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- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Natalie Dormer born February 11, 1982 is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Anne Boleyn on the Showtime series The Tudors (2007-10), as Margaery Tyrell on the HBO series Game of Thrones (2012-14), Irene Adler on the CBS series Elementary (2013-15), and as Cressida in the science-fiction adventure films The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015). She has been nominated for Best Performance at the Gemini Awards for her work in The Tudors. She has also been nominated for a Screen Actor's Guild Award for her performance in Game of Thrones.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Ask Kate Winslet what she likes about any of her characters, and the word "ballsy" is bound to pop up at least once. The British actress has made a point of eschewing straightforward pretty-girl parts in favor of more devilish damsels; as a result, she's built an eclectic resume that runs the gamut from Shakespearean tragedy to modern-day mysticism and erotica.
Kate Elizabeth Winslet was born in Reading, Berkshire, into a family of thespians -- parents Roger Winslet and Sally Anne Bridges-Winslet were both stage actors, maternal grandparents Oliver and Linda Bridges ran the Reading Repertory Theatre, and uncle Robert Bridges was a fixture in London's West End theatre district. Kate came into her talent at an early age. She scored her first professional gig at eleven, dancing opposite the Honey Monster in a commercial for a kids' cereal. She started acting lessons around the same time, which led to formal training at a performing arts high school. Over the next few years, she appeared on stage regularly and landed a few bit parts in sitcoms. Her first big break came at age 17, when she was cast as an obsessive adolescent in Heavenly Creatures (1994). The film, based on the true story of two fantasy-gripped girls who commit a brutal murder, received modest distribution but was roundly praised by critics.
Still a relative unknown, Winslet attended a cattle call audition the next year for Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995). She made an immediate impression on the film's star, Emma Thompson, and beat out more than a hundred other hopefuls for the part of plucky Marianne Dashwood. Her efforts were rewarded with both a British Academy Award and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Winslet followed up with two more period pieces, playing the rebellious heroine in Jude (1996) and Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996).
The role that transformed Winslet from art house attraction to international star was Rose DeWitt Bukater, the passionate, rosy-cheeked aristocrat in James Cameron's Titanic (1997). Young girls the world over both idolized and identified with Winslet, swooning over all that face time opposite heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio and noting her refreshingly healthy, unemaciated physique. Winslet's performance also garnered a Best Actress nomination, making her the youngest actress to ever receive two Academy Award nominations.
After the swell of unexpected attention surrounding Titanic (1997), Winslet was eager to retreat into independent projects. Rumor has it that she turned down the lead roles in both Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Anna and the King (1999) in order to play adventurous soul searchers in Hideous Kinky (1998) and Holy Smoke (1999). The former cast her as a young single mother traveling through 1970s Morocco with her daughters in tow; the latter, as a zealous follower of a guru tricked into a "deprogramming" session in the Australian outback. The next year found her back in period dress as the Marquis de Sade's chambermaid and accomplice in Quills (2000). Kate holds the distinction of being the youngest actor ever honored with four Academy Award nominations (she received her fourth at age 29). As of 2016, she has been nominated for an Oscar seven times, winning one of them: she received the Best Actress Oscar for the drama The Reader (2008), playing a former concentration camp guard.
For her performance of Joanna Hoffman in Steve Jobs (2015), she received her seventh Academy Award nomination.
Off camera, Winslet is known for her mischievous pranks and familial devotion. She has two sisters, Anna Winslet and Beth Winslet (both actresses), and a brother, Joss.
In 1998, she married assistant director Jim Threapleton. They had a daughter, Mia Honey Threapleton, in October 2000. They divorced in 2001. She later married director Sam Mendes in 2003 and gave birth to their son, Joe Alfie Winslet-Mendes, later that year. After seven years of marriage, in February 2010 they announced that they had amicably separated, and divorced in October 2010. In 2012, Kate married Ned Rocknroll, with whom she has a son. She was awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Drama.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Nicholas Hoult was born on December 7, 1989 in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, UK as Nicholas Caradoc Hoult. His parents are Glenis Hoult, a piano teacher and Roger Hoult, a pilot. He has three siblings, two sisters and one brother. His great-aunt was one of the most popular actresses of her time, Dame Anna Neagle. He attended Sylvia Young Theatre School, a school for performing arts, to start acting as a career.
His breakthrough role was as a child when he starred as Marcus Brewer in About a Boy (2002), alongside Hugh Grant. In 2005, he starred in his first American film The Weather Man (2005) as Nicolas Cage's son. At age 17, he received recognition for starring as Tony Stonem in the BAFTAs-awarded British teen-drama series Skins (2007). Later he played the role of Kenny Potter in the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man (2009) after being discovered by director Tom Ford.
Hoult was cast as Hank / Beast in the X-Men franchise and starred in the films X-Men: First Class (2011), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019).
He also starred as "R" in the romance / horror zombie film Warm Bodies (2013), Jack in Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and British novelist J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, in the biographical film Tolkien (2019).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Camilla Luddington was born in Ascot, Berkshire, England. She has traveled to the U.S. as a teenager and has lived in Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, and California.
She was educated at an all-girls school in Ascot, Berkshire, later attending the American School in England at Thorpe in Surrey. She also lived in suburban Austin, Texas for a year when she was fourteen, and attended Westwood High School.
When she was eighteen, she enrolled in Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, before moving to New York City, and studying at New York Film Academy. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
She has since appeared at several high profile TV shows, before rising to prominence as Catherine Princess of Wales in the Lifetime TV movie, William & Kate (2011). She went on to appear in Californication (2007) and True Blood (2008). Luddington was a guest star during the ninth season of ABC's Grey's Anatomy (2005) as Dr. Jo Wilson. She was upgraded to series regular for the tenth season. In June 2012, Crystal Dynamics confirmed Luddington would voice Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider (2013) video game reboot. She did both the voice and the motion capture in the course of three years. She is set to appear in The Pact II (2014) in 2014. She is also returning to the role of Lara Croft for the latest Tomb Raider Game, Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Geraldine McEwan was born in Old Windsor, England and made her theatre debut at the age of 14 at the Theatre Royal in Windsor. By the age of 18 she was starring in London's West End in several long-running popular productions. During the 1950s she acted with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1961.
