Happy Birthday, Helena Bonham Carter!

Today, we're celebrating the 46th birthday of Academy Award-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter. A London native, Carter nabbed her first feature film appearance in 1985's A Room with a View, which would go on to win three Oscars earn a nomination for Best Picture. The film's success didn't necessarily push her into the limelight, but it definitely opened the door for her career. In 1990, she starred alongside Mel Gibson and Glenn Close in Hamlet, and she spent the rest of the early 1990s appearing in films such as 1992's Howards End, 1994's Frankenstein and 1995's Mighty Aprhodite. She earned her first Oscar nomination for her performance in 1997's The Wings of the Dove, and two years later, she burst into the collective public consciousness with her inclusion in the cult classic, Fight Club. In 2001, Carter began a relationship with eccentric director Tim Burton, and she has appeared in a number his films since then, including 2003's Big Fish and 2007's Sweeney Todd. She also landed the part of Bellatrix Lestrange in a number of the Harry Potter films. Most recently, audiences have seen Carter in the 2012 film Dark Shadows, and they'll next see her later this year in Great Expectations and Les Misérables. And so, to celebrate her birthday, I've listed my five favorite of her characters. I hope you enjoy the list! Once again, happy birthday, Helena Bonham Carter!

5. Queen Elizabeth

The King's Speech (2010)

*****

4. Jenny

Big Fish (2003)

***** 

3. The Red Queen

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

*****

2. Mrs. Lovett

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

***** 

1. Marla Singer

Fight Club (1999)