Happy birthday, Helena Bonham Carter!
In honor of her 49th birthday this week, here are 10 reasons we’re celebrating the life of this two-time Oscar-nominated actress:
10. Helena Bonham Carter was born with distinction. On May 26, 1966, she entered the world a member of one of Britain’s most notable political families. She was also apparently born with her distinct fashion sense, as seen here:
Decades later, she cocreated a clothing line called the Pantaloonies, which included mop-cap bonnets like the one she’s wearing in the above photo.
9. Bonham Carter’s wonderfully unique outfits have long been a topic of interest in interviews. Watch David Letterman ask about her stockings in 1996:
And here she proudly rejects any criticism of her fashion choices:
Now check out a gallery of some of her more interesting red-carpet looks:
8. Even future celebrities have celebrity crushes, and as a teen Bonham Carter was in love with Jeremy Irons. Surprisingly, the closest they’ve gotten to sharing the screen together is in back-to-back shots of this opening to the 1998 Oscars, when she was first nominated for Best Actress for The Wings of a Dove:
7. Although her breakout role came in 1985 playing the lead in A Room with a View, it’s likely that more Americans first saw her on episodes of Miami Vice in 1987, playing Don Johnson’s love interest.
6. Here is a glimpse of Helena Bonham Carter’s movie career in five great GIFs:
5. She has shown she’s not afraid to cover up her beauty for a part. Check out three more roles where she had to sit in a makeup chair for hours to become totally unrecognizable:
4. Bonham Carter has a great appreciation for poetry, and she’d like to share some favorites with you here:
Sometimes the actress pairs up with Tom Hiddleston in their shared love of verse, as heard in these readings of Edward Lear’s “The Duck and the Kangaroo” and the Winnie the Pooh tale “Us Two”:
3. She’s proven her singing chops in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Les Miserables, and it’s not all movie and recording-studio magic. Here she is performing live as she takes on the part of Sally for a special The Nightmare Before Christmas concert:
In addition to her vocal talent, though, she’s also pretty good at lip-synching, as evidenced in this music video for Rufus Wainwright’s “Out of the Game”:
2. With so many distinct characters under her belt, it’s not surprising how much Helena Bonham Carter fan art there is showcasing her many roles. Below are some of our favorites:
And here’s some special fan art of Bonham Carter by her former romantic partner and regular collaborator Tim Burton:
1. Like all the best celebrities, Bonham Carter participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge last year. Watch her having some chilling fun for a cause with Burton:
