Bonham Carter, Helena (1966– )

English actor. Her early career saw her typecast as an aristocratic or upper-middle-class heroine in such films as Room with a View (1985) and Howard's End (1992), and her work continues to be dominated by period costume dramas, including The Wings of the Dove (1997) and Henry VIII (2003; for television). She became a key company member in the film productions of both Kenneth Branagh and Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.

Bonham Carter's performances in Mighty Aphrodite (1995), Fight Club (1999), Planet of the Apes (2001), Novocaine (2001), Till Human Voices Wake Us (2002), and Big Fish (2003), and guest appearances on UK television suggest a greater range and versatility than was apparent in her period costume dramas.

She was born into an aristocratic family in London, England, the great-granddaughter of Herbert Henry Asquith, UK prime minister 1908–16. Her dark hair, pale skin, and heart-shaped face, as well as her refinement and reserve, suited her for roles in period pieces, and she made her stage debut at the age of 18 as Lady Grey in Trevor Nunn's Lady Jane (1986). She also starred in the Shakespearean film adaptations Hamlet (1990) and Twelfth Night (1996).