Minnie Driver was born Amelia Fiona J. Driver in London, the daughter of Gaynor Churchward (née Millington), a designer and former couture model, and Ronnie Driver, a businessman. Her sister, Kate Driver, is a model and producer.

Before receiving worldwide recognition, she appeared on British television with renowned comedians such as Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci and had small parts in such shows as Casualty, Lovejoy and Peak Practice, among others.

Driver first came to broad public attention when she played the lead role in Circle of Friends and in 1997 in Good Will Hunting. In 2003 and 2004, she had a noted recurring role on Will & Grace as Lorraine Finster, the nemesis of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) and daughter of Karen's lover, Lyle Finster (John Cleese).

Driver has also worked on several animated features, including Disney's 1999 version of Tarzan and the 1999 dubbed-English version of the Japanese film Princess Mononoke.

On March 12, 2007, Driver made her return to television starring alongside Eddie Izzard on the FX Network show The Riches, a series about a family of Travellers living in an upscale gated community in the suburbs.

She was nominated for the 2007 Emmy Award as Best Actress in a Dramatic Series.