Sienna Tiggy Guillory (born 16 March 1975) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress, and a former
modelthumb|200px|Alesya Nazarova modeling a dress by [[bebe stores|bebe]]A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed for the purpose of displaying and promoting fashion clothing or other products and for advertising or promotional purposes or who poses for works of art.Modeling...
. She is the daughter of
Isaac GuilloryIsaac Guillory was an American folk guitarist. He wrote over 70 songs during a career that spanned 30 years.-Personal life:...
, an
AngloThe term Anglo is used as a prefix to indicate a relation to the Angles, England or the English people, as in the terms Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American, Anglo-Celtic, Anglo-African and Anglo-Indian. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British Isles descent in The Americas,...
-
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n folk guitarist, and the family environment gave her an interest in the entertainment industry. She has been featured in numerous British and American productions. More recently, Guillory has appeared in a number of science-fiction and fantasy themed films aimed at teenage audiences.
Guillory, who was sixteen and still at school, began her career with a role in the television series
Jilly CooperJilly Cooper, OBE is an English author. She started her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She is most famous for writing the six blockbuster novels the Rutshire Chronicles...
's
Riders. Following more small television and film roles, she modelled for a few years to support her acting. She was featured in campaigns by Armani,
Dolce & GabbanaDolce & Gabbana , commonly abbreviated as D & G, is an Italian luxury fashion house.The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana and is based in Milan, Italy...
,
BurberryBurberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in...
, and
Paul SmithSir Paul Smith, RDI, is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear. He is both commercially successful and highly respected within the fashion industry....
, but her biggest job was as the face of the
Hugo BossHugo Ferdinand Boss , known simply as Hugo Boss, was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss AG.-Famous designs:In the third quarter of 1932, the all-black SS uniform was designed by SS-Oberführer Prof. Karl Diebitsch and Walter Heck...
fragrance campaign from 1999 to 2002. Afterwards, Guillory focused her career in mostly
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
productions; the BBC adaptation of
Take a Girl Like YouTake A Girl Like You is a comic novel by Kingsley Amis. Set in the 1950s, it follows the progress of twenty year old Jenny Bunn, as she moves from her family home in the North of England to a London suburb to teach primary school children...
, a three-part miniseries broadcast in November 2000, was something of a breakthrough role. In 2003, Guillory played the title role in the US miniseries
Helen of TroyHelen of Troy is a television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. This TV miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring Stanley Baker...
. She went on to gain lead roles in films with a broader audience in the video game adaptation
Resident Evil: ApocalypseResident Evil: Apocalypse is a 2004 science fiction action horror film. It is the second installment in the series of film adaptations based on the Capcom survival horror game series Resident Evil...
(2004) as Jill Valentine and in the fantasy novel adaptation
EragonEragon is a 2006 live-action/CGI fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Joss Stone, and the voice...
(2006) as elf princess Arya Dröttningu.
Guillory appeared in yet another fantasy novel adaptation, the film
InkheartInkheart is a 2008 fantasy film, directed by Iain Softley and stars Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis and Jim Broadbent. It is based on the novel with the same name by Cornelia Funke...
, as Resa. She was cast in the pilot for
FoxThe Fox Broadcasting Company , commonly referred to as Fox , is an American television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, from 2004 to 2009 Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the 18–49 demographic...
television series
The OaksThe Oaks was a American paranormal drama television pilot, created by David Schulner for the Fox network's 2008/2009 season. The addition to the Fox line up was speculated to be a much needed high concept drama, purportedly to compete in ratings with ABC's Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's...
as Jessica, a woman with
Asperger syndromeAsperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and...
. The pilot was filmed on 5 November 2007. She is currently cast as Rika Goddard in the pilot for
VirtualityVirtuality is the title of a series pilot co-written by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor that aired on the Fox Network. Since the show was never picked up as a TV series, the two-hour pilot episode, directed by Peter Berg, aired as a movie, June 26, 2009....
, also for the Fox network.
Early life and family
Born in
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Guillory is the daughter of the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk guitarist
Isaac GuilloryIsaac Guillory was an American folk guitarist. He wrote over 70 songs during a career that spanned 30 years.-Personal life:...
and his first wife, Tina Thompson, whom he married in 1973. Isaac Guillory was of
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
ish heritage and born at the
GuantanamoGuantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on 45 square miles of land and water at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following on the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is...
naval base in
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
, the son of Easton Joseph Guillory, an American sailor, and Victoria Ojalvo, who was from a
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
n-
TurkishTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
family.
Her parents moved to
FulhamFulham is an area of west London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, located south west of Charing Cross. It is situated in between Putney and Chelsea...
,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
when Guillory was two, then later to
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
when she was eleven. At the age of ten, she went to stay with cousins in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to learn
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
. She has a half-brother named Jace, whom her father had adopted and with whom she shares the same mother. Her parents divorced in 1990 when she was fourteen, and in 1993 her father married Vickie McMillan, which resulted in a much younger half-sister and half-brother, Eleanor and Jacob. Guillory attended
Gresham's SchoolGresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school at Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
in
Holt, NorfolkHolt is a market town and parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, where she took part in numerous school productions. She was later expelled from the school for stealing.
Guillory has been an
equestrianEquestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving horses. This broad description includes both use of horses for practical, working purposes as well as recreational activities and competitive sports.-Overview of equestrian activities:...
since the age of two. At fourteen, she was given a horse, which she named The Night Porter, or "Porty", after the film
The Night PorterThe Night Porter is a controversial 1974 film by Italian director Liliana Cavani, starring Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling.- Synopsis :...
; Guillory was a fan of its leading actress
Charlotte RamplingCharlotte Rampling, OBE is an acclaimed English actress. Her career spans four decades in English-language as well as French and Italian cinema.-Early life:...
. She still often rides horses with her mother.
In 1995, a few years after separating from Guillory's father, her mother, Tina, established her own business, 'The Carrier Company', designing and making country clothes, which she still runs from a 17th century farmhouse at
WightonWighton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some south of the town of Wells-next-the-Sea, north of the town of Fakenham, and north-west of the city of Norwich. The mediaeval pilgrimage centre of Walsingham lies to the south.The civil parish...
in Norfolk.
In December 2000, Guillory's father died of
cancerCancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis...
at the age of fifty-three. When diagnosed, doctors told him he had had the cancer for six years. About her father's health, she has explained that the cancer was supposedly brought on when Isaac was performing in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
shortly after the
nuclear incident at ChernobylThe Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear reactor accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine . It is considered to be the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history and the only level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale...
. After his show, Isaac Guillory wore a jacket soaked in rain from the Welsh location for a five-hour drive. He learned afterwards that the rain contained
falloutFallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion, aptly named because it "falls out" of the atmosphere into which it is spread during the explosion. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust created when a nuclear weapon explodes. This radioactive dust, consisting of hot...
from the incident. Isaac's cancer was on his back and shoulders, where he believed the rain had caused it.
Relationships
Guillory began dating fellow actor
Nick MoranNicholas Jonathan Moran is an English actor, writer and producer, best known for his role as Eddy the card sharp in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. He will appear as Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...
in 1997. The couple broke up after 3 years in 2000. Later that year, she began dating
Enzo CilentiEnzo Cilenti is a British actor. He was born in Bradford to Italian parents.He is married to the actress Sienna Guillory, with whom he has appeared in several films.-Partial filmography:* Wonderland...
. Cilenti and Guillory married in 2002, and during the ceremony Guillory wore her grandmother's wedding dress. They resided in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and London, but in 2007, the couple settled in Los Angeles.
Interests
Guillory and her husband are ex-smokers. She is interested in homoeopathy and natural remedies, saying that when she was a child her mother worked at a health food shop and was hesitant to give antibiotics. Guillory is also a fan of
acupunctureAcupuncture is the procedure of inserting and manipulating fine filiform needles into specific points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. The word acupuncture comes from the Latin acus, "needle", and pungere, "to prick". In Standard Mandarin, 針砭...
. She goes to
The JointThe Joint has several meanings including:*American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, colloquially known as "The Joint".*The Joint XM radio Reggae channel*The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas...
Gym on Hollywood Boulevard. She also enjoys Latin and Japanese cuisine and eats at a variety of restaurants in the Los Angeles area.
Guillory describes herself as
eclecticEclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
and a "magpie" dresser. She is a fan of the fashion line
MoschinoMoschino is an Italian fashion design house and manufacturer of women's, men's and children's fashion.-History:The brand was originally created in 1983 by the late Franco Moschino . Mr...
, but is not keen on what she describes as "fashion jeans".
Guillory has said that outside acting she "really enjoy[s] writing. Much more than other people enjoy reading it." She has also claimed that the novels
Jonathan Livingston SeagullJonathan Livingston Seagull, written by Richard Bach, is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life and flight, and a homily about self-perfection. First published in 1970 as "Jonathan Livingston Seagull — a story", it became a favorite throughout the United States...
,
The Man Who Planted TreesThe Man Who Planted Trees , also known as The Story of Elzéard Bouffier, The Most Extraordinary Character I Ever Met, and The Man Who Planted Hope and Reaped Happiness, is an allegorical tale by French author Jean Giono, published in 1953.It tells the story of one shepherd's long and successful...
and
The Master and MargaritaThe Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, woven around the premise of a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union...
, have played large roles in her life.
Modeling
In 1997, Guillory accompanied a ballerina friend to the London modelling agency
SelectSelect Model Management is a modeling agency based in London. Founded by Tandy Anderson and sisters Claire and Chrissie Castagnetti, they opened the agency over 25 years ago, and still own the agency today. Now, Select is the most successful agency in the UK...
and was soon signed. She modelled solely to support her acting career. As a model, she worked in campaigns for Armani,
Dolce & GabbanaDolce & Gabbana , commonly abbreviated as D & G, is an Italian luxury fashion house.The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana and is based in Milan, Italy...
,
BurberryBurberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in...
, and
Paul SmithSir Paul Smith, RDI, is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear. He is both commercially successful and highly respected within the fashion industry....
and appeared on the covers of British, German and Italian
VogueVogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine published in 16 countries + Latin America by Condé Nast Publications. Each month, Vogue publishes a magazine addressing topics of fashion, life and design.-Style and influence:...
, among other fashion magazines. In 1999, she became the face of the
Hugo BossHugo Ferdinand Boss , known simply as Hugo Boss, was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss AG.-Famous designs:In the third quarter of 1932, the all-black SS uniform was designed by SS-Oberführer Prof. Karl Diebitsch and Walter Heck...
fragrance campaign, succeeding model Karen Ferrari and continuing the campaign for three years. After modelling for a few years, Guillory returned her focus to acting in 2000. She is signed to Independent Models in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Acting
Guillory explained that she "became an actor because I wanted to know what it was like to be other people. Because possibly I don't like myself," and later said "I hate acting, really hate it. I kind of fell into it sideways ... I started acting because I got offered a job when I was 16, and they wanted to pay me £8,000, and we'd always lived on Family Support..." She went on to say that her frustration with later film roles left her bitter, but after seeing Helen Mirren onstage she was inspired again.
In 1993, Guillory made her screen debut in a TV adaptation of
Jilly CooperJilly Cooper, OBE is an English author. She started her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She is most famous for writing the six blockbuster novels the Rutshire Chronicles...
