Samantha Morton

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Samantha Morton (born May 13, 1977) is an Oscar-nominated English actress.

Morton was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England and went to West Bridgford Comprehensive School. She began acting at an early age. By age 13 she was working on such television programs as Cracker. She eventually starred in television productions like Jane Eyre and The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.

Morton made her feature film debut in Under the Skin in 1997, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown in 1999. In 2002 she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for her work in Morvern Callar, followed by a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for In America in 2003. Morton also received critical acclaim for her performance in Minority Report.

Morton played the Moors Murderess Myra Hindley in a television film Longford for Channel 4 screened on October 26, 2006. Set between 1967 and 1997, the film depicts the relationship between the infamous child killer and Lord Longford, the politician who spent years campaigning for her release. Morton was severely criticised by the relatives of the children who were killed by Hindley and Ian Brady but she insisted, "It is my duty as a performer to raise issues...we're afraid to look at".[1]

She also appears in the controversial video for The Horrors' "Sheena is a Parasite" which has been banned from MTV^{[citation needed]}.

She has a daughter, Esme, with actor Charlie Creed-Miles. Morton is engaged to filmmaker Harry Holm, son of actor Ian Holm.