She had leading roles as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing with Christopher Plummer, Ophelia in Hamlet, The Princess of France in Love's Labour's Lost, Marina in Pericles and played opposite Dorothy Tutin in Twelfth Night which also toured Moscow and Leningrad.
Miss McEwan originated the female lead role in Joe Orton's Loot, captivated Broadway with productions of The School for Scandal, The Private Ear and the Public Eye, and most recently, The Chairs, earning her a Tony nomination for best actress.
As a member of the Royal National Theatre, acting along side Albert Finney, and Laurence Olivier, Geraldine spent the 1960s and 70s with memorable roles including The Dance of Death, Love for Love, A Flea in Her Ear, Chez Nous, Home and Beauty, The Browning Version, Harlequinade and The White Devil. In 1976 she had the distinction of being nominated for an Olivier Award in two separate categories.
In 1983 she won the Evening Standard Best Actress Award for The Rivals. In 1991 she won the BAFTA Best Actress Award for her intense and powerful performance as the Mother in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1989) and in 1995 she won the Evening Standard Best Actress Award for her performance of Lady Wishfort in The Way of the World.
In 1998, McEwan was nominated for a Tony Award in the Best Actress Category for The Chairs. Her numerous television credits include the highly acclaimed The Barchester Chronicles (1982) with Alan Rickman, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978), Mulberry (1992), and the immensely popular Mapp & Lucia (1985). Her film work includes The Dance of Death (1969) with Laurence Olivier, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) with Alan Rickman, Henry V (1989) and Love's Labour's Lost (2000), both with Kenneth Branagh, and most recently The Magdalene Sisters (2002), The Lazarus Child (2004), Vanity Fair (2004) and Carrie's War (2004). In 2003, Geraldine was chosen to play Agatha Christie's Jane Marple. She recently retired from that role after completing 12 hugely popular two-hour mysteries for ITV/PBS.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jessica Brown Findlay is an English actress. She is known for Emelia Conan-Doyle in the British comedy-drama Albatross (2011), Winter's Tale (2014), This Beautiful Fantastic (2016) and Lady Sybil Crawley in ITV's Downton Abbey (2010). She also starred in the TV series Misfits (2009) and mini-series Labyrinth (2012). In 2011, she starred in the Black Mirror (2011) episode, Fifteen Million Merits (2011). "Albatross" was her film debut.
Jessica was born in Cookham, Berkshire, to Beverley, a teacher's aide and nurse, and Christopher Brown-Findlay, who works in finance. She is of Scottish, English, and Irish descent. Jessica trained with the National Youth Ballet and the Associates of the Royal Ballet. At age fifteen, she was invited to dance with the Kirov at the Royal Opera House for a summer season.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Leggy, brunette-maned pin-up actress Caroline Munro was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England, and lived in Rottingdean near Brighton where she attended a Roman Catholic convent school. By chance, her mother and a photographer entered her picture in a "Face of the Year" competition for the British newspaper The Evening News and won. This led to modeling chores, her first job being for Vogue Magazine at age 17. She moved to London to pursue top modeling jobs and became a major cover girl for fashion and television commercials while there.
Decorative bit parts came her way in such films as Casino Royale (1967) and Where's Jack? (1969). One of her many gorgeous photo ads earned her a screen test and a one-year contract at Paramount where she won the role of Richard Widmark's daughter in the comedy/western A Talent for Loving (1973). She first met husband/actor Judd Hamilton filming this movie but they later divorced. Also in 1969, she became the commercial poster girl for "Lamb's Navy Rum", a gig that lasted ten years. She had no lines as Vincent Price's dead wife in The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) which, in turn, led to a Hammer Studios contract and such low-budget spine-tinglers as Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974). More noticeable roles came outside the studio as the slave girl/love interest in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), the princess in At the Earth's Core (1976), and a lethal Bond girl in the top-notch The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Her voluptuous looks sustained her for a bit longer but the quality of her roles did not improve with higher visibility. Later 70's and 80's roles included the lowergrade Starcrash (1978), Maniac (1980) and Slaughter High (1986), the last-mentioned written and directed by second husband George Dugdale, whom she married in 1990. He died in 2020.
Following her marriage, she was less seen. The septuagenarian continued to perform sporadically on camera, primarily in England and often in the horror genre. Subsequent lead and supporting movie roles have included Heaven's a Drag (1994), Domestic Strangers (1996), Flesh for the Beast (2003), Vampyres (2015), Cute Little Buggers (2017) and House of the Gorgon (2019) which also featured her daughter, actress Georgina Dugdale.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Claudie Blakley graduated from London's Central School of Speech and Drama in 1997 and was hailed that year as a bright and fresh Wendy in the National Theatre's Christmas production of 'Peter Pan' opposite Ian McKellen. Staying with the National she went with them for their 1998-99 season at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, where she received the Ian Charleson Award as best young performer for her role in Chekhov's 'The Seagull'.
In the early 2000s she appeared in ensemble costume films Gosford Park (2001) and The Cat's Meaw (2001) before returning to the stage in 2003 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company in 'All's Well That Ends Well' opposite Judi Dench. She was a touching Charlotte Lucas in Joe Wright's film of Pride & Prejudice (2005) opposite Keira Knightly and starred as the ill-fated Jill in cult horror-comedy Severance (2006) with Danny Dyer and Toby Stephens.
Between 2007-11 she completed two further ensemble costume pieces for television, Cranford (2007-09) and Lark Rise To Candleford (2008-11) as the much-loved Emma Timmins opposite Brendan Coyle. Claudie has since gone on to have a wide and varied career in film and television as a well as recent highly acclaimed stage productions including 'Chimerica' and 'Consent' in London's West End.- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Ricky Dene Gervais was born in a suburb of Reading, Berkshire, to Eva Sophia (House) and Lawrence Raymond Gervais, who was a hod carrier and labourer. His father was born in Ontario, Canada, of French-Canadian descent, and his mother was English. He was educated at Ashmead Comprehensive School and went on to study at University College, London, where he gained a degree in Philosophy.
After university, Gervais attempted to pursue a pop career with Seona Dancing, a duo he formed with a fellow student. Similar to many groups in the early 1980s, they were a synth-pop act with a somewhat pretentious name and exhibiting a strong musical influence by David Bowie. Gervais adopted a vocal style that has often been compared to Bowie; comedian Paul Merton would later joke that Bowie nicked their music. Seona Dancing were briefly signed to a recording contract and released two singles, "More to Lose" and "Bitter Heart". The latter was slightly reminiscent of Queen's "Body Language" from a year earlier, featuring a similar synthesizer riff. The act failed to breach the UK top 75 and earn a place in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, but clips have survived and they have been frequently used to tease Gervais in interviews. Despite his own lack of success, Gervais stayed within the music industry for a while and even spent time as the manager of Suede.
Gervais had to wait a long time before achieving the fame he had hoped would come with a pop career. In the 1990s he formed a writing partnership with Stephen Merchant. In 2000, he landed his own comedy chat show on Channel 4, Meet Ricky Gervais (2000), which attracted legendary guests such as Jimmy Savile, Michael Winner, Paul Daniels, Peter Purves, Stefanie Powers, Jim Bowen and Midge Ure. The series only ran for six episodes but a year later greater stardom came for Gervais with the debut of BBC comedy The Office (2001). Although it was not initially received to great acclaim or viewing figures, it is now often cited as one of the greatest comedy series of all time and has been credited with reinventing the sitcom. Gervais starred as the obnoxious and embarrassing office manager David Brent, who has since been voted in various polls one of the greatest comic characters. It also prompted an American remake, The Office (2005). Gervais had further success with another sitcom, Extras (2005), which attracted a series of celebrity guests, including Ben Stiller, Samuel L. Jackson and his musical idol David Bowie. It served as a satire on the entertainment industry and leading stars were happy to play along by performing exaggerated versions of themselves.
Gervais has become one of the most popular and omnipresent comedy performers of the 21st century, hosting the Golden Globe awards, lending his talent to films, becoming a voice artist and appearing on numerous talk shows. He has become one of the best known British comedy figures in America. He is also regularly the subject of controversy due to his dark comedy. Some critics have called him insensitive and outrageous. Gervais has responded by saying "offense is the collateral damage of free speech", he has said that he doesn't aim for a mass audience, he's just pleased he's managed to get one, and he has compared his style of comedy and the audience he has acquired with being Iggy Pop in preference to being Phil Collins.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Geraldine James, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) was born on July 6, 1950 in Maidenhead, Berkshire. She was educated at Downe House, a girls' independent school in Newbury, Berkshire, and later, at Drama Centre London. Geraldine has made several film and television appearances, she was nominated four times a BAFTA TV Award for her performances in Dummy (1977), The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Band of Gold (1995), and The Sins (2000).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman) is a multiple award-winning television, stage and film actress who performs as a comedian, singer, dancer, as well as works as a screenwriter, producer, director, author, and businesswoman. She holds dual British and American citizenship.
Ullman's early appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties (with Rik Mayall and Miriam Margolyes) and Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield). After a brief singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls on Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
She emigrated from the United Kingdom to the United States where she starred in her own network television comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show, from 1987 until 1990. She later produced programmes for HBO, including Tracey Takes On... (1996-99), for which she garnered numerous awards. Ullman's sketch comedy series, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, ran from 2008 to 2010 on Showtime. She has also appeared in several feature films. Ullman was the first British woman to be offered her own television sketch show in both the United Kingdom and the United States and in 2016 stars in her own BBC sketch comedy show Tracey Ullman's Show, her first project for the broadcaster in over thirty years.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Samuel Alexander Mendes was born on August 1, 1965 in Reading, England, UK to parents James Peter Mendes, a retired university lecturer, and Valerie Helene Mendes, an author who writes children's books. Their marriage didn't last long, James divorced Sam's mother in 1970 when Sam was just 5-years-old. Sam was educated at Cambridge University and joined the Chichester Festival Theatre following his graduation in 1987. Afterwards, he directed Judi Dench in "The Cherry Orchard", for which he won a Critics Circle Award for Best Newcomer. He then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he directed such productions as "Troilus and Cressida" with Ralph Fiennes and "Richard III". In 1992, he became artistic director of the reopened Donmar Warehouse in London, where he directed such productions as "The Glass Menagerie" and the revival of the musical "Cabaret", which earned four Tony Awards including one for Best Revival of a Musical. He also directed "The Blue Room" starring Nicole Kidman. In 1999, he got the chance to direct his first feature film, American Beauty (1999). The movie earned 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Mendes, which is a rare feat for a first-time film director.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Josh Bowman was born on 4 March 1988 in Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Revenge (2011), Doctor Who (2005) and Level Up (2016). He has been married to Emily VanCamp since 15 December 2018. They have two children.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Eliza Bennett is a English actress. She is known for her role as Jules Thomas in the MTV series Sweet/Vicious for which her performance received critical acclaim.
Eliza started working at 9 years old after landing the lead as Jemima in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' in the London West End, after an open audition. Growing up, Eliza starred in multiple studio films, most notably 'The Prince and Me' (with Julia Stiles, Miranda Richardson), Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson, Colin Firth), The Contractor (with Lena Headey, Wesley Snipes) and 'From Time to Time' (with Dame Maggie Smith, Dominic West). Her biggest break came at fourteen, where Eliza beat hundreds of girls to land the lead in fantasy family film 'Inkheart' starring alongside Dame Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany and Jim Broadbent.
As an adult, Eliza landed television roles such as the critically acclaimed ITV drama 'Broadchurch' (starring David Tennant, Olivia Coleman), HBO Cinemax and Sky's 'Strike Back' (starring Sullivan Stapleton, Robson Green) and ITV's 'Grantchester' starring James Norton. Alongside television roles, Eliza transformed herself for movie 'H8RZ' playing a boy in this psychological thriller alongside Abigail Spencer and Jeremy Sisto and played the lead in biopic 'Von Trapp Family' (with Matthew MacFayden). Eliza also returned to the West End to star in new pop/rock musical 'Loserville' written by Busted member James Bourne.
More recently, Eliza landed the lead role in US critically acclaimed MTV television show 'Sweet/Vicious', where she played a sexual assault survivor who moonlights as a vigilante avenging other victims on her university campus. Sweet/Vicious received rave reviews calling it 'the best show you've never heard of' (Hollywood Reporter) and 'our most politically important show' (Vanity Fair) and scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Eliza also leads the cast on the new Amazon Pilot based on the BAFTA Award winning UK series 'People Just Do Nothing', directed by Chris Storer (Eight Grade).
Additionally to her acting career, Eliza is a singer and pianist. Eliza also has a dance background training with Italia Conti and dancing in West End musicals.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Nick Hendrix was born and raised near Windsor in Berkshire. After studying drama at Exeter University, he spent a further three years at RADA. He has worked extensively in London theatre, including the National Theatre and West End. His work includes Black Mirror, The White Queen, Call the Midwife, Marcella, and Midsomer Murders on TV, and Legend, Suffragette, and Captain America on film.- Tom Brooke was born in 1978 in Berkshire, England, UK. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and lives in London. He is best known for his roles as the angel Fiore in AMC/Amazon Prime's 'Preacher', Bill Wiggins in the BBC's 'Sherlock' and Thick Kevin in Richard Curtis' film 'Pirate Radio', starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
- Actor
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- Producer
Eloquent, incisive, consistently compelling Berkshire-born character actor, equally at home portraying paternal benevolence or nefarious villainy. Patrick Malahide's birth name is Patrick Gerald Duggan and he has written screenplays as P.G. Duggan: to date the BBC thriller The Writing on the Wall (1996) and the Screen Two (1985) episode 'Reasonable Force'. He also owns and operates the production company Ryan Films. The change of his stage name to Patrick Malahide came as a consequence of there already being another actor named Patrick Duggan listed in British Equity.
The son of Irish immigrants (his father was a college secretary, his mother a cook), Malahide attended the Catholic Douai boarding School in Woolhampton, Upper Berkshire, where he first developed an aptitude for singing and acting. By the time he was in his early teens, he had also mastered all manner of Irish and English accents and dialects, a skill which was to come in handy as an actor. Malahide gained his first proper acting experience as a member of the University of Edinburgh's dramatic society, leading to two appearances at the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Though his uni studies in experimental psychology did not lead to a career in academia, Malahide tried his hand for two years as an English Master, teaching literature and drama at the Forest County Grammar School for Boys in Wokingham. Still undecided about future career prospects, he then worked briefly as a door-to-door salesman, selling English ceramic ware to American forces stationed in Germany.
By 1969, he had overcome his initial reservations about an acting career and joined the Byre Theatre in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, as a stage manager, in addition fulfilling diverse other jobs as carpenter, electrician, sound recordist, prompter, set painter and actor. By the following year, Malahide had worked his way up to artistic director and was able to command leading roles in plays by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Shaw, Miller, among others. In 1972, he made his debut on the London stage. He was a member of the ensemble of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh from 1973 to 1978 and of the Bristol Old Vic repertory company from 1979 to 1980, appearing in classic plays like Crime and Punishment, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Look Back in Anger, The Cherry Orchard and Uncle Vanya.
On screen from 1975, Malahide enjoyed his first popular success in the role of the dour, plodding Detective Sergeant Albert Chisholm (ironically nicknamed "Cheerful Charlie"), Arthur Daley's perpetual nemesis in TV's Minder (1979). He essayed this character in 24 episodes during the first seven seasons (1979 to 1988). Malahide remained connected to the crime genre with guest appearances in The Sweeney (1975), The Professionals (1977), The Chinese Detective (1981), the Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987), Lovejoy (1986) and Poirot (1989). Between 1993 and 1994, he also starred in his own series as a dapper, charismatic sleuth, protagonist of the Alleyn Mysteries (1990), adapted from novels by New Zealand crime author Ngaio Marsh. On the wrong side of the law, Malahide tangled with Luther (2010) (Idris Elba) in the role of genteel, thoroughly ruthless East End crime boss George Cornelius.
Likely stemming from his appreciation of literature, Malahide has similarly excelled in portraying a fascinating gallery of characters in period drama and in adaptations from literary classics. These have ranged from haughty aristocrats and corrupt officers to powerful political/historical figures and leaders of industry. One of his personal favorites (according to his website) was playing the eccentric charlatan and bombast Alfred Jingle in BBC's adaptation of The Pickwick Papers (1985). Other memorable roles include the wealthy, but graceless Reverend Edward Casaubon in Middlemarch (1994); the avaricious miser Ebenezer Balfour in Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped (1995); the snide, corrupt Governor Ainslee in the much-maligned swashbuckler Cutthroat Island (1995); Sir Francis Walsingham, the sinister spymaster of Elizabeth I (2005); Sir John Conroy, comptroller to the early household of the future Queen of England in the miniseries Victoria & Albert (2001) and Patrick, the Bronte sisters' father (In Search of the Brontës (2003)). More recent appearances saw him in recurring roles as shrewd businessman Lord Glendenning invested in The Paradise (2012) and as Governor-General of India Lord Willingdon in Indian Summers (2015). Malahide was at his commanding best as the gaunt, intractable (and rather unpleasant) Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, in HBO's epic blockbuster series Game of Thrones (2011).
Malahide's presence on the big screen has included the James Bond thriller The World Is Not Enough (1999) (as a Swiss banker), Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) (as a German officer), A Month in the Country (1987) (the pompous Reverend J.G. Keach), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) (CIA Director Leland Perkins) and Mortal Engines (2018) (Magnus Crome). He has also lent his voice to a number of audio recordings and narrations. His radio play 'Pleas and Directions' (written as P.G. Duggan) aired on BBC4 in October 2002.
An avid sailor, Malahide is a member of the Royal Fowey Yacht club on the south coast of Cornwall. He has been married twice. His first wife was Rosi Wright (divorced 1970). His second wife is the photographer Jo Ryan.- Actor
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Joseph's extensive work in feature films has included leading roles in Angel Has Fallen, Casino Royale, I Give It A Year, Dragonheart Vengeance, The Dead 2, All The Devil's Men, Creation Stories, Tango One, Prancer A Christmas Tale among nearly twenty others. He is known for long running stints in TV shows such as The Last Kingdom (Netflix), Banished (BBC), 24 - Live Another Day (Fox), Holby City (BBC), The Sarah-Jane Adventures (BBC), Peak Practice (ITV), Campus (Channel 4), Moonknight (Marvel), Penny dreadful (Sony), Van Der Valk (ITV), Catch 22 (Hulu), Survivors (ITV), Ransom (CBS) among over forty other TV credits.
An extensive theatre career has included playing leading roles at the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company (where he is an associate artist), at the Royal Court, the Old Vic, Almeida, Donmar Warehouse in the West End and at most leading London theatres, he won the UK Theatre award for best performance in a play for The Rover at the RSC. He has toured the USA with Peter Hall's production of As You Like It and Mill On The Floss. His portrayal of Macbeth at Shakespeares Globe was filmed and subsequently released in cinemas worldwide. He has performed in West End musicals, creating the role of Raoul in Love Never Dies (for which he won a Whatsonstage Award), starring as Mr Banks in the West End Mary Poppins and most recently as Garry in the hit revival of Noises Off in the West End.
He has appeared in over forty radio dramas and was nominated for the best actor award at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for his portrayal of George Orwell in The Real George Orwell.
Joseph was the co founder and associate director of Pursued By A Bear Productions for many years, helping to produce several new plays. He is the patron of The Actor's Centre, a fellow of Rose Bruford College and an associate practitioner at the Independent Centre for Actor Training.
His first film as writer/director, 'Care.' was screened at festivals worldwide winning several awards. He is in pre-production now for his first feature film as writer/director, 'Signs Of Life'.
He's a busy writer with an MA in screenwriting from Falmouth University of the arts. Joseph's first book 'Work - And other Four Letter words' has been a #1 best seller on amazon, was longlisted for the 2022 Theatre Book Prize and is available now.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Simon Williams was born on 16 June 1946 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Kinvig (1981), Jabberwocky (1977) and Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017). He is married to Lucy Fleming. They have four children. He was previously married to Belinda Carroll.- Actress
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British actress Sasha Jackson is primarily based in London (whilst also having Los Angeles and Atlanta bases) and travels worldwide for work commitments. Sasha has an EB1 Green Card in recognition of her talent and body of work and is a member of British Equity. Sasha has trained with some of LA's most respected and renowned acting coaches, among them: Ivana Chubbuck (as a Masterclass member), Andrew Magarian, Taylor Sheridan and Warner Loughlin and has had intensive one-to-one dialect coaching with the master of voices, Bob Corff, which has given her a US accent that is widely regarded among the casting community as "flawless". She has also perfected numerous other accents and is a skilled mimic, which further increases her suitability to fill a wide range of characters of various nationalities. Through her professional training in weapons and martial arts as the lead female in both Jarhead 3: The Siege (2016), The Perfect Weapon (2016) and "Snapshot", Sasha is fast gaining a strong reputation as an action heroine whilst being equally comfortable using her comedic timing in roles for Fuller House (2016) and The Royals (2015). Sasha, who has proven herself to be a versatile and talented actor in a wide variety of roles and genres, relishes learning new physical skills for projects and, indeed, embraces the challenges that such roles bring, including surfing the huge winter waves in South Africa for Blue Crush 2 (2011) and learning multiple dance disciplines and styles for the lead in a dance movie. Sasha, who competitively represented the South of England in High Board Diving and who is also a former District Trampolining champion, has already had a diverse career encompassing projects which saw her take the lead in several successful independent feature films, UK television series as an actress, presenter and herself as well as commercials, modelling assignments, as a Government-backed singer and also as the "face" and Worldwide Ambassador of two companies in the UK and Dubai.- Timothy Carlton was born on 4 October 1939 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Cold Comfort Farm (1968), Sherlock (2010) and Parting Shots (1998). He has been married to Wanda Ventham since 1976. They have one child.
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Charlton "Charlie" Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English humourist, critic, author, screenwriter, producer, and television presenter. He is the creator and co-showrunner of the anthology series Black Mirror and has written for programmes such as Brass Eye, The 11 O'Clock Show, and Nathan Barley. He has presented a number of television shows, including Screenwipe, Gameswipe, Newswipe, Weekly Wipe, and 10 O'Clock Live. He also wrote the five-part horror drama Dead Set. He has written comment pieces for The Guardian and is one of four creative directors of the production company Zeppotron.
Charlton Brooker was born on 3 March 1971 in Reading, Berkshire. He grew up in a relaxed Quaker household in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Oxfordshire. He first worked as a writer and cartoonist for Oink!, a comic produced in the late 1980s. After attending Wallingford School, he attended the Polytechnic of Central London (which became the University of Westminster during his time there), studying for a BA in Media Studies. He claims that he did not graduate because his dissertation was written on video games, which was not an acceptable topic. Brooker listed his comedic influences as Monty Python, The Young Ones, Blackadder, Chris Morris, and Vic Reeves.
From 1999 to 2000, Brooker played hooded expert 'the Pundit' in the short-lived show Games Republic, hosted by Trevor and Simon on BSkyB.
In 2000, Brooker was one of the writers of the Channel 4 show The 11 O'Clock Show and a co-host (with Gia Milinovich) on BBC Knowledge's The Kit, a low-budget programme dedicated to gadgets and technology (1999-2000). In 2001, he was one of several writers on Channel 4's Brass Eye special on the subject of paedophilia.
In 2003, Brooker wrote an episode entitled "How to Watch Television" for Channel 4's The Art Show. The episode was presented in the style of a public information film and was partly animated.
Together with Brass Eye's Chris Morris, Brooker co-wrote the sitcom Nathan Barley, based on a character from one of TVGoHome's fictional programmes. The show was broadcast in 2005 and focused on the lives of a group of London media 'trendies'. The same year, he was also on the writing team of the Channel 4 sketch show Spoons, produced by Zeppotron.
In 2006, Brooker began writing and presenting the television series Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe on BBC Four, a TV review programme in a similar style to his Screen Burn columns in The Guardian. After an initial pilot series of three editions in April, the programme returned later in the year for a second run of four episodes plus Christmas and Review of the Year specials in December 2006. A third series followed in February 2007 with a fourth broadcast in September 2007, followed by a Review of the Year in December 2007. The fifth series started in November 2008 and was followed by another Review of the Year special. This series was also the first to be given a primetime repeat on terrestrial television (BBC Two), in January 2009.
In December 2011, three episodes of Brooker's Black Mirror, a science fiction anthology series, aired on Channel 4 to largely positive reviews. As well as creating the show, Brooker wrote the first episode and co-wrote the second with his wife Konnie Huq. He also wrote all three episodes of series two. In September 2015, Netflix commissioned a third season of 12 episodes, with Channel 4 losing the rights to the programme A trailer for the third season was released in October 2016. This was later split into two series of six episodes. The third season was released on Netflix worldwide on 21 October 2016. Brooker has solely written four of the episodes in series three, and has co-written the remaining two.
Beginning on 11 May 2010, Brooker presented a 5-part BBC Radio 4 series celebrating failure titled So Wrong It's Right, in which guests compete to pitch the worst possible ideas for new franchises and give the 'most wrong' answer to a question. Also featured are guests' recollections about their own personal life failures and their complaints about life in general in a round called 'This Putrid Modern Hell'. Guests have included David Mitchell, Lee Mack, Josie Long, Frank Skinner, Helen Zaltzman, Holly Walsh, Graham Linehan and Richard Herring. The second series began on 10 March 2011, and a third was broadcast in May 2012. In common with Screenwipe's use of a Grandaddy track (A.M. 180) from the album Under the Western Freeway as its theme tune, So Wrong It's Right uses another track from the same album, Summer Here Kids.- Actor
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Peter Shaw was born on 24 June 1918 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Exile (1947) and Sons of the Sea (1939). He was married to Angela Lansbury and Mercia Lydia Squires. He died on 29 January 2003 in Brentwood, California, USA.- Actress
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In a career that covered six decades, Constance Collier evolved into one of Broadway and London's finest tragediennes during the first half of the 1900s. While the regal, dark-featured beauty who bore classic Romanesque features enjoyed a transcontinental career like a number of her contemporaries, her theatre success did not encourage an enviable film career. It wasn't until her senior years that Constance engaged in a number of well-regarded supporting performances on screen. Later respect also came as one of Hollywood's premiere drama and voice coaches.
She was born Laura Constance Hardie in Windsor, Berkshire on January 22, 1878, the only child of Auguste Cheetham and Eliza Georgina (Collier) Hardie, both minor professional actors. Young Constance made her stage debut at the age of three as a fairy in a production of "A Midsummer Nights Dream" and the die was cast. By age 6 she was appearing with famed actor/manager Wilson Barrett in "The Silver King". An early break occurred in her teens (1893) when the tall, under-aged beauty was given consent by her parents to become a member of the famed George Edwardes-Hall "Gaiety Girls" dance troupe. Groomed extensively in singing, dancing and elocution, she managed to stand out among those others in the chorus line and went on to featured status in two of Edwardes-Hall's biggest hits, "A Gaiety Girl" and "The Shop Girl" (both 1894).
Legit ingénue roles in "Her Advocate", "Tommy Atkins" and "The Sign of the Cross" followed. Just after the turn of the century (1901) she was invited to join the theatre company of the esteemed Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who had been searching for a comparably tall leading lady to play opposite him. She remained with his company at His Majesty's Theatre for six years where she built up a formidable classical resumé. Alongside Sir Herbert in such plays as "Ulysses", "The Eternal City" and "Nero", Constance also proved a fine Shakespearean with her Olivia, Viola, Portia, Mistress Ford and Cleopatra at the top of the list. She also made a noteworthy Nancy Sykes in "Oliver Twist" which she toured extensively both here and abroad. During this time (1905), she married British-born actor Julian L'Estrange and together they became an internationally respected stage couple.
