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Saffron Dominique Burrows (born 22 October 1972)
[BURROWS, Saffron, BFI (British Film Institute) Film & TV Database] is an English
actress and former
fashion model. She also starred in the 2008
NBC series,
My Own Worst Enemy.
Early life
Burrows was born in
London,
England, to a politically active family; both of her parents are
socialists.
[A surprise called Saffron - British actress Saffron Burrows - CSIVTR, an interview from Find Articles] Her father is an
architect and teacher and her mother, Susie,
is a teacher and
feminist.
At age fifteen, she was discovered by Beth Boldt, a modelling talent scout (she stands about 6 feet tall), and she began a successful modelling career.
Career
Burrows made her film debut in
In the Name of the Father (1993). Her first significant acting role was as an ambitious
Irish woman in
Circle of Friends (1995). Subsequently she appeared in
Hotel de Love (1996). In 1999, she appeared in the
sci-fi Wing Commander (1999), the thriller
Deep Blue Sea, and the experimental film
The Loss of Sexual Innocence. The following year she appeared in
Miss Julie and
Timecode.
In 2001, she had roles in
Enigma, and
Tempted. In 2004 she played the part of
Andromache in the big-budget movie
Troy. In January 2005 she created the role of Janey in the world premiere of
Earthly Paradise at the
Almeida Theatre,
[ Theater reviews: earthly Paradise] and on 30 October 2005 she appeared on stage at the
Old Vic theatre in London in a 24-hour play,
Night Sky, alongside
Christopher Eccleston,
Bruno Langley,
David Warner,
Navin Chowdhry and
David Baddiel.
Burrows played attorney Lorraine Weller on
ABC's
Boston Legal (Season 4) from 2007-2008. She starred on
NBC's new series,
My Own Worst Enemy until its cancellation.
In 2008, she appeared in the independent film
The Guitar, which made its debut at the
Sundance Film Festival, as well as in a starring role in the heist film
The Bank Job.
Starting March 30, 2010, she is starring as
Det. Serena Stevens on
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, where she replaced
Julianne Nicholson; who played the character of
Det. Megan Wheeler until the end of season 8.
Personal life
Burrows is a close friend of politician
Tony Benn.
[See the numerous references to Burrows in Tony Benn's More Time for Politics: Diaries 2001-2007 (Hutchinson 2007).] She is also a
socialist and has spoken of her admiration for French
Socialist politician
Ségolène Royal.
[YouTube - Frost over the World - Saffron Burrows - 28 Mar 08] She joined an anti-
racism group when she was 11 years old and she went on to become the Vice President of the
National Civil Rights Movement and she is a campaigner for
disabled rights and equality.
In a 1999 interview with
Film Unlimited, Burrows revealed that she has had female lovers.
["Swimming with sharks", Film Unlimited (via saffron-burrows.com), 24 October 1999] For a number of years, she was involved with film director
Mike Figgis, and she starred in some of his films, including
Miss Julie - one of the first films to experiment with multi-camera views, and Figgis' quad-screen film,
Timecode.
Since the ending of that relationship, she has been romantically linked with actress
Fiona Shaw.
["Saffron Burrows Embraces Lesbian Relationships On-screen and Off", AfterEllen.com, October 2003]["Mad About Saffron", Sydney Morning Herald, 15 May 2004]["A hint of Saffron", The Observer, 5 May 2002] Neither actress has publicly commented on the relationship. The two appeared together in the National Theatre's production of
The PowerBook,
["The PowerBook" at the National Theatre] a play based on the novel of the same name by
Jeanette Winterson, in which they played lovers. In 2006 the
Independent on Sunday listed Burrows as the 90th most influential gay person in the UK,
.
In a 2003 interview a former boyfriend
Alan Cumming said "I was really lucky that the first relationship I had after
divorce was with Saffron, who's really...understanding and a broadminded person. And who's now...As I'm sure you know...Well. She bats for both teams, too."
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Blockbuster Entertainment Award
- 2000: Nominated, "Favorite Newcomer Actress" - Deep Blue Sea
Screen Actors Guild Awards
- 2008: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Boston Legal
- 2009: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" - Boston Legal