's
RidersRiders is an international best-selling novel, written by the English author, Jilly Cooper. It is the first of a series of romance novels known as the Rutshire Chronicles, which are set in the fictional English county of Rutshire. The story focusses on the lives of a group of top show jumping...
, for which the casting directors needed a young actress who was able to ride a horse. Her performance landed her in another small role in the miniseries
The BuccaneersThe Buccaneers is the last novel written by Edith Wharton. It was unfinished at the time of her death in 1937, and published in that form in 1938. After careful study of the synopsis and notes, Wharton scholar Marion Mainwaring finished the novel, which was published by Viking Press in 1993...
, opposite
Mira SorvinoMira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 68th Academy Awards for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite .-Early life:Sorvino was born and raised in New York...
.
Before becoming a model to support her acting career, Guillory waited tables at a club. In an interview in 2000, she said about the experience "Supporting my acting habit with waitressing was probably the most useful thing I've done." During her time as a model, she studied acting at the
New World School of the ArtsNew World School of the Arts is a conservatory in Miami, Florida with programs in visual arts, dance, theatre, musical theatre, instrumental music, and vocal music. The school's main building is located at 25 NE 2nd Street, Miami, and holds other classes on the Miami-Dade College Wolfson...
and the Paris Conservatoire, also taking small television and film roles in
The Future Lasts a Long Time (1996),
The Rules of Engagement (1999),
Star! Star! (1999),
Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) (2000),
The 3 Kings (2000), and
Two Days, Nine Lives (2000). During this time, Guillory decided to go on with her acting career because "I was so scared of going to university and being with people my own age again, having been with that tiny little sect of girls in Norfolk whose daddies were farmers and politicians, who didn't trust me and didn't know where I was coming from."
After deciding to focus her career on acting, she returned to film with a more substantial role in the thriller
Sorted (2000). Guillory went on to appear in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
production
Take a Girl Like YouTake A Girl Like You is a comic novel by Kingsley Amis. Set in the 1950s, it follows the progress of twenty year old Jenny Bunn, as she moves from her family home in the North of England to a London suburb to teach primary school children...
, a television adaptation of
Kingsley AmisSir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic and teacher. He wrote more than twenty novels, three collections of poetry, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism...
's novel of the same name. She portrayed Jenny Bunn, the story's virginal heroine, and gained critical attention for her part in the period piece. Guillory was pleased to have played a more innocent character, saying "I've played floozies, psychopaths, assassins, crackheads.... It's nice to do something with a lighter touch." The production did not fare well in the ratings.
In 2001, Guillory continued with other roles in predominantly British films, including
Oblivious,
Late Night ShoppingLate Night Shopping is a comedy funded by FilmFour Productions. The film is about four young friends who all work the graveyard shifts in various soul-killing jobs then meet up in a cafe after their shift to talk about nothing and generally kill time.- Synopsis :Each of...
(with husband Enzo Cilenti),
The Last Minute, and
Superstition. 2002 saw Guillory appear in
The Time MachineThe Time Machine is a 2002 science fiction film adapted from the 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells, and the 1960 film screenplay by David Duncan...
, alongside
Guy PearceGuy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated actor and musician, perhaps best known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of anterograde amnesia victim Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, his performance as Lieutenant Ed Exley in the film L.A...
and
Jeremy IronsJeremy John Irons is an English film, television, and stage actor. He has won the Academy Award, the Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to many other awards and honors....
. She was pleased to take on a larger scale film, after having worked on low-budget independent films, and compared the experience with "finding an unicorn in your sock drawer." She played Emma, the fiancée of Pearce's character, who was killed early in the film and whose death set off its main events.
In 2003, after a friend had received a script for
The Principles of Lust, Guillory claims she "read it and couldn't put it down, and begged to read for the part". She was impressed by director
Penny WoolcockPenny Woolcock is a British filmmaker, opera director, and screenwriter. She was raised in a British community in Montevideo, speaking English and going to English schools...
