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Even though the fans of the Harry Potter series best know Helena Bonham Carter for playing the dangerous and unpredictable Bellatrix Lestrange, Helena Bonham Carter has a lot of interesting roles. She has been acting professionally since the mid-1980s and appeared in dozens of movies as well as multiple TV shows, such as the critically acclaimed TV series The Crown.
Helena Bonham Carter's acting style changes depending on the needs of her role, she can be as eccentric as Bellatrix or more civil. But despite her level of fame, there are still some underappreciated movies Helena Bonham Carter appeared in that no fan of the actress should miss out on watching.
5 Dancing Queen (1993)
Those viewers who want to watch a movie with Helena Bonham Carter in a leading role and don't have much time should pay attention to the 1993 movie. Dancing Queen is a TV movie that runs for about 50 minutes, making it easy to watch it fast. It has an extra value for all Harry Potter fans because other than Helena Bonham Carter, it also stars Rik Mayall who was originally supposed to play Peeves in the movies before the part was cut out.
In this movie, Mayall and Bonham Carter play unexpected allies. Mayall's Neil is getting married and when he gets drugged as a prank during his bachelor party and wakes up in a train going somewhere he's not supposed to be, it's up to Helena Bonham Carter's Pandora to help him get to his wedding before it's too late. The movie contains multiple funny scenes, keeps a fast pace and the natural chemistry between the leading actors makes it a hidden jewel that deserves more ratings than just 600 that it currently has on IMDb.
4 A Room With A View (1985)
Helena Bonham Carter got her first major movie role in the mid-1980s, and this is one of them. Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, the romance movie takes place in Italy in 1907 and focuses on the developing romance between Helena Bonham Carter's young and somewhat naive English girl Lucy and the more experienced and eccentric George (Julian Sands).
Even though nowadays the movie's mostly flying under the radar, it has a strong and surprising story, at least for those who haven't read the book. Its setting is beautiful and the movie's cast includes many familiar names, such as Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, or Daniel Day-Lewis, to name just three. Helena Bonham Carter gives a nuanced performance in the role despite her youth, and it's easy to empathize with her heroine Lucy.
3 Merlin (1998)
Seeing Helena Bonham Carter shine as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter series was a delight for fans of the franchise. However, what not everyone might know is that Harry Potter isn't the first time Helena Bonham Carter played a powerful witch. In the 1998 two-part TV movie Merlin based on British mythology, Helena Bonham Carter took on the role of Morgan Le Fey, the intelligent and dangerous sorceress who stood against Sam Neill's Merlin in the end.
Helena Bonham Carter brings gravitas to the role, so this version of Morgan is unforgettable despite the fact that she doesn't have as much space in the story as the viewers might have expected. The one possible downside is that Merlin didn't have a budget as high as other fantasy movies, so the special effects didn't always age well. Fortunately, the story and the talented cast still make Merlin a movie no fan of this genre should ignore.
2 Lady Jane (1986)
Another leading role that Helena Bonham Carter took on in the mid-1980s saw her portray a real-life historical figure, the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey. In England in the 16th century, Jane became Queen, but she was overthrown after just nine days and later executed. The movie primarily focuses on Jane's agreed marriage to Guildford Dudley but also pays a lot of attention to her brief rule.
Helena Bonham Carter is sympathetic in the role since her heroine never wanted to be a queen in the first place but was manipulated by those who controlled her life. The movie creates a strong atmosphere of Tudor England, has beautiful costumes and music, as well as a strong cast overall. Other than Helena Bonham Carter, it also stars Cary Elwes as Guildford or Sir Patrick Stewart as Jane's father Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk.
1 Henry VIII (2003)
Lady Jane isn't the last time Helena Bonham Carter played a Tudor Queen who ended up executed. Unlike Lady Jane Grey, Anne Boleyn never ruled England on her own, but she was the Queen of England thanks to her marriage to Henry VIII before he had her executed. The two-part television movie focuses on Henry's all six marriages, but Anne Boleyn played by Helena Bonham Carter has a lot of space in the movie, possibly the biggest one of all the six wives.
The actress is perfectly believable in the role and the movie stars other well-known names such as Emily Blunt, Mark Strong, Charles Dance, and, of course, Ray Winstone in the titular role. Those who want to know more about Henry VIII's complicated life or simply like historical movies shouldn't miss out on watching the movie.