Tim Roth Movies and Career Information

Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth (born 14 May 1961) is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He currently stars as Cal Lightman in the TV series Lie to Me. Roth was born in Dulwich, London, the son of Ann, a painter and teacher, and Ernie, a journalist, painter and, until the 1970s, a member of the British Communist Party. Roth's father was born under the surname "Smith" in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, to a British immigrant family of Irish descent; he changed his surname to "Roth" after World War II in order to hide his nationality when travelling in countries hostile to the British. Roth attended the Strand School in Tulse Hill. As a young man, he wanted to be a sculptor and studied at London's Camberwell College of Art. Roth made his acting debut at the age of 21 playing a white power skinhead in a TV movie titled Made in Britain. Roth played an East End character in King of the Ghetto which was made by the BBC. This four-part drama was shown in 1986 on national