Moviegoers probably know Helena Bonham Carter as that excellent British actress saddled with roles in numerous period films. With her pale complexion, pre-Raphaelite mane, and expressively large eyes, Helena Bonham Carter has long been tapped as a favorite to play antiquated characters.

Helena Bonham Carter was first introduced via the 1982 television-movie A Pattern of Roses. In 1986, she debuted in cinemas with Lady Jane, where she gave an acclaimed portrayal of the titular Tudor queen.

From here on, Helena received a steady influx of acting parts — usually involving her in corsets. She was cast in big screen versions of three E.M. Forster novels, namely A Room with a View, Where Angels Fear to Tread, and Howards End. In 1990 and 1996, respectively, she starred in two Shakespeare films: Hamlet, alongside Mel Gibson, and Twelfth Night. She also played Morgan Le Fey in 1998’s Merlin.

Vindication arrived in 1997 with the The Wings of the Dove, in which she gave a definitive performance as the cunning Kate Croy. The period drama earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as Best Actress.

Outgrowing her mold, she had starred with Woody Allen in 1995’s modernly set Mighty Aphrodite. Fight Club, in 1999, put her in yet another contemporary role, opposite Brad Pitt.

She expanded her range still, playing a primate in Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. Burton, who fathered her children thereafter, paired her with Johnny Depp in a string of films, to wit: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, and the upcoming Alice in Wonderland.

In 2007, Helena Bonham Carter joined the cast of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She has since reprised her role as Bellatrix LeStrange in four more Harry Potter films.

Helena Bonham Carter comes from prominent lineage. She has Herbert Asquith, a former British Prime Minister, for a great grandfather, and director Anthony Asquith for a grand uncle.