Natascha McElhone was born in Hampstead, London, England, and raised in Brighton, England, by journalist parents. She studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art for three years, graduating in 1993, before beginning her career in the theater, taking a minor role in The Count of Monte Cristo. Her Hollywood stardom began when she starred with Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford in The Devil's Own, then The Truman Show with Jim Carrey and finally Ronin with Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno where she played as a member of IRA.