's unconventional style of shooting, without rehearsing the actors, using raw takes and improvisational performances. For the role of Juliette, Guillory performed nude in the film's sex scenes which were filmed during the first week of filming, making her somewhat nervous. She later went on to say that it was one of her favourite acting experiences. Afterwards, Guillory had a small role in the romantic comedy
Love, Actually before taking the starring role in the television miniseries
Helen of TroyHelen of Troy is a television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. This TV miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring Stanley Baker...
. The series was mostly based on
HomerHomer is a legendary ancient Greek epic poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey...
's epic poem
IliadThe Iliad is an epic poem recounting significant events during a portion of the final year of the Trojan War — the Greek siege of the city of Ilion — hence the title...
and focuses on the mythological life of
HelenIn Greek mythology, Helen , known as Helen of Troy , was the daughter of Zeus and Leda , wife of King Menelaus of Sparta and sister of Castor, Polydeuces and Clytemnestra. Her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War...
.
Helen of Troy was nominated for best miniseries at the
Satellite AwardsThe Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
.
In May 2004, Guillory starred in a new stage production of
The Shape of ThingsThe Shape of Things is a play by American author and film director Neil LaBute and a 2003 American movie. It premièred at the Almeida Theatre, London in 2001 with Paul Rudd as Adam, Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, Gretchen Mol as Jenny and Fred Weller as Phillip. The play was directed by LaBute himself...
at the New Ambassadors Theatre in London, with husband Cilenti. 2004 also saw Guillory in her first big Hollywood role. She was cast as
Jill ValentineJill Valentine is a video game character in the Resident Evil survival horror series. She is one of the protagonists in the original Resident Evil, where she is introduced as a member of the Special Tactics And Rescue Service...
, one of the lead characters in the video game adaptation sequel
Resident Evil: ApocalypseResident Evil: Apocalypse is a 2004 science fiction action horror film. It is the second installment in the series of film adaptations based on the Capcom survival horror game series Resident Evil...
. The film makers had searched widely for an actress to portray the video game character and found her in Guillory, who had to "please not only the movie-going audience but also the gamers". She was, however, "a dead ringer for Jill Valentine." Guillory was reported to have studied the original character's movements by watching playthroughs of the video game
Resident Evil 3: NemesisResident Evil 3: Nemesis, released in Japan as is a survival horror video game and the third installment in the Resident Evil series developed and published by Capcom. The game was released for the Sony PlayStation, and was subsequently ported to the Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo...
. Before getting the script for the film, she had not been familiar with the video games or seen
Resident EvilResident Evil is a 2002 science fiction horror film based on the same titled series of Survival horror games developed by Capcom. Borrowing elements from the Resident Evil 1 and 2 video games, the film follows an amnesiac heroine Alice, and a band of Umbrella Corporation commandos, as they attempt...
. She said about her role:
Resident Evil: Apocalypse, although it was not well received by critics, grossed
$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
23,036,273 on its opening weekend (10–12 September 2004) and took a total of $51,201,453 in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and $129,394,835 worldwide.
After the success of
Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Guillory went on to appear in other film and television roles, including
Beauty (2004),
Marple: A Murder Is Announced (2005),
In the Bathroom (2005),
The Virgin QueenThe Virgin Queen is a 2005 BBC and Power co-production, four-part miniseries based upon the life of Queen Elizabeth I, starring Anne-Marie Duff...
(2005),
Silence Becomes YouSilence Becomes You is a 2005 thriller starring Alicia Silverstone, Sienna Guillory and Joe Anderson.- Plot :The film tells the story of two sisters, Violet and Grace , who live in an isolated mansion with little contact with the outside world, and who devise plans to seduce a boy, Luke who...
(2005), and
Rabbit Fever (2006).
In 2006, Guillory was a lead in the ensemble cast of the fantasy
EragonEragon is a 2006 live-action/CGI fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Joss Stone, and the voice...
