Tilda Swinton is an actor who started making films with Derek Jarman in 1985 with Caravaggio. They made seven more films together, including The Last of England, The Garden, War Requiem, Edward II and Wittgenstein, before Jarman’s death in 1994. In 2008 she collaborated with artist Isaac Julien on a film about Jarman’s life: Derek. Swinton was announced as Film London Jarman Award Patron in 2020.

In 1992 Swinton gained wider international recognition with her portrayal of Orlando, under the direction of Sally Potter. She has since established rewarding ongoing filmmaking relationships with the likes of Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson, Joanna Hogg, Joel and Ethan Coen, Lynne Ramsay, Luca Guadagnino and Bong Joon Ho. Other films include acclaimed comedy Trainwreck from Amy Schumer directed by Judd Apatow and the Marvel Studios blockbuster Doctor Strange. She received both the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress of 2008 for Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton. Tilda is the mother of twins and lives in the Highlands of Scotland.