Louise Linton Explained

Louise Linton
Birth Name:Louise Hay
Birth Date:20 December 1980
Birth Place:Edinburgh, Scotland
Alma Mater:Pepperdine University (BA)
University of West Los Angeles (JD)
Occupation:actress, director, producer,
Years Active:2006[1] –present
Spouse:

    Louise Linton (née Hay; born 20 December 1980) is a Scottish actress. She has appeared in the horror films Cabin Fever and Intruder, in minor roles in the television series and Cold Case,[2] [3] and wrote, directed, produced and starred in the 2021 film Me You Madness. The film received poor reviews and was considered a flop both critically and commercially. Linton is married to Steven Mnuchin, the former United States Secretary of the Treasury.

    Early life

    Louise Hay was born in the Murrayfield area of Edinburgh, Scotland,[3] the youngest of three children of William and Rachel Hay.[4] Her family owns Melville Castle outside Edinburgh,[5] where she used to spend weekends.[1]

    Linton was educated at St George's School for Girls and Fettes College.[6] She was interested in acting from an early age; after observing students from Pepperdine University participating at the Edinburgh Festival, she vowed to her father that she would one day attend "Pepperdine and be an actress."[7] She trained in Edinburgh with a private coach from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, from which she gained honours after an exam.[8]

    Linton's mother died of breast cancer, aged 53, when Linton was 14 years old.[5] After boarding school, Louise spent part of her gap year as a volunteer in northern Zambia, before attending university in the United States.[9]

    Career

    Linton has stated that she adopted her stage surname from her grandfather, partly to protect her family and partly to avoid confusion with the author Louise Hay.

    Her first role was as a guest star in playing Simone de Lille, a French au pair to a New York teenager played by Shailene Woodley. The episode aired in 2007.

    Her first film was 2007's Lions for Lambs, directed by Robert Redford, starring Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep, in which Linton played Miss M,[10] but her scenes were dropped from the final release.[11] In 2008, she portrayed Katie in the Roy Lee horror film The Echo. According to the film's director, Yam Laranas, Linton was not his first pick of actress but he agreed to give her the role because her then-husband Ronald Richards paid him $200,000.[12] Her first lead role was in the sci-fi film Scavengers. In 2016, she appeared in Cabin Fever, a remake of the 2002 film of the same name and played the lead role of Elizabeth in the thriller Intruder. In 2009 Linton appeared in the Cold Case episode "WASP" in which she played Louise Patterson, a 1940's Women Air Force Service Pilot.[13] She also appeared in the film Crew 2 Crew. Linton was featured in the 2003 reality TV series Hopelessly Rich.[14]

    In 2009, she was honoured at the Scottish Style Awards as the country's 'Most Stylish Woman’.[15]

    Linton posed for Maxim in 2009.[16] Maxim dubbed her "the hottest thing to come out of Scotland since microwaved haggis.”[17]

    In interviews from 2009 to 2011, Linton recounted volunteering during her 1999 gap year in what she described as "war-torn Zambia", and the night she spent "hiding in the bush as Hutu rebels attacked the village she was working in".[18] In 2016, she self-published her memoir about her experiences in Zambia, titled In Congo's Shadow, co-authored by Wendy Holden.

    In February 2017, Linton succeeded her fiancé, Steven Mnuchin, as the interim CEO of Dune Entertainment. Mnuchin had founded Dune in 2004 but stepped down as part of his ethics agreement to divest his business roles in preparation for his appointment as Secretary of the Treasury.[19] Linton publicly announced her new role in early May,[20] which immediately drew the attention of Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), a member of the Senate Finance Committee. Wyden questioned whether the appointment of Linton meant Mnuchin had fully divested from the company. Although the Treasury replied that she was serving in an uncompensated capacity, Linton resigned as interim CEO later in May.[21]

    Linton is involved in The Rockshiel Trust, a Scottish legal entity, which applied to develop townhouses and apartments in the upmarket area of Murrayfield in Edinburgh close to the Hay family's Edinburgh home.[22] The plans for 9 Kinellan Road were objected to by the local community[23] and the plans submitted to City of Edinburgh Council in January 2019 were later withdrawn.[24]

    Linton's production company Stormchaser Films acquired Serial Daters Anonymous and completed the film’s production and post production. Linton stars opposite Sam Page. The film has not yet been released.[25]

    In 2019, Linton wrote, directed, produced, financed, and starred in the feature film Me You Madness opposite Ed Westwick in which she plays a murderous, sex-addicted hedge fund manager.[26] [27] [28] The movie was released on 12 February 2021.

