Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter's Relationship Timeline

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Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter may have had one of the most eccentric partnerships in Hollywood — both professionally and romantically.

After meeting on the set of Planet of the Apes (2001), the couple collaborated on eight films, including Big Fish (2003), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

The pair never wed but had two children together, Billy Raymond and Nell, before breaking up in 2014. They also never lived together, instead famously living next door to one another in London's Belsize Park. Their homes were connected by a hallway, and Bonham Carter told The Telegraph that Burton's snoring was "an element" of their housing situation.

"We just have two houses knocked together because mine was too small," she told the outlet in 2010. "We see as much of each other as any couple but our relationship is enhanced by knowing we have our personal space to retreat to."

Though they worked together on many projects, and she has called her former partner "a hilarious man" with whom she "had a lot of laughs," Bonham Carter has admitted that their working relationship wasn't always pretty.

"There were times when working together was not harmonious," she said in an interview on Grounded with Louis Theroux, noting that filming 2007's Sweeney Todd was the only time the two were "argumentative as a couple."

From their many Hollywood collaborations to raising their two children, here's everything you need to know about Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter's relationship.

2000: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter meet while filming Planet of the Apes

Burton and Bonham Carter met on the set of Planet of the Apes in 2000.

Burton pursued Bonham Carter for the film. In 2012, the actress told Graham Norton that she had been in Australia when Burton called to offer her the role. "He said, 'Don't take this the wrong way, but you are the first person I thought of to play a chimpanzee' " she recalled. "I thought, he's never met me, but he's got me. Because he said, 'I've got this funny intuitive feeling … that you like to cover up.' And I said, 'You're completely right.' "

At the time of filming, Burton was in a 10-year relationship with actress Lisa Marie, who had a small part in the movie. Prior to that, he was married to Lena Gieseke from 1987 to 1991, while Bonham Carter was in a long-term relationship with actor-director Kenneth Branagh from 1995 to 1999.

Though there were rumors to the contrary, Bonham Carter's rep told the New York Daily News that the relationship started after filming, not during. "She has been seeing him for the last two and a half weeks. It is a baby relationship," the rep said in October 2001. "They're taking baby steps. It didn't start during Planet of the Apes."

July 23, 2001: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter make their red carpet debut

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The two walked the red carpet for the first time at the New York City premiere of Planet of the Apes a few months before they officially started dating.

October 4, 2003: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter welcome their first child together

Bonham Carter gave birth to her and Burton's first child, Billy Raymond, in October 2003. The baby boy was named after both the actress' and the director's fathers.

Five years after his birth, Bonham Carter told The Guardian that her life completely changed after welcoming her son. "On the day Billy was born, it was like walking through a mirror and everything was Technicolor," she said. "My life had been very work-orientated, and all in close-up. Once I had the family it went into sudden widescreen."

December 4, 2003: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the Big Fish premiere

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The actress lovingly looked up at her partner as they walked the red carpet for their second film together, Big Fish. Bonham Carter took on two roles — a foreboding fairy tale witch and Billy Crudup's love interest Jenny — while Burton directed. The film was released on Christmas in 2003.

February 15, 2004: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the BAFTAs

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The London-based couple couldn't contain their smiles as they sat at the 2004 BAFTA Awards in animal print chairs. Burton was nominated for the best direction for Big Fish.

July 17, 2005: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend Charlie and the Chocolate Factory premiere

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It wasn't unusual for the couple to don black outfits for their red carpet appearances, and the London premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was no different.

The Roald Dahl adaptation featured Bonham Carter in one of her smallest roles in a Burton flick —  she played Charlie's mother Mrs. Bucket. The film was released stateside on July 15.

September 7, 2005: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter release Corpse Bride

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The couple attended the premiere of Corpse Bride at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. Bonham Carter voiced Emily, the titular bride, in Burton's stop-motion film, which hit theaters on September 23.

Six months later, the Addams Family director admitted that Bonham Carter was the only voice actor whom he made audition. "Maybe because I'm with her I was a little harder on her than I would be with somebody else," he told GamesRadar. "Nobody else had to audition, that's true. But Helena's cool about it. She's very secure with herself."

He also told the outlet that his partner was "completely misperceived," saying, "If you read the London papers, she's referred to as one of the worst dressed people in the history of Britain, or a posh aristocrat. It bothers her a little bit but once you get labeled there's really not much you can do about it."

November 30, 2005: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter step out for the West End production of Edward Scissorhands

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Fifteen years after Edward Scissorhands hit the big screen, the famed filmmaker and his partner attended the world premiere of the stage adaptation of his film in London's West End.

March 5, 2006: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the 78th Annual Academy Awards

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The duo opted for pops of color for the 2006 Oscars in Los Angeles, with Burton pairing his black suit with a red button-down, black patterned tie and sunglasses, while Bonham Carter shined in a slinky slate gray gown. The director was nominated for Best Animated Feature for Corpse Bride.

November 2, 2006: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter confirm relationship timeline

In an interview with The Guardian to promote her film, Sixty Six, Bonham Carter confirmed that her and Burton's relationship started after filming Planet of the Apes.

"Tim is very shy, and I was dressed as an ape all the time, so we didn't really collide," she said. She also noted that the first and only personal conversation they had during filming was about the London neighborhood Hampstead, where she grew up and where Burton had stayed while filming Sleepy Hollow.

She said it was a "complete surprise" when their relationship started months later. "But at the same time, it made complete sense," she recalled. "Lots of friends said, 'Duh, when were you two going to work it out?' "

July 3, 2007: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend Harry Potter premiere

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The duo may have worked together often, but they were just as supportive of each other's individual films, like when Burton joined Bonham Carter at the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

August 2007: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter announce they're expecting second baby

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Bonham Carter's publicist exclusively told PEOPLE that they were expecting their second child.

September 5, 2007: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter celebrate Burton's lifetime achievement award at Venice Film Festival

During the 64th Venice Film Festival, the pregnant actress stood by her partner's side as he was honored with the Golden Lion award for his career achievements in film.

October 2007: Helena Bonham Carter opens up about fertility struggles with Tim Burton

Bonham Carter told The Telegraph that she and Burton started trying for a second child in 2005, but when she wasn't getting pregnant, she tried alternative methods like acupuncture and the fertility drug Clomid, resulting in unwanted side effects. Though they discussed in vitro fertilization, the Enid star got pregnant naturally, learning they were expecting again while filming Sweeney Todd.

"I was working so hard at the time. The first three months being pregnant while filming, I felt totally spaced out," she said. "You do need to multi-task with acting. You've got to remember your marks, your lines, singing, everything, and actually — you have no brain! Suddenly your own brain is growing another person's brain, so yours goes defunct. It wasn't ideal, but then I was so happy to be pregnant."

December 15, 2007: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter welcome their second child

The couple's second child was born in London on Dec. 15, 2007.

"They are absolutely delighted they have a daughter," the actress's rep told PEOPLE. "It's a lovely Christmas present for the family."

Shortly before giving birth, Bonham Carter and Burton learned they received Golden Globe nominations for Sweeney Todd — Bonham Carter for best actress and Burton for best director — while at the doctor's office.

"We were talking about inducing, and Tim got a call from his assistant," Bonham Carter told PEOPLE of the moment she learned of her Globe nomination. "I do look like a globe, so it's kind of funny. I am very round."

January 6, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter fight nepotism rumors

While promoting Sweeney Todd ahead of its release, Bonham Carter told The Guardian that she isn't simply gifted parts by Burton — she works for them.

In particular, Stephen Sondheim, who wrote Sweeney Todd's music and lyrics, had the final say over the role. Bonham Carter auditioned for Sondheim, not Burton, and the actress said getting the part was "the most absolutely amazing thing." "I just could not believe it," she said. "Nor could Tim, actually. He burst into tears. And I burst into tears."

She made a similar comment 12 years later. "I never got a free ride with Tim because I was sleeping with him," Bonham Carter told The Guardian. "I was always auditioning. And I gave him two kids and everything!" she joked.

January 10, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter join Johnny Depp for London premiere of Sweeney Todd

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The director and the actress posed for photos with frequent collaborator Johnny Depp at the premiere of Sweeney Todd in London. Depp, a godparent to the couple's children, was often caught in the middle of Burton and Bonham Carter's creative spats on set.

"Johnny was caught in the middle," the Fight Club actress explained to Louis Theroux in 2020. "In the end, I realized I shouldn't really have any good ideas. If I had a good idea I should give it to Johnny. If I gave it to Johnny, Johnny would mention it to Tim and then it was a marvelous idea. If I mentioned it, it would be an absolutely crap idea. We worked our way through it."

Bonham Carter said that their strained on-set relationship was unusual. "We weren't actually very argumentative as a couple except on Sweeney," she added. "It might have been the subject matter, you know, Tim sort of identified with Sweeney and I was playing Mrs. Lovett."

January 18, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter share details about newborn daughter and living in two separate houses

When her daughter was only a month old, Bonham Carter shared some sweet details about her newborn, who didn't yet have a name.

"She's very chilled, with lots of hair, and I'm totally in love. I even loved the birth," she told the Evening Standard. "I'd do it again in a flash. I just got the drugs, sat back, and enjoyed it. It was all so casual that she didn't even cry when she came out."

The actress said that giving birth at St. Mary's Hospital in London felt like Christmas. "The happiest days of my life have been spent in that hospital," she said, adding that since welcoming her daughter, she was "on breastfeeding duty, trying to think of a name."

She also once again discussed the couple's unusual living situation with the outlet. "In any relationship, after the first year is over, you can't help but want your own space," she explained. "We have different telly tastes and both work from home. But things obviously aren't that bad between us, or I wouldn't have gotten [pregnant], would I? I'm very happy."

August 5, 2008: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter reveal daughter's name

Seven months after their daughter's birth, Bonham Carter and Burton revealed her name. In an interview with The Jewish Journal, Bonham Carter shared that they landed on Nell, a diminutive of Helen, in honor of "all the Helens in the family." In addition to Helena Bonham Carter, her mother is Elena and her grandmother was Helene.

November 17, 2009: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter celebrate the director at MoMA's Second Annual Film Benefit

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Depp once again celebrated with the couple when Burton was honored at MoMA's Second Annual Film Benefit in N.Y.C. Danny DeVito, who worked with Burton on Batman Returns, also joined the duo for the evening.

February 2010: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter talk being the "bonkers couple"

In an interview with The Guardian, Bonham Carter said that she and Burton aren't a goth couple despite how she is often described. In fact, she cackled when the interviewer asked if she and the Batman director were the "wackiest parents at the playground."

"I once went to a ­really brilliant intuitive astrologer — I like all that stuff — and the first thing she said was, by God, he's an efficient man," Bonham Carter recalled. "I thought, how interesting, because that's the last thing people would say about Tim, but he is. He's someone who's very creative and has a mad ­exterior, but he is funda­mentally very sane and ­practical. I don't think we're crazy at all, to be honest."

She also said that she and Burton have changed since getting together. "He's made me more aware. He thinks I overact all the time," she said of Burton's influence on her. "People who know him say I have [changed him], and I feel really flattered. Made him talk more. He didn't ­really talk before. He's much shyer than me. Every ­sentence was ­unfinished. I used to say he was a home for ­abandoned ­sentences. Now he actually finishes them."

February 25, 2010: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend Alice in Wonderland premiere

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The pair stepped out with their colleagues for the premiere of Alice in Wonderland in London's Leicester Square. Their son, Billy-Ray, even joined them for the afterparty at the Sanderson Hotel.

March 2010: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter discuss raising Billy-Ray

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While promoting the release of Alice in Wonderland, Bonham Carter said she was reliving childhood with her son. "Wave wands and pretend … that's all he does," the actress said of then-6-year-old Billy-Ray. "So I'm growing up with him again, and we've got a lot to talk about.

At the time, Bonham Carter had said Burton hadn't discussed if she would be cast in his next film — though she ultimately was — and was more concerned with his post-Alice return home.

"What I just want to know is if he's coming home now for the babies … Because we've been separated for six or seven months," she said. "He's been stuck in his room drawing and directing and animating all this time."

November 30, 2010: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter open up about their "titles"

In an interview with Vulture, Bonham Carter was asked how she refers to Burton since they're not married. She replied, "I don't know; I haven't got a satisfactory word! Father of my bastards, perhaps?"

February 14, 2011: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter celebrate her win at the 2011 BAFTAs

Bonham Carter won best supporting actress for The King's Speech at the 2011 BAFTAs, and she thanked her longtime partner for his love and support in her acceptance speech.

"And then finally, Tim Burton, who is my genius, and thank you for the big-headed queen," she said, referencing her Alice in Wonderland role. "And thank you for making the eighth and ninth wonders of the world that are our children."

February 27, 2011: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the Oscars

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Burton and Bonham Carter cozied up on the red carpet at the 83rd annual Academy Awards in L.A.

Ahead of the awards show, the Twelfth Night actress spoke to PEOPLE, joking that her partner sometimes tried to rein in her eccentric style. "Tim says to take seven things off before I go out. Coco Chanel said one. Tim says at least seven because too much is going on," she said, adding that she has only one firm fashion rule: "I hate being boring."

May 9, 2012: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the premiere of Dark Shadows

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In May 2012, Burton and Bonham Carter attended the U.K. premiere of Dark Shadows in London. Dark Shadows was the last film Burton directed Bonham Carter in, but it wasn't their last project together. Burton produced the 2016 sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, in which Bonham Carter reprised her role as the Red Queen.

November 29, 2012: Helena Bonham Carter explains her "completely traditional" relationship with Tim Burton

During an appearance on the Graham Norton Show, Bonham Carter said that despite what many think, her and Burton's relationship was "completely traditional" — save for their holidays. The actress described Burton's "complete creative control" over their first Christmas tree of theirs, "which looked all great, but as you looked close, you realized there were some zombies and dead babies … He's sick, he's obviously a sick man."

Norton also asked for clarity about their housing situation, asking if in reality, they just lived in "a big house."

"We have a big house. We did have little ones and now it just looks like a big house which has no interior design constancy whatsoever. There's a bit that looks like me, which is tasteful," she joked, "and his which is bizarre … everybody seems to make us more interesting than we actually are."

January 13, 2013: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter step out at the Golden Globes

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Just before the Golden Globes, the Frankenweenie director was hospitalized in London after a nasty fall resulting in a broken arm and shoulder. "I have a metal plate in there, so I'm part robot now," he joked to Vulture.

His injury was on display at the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, where Burton's ensemble included an arm sling.

February 24, 2013: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the Oscars

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The eccentric couple matched when they hit the red carpet at the 85th Annual Academy Awards in L.A. Burton's film Frankenweenie was nominated for Best Animated Feature.

After the awards show, they posed for more photos at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California. PEOPLE reported that the couple chatted in a booth with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas.

March 20, 2013: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend a charity gala

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Two days after attending a West End performance of The Book of Mormon, the pair posed for photos at A Night of Funk and Soul 2013, a benefit for Save the Children U.K. The couple were seen walking together in London shortly after, but the fundraiser would be their last public appearance before rumors of a cheating scandal broke a few months later.

October 2013: Helena Bonham Carter denies cheating rumors after Tim Burton is allegedly photographed with another woman

In October 2013, the Daily Mail published photos that appeared to show Burton kissing a blonde woman after a screening of The Wicker Man. However, Bonham Carter quickly denied rumors of an affair, with her rep telling E! News, "This is absolutely nonsense. The pictures were taken whilst they were out and the large group includes family, friends and work colleagues."

June 2014: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attend the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion with their children

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It was a family affair in Florida, where the couple brought their kids to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.

December 23, 2014: Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter separate

Bonham Carter's rep exclusively told PEOPLE that the pair had "separated amicably earlier this year and have continued to be friends and co-parent their children." The rep added that the exes asked for respect of privacy for themselves and their children.

September 2015: Helena Bonham Carter opens up about split from Tim Burton

Speaking about her breakup for the first time publicly, the Alice Through The Looking Glass star told Red magazine, "I could write a thesis on what's happened. [I]t is all-absorbing when a relationship breaks down, but I think we're coming through it."

Bonham Carter went on to say that she still valued her relationship after its ending. "I think we'll have something very precious still," she said. "Our relationship was always somewhat special, and I think it'll always remain special."

