluggard as The Sluggard
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee