Date of Birth : May 13th 1977
Morton was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, daughter of Pamela, a factory worker, and Peter Morton. Her parents divorced in 1979. She attended West Bridgford Comprehensive School and spent part of her childhood in care.
Morton has a daughter, Esme (born in 2000), with actor Charlie Creed-Miles. Morton is engaged to filmmaker Harry Holm, son of actor Ian Holm. It was recently announced that both Holm and Morton are expecting their first child in January 2008.
Morton began her career as a child actor. At 13 she joined the Central Junior Television Workshop. At 16 she moved to London and appeared in plays at the Royal Court Theatre, also securing an early break as a guest star in an episode of Cracker. Although she applied to institutions such as RADA, she received no further formal training. She eventually starred in television productions like Jane Eyre and The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.
Starring roles in Band of Gold (1995), and the film Under the Skin in 1997, raised her profile in the UK. The latter impressed Woody Allen so much he cast her in his film Sweet and Lowdown for which she would receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1999. In 2002 she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for her work in Morvern Callar, followed by a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for In America in 2003.