At age 13, won a national writing contest and used the money won to pay for her entry into the actor's directory, "Spotlight"

Professional acting debut, a commercial at age 16

Acting debut in British telefilm, "A Pattern of Roses"

Feature film debut, "Lady Jane" directed by Trevor Nunn

First collaboration with director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "A Room with a View"

Played Don Johnson's girlfriend in two episodes of "Miami Vice" (NBC)

US TV-movie debut in "A Hazard of Hearts" (CBS)

London stage debut, "The Woman in White"

Co-starred as Ophelia opposite Mel Gibson's "Hamlet"

Cast as Emma Thompson's sister in the Merchant-Ivory production "Howards End"

Played Marina Oswald in the NBC TV-movie "Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald"

Portrayed Victor Frankenstein's lover in Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein"

Did a comic cameo as a dream version of Julia Sawalha's Saffron on the BBC comedy "Absolutely Fabulous"

Appeared as Woody Allen's American wife in "Mighty Aphrodite"

Played a foul-mouthed miner's daughter in the Canadian film "Margaret's Museum"

Returned to Shakespeare to play Olivia in Trevor Nunn's "Twelfth Night"

Garnered critical attention and accolades for her performance as the manipulative Kate Croy in "The Wings of the Dove"; nominated for a Best Actress Oscar

Cast as Morgan Le Fey in the NBC miniseries "Merlin"

Played a wheelchair-bound woman in "Theory of Flight"

Co-starred in the Toronto Film Festival screened, "Women Talking Dirty"

Was the female lead opposite Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in "Fight Club"

Played Ari, the ape daughter of a powerful politician, in Tim Burton's adaptation of "Planet of the Apes"

Starred opposite Steve Martin in the thriller "Novocaine"

Portrayed CNN producer, Ingrid Formanek in the HBO feature, "Live From Baghdad"; earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Best Actress in a TV Movie

Played Anne Boleyn in "Henry VIII," a two part ITV drama based on the life of Henry VIII of England

Co-starred with Ewan McGregor and Alison Lohman in Burton’s "Big Fish"

Cast as Charlie's mother in Tim Burton's adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic tale "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"

Voiced the title role of Emily in the animated feature, "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride"

Voiced Lady Tottington in the British Academy Award-winning stop-motion animated film, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit"

Cast as mad witch, Bellatrix Lestrange in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Played Mrs. Lovett, a cannibalistic pie-maker in Burton’s film adaptation of "Sweeney Todd"; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy