Tim Roth was born on 14 May 1961 in London, England, UK. His birth name was Timothy Simon Smith. His father changed the family name from the more British "Smith" to the German-Jewish “Roth” in the 1940s after World War II because he was a journalist who traveled in countries that disliked the British.

As a British actor, Tim Roth’s greatest success came after 1990 when he moved to the States to play American heavies. He has been a favorite of director Quentin Tarantino. He speaks fluent French and German and served as president of the jury for the Camera d'or - a prize awarded to first time filmmakers - at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. He is one of the first actors to get the trendy "thorny tribal" tattoo around his arm and bears tattoos on his right arm for significant events in his life.

Even with his reputation as an actor firmly established, Tim Roth still tends bar from time to time. He was considered for the role of Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), but dropped out to star in Tim Burton's re-make of PLANET OF THE APES (1968). By the end of 2004, he completed filming on Wim Wenders’ DON’T COME KNOCKING.

He is married to Nikki Butler since 1993 and has two sons, Timothy and Cormac. He also has a son with Lori Baker.