Minnie Driver was born Amelia Fiona Jessica Driver on 31 January 1970 in London, and was raised in Barbados until the age of six — her nickname "Minnie" was given to her by her older sister, Kate, who could not pronounce "Amelia." She has no personal upbringing in Wales; her connection to the country comes through her father, Charles Ronald "Ronnie" Driver (1921-2009), who was born in Swansea. Sources differ on his ancestry: while born in Wales, his family background has been described as English and Scottish.
Driver's parents never married, and her father maintained a second family throughout his relationship with her mother, fabric designer Gaynor Churchward — a secret Minnie did not discover until she was twelve. She explored her father's history, including his wartime record (he earned the Distinguished Flying Medal for the Battle of Heligoland Bight) and his double life, on the BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? in 2013.
Driver trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and broke through with the lead role in Circle of Friends (1995). She earned Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Supporting Actress for Good Will Hunting (1997), opposite Matt Damon, and went on to star in Grosse Pointe Blank, the 2004 film of The Phantom of the Opera, and Disney's animated Tarzan, in which she voiced Jane.
On television she has had a recurring role as Lorraine Finster in Will & Grace, led the FX drama The Riches (earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations), and starred in the sitcoms About a Boy and Speechless. Alongside acting, Driver has released three solo studio albums as a singer-songwriter.