While many mysteries remain about the Tomb Raider known as Lara Croft, there are some things we have discovered.
The daughter of famed archaeologist Lord Henshingly Croft, Lara was brought up in the secure world of the British aristocracy - surrounded by tennis, butlers and corgis (for those uninformed, a corgi is a type of dog.) Tragedy struck Lara early in her life when her father mysteriously disappeared while on a remote expedition. Deeply saddened by his absence, her years at Wimbledon High School for girls were mostly quiet. This was to change though as she grew older.
Moving on to the Gordonstoun school rekindled the interest in archaeology she showed before her father's death. The nearby Scottish Highlands also became an ideal place for her to explore and train as she became obsessed with discovering ancient artifacts and forgotten civilizations.
Later, at her Swiss finishing school, she took to the art of extreme skiing. Searching for more challenging terrain, Lara decided to take a holiday in the Himalayas. On her return trip, however, the plane crashed deep within the mountains. Lara was the sole survivor. Escaping this adversity was one of the most harrowing experiences of her young life. It contributed to the extremely high confidence she carries with her today.
The dramatic events that took place in her young life lead Lara to largely reject the suffocating atmosphere of upper-class British society. She came to the realization that she was only truly alive when she was working and travelling alone. As a "Tomb Raider", she found a way of life, not a profession. She rarely works on commission, preferring the art of collecting and making new discoveries to pillaging the remnants of long lost civilizations for profit.
To fund her adventurous lifestyle though, Lara works as a professional photojournalist. She has made a name for herself in the field by winning a number of Pulitzer prizes.
While In England, Lara resides in her ancestral home, a mansion in Surrey. At one time she saw little use in having it, but soon realized it's potential as her base of operations. The undeveloped acres of land and numerous empty rooms are incredibly convenient for technical labs, vehicle storage and training purposes.
Despite this drastic change from a life of nobility, Lara still retains the essence of her upbringing - most notably her polite, upper-class accent and her appreciation of classical music.
The Tomb Raider Movie is tentatively scheduled to be released on July 15th, 2001