She added, "We did find each other. And really, the mark of a successful relationship shouldn't be whether you're there forever after. Sometimes you're not meant to be forever together. Sometimes you have to come to terms with the fact that that was it. But that was a gift, a massive gift. We gave each other children and a lot more else."

May 2016: Helena Bonham Carter reflects on her "divorce" from Tim Burton

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Though they were never officially married,  the actress reflected on her and Burton's split as a "divorce."

"With divorce, you go through massive grief — it is a death of a relationship, so it's utterly bewildering. Your identity, everything, changes," she told Harper's Bazaar.

The Crown actress admitted she considered sticking "handle with care" tape across her forehead following the split to warn people, "I'm not myself at the moment, so be careful."

Bonham Carter noted that she and Burton "really do get on," despite their breakup. "I understand him very well and he understands me," she said. "It might be easier to work together without being together any more. He always only cast me with great embarrassment."She also said that she sees her post-Burton life as a chance to renew and reflect, saying, "I feel very self-sufficient at the moment. I'm just going to work out who I am on my own and it's quite liberating."

October 2019: Helena Bonham Carter discusses moving on after her split from Tim Burton

The actress shared that she had moved on during an interview with Harper's Bazaar UK five years after she and Burton split.

"You break up, you grieve, you get bored of grieving, and then you finally move on," she said. "I'm very happy with someone else. It's been a bit of unexpected magic in my life."

Bonham Carter's new beau was Rye Dag Holmboe, who is 21 years her junior and whom she called "magic." Though they have a similar age gap to that of Roddy Llewellyn and Princess Margaret, Bonham Carter's character on The Crown, the Oscar nominee said that her real-life romance didn't give her insight into playing the royal.

"It's strange, though," Bonham Carter told The Times in November 2019. "It was odd timing that I seem to have a similar age gap as her, but I think it would have happened whether I was playing her or not."

October 31, 2020: Helena Bonham Carter looks back at her relationship with Tim Burton

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While chatting with The Guardian, Bonham Carter looked back at her and Burton's earliest days and discussed their current co-parenting dynamic.

"It's taken us some time to adjust, but I think it's really very good now. And the kids are fine, they get to have a dual life. At first, it's a horrible thing to get used to, not having your children around [when you share custody]. The cruelty of divorce is extraordinary. But then you get to a point where you're like, 'Oh, I get this week off!' Some parts are very much to be recommended," she shared.

While they are still very much a part of each other's lives, and Burton's name came up frequently during her interview, the actress wouldn't reveal why they broke up. "Oh, I can't talk about that. Good try, though," she said. "I have a responsibility to the children not to talk about it. As well as to Tim, I respect him. But I didn't leave, put it that way."

April 6, 2021: Helena Bonham Carter says she thought Tim Burton was going to propose to her

Though she has said they never felt the need to marry, Bonham Carter admitted that she once thought Burton would propose to her. In an essay for Harper's Bazaar UK, she wrote about Alice in Wonderland and her relationship with the director.

"Back in 2008, my ex Tim Burton asked me to have a meeting at his office. This was unusual, for, at the time, I shared a home with him and our two young children down the other end of the road," she wrote. "What was so important that he couldn't ask me over Cheerios? Seated at his desk, he announced quite formally: 'I have something very important to ask you.' "

"At this point I thought he was going to ask me to marry him," she continued. " 'I wonder if you would consider playing the Red Queen in my film of Alice In Wonderland?' and before I could respond, he shoved a sketch toward me. 'Look, it's got to be you because I've drawn you without intending to.' It was a sketch of an overly large-headed scowling queen. Frankly, this was better than a marriage proposal."

December 13, 2022: Helena Bonham Carter recalls "painful" Tim Burton breakup

Bonham Carter went into "mourning" after her split from Burton.

"We should bring back a uniform for mourning because it gives an indication to people that you're not yourself and nor should you be yourself," she said during an interview on the Therapy Works podcast. "We have to honor and respect loss. We have to press pause."

The Harry Potter alum referred to her breakup as a "divorce," despite never having tied the knot with Burton.

"I went through a very painful divorce," she said. "It was a long-lasting thing. That's the other thing, it's not that finite. It never ends. Even if you divorce somebody, it's a kind of marriage if you have children with them. The relationship has to change. It's a very complicated thing how to share the children."