Minnie Driver

Minnie Driver is a British actor and singer whose breakthrough came in the 1995 film *Circle of Friends*. Born Amelia Fiona Jessica Driver in London on January 31, 1970, she studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. In *Circle of Friends*, adapted from Maeve Binchy’s novel, she played Benny Hogan, an Irish student navigating friendship and romance in 1950s Dublin. The role brought Driver wider attention and led to a run of prominent films during the late 1990s.

In the 1997 comedy *Grosse Pointe Blank*, Driver played Debi Newberry, the former girlfriend of John Cusack’s hitman, Martin Blank. That same year, she appeared in *Good Will Hunting* as Skylar, a Harvard student who forms a relationship with Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon. Her performance earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Driver went on to star opposite David Duchovny in the 2000 romantic drama *Return to Me*, playing Grace Briggs, a woman who has received a heart transplant. She also portrayed the opera diva Carlotta Giudicelli in the 2004 film adaptation of *The Phantom of the Opera*.

Television has been another substantial part of Driver’s career. From 2007 to 2008, she starred with Eddie Izzard in FX’s *The Riches*, playing Dahlia Malloy, a member of a family of con artists who assume another family’s identity. The role brought her an Emmy nomination. From 2016 to 2019, she played Maya DiMeo in ABC’s *Speechless*. Maya is the fiercely protective mother of three children, including JJ, a teenager with cerebral palsy played by Micah Fowler. The sitcom drew much of its comedy from the DiMeos’ family life while addressing JJ’s access to school and public spaces. Driver later played Elizabeth I in the second season of *The Serpent Queen*.

Driver has also released music under her own name. Her albums include *Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket* (2004), *Seastories* (2007), and *Ask Me to Dance* (2014). In 2022, she published *Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays*, a collection that recounts episodes from her childhood, relationships, and work in entertainment. Across these projects, her career extends beyond the film performances for which she first became widely known: it includes leading television roles, recorded music, and autobiographical writing.