, the film adaptation of the novel by
Christopher PaoliniChristopher Paolini is an American writer. He is best known as the author of the Inheritance Cycle, which consists of the books Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and a for now untitled fourth book...
; the role had reunited her with
The Time Machine co-star Jeremy Irons. She portrayed Arya Dröttningu, an elf princess. She hadn't read the novels before filming, but after accepting the role she soon became a fan of Paolini's work. Although Arya is a key character in the film, Guillory had little screen time and went on to say jokingly: "I've been trying to explain to friends who've seen the trailer [...] I'm like, "[...] but that's my whole part!""
Eragon was not well received by the critics, but was nominated as Best Fantasy Film at the 2006 Saturn Awards. The film went on to gross approximately
$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
75 million in the US and $173.9 million elsewhere, totalling $249 million worldwide. Guillory was also invited to reprise her role as Jill Valentine in
Resident Evil: ExtinctionResident Evil: Extinction is a 2007 science fiction action horror film. It is the third installment in the series of film adaptations based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil...
, the sequel to
Resident Evil: Apocalypse, but could not accept due to scheduling conflicts with
Eragon.
In 2007, she starred in the Spanish production
El Corazón de la tierra, or
The Heart of the Earth, and later in the year finished filming the horror/thriller
Victims and the fantasy novel adaptation
InkheartInkheart is a 2008 fantasy film, directed by Iain Softley and stars Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis and Jim Broadbent. It is based on the novel with the same name by Cornelia Funke...
. In
Inkheart, she plays Resa, the wife of
Brendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American actor of stage and screen. He has starred in many major Hollywood films, including The Mummy film series, Crash, Dudley Do-Right, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, George of the Jungle and Journey to the Center of the Earth.-Early life:Fraser was born in...
's character and the mother of
Eliza BennettEliza Hope Bennett is an English child actress and singer.Bennett was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. She started acting at a young age when she appeared in stage productions at school, and even appeared professionally in the film Nanny McPhee , which also starred Colin Firth and Emma Thompson...
's.
Inkheart sees Guillory acting alongside
Helen MirrenDame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes and four Emmy Awards during her career.-Family:...
, a friend of the Guillory family who was a role model when she first had aspirations towards acting.
Guillory will be a lead in the forthcoming television series
The OaksThe Oaks was a American paranormal drama television pilot, created by David Schulner for the Fox network's 2008/2009 season. The addition to the Fox line up was speculated to be a much needed high concept drama, purportedly to compete in ratings with ABC's Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's...
, expected to begin airing in 2008. She joins
Bahar SoomekhBahar Soomekh is an Iranian-American Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actress and environmental activist. She began acting in the early 2000s, and is perhaps best known for her film roles in the films Crash , Mission: Impossible III , and Saw III .-Early life:Soomekh was born in Tehran, Iran, to...
,
Matt LanterMatthew Mackendree "Matt" Lanter is an American actor and model best known for his roles as Horace Calloway in the short-lived ABC political drama Commander in Chief and the voice role of Anakin Skywalker in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and its television counterpart...
,
Romy RosemontRomy Rosemont is an actress.She starred with James Woods in Shark, and in Cook-Off!, Boston Legal, Crossing Jordan, Friends with Money, Back to You and Me, Close to Home, Grey's Anatomy, Shopgirl, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Prison Break....
,
Jeremy RennerJeremy Lee Renner is an American actor and musician.Renner was born in Modesto, California. The eldest of four children, Renner has two sisters and one brother....
,
Michael RispoliMichael Rispoli is an American character actor. He was formerly part of the HBO television series The Sopranos as Jackie Aprile, Sr....
and
Shannon LucioShannon Lucio is an American actress who gained fame playing Lindsay Gardner on The O.C., a new girl in town who gained the romantic attention of Ryan Atwood. Lucio is a graduate of the University of Southern California and was cast in the lead female role of the CBS television drama Moonlight ,...
in the series which follows the intertwining stories of three families — a young couple in 1968 that have lost a child, a family of four in 1998, and a pregnant couple in 2008 — who are haunted by the same spirit in their house. The television series began filming on 5 November 2007 on location in
Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States; and is a satellite city of Los Angeles. Famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the...
. Guillory will play Jessica, the 2008 couple's neighbour, a woman who has
Asperger syndromeAsperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and...
who went to school with the husband (and father-to-be) and shares a secret with him.
Media
In 2001, readers of
EsquireEsquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
UK voted Guillory "Britain's Most Eligible Woman" and featured her in a pictorial in the magazine. Guillory was photographed for the cover and shoot by photographer Jonathan Glynn Smith. In 2002, she was number 89 on
MaximMaxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its revealing pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, none of whom are nude in the American version....
's list of "The 100 Sexiest Women", and in 2007 Guillory was voted number 54 at
Askmen.comAskMen.com is a free online men’s web portal, with international versions in the , , , and .-History:AskMen.com was founded in August 1999 by Ricardo Poupada, Christopher Bellerose Rovny, and Luís Rodrigues. The company secured $500,000 in venture capital in 2000 while its main competitor,...
's Top 99 Countdown.
Guillory has also been quoted as disliking the Hollywood culture, saying she does not wish to be part of it:
Charity
In August 2004, Guillory and Cilenti cycled five stages of the
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately throughout France and bordering countries. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are totalled to...
to raise money for charity. Guillory said "I used to be a long-distance runner when I was younger, but this is ten times more exhausting". Guillory supports
Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international secular non-governmental organisation which defines its mission as "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated." Founded in London in 1961, AI...
and
ShelterShelter is a charity registered in England and Scotland that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing. It has offices in England and Scotland, and works in partnership with Shelter Cymru and the Housing Rights Service in Northern Ireland...
.
Films
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Other notes |
| 1996 The year 1996 in film involved some significant events. Major releases this year included Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Independence Day, Twister, Scream, Jerry Maguire and Madonna's Evita.-Events:...
|
The Future Lasts a Long Time |
Blue |
|
| 1997 The year 1997 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Star Wars original trilogy's 20th Anniversary Special Editions are released.*Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace....
|
The Rules of Engagement |
Denise |
|
| Star! Star! |
Lu |
|
| 2000 The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.-Top-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2000...
|
Sorted -Plot:Carl has travelled to London to clear up the details of his brothers death. Although Carl finds that there is another side to his brothers life. A group of all-night rave junkies accept him into their family, as the brother of their late friend...
|
Sunny |
|
| Two Days, Nine Live |
Kate |
|
| The 3 Kings |
Roxana |
|
| Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang) Kiss Kiss is a 2000 United Kingdom comedy film written and directed by Stewart Sugg. It features Stellan Skarsgård, Chris Penn, and Paul Bettany.- Plot :Felix is a hit-man who wants out of the business...
|
Kat |
|
| 2001 The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. -Top-grossing films:...
|
Oblivious Oblivious is a 2001 short film written and directed by Ozgur Uyanik. It won the Canal+ Prize for Best European Short Film at the Brussels European Film Festival, 2001....
|
Jessica |
|
Late Night ShoppingLate Night Shopping is a comedy funded by FilmFour Productions. The film is about four young friends who all work the graveyard shifts in various soul-killing jobs then meet up in a cafe after their shift to talk about nothing and generally kill time.- Synopsis :Each of...
|
Susie |
|
| The Last Minute The Last Minute, an independent film written and directed by Stephen Norrington, is a dark satire about success, failure, and show business....
|
Kayak Girl |
|
| Superstition |
Julie |
|
| 2002 The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost...
|
The Time MachineThe Time Machine is a 2002 science fiction film adapted from the 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells, and the 1960 film screenplay by David Duncan...
