Tim Roth attended Camberwell College of Art in London, aspiring to be a sculptor. He ended up pursuing an acting career, making his debut on the British drama Made in Britain, where he played a white power skinhead. After making his name on television dramas, he made his film debut on the 1985 feature The Hit, establishing himself as an exciting new talent in British films; as he rose to prominence in both sides of the pond, he became tagged as part of the "Brit Pack", along with actors such as Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.
Roth gained the attention of American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who cast him in his 1992 film Reservoir Dogs. The film acted as his ticket to Hollywood. The two worked in two other films -- Pulp Fiction and Four Rooms -- both Roth gained acclaim in another film, Rob Roy. Apart from a BAFTA Award, he earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
Roth continued to become a presence in films, working on a diverse range of work -- say, the Woody Allen romantic flick Everyone Says I Love You, or the drama Gridlock'd, opposite rapper Tupac Shakur. In 2001, he starred in the Tim Burton flick Planet of the Apes. His later films include Youth Without Youth and The Incredible Hulk.
In 1999 Roth made his directorial debut; his film The War Zone received critical acclaim in several film festivals. A decade later, he took the plunge to television, taking the lead role in the Fox series Lie to Me. His portrayal of body language expert Cal Lightman earned praise, but the series has been on the bubble for most of its run.
Roth is currently married to Nikki Butler; they have two sons together, while he has another child from a previous relationship.
- Tim was originally considered to play Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. At the time he was booked to appear in Planet of the Apes, but he initially planned to do both films; shooting demands later forced him to pass the Potter role to Alan Rickman.
- His photograph appears on the cover of Welsh band Manic Street Preachers' tenth album, Postcards From A Young Man.
- His father's original last name was Smith: he changed it to Roth during World War II to prevent anti-British hatred.
- Mystfest, Best Actor, 1984 (for The Hit)
- Evening Standard British Film Award, Most Promising Newcomer, 1985
- San Francisco International Film Festival, Piper-Heidsieck Award, 1995
- BAFTA Film Award, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, 1996 (for Rob Roy)
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award, Best Supporting Actor, 1996 (for Rob Roy)
- European Film Awards, European Discovery of the Year, 1999 (for The War Zone)
- Berlin International Film Festival, CICAE Award, 1999 (for The War Zone)
- Edinburgh International Film Festival, Best New British Feature, 1999 (for The War Zone)
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Best Director, 1999 (for The War Zone)
- Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Best First Feature, 1999 (for The War Zone)
- Festroia-Troia International Film Festival, Troia Award, 1999 (for The War Zone)
- Valladolid International Film Festival, Silver Spike, 1999 (for The War Zone)
FILM:
- The Hit (1984)
- Return to Waterloo (1985)
- Twice Upon A Time (1988)
- A World Apart (1988)
- To Kill A Priest (1988)
- Vincent & Theo (1990)
- Farendj (1990)
- Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1992)
- Reservoir Dogs (1992)
- Backsliding (1992)
- Bodies, Rest & Motion (1993)
- El marido perfecto (1993)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Little Odessa (1994)
- Captives (1994)
- Rob Roy (1995)
- Four Rooms (1995)
- Mocking the Cosmos (1996)
- No Way Home (1996)
- Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
- Gridlock'd (1997)
- Hoodlum (1997)
- Deceiver (1997)
- Animals with the Tollkeeper (1998)
- La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (1998)
- Vatel (2000)
- Lucky Numbers (2000)
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- Invincible (2001)
- The Musketeer (2001)
- Emmett's Mark (2002)
- Whatever We Do (2003)
- To Kill A King (2003)
- The Beautiful Country (2004)
- With It (2004)
- Silver City (2004)
- New France (2004)
- The Last Sign (2005)
- Don't Come Knocking (2005)
- Dark Water (2005)
- Even Money (2006)
- Youth Without Youth (2007)
- Funny Games US (2007)
- Virgin Territory (2007)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- King Conqueror (2009)
- Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010)
TELEVISION:
- King of the Ghetto (regular, 1986)
- Lie To Me (regular, 2009-present)