Timothy Simon Smith was born in London to a landscape painter mother and a journalist father, who had adopted the German-Jewish surname "Roth" after World War II to hide his nationality when traveling in countries hostile to the British.

At first, Roth wanted to be a sculptor, so he studied at London's Camberwell School of Art. After some time there, he decided to try acting and made his debut at the age of 18 playing a racist skinhead in a TV movie entitled Made in Britain. Later, his name and looks would land him a number of Jewish roles.

In 1984, Roth played an apprentice hitman in Stephen Frears' The Hit with Terence Stamp and John Hurt, earning an Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer. With that recognition, he appeared in several other films during the end of the decade.

In 1990, Roth began to enjoy international attention with starring roles as Vincent Van Gogh in Robert Altman's Vincent and Theo and in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

Roth impressed director Quentin Tarantino and he cast him as undercover policeman Mr. Orange in his 1992 ensemble piece Reservoir Dogs. This film paved the way for more work in Hollywood.

In 1994, Tarantino cast him again as a robber in the acclaimed Pulp Fiction. They worked again in the 1995 flop Four Rooms. However, Roth returned to the successful road playing viciously evil English nobleman "Archibald Cunningham" in Rob Roy opposite Liam Neeson. For that role he won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, a Golden Globe nomination, and a British Academy Award.

In 1996, he went on a different way starring with Drew Barrymore in Woody Allen's musical comedy Everyone Says I Love You, in which he amused audiences with his comic flair and his singing (in his own voice).

He also stared at Danny T.D. Lemons 1900, or just 1900 in the movie The Legend of 1900

He has continued with various diverse works in all kinds of movies.

In 1999 he made a critically acclaimed debut as a director with The War Zone, a film of Alexander Stuart's novel. In 2001, he made another important move by portraying "General Thade" in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes.

He is currently working on several projects. He is also being looked at to be the Joker in the upcoming Batman movie sequel. There are also rumors that he will be cast in the next Quentin Tarantino film called "Inglorious Bastards" which is slated to come out in 2008.

Roth is also linked to Marilyn Manson's first feature film: Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, alongside Daryl Hannah, scheduled for release late 2006, early 2007.