|
Emma |
|
| 2003 The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
|
The Principles of Lust |
Juliette |
|
| Love, Actually |
Jamie's Girlfriend |
|
Helen of TroyHelen of Troy is a television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. This TV miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring Stanley Baker...
|
Helen |
|
| 2004 The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
|
Resident Evil: ApocalypseResident Evil: Apocalypse is a 2004 science fiction action horror film. It is the second installment in the series of film adaptations based on the Capcom survival horror game series Resident Evil...
|
Jill Valentine |
|
| 2005 The year 2005 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top–grossing films:...
|
In the Bathroom |
The Woman |
|
| Silence Becomes You Silence Becomes You is a 2005 thriller starring Alicia Silverstone, Sienna Guillory and Joe Anderson.- Plot :The film tells the story of two sisters, Violet and Grace , who live in an isolated mansion with little contact with the outside world, and who devise plans to seduce a boy, Luke who...
|
Grace |
|
| 2006 The year 2006 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
|
Rabbit Fever |
Newscaster |
|
EragonEragon is a 2006 live-action/CGI fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Joss Stone, and the voice...
|
Arya Dröttningu |
|
| 2007 The year 2007 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
|
El Corazón de la tierra |
Katherine |
English title:
The Heart of the Earth |
| 2008 The year 2008 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
|
Perfect Life |
TBA |
|
| Inkheart Inkheart is a 2008 fantasy film, directed by Iain Softley and stars Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis and Jim Broadbent. It is based on the novel with the same name by Cornelia Funke...
|
Resa |
Television
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Other notes |
| 1993 The year 1993 in film involved many significant films. -Events:...
|
Riders |
Fenella Maxwell |
TV series |
| 1995 The year 1995 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg....
|
The BuccaneersThe Buccaneers is the last novel written by Edith Wharton. It was unfinished at the time of her death in 1937, and published in that form in 1938. After careful study of the synopsis and notes, Wharton scholar Marion Mainwaring finished the novel, which was published by Viking Press in 1993...
|
Lady Felicia |
TV miniseries |
| 1999 The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
|
Out of Sight Out of Sight is a 1998 Academy Award-nominated movie directed by Steven Soderbergh and based on the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. It was the first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and star George Clooney. The film was released on June 26, 1998. It was nominated for two...
|
Ingrid |
2 episodes |
| Dzvirpaso M |
|
4 episodes |
| 2000 The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.-Top-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2000...
|
Take a Girl Like You Take A Girl Like You is a comic novel by Kingsley Amis. Set in the 1950s, it follows the progress of twenty year old Jenny Bunn, as she moves from her family home in the North of England to a London suburb to teach primary school children...
|
Jenny Bunn |
TV miniseries |
| 2003 The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
|
Helen of TroyHelen of Troy is a television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. This TV miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring Stanley Baker...
|
Helen |
TV miniseries |
| 2004 The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
|
Beauty |
Cathy Wardle |
TV film |
| 2005 The year 2005 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top–grossing films:...
|
Marple: A Murder Is Announced |
Julia Simmons |
1 episode |
| The Virgin Queen The Virgin Queen is a 2005 BBC and Power co-production, four-part miniseries based upon the life of Queen Elizabeth I, starring Anne-Marie Duff...
|
Lettice Knollys |
TV miniseries |
| est. 2008 The year 2008 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
|
The Oaks The Oaks was a American paranormal drama television pilot, created by David Schulner for the Fox network's 2008/2009 season. The addition to the Fox line up was speculated to be a much needed high concept drama, purportedly to compete in ratings with ABC's Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's...
|
Jessica |
TV series |
| 2008 The year 2008 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
|
VirtualityVirtuality is the title of a series pilot co-written by Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor that aired on the Fox Network. Since the show was never picked up as a TV series, the two-hour pilot episode, directed by Peter Berg, aired as a movie, June 26, 2009....
|
Rika Goddard |
TV series |
External links