English actress and former fashion model Saffron Burrows was born on October 21, 1972 in London, England. She was discovered by a modeling talent scout when she was fifteen, partly because of her very tall stature; she’s six feet tall. This led to a successful modeling career, appearing in several magazine spreads, before she finally moved to acting, making her film debut in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father.
Her first significant acting role came in 1995, when she starred in the film adaptation of the novel Circle of Friends. She played the role of Nan Mahon, one of the childhood friends of Benny Hogan (Minnie Driver). She made her television debut in 1996, in the miniseries Karaoke. In 1999, she starred in the science fiction film Wing Commander. It was followed by some of her more notable films: The Loss of Sexual Innocence, Deep Blue Sea, Miss Julie and Timecode.
The start of the new millennium saw Burrows being cast in many high-profile productions. These include Frida, Troy and Reign Over Me. In 2007, she joined the cast of the legal drama Boston Legal, where she took on the role of Lorraine Weller. A regular since the fourth season, her character was discovered to have been asked to move away from England after she was indicted for being a madam in a prostitution ring. It was in exchange for immunity in her case. She was, however, still part of the business, as revealed later in the season.
Burrows also performs on stage, notably in the 2005 world premiere of Earthly Paradise, which was held in London’s Almeida Theatre. She also participated in Night Sky, a 24-hour play where she shared the stage with the likes of Christopher Eccleston and Bruno Langley. She recently appeared in the independent film The Guitar, which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and the heist film The Bank Job.