Ms. Collier made a successful American stage debut in 1908 with "Samson" at the Garrick Theatre in New York opposite well-known American actor/playwright William Gillette, thereby placing herself solidly among the most popular and respected actresses of the day. Among her subsequent Broadway offerings were "Israel" (1909), "Trelawney of the Wells" (1911), "Oliver Twist" (1912), "Othello" (1915) and "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (1917).
Sir Herbert and Constance both appeared as extras in the silent D.W. Griffith classic Intolerance (1916). While still in the U.S., he filmed Macbeth (1916) with Constance as his Lady Macbeth. Not only was the Shakespearean film poorly received but her starring appearances in two other silents released earlier that year, The Tongues of Men (1916) and The Code of Marcia Gray (1916), were also overlooked.
Tragedy struck in October of 1918. She and her husband, L'Estrange, had begun a Broadway run together of "The Ideal Husband" only a month earlier. During the run he contracted the deadly Spanish influenza which had spread worldwide and died of pneumonia at the untimely age of 40. The grief-stricken actress finished the play's run into November then returned to England where she appeared in the films The Impossible Woman (1919), Bleak House (1920) and The Bohemian Girl (1922). Among her London theatre successes were "Our Betters" (1923) at the Globe Theatre, which ran for over twelve months, and "Hamlet" wherein she played Queen Gertrude opposite John Barrymore's Great Dane (1925) at the Haymarket Theatre. Constance also moved into writing and penned her own play "Forever", which was based on the George L. Du Maurier novel "Peter Ibbetson". She then co-wrote with actor/friend Ivor Novello the play "The Rat" (1924), in which Novello starred and which Collier produced.
The advent of sound provided the exciting opportunity for the eloquent Collier to work in the U.S., but not necessarily as an actress. By helping established silent film stars transition into talkies, she became Hollywood's foremost drama and voice coach. Finding less and less time for stage work, she directed a Broadway production of "Camille" in 1931. She did, however, manage to appear in productions of "Peter Ibbetson" (1931), which she also staged, "Dinner at Eight (1932) and "Hay Fever" (1933) all in New York. Her final Broadway curtain call was taken as Madame Bernardi in "Aries Is Rising" (1939) at New York's Golden Theatre.
In later years, she continued to coach (among her students were Marilyn Monroe) and write, but she also found time to return to the large screen in a dozen or so films, usually providing stately support. She appeared in a range of movies from the Shirley Temple vehicle Wee Willie Winkie (1937) to the film noir piece The Dark Corner (1946). Better known roles during this period include those in Stage Door (1937), playing, quite appropriately and amusingly, the resident drama coach, An Ideal Husband (1947), excellent as Lady Markby, and Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948). Her last film was Whirlpool (1950).
Constance Collier died of natural causes in New York on April 25, 1955, and left behind her 1929 memoirs "Harlequinade". She had no children.- Actress
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Elizabeth Counsell was born on 7 June 1942 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Invitation (2022), Brush Strokes (1986) and Unfinished Song (2012). She was previously married to David Simeon.- Sophia Nomvete was born in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. She is known for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), Mafia Mamma (2023) and Wednesday (2022).
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Dignified, aristocratic-looking Richard Vernon was born to English parents in Kenya. He was educated at Reading and Leighton Park Schools and commenced his acting career near the end of his wartime service with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, producing, directing and starring in a production of George Bernard Shaw's 'Heartbreak House' for the Combined Services Club. At various times he was stationed in Singapore and Hong Kong. After being demobbed, Richard completed his training at the Central School of Speech and Drama. On the professional stage from 1950, he enjoyed a successful theatrical career in West End productions ranging from 'Peter Pan' (as Mr.Darling) to Noël Coward's 'Hay Fever' (as Richard Greatham). During the 60s, he appeared in supporting roles in several prestigious motion pictures, including Village of the Damned (1960), The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964) and Goldfinger (1964).
Considerably better employed on the small screen, Richard evolved into the consummate scene-stealer. Balding, looking rather older than his years and a dignified bearing made him ideal casting for typically British stiff-upper-lip military or aristocratic types or stuffy senior public servants. A noteworthy early starring role was as The Man in Room 17 (1965), a barrister and ex- war correspondent assigned to a secret unit as an infallible criminologist investigating cases deemed too difficult for the local plods and Scotland Yard. A natural propensity for period drama then insured his successful run in several popular series, notably Upstairs, Downstairs (1971) and The Duchess of Duke Street (1976). Above all, Richard excelled in gleeful old rogues and slightly dishevelled or befuddled eccentrics. His great asset was a way of delivering even the funniest of lines totally deadpan and matter-of-fact. He was wonderfully droll as Lord Bartlesham in the Ripping Yarns (1976) episode 'Roger of the Raj'. Arguably his most famous role was that of galactic fjord builder Slartibartfast in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981), a part to which he had originally lent his voice in a 1978 radio serial.
A truly unique and likeable character actor, Richard Vernon plied his craft until two years prior to his death from Parkinson's Disease. From 1955 until 1990, he had been married to Benedicta Leigh (née Hoskyns).- This urbane, sourly handsome British actor was born to privilege and most of his roles would follow suit. Born Dennistoun John Franklyn Rose-Price in Berkshire in 1915, Dennis Price, the son of a brigadier-general, was expected to abide by his family wishes and make a career for himself in the army or the church. Instead he became an actor. First on stage (Oxford University Dramatic Society) where he debuted with John Gielgud in "Richard II" in 1937, he was further promoted in the theatre by Noël Coward.
After brief extra work, Price nabbed early star-making film roles in several overbaked Gainsborough mysteries/melodramas, including A Place of One's Own (1945), The Magic Bow (1946) and Caravan (1946), but the one showcase role that could have led him to Hollywood, that of the title poet in The Bad Lord Byron (1949), proved a critical and commercial failure. He took this particularly hard and fell into severe depression. His fatally charming serial murderer in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), in which he does in nearly all of Alec Guinness' eight characters (Guiness plays eight different roles), is arguably his crowning achievement on celluloid.
