Tilda Swinton
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.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · Die Coen-Brüder - Eine amerikanische Geschichte as Self
- 2025 · Phantoms as
- 2025 · Camaraderie as
- 2025 · Karl as Self
- 2024 · Impulse: Playing with Reality as Narrator
- 2023 · Cannes Uncut as Self
- 2022 · Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema as Self
- 2022 · Durmiente as
- 2022 · Sleep Song as
- 2021 · Goliath: Playing with Reality as Narrator (voice)
- 2021 · The Souvenir: Part II as Rosalind
- 2021 · Memoria as Jessica Holland
- 2020 · The Human Voice as Woman
- 2020 · Last and First Men as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Tania Libre as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom' as Self / Social Services
- 2014 · Antarctica: On the Edge as Narrator (voice)
- 2014 · Travelling at Night with Jim Jarmusch as Self
- 2013 · Love Flesh as Self
- 2013 · Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Ashes as Self
- 2012 · Song 1 as Self
- 2011 · Women, War & Peace as Narrator (voice)
- 2010 · Behind Jim Jarmusch as Self
- 2010 · I Am Love as Emma Recchi
- 2009 · The Limits of Control as Blonde
- 2008 · Finding the Burn as Self / Katie Cox (archive footage)
- 2008 · Derek as Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · Cannes: All Access as Self
- 2007 · Sleepwalkers as Violinist Working As a Copy Clerk
- 2005 · The Somme as Narrator (voice)
- 2002 · Teknolust as Rosetta / Ruby / Marinne / Olive
- 1998 · Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon as Muriel Belcher
- 1994 · Death of a World Star as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1993 · Wittgenstein as Lady Ottoline Morrell
- 1992 · Man to Man as Ella / Max Gerike
- 1990 · Your Cheatin' Heart as Cissie Crouch
- 1989 · Volcano Saga as Gudrun
- 1987 · Aria as Young Girl
- 1986 · Caprice as Lucky
- Future · Hamlet as Ophelia
- Future · Untitled Apichatpong Weerasethakul Dreams Project as
- 1989 · Play Me Something as Hairdresser
- 1987 · Friendship's Death as Friendship
- 1986 · Zastrozzi: A Romance as Julia
- Future · Jenjira’s Magnificent Dream as
- 2026 · Heart of Light: Eleven Songs For Fiji as
- 2025 · The Tree as
- 2025 · Ballad of a Small Player as Cynthia Blithe
- 2025 · Timeslip as
- 2025 · Broken English as The Overseer
- 2025 · Instant Coffee as Self
- 2024 · The End as Mother
- 2024 · A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things as Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (voice)
- 2024 · The Room Next Door as Martha / Michelle
- 2024 · January Stories as
- 2024 · Chroma as
- 2024 · The Hexagonal Hive and a Mouse in a Maze as Self
- 2024 · Transparent as
- 2024 · Fantasmas as Water (voice)
- 2024 · Problemista as Elizabeth
- 2023 · The Killer as The Expert
- 2023 · All Kinds of Love as Self
- 2023 · Some Thoughts On The Common Toad as Narrator (voice)
- 2023 · Asteroid City as Dr. Hickenlooper
- 2022 · The Eternal Daughter as Julie / Rosalind
- 2022 · Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio as Wood Sprite / Death (voice)
- 2022 · Three Thousand Years of Longing as Alithea
- 2021 · The Storms of Jeremy Thomas as Self
- 2021 · The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun as J.K.L. Berensen
- 2021 · What If...? as The Ancient One (voice)
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Legends as The Ancient One (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2020 · The Human Voice Q&A With Pedro Almodovar And Tilda Swinton, Hosted By Mark Kermode as Self
- 2020 · Schlingensief – A Voice That Shook the Silence as Self (archive footage)
- 2019 · The Personal History of David Copperfield as Betsey Trotwood
- 2019 · Uncut Gems as Anne - Adley's Auction Manager (voice)
- 2019 · The Boys as Ambrosius (voice)
- 2019 · The Souvenir as Rosalind
- 2019 · The Dead Don't Die as Zelda Winston
- 2019 · Avengers: Endgame as The Ancient One
- 2019 · What We Do in the Shadows as Tilda
- 2018 · Suspiria as Madame Blanc / Dr. Klemperer / Helena Markos
- 2018 · Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · Isle of Dogs as Oracle (voice)
- 2017 · Letters from Generation Rx as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Okja as Lucy Mirando / Nancy Mirando
- 2017 · The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger as Self
- 2017 · War Machine as German Politician
- 2017 · Letters from Baghdad as Gertrude Bell (voice)
- 2017 · async - first light as
- 2016 · Doctor Strange as The Ancient One
- 2016 · Phantom of the Universe as Narrator
- 2016 · Hail, Caesar! as Thora Thacker / Thessaly Thacker
- 2015 · A Bigger Splash as Marianne Lane
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- 2015 · Trainwreck as Dianna
- 2015 · B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-1989 as Self
- 2015 · Dreams Rewired as Narrator (voice)
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · The Gospel According to St Derek as Self
- 2014 · Snowpiercer: Transperceneige, From the Blank Page to the Black Screen as Self
- 2014 · The Grand Budapest Hotel as Madame D.
