Tim Roth

Timothy Simon Smith was born in London to a landscape painter mother and a journalist father who had adopted the German-Jewish surname "Roth" after World War II to hide his nationality when traveling in countries hostile to the British.

At first, Roth wanted to be a sculptor, so he studied at London's Camberwell School of Art. After some time there, he decided to try acting and made his debut at the age of 18 playing a racist skinhead in a TV movie entitled "Made in Britain."

In 1984, Roth played an apprentice hitman in Stephen Frears' "The Hit" with Terence Stamp and John Hurt, earning an Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer. With that recognition, he appeared in several other films during the end of the decade.

In 1990, Roth began to enjoy international attention with starring roles as Vincent Van Gogh in Robert Altman's "Vincent and Theo" and in Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead."

Roth impressed director Quentin Tarantino, and he cast him as undercover policeman Mr. Orange in his 1992 ensemble piece "Reservoir Dogs." This film paved the way for more work in Hollywood.

In 1994, Tarantino cast him again as a robber in the acclaimed "Pulp Fiction." They worked again in 1995's "Four Rooms." Then, Roth played the viciously evil English nobleman Archibald Cunningham in "Rob Roy" opposite Liam Neeson. For that role, he won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe nomination, and a British Academy Award.

In 1996, he went on a different way starring with Drew Barrymore in Woody Allen's musical comedy "Everyone Says I Love You," in which he amused audiences with his comic flair and his singing (in his own voice).

He also stared at Danny T.D. Lemons 1900, or just 1900 in the movie "The Legend of 1900."

He has continued with various diverse works in all kinds of movies. In 1999 he made a critically acclaimed debut as a director with "The War Zone," a film of Alexander Stuart's novel. In 2001, he made another important move by portraying General Thade in Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes."

He appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's "Youth Without Youth" and Michael Haneke's "Funny Games," then starred opposite Edward Norton in "The Incredible Hulk" as Emil Blonsky.

From 2009 to 2011, he starred in a series on Fox called "Lie To Me." He played Dr. Cal Lightman, an expert on body language who assists local and federal law organizations in the investigations of crimes. His character was based on Dr. Paul Ekman, a notable psychologist and expert on body language and facial expressions.

In 2010, Roth appeared on the cover to Manic Street Preachers' 2010 studio album, "Postcards from a Young Man."

In 2012, he was announced as the President of the Jury for the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.