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.
The roles that explain the career.
80 credits across 2 departments.
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | A Flower of Forgetfulness | Film | |
| 2026 | WOLF | Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 2026 | Broken English | The Overseer | Film |
| 2025 | Tilda Swinton: The Wildcard | Self (archive) | Film |
| 2025 | Ballad of a Small Player | Cynthia Blithe | Film |
| 2024 | Problemista | Elizabeth | Film |
| 2024 | The Room Next Door | Martha / Michelle | Film |
| 2023 | All Kinds of Love | Self | Film |
| 2023 | The Killer | The Expert | Film |
| 2023 | Asteroid City | Dr. Hickenlooper | Film |
| 2022 | Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | Wood Sprite / Death (voice) | Film |
| 2022 | Three Thousand Years of Longing | Alithea | Film |
| 2021 | Memoria | Jessica Holland | Film |
| 2021 | The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun | J.K.L. Berensen | Film |
| 2020 | Schlingensief – A Voice That Shook the Silence | Self (archive footage) | Film |
| 2019 | The Personal History of David Copperfield | Betsey Trotwood | Film |
| 2019 | The Dead Don't Die | Zelda Winston | Film |
| 2019 | The Souvenir | Rosalind | Film |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | The Ancient One | Film |
| 2018 | Isle of Dogs | Oracle (voice) | Film |
| 2018 | Suspiria | Madame Blanc / Dr. Klemperer / Helena Markos | Film |
| 2017 | War Machine | German Politician | Film |
| 2016 | Hail, Caesar! | Thora Thacker / Thessaly Thacker | Film |
| 2016 | Doctor Strange | The Ancient One | Film |
| 2015 | A Bigger Splash | Marianne Lane | Film |
| 2015 | Trainwreck | Dianna | Film |
| 2014 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | Madame D. | Film |
| 2013 | The Zero Theorem | Dr. Shrink-Rom | Film |
| 2013 | David Bowie: Five Years | Self (archive footage) | Film |
| 2013 | Snowpiercer | Mason | Film |
| 2013 | Love Flesh | Self | Film |
| 2013 | When Björk Met Attenborough | Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 2012 | Radioman | Self | Film |
| 2012 | Moonrise Kingdom | Social Services | Film |
| 2011 | Cinema Is Everywhere | Self | Film |
| 2011 | We Need to Talk About Kevin | Eva Khatchadourian | Film |
| 2010 | Climate of Change | Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 2010 | I Am Love | Emma Recchi | Film |
| 2010 | Behind Jim Jarmusch | Self | Film |
| 2010 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | White Witch | Film |
| 2009 | The Limits of Control | Blonde | Film |
| 2009 | The Invisible Frame | The Cyclist | Film |
| 2008 | The Man from London | Camélia | Film |
| 2008 | Julia | Julia | Film |
| 2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | White Witch | Film |
| 2008 | Derek | Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 2008 | Burn After Reading | Katie Cox | Film |
| 2008 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Elizabeth Abbott | Film |
| 2007 | Stephanie Daley | Lydie Crane | Film |
| 2007 | Strange Culture | Hope Kurtz | Film |
| 2007 | Hitler's Favourite Royal | Narrator | Film |
| 2006 | Deep Water | Narrator (voice) | Film |
| 2005 | Broken Flowers | Penny | Film |
| 2005 | Thumbsucker | Audrey Cobb | Film |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | White Witch | Film |
| 2005 | Constantine | Gabriel | Film |
| 2003 | Young Adam | Ella Gault | Film |
| 2003 | The Statement | Annemarie Livi | Film |
| 2002 | Teknolust | Rosetta / Ruby / Marinne / Olive | Film |
| 2001 | The Deep End | Margaret Hall | Film |
| 2001 | Vanilla Sky | Rebecca Dearborn | Film |
| 2000 | Possible Worlds | Joyce | Film |
| 2000 | The Beach | Sal | Film |
| 1999 | The War Zone | Mum | Film |
| 1999 | Conceiving Ada | Ada Augusta Byron King, Countess of Lovelace | Film |
| 1999 | The Protagonists | Actress | Film |
| 1998 | Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon | Muriel Belcher | Film |
| 1997 | Who Ordered Sausage? | The Sausage (flashback) | Film |
| 1996 | Female Perversions | Evelyn Stephens | Film |
| 1994 | Glitterbug | Self | Film |
| 1993 | Wittgenstein | Lady Ottoline Morrell | Film |
| 1993 | Blue | (voice) | Film |
| 1992 | Orlando | Orlando | Film |
| 1991 | Edward II | Isabella | Film |
| 1990 | The Garden | Madonna/Voice Overs | Film |
| 1989 | War Requiem | The Nurse | Film |
| 1989 | Volcano Saga | Gudrun | Film |
| 1987 | Aria | Young Girl | Film |
| 1987 | The Last of England | The Maid | Film |
| 1986 | Caravaggio | Lena | Film |
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