This past spring Minnie Driver was seen in Return to Me in a role that she seems to have perfected, both on and off screen. Even if the majority of her roles have been as the girlfriend to leading men such as Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, her roles are by no means second tier. The stunning British actress has proved time and time again that she not only lights up a screen with her smile, but is an A-list actress.

Amelia Driver was born January 31, 1971, to parents Ronnie, a financier, and Gaynor, an interior designer and former model -- which explains the beauty that Minnie and her older sister Kate (also a model) possess.

Born in England and partly raised in Barbados, Amelia (who was given the name Minnie because her sister could not pronounce her name), can probably attribute her ability to speak with many different accents (with perfection, we might add) to her diverse geographic upbringing.

She attended finishing school in Paris and Grenoble, and graduated from Badales School in Petersfeild, England. She went on to study drama at the Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

It didn't take long for the actress and musician (Minnie is also a jazz singer and guitar player) to find work on British television after becoming a drama graduate in 1991. In addition to her important role in the BBC mini-series The Politician's Wife, Minnie appeared in stage performances, and worked at London clubs singing jazz and playing guitar in order to further supplement her income.

Minnie even starred in her own British series, entitled My Good Friend. She finally made it to the big-screen after having fought -- and won -- the lead female role of Benny, in the film adaptation of the novel Circle of Friends.

Co-starring American heartthrob Chris O'Donnell, her role in the sleeper hit not only won her critical acclaim, but also shocked audiences in more ways than one: the first shock was that Minnie was actually not Irish, after having fooled everyone with her more-than perfect Irish accent; the second was that she is actually more statuesque and slim than her character (she had to gain 20 pounds for the role).

That same year audiences witnessed a more slender Bond-girl figured Minnie in the James Bond film Goldeneye, starring Pierce Brosnan and Famke Janssen. As a Russian lounge singer, Minnie had audiences fooled once again, this time with her perfect Russian accent.

Since 1995, Minnie has appeared in many different films, including the drama Sleepers, co-starring Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt (this time with a New York accent), and Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott's film Big Night (as a New Jersey girl). Her role in 1997's dark comedy Grosse Pointe Blank brought Minnie a short-lived fling with John Cusack, not to mention critical praise.

No amount of praise could have matched Minnie's next film role, as med school student Skylar, in Good Will Hunting. She received an Oscar nomination for her role and, of course, cuddled up to her co-star Matt Damon both on and off screen.

After having received awards such as the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress, the Golden Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, the London Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actress of the Year, and the ShoWest award for Female Star of the Year, Minnie co-starred with Christian Slater in the disappointing action film Hard Rain.

After Good Will Hunting, Minnie's roles could not have been any more diverse. She starred as a Sephardic Jew in the 1998 film The Governess; provided the voice of Jane in Disney's animated version of the classic Tarzan; and co-starred with Rupert Everett as a British aristocrat in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband.

This year Minnie came full circle with her role as David Duchovny's girlfriend in the romantic film, Return to Me.

In 1999, it was rumored that Minnie became engaged to her actor-boyfriend Josh Brolin, but she adamantly denied it.

Minnie and her sister Kate founded the production company Two Drivers, responsible for the film Slow Burn, which starred Josh Brolin.

The multi-talented beauty will surely be driving more hearts off screen, and driving more audiences to theatres in the years to come.