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Minnie Driver (born January 31, 1970) is an Emmy-, BAFTA- and Academy Award-nominated English actress and singer-songwriter. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting.Early life

Minnie Driver was born Amelia Fiona J. Driver in Finsbury Park, London, the daughter of Gaynor Churchward (née Millington) a designer and former couture model, and Ronnie Driver, a businessman. Her sister, Kate Driver, is a model and producer. Driver has Scottish, Irish, Italian and French ancestry. Driver’s mother was her father’s mistress, and her father’s wife was not aware of his other family. She was raised in Barbados, and educated at Bedales school near Petersfield, Hampshire, England, and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Acting career

Before receiving worldwide recognition, she appeared on British television with renowned comedians such as Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci and had small parts in such shows as Casualty, Lovejoy and Peak Practice, among others. Driver first came to broad public attention when she played the lead role in Circle of Friends in 1995 and then with her Academy Award nominated performance in Good Will Hunting in 1997. In 2003 and 2004, she had a noted recurring role on Will & Grace as Lorraine Finster, the nemesis of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) and daughter of Karen’s lover, Lyle Finster (John Cleese). Driver has also worked on several animated features, including Disney’s 1999 version of Tarzan and the 1999 dubbed-English version of the Japanese film Princess Mononoke.

On March 12, 2007, Driver made her return to television starring alongside Eddie Izzard on the FX Network show The Riches, a series about a family of Travellers living in an upscale gated community in the suburbs. She was nominated for the 2007 Emmy Award as Best Actress in a Dramatic Series.