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self - Guest
- 2014 · Hot Dollar as
- 2013 · Only Lovers Left Alive as Eve
- 2013 · The Zero Theorem as Dr. Shrink-Rom
- 2013 · Snowpiercer as Mason
- 2013 · Death for a Unicorn as Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · When Björk Met Attenborough as Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · David Bowie: Five Years as Self (archive footage)
- 2013 · One Water as
- 2013 · The Stars (Are Out Tonight) as
- 2012 · Radioman as Self
- 2012 · Moonrise Kingdom as Social Services
- 2011 · Cinema Is Everywhere as Self
- 2011 · We Need to Talk About Kevin as Eva Khatchadourian
- 2010 · The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as White Witch
- 2010 · Climate of Change as Narrator (voice)
- 2009 · The Invisible Frame as The Cyclist
- 2009 · Getting On as Elke
- 2009 · Moments on the Set of I Am Love as Self
- 2008 · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Elizabeth Abbott
- 2008 · DC Insiders Run Amuck as Self
- 2008 · The Man from London as Camélia
- 2008 · Burn After Reading as Katie Cox
- 2008 · The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian as White Witch
- 2008 · Julia as Julia
- 2008 · The New Ten Commandments as Self
- 2007 · Michael Clayton as Karen Crowder
- 2007 · Stephanie Daley as Lydie Crane
- 2007 · Faceless as Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · Here’s Looking at You, Boy as Self
- 2007 · Strange Culture as Hope Kurtz
- 2007 · Hitler's Favourite Royal as Narrator
- 2006 · Deep Water as Narrator (voice)
- 2006 · Galapagos as Self - Presenter
- 2006 · Thumbsucker - Behind the Scenes as Self
- 2005 · The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as White Witch
- 2005 · Made in Hollywood as Self
- 2005 · Thumbsucker as Audrey Cobb
- 2005 · Broken Flowers as Penny
- 2005 · Absent Presence as
- 2005 · Constantine as Gabriel
- 2003 · The Statement as Annemarie Livi
- 2003 · Young Adam as Ella Gault
- 2002 · Adaptation. as Valerie Thomas
- 2002 · Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory as Self
- 2001 · Vanilla Sky as Rebecca Dearborn
- 2001 · The Deep End as Margaret Hall
- 2000 · The Dilapidated Dwelling as Narrator (voice)
- 2000 · Possible Worlds as Joyce
- 2000 · The Beach as Sal
- 1999 · The Protagonists as Actress
- 1999 · The War Zone as Mum
- 1999 · Conceiving Ada as Ada Augusta Byron King, Countess of Lovelace
- 1997 · Female Perversions as Evelyn Stephens
- 1996 · The Daily Show as Self
- 1994 · Remembrance of Things Fast: True Stories Visual Lies as
- 1994 · Glitterbug as Self
- 1994 · Visions of Heaven and Hell as Narrator (voice)
- 1993 · The Open Universe as Carla
- 1993 · Blue as (voice)
- 1992 · Orlando as Orlando
- 1992 · Shakespeare: The Animated Tales as Ophelia (voice)
- 1991 · Edward II as Isabella
- 1991 · The Party: Nature Morte as Queenie
- 1991 · Derek Jarman: A Portrait as Self
- 1990 · Your Cheatin' Heart as
- 1990 · The Garden as Madonna/Voice Overs
- 1989 · War Requiem as The Nurse
- 1989 · A Call to Arms as
- 1988 · Cycling the Frame as The Cyclist
- 1988 · Degrees of Blindness as
- 1987 · The Last of England as The Maid
- 1987 · Egomania: Island Without Hope as Sally
- Future · Death in Her Hands as Vesta Gul
- 1987 · Depuis le Jour as
- 1986 · Caravaggio as Lena
- 1986 · The Sluggard as The Sluggard
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee
- Future · WOLF as