    Memoir

    In 2016, she drew widespread criticism for her memoir. An excerpt from the memoir, published in The Telegraph, drew intense scrutiny, with many readers objecting to her portrayal of Zambia, as well as Linton's claim that she was a "central character" in the events.[29]

    "I tried not to think what the rebels would do to the 'skinny white Muzungu with long angel hair' if they found me." – Louise Linton in her memoir, In Congo's Shadow.

    The Zambian High Commission in London and others criticised the book for its inaccuracies and promotion of the false narrative of "the white saviour".[30] [31] [32] Her representative, Mike Sitrick, says she was targeted unfairly. "Had her critics checked," he stated, "they would have found that articles written contemporaneously with the events reported in Louise's book, by among the most respected media in the world, were consistent with Louise's reporting of those events, as was a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees briefing in March 1999.”[33]

    Shortly after The Telegraph published its extract from the book, Linton withdrew her book from sale.[34] She later apologised for causing offence and promised to donate all profits from the book to an appropriate charity, which she founded.[35] [36] The Telegraph withdrew the published extract and also apologised for any inaccuracies in Linton's text.[37] [38]

    Criticism

    In August 2017, Linton was criticised for posting a photo on Instagram of herself accompanying her husband on a trip to Fort Knox on a United States government plane, using hashtags to highlight the designer clothing and accessories she wore. In her reply, she called the critic "adorably out of touch", and suggested that she contributed more to the US economy and paid more in taxes than the woman criticising her.[39] [40] Following extensive publicity, Linton apologised for both her initial post and her response to criticism released by her publicist, saying "it was inappropriate and highly insensitive".[41] The couple reimbursed the government for the travel costs.[42] Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the authorisation and costs of the trip, noting the trip "seems to have been planned around the solar eclipse."[43] Later, Linton said she was a "bozo" for the Instagram post.[44]

    The Treasury's Office of Inspector General reviewed the 2017 flight taken by Mnuchin and Linton.[45] ABC News reported in September 2017 that the office had opened a second inquiry following reports that Mnuchin had requested use of a government jet to take him and Linton on their honeymoon in Scotland, France and Italy.[46] [47]

    In November 2017, Linton and Mnuchin sparked a new wave of criticism when they were photographed holding a sheet of dollar bills – the first to include Mnuchin's signature – at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.[48] [49]

    In January 2018, Linton was one of many celebrities, sports stars, journalists and politicians who were outed by The New York Times for allegedly purchasing fake followers – some of whom used information copied from real people – on various types of social media in order to overstate her following.[50]

    Personal life

    Linton was married to Los Angeles defence attorney Ronald Richards from 2006 to 2009.[11] [51] [52]

    Linton met Mnuchin through mutual friends[1] [53] at a 2013 wedding reception in Los Angeles. The pair were engaged in 2015 after dating for two years. On 24 June 2017, Linton married Mnuchin.[54] The civil ceremony, at which Vice President Mike Pence officiated, took place at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.[55]

    Linton served on the board of Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA[56] and the Old Fettesian's US Board of Trustees for Fettes College in Edinburgh.[57] She was an ambassador for Erskine Wounded Warriors Scotland from 2010 to 2012, and is an ambassador for the Scottish Butterfly Trust for Cystic Fibrosis.[58]

    Filmography

    Film

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    2007Lions for LambsSkin Care Consultant Scenes cut from final release
    2008The EchoKatie
    2008Banking on LoveDina
    2008Heineken Experience: Brew YouWomanShort film
    2010Screwball: The Ted Whitfield StoryShannon Storm
    2012She Wants MeJessica
    2012Crew 2 CrewSamantha
    2013The Power of FewCorey's Mother
    2013ScavengersEmerson
    2014Serial Daters AnonymousClaire
    2016Cabin FeverDeputy Winston
    2016IntruderElizabethAlso producer
    2016The Midnight ManAnnie Luster
    2016Rules Don't ApplyBetty
    2017OdiousExecutive producer
    2021Me You MadnessCatherine BlackAlso writer, director, and producer

    Television

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    2007The Daily HabitAmy2 episodes
    2007Simone de LilleEpisode: "A Daze of Wine and Roaches"
    2009Cold CaseLouise Patterson '44Episode: "WASP"
    2011Vanessa Rose BellowsTelevision film
    2012A Smile as Big as the MoonJulieTelevision film

    Further reading

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's actress wife Louise Linton got into an Instagram war – here's everything we know about her . Business Insider . 22 August 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170822193035/http://www.businessinsider.com/louise-linton-bio-actress-and-steve-mnuchin-wife-2017-8/#linton-began-acting-professionally-in-2006-2 . 22 August 2017 .
    2. Web site: Louise's star is on the rise. Press and Journal. 4 August 2014. Andrew. Youngson. 22 August 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001524/https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/celebrity/301823/louises-star-rise/. 2 February 2017.
    3. News: People: The business diary. The Scotsman . 21 July 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919163759/http://www.scotsman.com/business/management/people-the-business-diary-1-3482701. 19 September 2016.
    4. Web site: Louise Linton Biography. FrostSnow. 22 August 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822193035/http://frostsnow.com/louise-linton. 22 August 2017.
    5. Queen of California . The Herald Magazine . 19 February 2011 . Press Reader. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20161005120031/http://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-herald-magazine/20110219/281479272900952. 5 October 2016.
    6. Web site: Louise Linton reveals brush with death in Zambia. Edinburgh Evening News. Stenson. Joe. 3 May 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160708153608/http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/louise-linton-reveals-brush-with-death-in-zambia-1-4117377. 8 July 2016.
    7. Louise Linton Is SuperDuper Sorry . Battan, Carrie . 13 February 2018 . Elle . 13 February 2018.
    8. Web site: Scottish Field – January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170822193036/http://pdfmagazin.tomind.biz/01021022-scottish-field-january-2016/ . 22 August 2017 . dead .
    9. News: Controversial Africa memoir draws fire for Louise Linton, actress, self-published author and Trump dining companion. Schaub. Michael. 6 July 2016. Los Angeles Times. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160706214103/http://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-louise-linton-memoir-20160706-snap-htmlstory.html. 6 July 2016.
    10. Web site: Bennett. Ray. Lions for Lambs. The Hollywood Reporter. 22 October 2007. 22 August 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822193035/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lions-lambs-159052. 22 August 2017.
    11. News: Interview: Louise Linton, actress . 7 November 2009 . The Scotsman . 23 August 2017.
    12. Web site: Louise Linton's ex-husband paid $200K for her movie role, director claims. 23 August 2017. Fox News. en-US. 24 November 2019.
    13. Web site: Geier. Thom. Louise Linton's Richest Roles, From Marie Antoinette to Billionaire Steven Mnuchin's Wife (Photos). 22 August 2017. The Wrap.
    14. News: Hod . Itay . Louise Linton Starred on Reality Show 'Hopelessly Rich' Before Bragging About Her and Mnuchin's Fortune . The Wrap . 22 August 2017 . 3 July 2018.
    15. Web site: Louise Linton Crowned 'Most Stylish Woman' by Scottish Style Awards. zimio.com.
    16. Web site: LOUISE LINTON. Maxim. 22 August 2017.
    17. Web site: Masters. Kim. Meet Steven Mnuchin's Actress-Author Fiancee. 29 November 2016. The Hollywood Reporter.
    18. News: Scottish actress counts her blessings as she hits the big time in LA . Barry, Maggie . 28 November 2010 . Daily Record . 23 August 2017.
    19. News: Treasury Secretary's fiancée is interim CEO of Dune Entertainment . Gonzalez, Sandra . 9 May 2017 . CNN . 23 August 2017.
    20. Meet Louise Linton, the Blonde Bombshell Who's Stirring Up Controversy on Capitol Hill . Kassel, Matthew . Hallemann, Caroline . 22 August 2017 . Town & Country . 23 August 2017.
    21. News: Treasury secretary's fiancée to resign from Hollywood CEO job after senator's criticism . Wattles, Jackie . Alesci, Cristina . 26 May 2017 . CNN . 23 August 2017.
    22. Web site: Revealed: Trump Treasury Secretary's ties to controversial Edinburgh housing plan. www.scotsman.com. en. 18 August 2019.
    23. Web site: Minutes of Community Council Meeting 19 February 2019. Murrayfield Community Council. en. 18 August 2019.
    24. Web site: 19/00082/FUL Proposed development or 10 townhouses and 9 apartments. 9 Kinellan Road Edinburgh EH12 6ES. citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk. 18 August 2019.
    25. Web site: Thomas. Eric. Treasury Empress Louise Linton's Romcom Is Being Released And It Looks Bonkers. Elle.
    26. Web site: 'Me, You, Madness': First-Look Image Of Pic From Writer-Director-Star Louise Linton. Deadline Hollywood. Erik. Pederson. 16 April 2019. 24 December 2019.
    27. Web site: Gardner. Chris. On Set With Louise Linton: Inside Her "Homicidal Sociopath" Character, Three-Way Sex Scene in New Film. The Hollywood Reporter.
    28. News: 28 January 2021. Mnuchin's Wife Linton Plays Murderous Fund Manager in New Movie. en. Bloomberg.com. 28 January 2021.
    29. News: 'But I soon learned that Africa is rife with hidden danger', The web reacts to the 'Whitest story of the year' . 4 July 2016 . Zambian Observer . 23 August 2017.
    30. Web site: Louise Linton's Zambia is not the Zambia I know. Ngoma. Lydia. 5 July 2016. The Guardian. https://web.archive.org/web/20160716090320/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/jul/06/louise-lintons-zambia-is-not-the-zambia-i-know. 16 July 2016. live.
    31. Web site: 'Angel-haired' aid worker memoir ridiculed. 5 July 2016. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20170420171410/http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-36716288. 20 April 2017. live.
    32. Web site: Louise Linton just wrote the perfect White-Savior-in-Africa story. Karen Attiah. Karen Attiah. 6 July 2016. The Washington Post. https://web.archive.org/web/20160707155727/https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/07/06/louise-linton-just-wrote-the-perfect-white-savior-in-africa-story/. 7 July 2016. live.
    33. Web site: Masters. Kim. Meet Steven Mnuchin's Actress-Author Fiancee. The Hollywood Reporter. 29 November 2016.
    34. Web site: Zambian embassy slams Louise Linton memoirs. 11 July 2016. The Scotsman. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160717160402/http://www.scotsman.com/news/zambian-embassy-slams-louise-linton-memoirs-1-4174540. 17 July 2016.
    35. Web site: Actress says sorry as gap-year adventures cause African storm. Horne. Marc. 9 July 2016. . https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001531/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/actress-says-sorry-as-gap-year-adventures-cause-african-storm-qnwtv8qcl . 2 February 2017 . live.
    36. News: Barnes. Brooks. 9 January 2021. Louise Linton Has Made a Movie. en-US. The New York Times. 10 January 2021. 0362-4331.
    37. News: The Telegraph issues a formal apology over Louise Linton's book . 22 July 2016 . Zambian Observer . 23 August 2017.
    38. News: Gap year in Africa Book – Telegraph statement . 20 July 2016 . The Telegraph . 23 August 2017 . [The prior excerpt] drew a number of complaints from Telegraph readers that the article mistakenly implied that the conflicts in Congo and Rwanda had spilled over into Zambia, that Zambia was a war-torn country in 1999 and that armed rebels had crossed Lake Tanganyika to Zambia that year. Other claims of inaccuracy were also made..
    39. News: Mnuchin's Wife Mocks Oregon Woman Over Lifestyle and Wealth. Haberman, Maggie. 22 August 2017. The New York Times. 22 August 2017. Bouchard, Mikayla. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822053821/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/us/politics/mnuchin-louise-linton-treasury-instagram.html. 22 August 2017.
    40. News: Louise Linton criticised for ′deplorable′ social media boast. Jackson, Russell. 22 August 2017. The Scotsman. 22 August 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822193036/http://www.scotsman.com/news/louise-linton-criticised-for-deplorable-social-media-boast-1-4539038. 22 August 2017.
    41. News: The treasury secretary's wife just apologized for a 'highly insensitive' Instagram post . Paletta, Damian . 22 August 2017 . The Washington Post . 22 August 2017.
    42. Web site: Treasury secretary's wife: I deserve my Hermès scarf because I'm rich and pay taxes . 22 August 2017 . Vox . 23 August 2017.
    43. News: Watchdog requests documents about Mnuchin and wife's Ky. trip timed with eclipse . Delk, Josh . 23 August 2017 . The Hill . 24 August 2017.
    44. News: Plott . Elania . 1 April 2018 . Is DC Being Too Mean to Louise Linton?. Washingtonian . Washington DC . 1 April 2018 .
    45. News: Treasury inspector general to review Mnuchin's flight to Fort Knox. Harwell, Drew . 31 August 2017 . The Washington Post . 31 August 2017.
    46. News: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin requested government jet for European honeymoon. 14 September 2017 . ABC News. 14 September 2017.
    47. News: Mnuchin eclipses earlier backlash with pricey request: European honeymoon by military jet. Horton, Alex. Paletta, Damian. 14 September 2017. The Washington Post. 14 September 2017.
    48. News: Steven Mnuchin's wife strikes a pose with a sheet of money. Horowitz, Julia. 15 November 2017. CNN. 20 November 2017.
    49. News: Steve Mnuchin and Louise Linton mocked for posing with dollars. Belam, Martin. 16 November 2017. The Guardian. 20 November 2017.
    50. News: The Follower Factory, Everyone wants to be popular online. Some even pay for it. Inside social media's black market.. Confessore, Nicholas. Dance, Gabriel J.X.. Harris, Richard. Hansen, Mark. 27 January 2018. The New York Times. 30 January 2018.
    51. Web site: Actress Who Wrote Ridiculous, Fake-Seeming Zambia Memoir Is Dating Donald Trump's Finance Chair . Merlan. Anna. 6 July 2016 . Jezebel . 22 August 2017.
    52. Web site: Louise Linton: Scots public schoolgirl goes from z-list horror films to Trump's White House (no change there then, eh?). The Herald. Glasgow. Barry. Didcock. 26 February 2017. 22 August 2017. ...found herself a husband – attorney Ronald Richards, 14 years her senior. They divorced in 2010 after 'four or five' years of marriage. 'I think I was just a bit too young and we weren't exactly right for each other...Life moves quickly, particularly in fast-paced Los Angeles. It's not something I regret. I feel like I learned so much from it, and he and I are still dear friends'..
    53. Kim, Leena . 19 June 2017 . All the Jewels Louise Linton Wore to Her Wedding . . 13 February 2018.
    54. News: A Weekend Wedding for Steven Mnuchin. Rogers, Katie. 22 June 2017. The New York Times. 29 August 2017.
    55. Web site: Amid All the D.C. Drama, Trump and Family Attend Steve Mnuchin's Wedding. Vanity Fair. Stefansky. Emma. 25 June 2017. 22 August 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822193035/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/06/steve-mnuchin-louise-linton-wedding. 22 August 2017.
    56. Web site: Party on the Pier Goes Virtual!. partyonthepier.ucla.edu.
    57. News: Interview: Louise Linton, actress . The Scotsman . 12 January 2011 . 23 August 2017.
    58. What makes Hollywood's newest bombshell tick . Louise Linton . TC Franklin . 25 August 2014 . Locale Magazine . 23 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170823024352/https://localemagazine.com/louise-linton/ . 23 August 2017 . dead .

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