By the 50s Price was suffering from severe alcoholism, which adversely affected his personal and professional career. A marriage to bit actress Joan Schofield in 1939 ended eleven years later, due to his substance abuse problem and homosexuality, the latter being a source of great internal anguish for him. They had two daughters.
Price became less reliable and fell steeply in his ranking, moving into less quality "B" pictures. Eccentric comedy renewed his fading star a bit in such delightful farces as Private's Progress (1956), I'm All Right Jack (1959) and School for Scoundrels (1960). TV also saved him for a time in the 60s with the successful series The World of Wooster (1965), in which he played the disdainful butler, Jeeves.
Bad times, however, resurfaced. He filed bankruptcy in 1967 and moved to the remote Channel Island of Sark for refuge. Many of his roles were reduced to glorified cameos and the necessity for cash relegated him to appearing in campy "Z" grade cheapfests, many helmed by the infamous writer/director Jesús Franco, a sort of Spanish version of Roger Corman. Vampyros Lesbos (1971) was just one of his dreadful entries. Price also played Dr. Frankenstein for Franco in Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972) [Dracula vs. Frankenstein] and the The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein (1973) [The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein]. Fully bloated and in delicate health, he died in 1973 at age 58 in a public ward from liver cirrhosis. A sad ending for one who of Britain's more promising actors and film stars. - Actor
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James Henri-Thomas is a British actor with French heritage. At a young age, James was accepted into the National Youth Music Theatre before studying Drama at the University of Exeter. Film roles in 'Hurricane' (2018) and 'Christmas Perfection' (2018), starring opposite Caitlin Thompson ('This Is Us'), led quickly onto opportunities on several Disney projects including 'The Rise of Skywalker' (2019), 'Andor' (2022-2024) and 'The Acolyte' (2024), playing various well-known creature characters throughout the galaxy. James is an experienced pianist, singer and saxophonist, and has enjoyed playing with several musical groups including the esteemed Laurie Holloway Jazz Trio. When James is not on stage or screen, he works for a charity in London where he lives with his wife, Susie.- Director
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Peter Strickland was born in 1973 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Katalin Varga (2009), In Fabric (2018) and Berberian Sound Studio (2012).- Actor
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Paul Goddard was born on 18 October 1963 in Reading, Berkshire, South East England, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Matrix (1999), Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004) and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995).- Ali Bastian was born on 27 February 1982 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Who Is Alice (2017), Death in Paradise (2011) and The Bill (1984).
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Born 17th March 1944 in Southmoor, Berkshire, England, Christian Roberts was educated at Cranleigh School, Surrey, England from 1953 to 1962 and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England from 1964 to 1966. He debuted in To Sir, with Love (1967). Laurel Award and Filmdom's Famous Fives. Apart from films and TV, between 1972 and 1980 he acted in theater seasons at the Redgrave Theatre, Surrey; The Salisbury Playhouse, Theatre Royal, York; and the Watford Palace Theatre. In 1980 he joined the board of his family business, Job's Dairy, and was also a director of the Theatre Royal, Windsor. In 1988 he returned to acting and Produced and starred in "Return to the Forbidden Planet" (Laurence Olivier Award 1990) and "From a Jack to a King", both in London's West End. In 1995 he went to live in Barbados in the Caribbean, where he now runs the famous "Lone Star" Restaurant and Hotel on the island's fashionable West Coast. He is keen to act again. He has just completed filming "Holding on " for the Barbados Film Festival, Produced by Laura Lin Hutchinson. Directed by Martinique's Maharaki. In 2016 he was Executive Director for the Film "A Caribbean Dream" written and Directed by Shakirah M Bourne and Produced by Melissa Simmonds for Caribbean Film Productions Ltd. The film has already won Best Film at the London Independent Film Festival and Best Screenplay at The Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.- Additional Crew
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Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, United Kingdom. She is the oldest of three children with a younger sister, Philippa ("Pippa") Charlotte and a younger brother, James William. Her mother Carole worked as a flight attendant while her father Michael worked as a flight dispatcher, both for the British Airways. They married on June 21, 1980 and founded Party Pieces, a successful mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations in 1987. Catherine and her family moved to Amman in Jordan in 1984 where her father worked for the British Airways for two and a half years. Catherine and her sister, Philippa, attended a nursery school in Jordan. In 1986, Catherine and her family returned to their home in West Berkshire, United Kingdom, where she started St. Andrew's School in Pangbourne and remained there until 1995. Catherine went on to Marlborough College Wiltshire, where she studied Chemistry, Biology and Art at A-level. She also took part in sporty activities such as tennis, hockey, netball and athletics.
At the age of 18, Catherine undertook a gap year, where she studied at the British Institute in Florence, Italy and participated in a Raleigh International programme in Chile. She also joined as a crew member on Round the World Challenge Boats in the Solent. In 2001, Catherine enrolled at the University of Saint Andrews in Fife, Scotland and graduated in 2005 with a 2:1 in History of Art. During her time at university, she continued her interest in sport by playing hockey for the university team. It was also at university where Catherine met her future husband, Prince William of Wales. Since she completed her university degree, Catherine worked for her parents' company, Party Pieces, as well as a part-time buyer in Jigsaw Junior in London.
In October 2010, during a private holiday in Kenya, her long term boyfriend, Prince William of Wales of Wales, proposed with his mother's engagement ring. The engagement was publicly announced on November 16, 2010 at a press conference and photo call in the State Rooms of St. James Palace in London. A pre-recorded TV interview with the couple followed. They married on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London and Catherine was formally titled The Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, and Baroness Carrickfergus. The Duchess of Cambridge has been branded a style icon with many of her outfits selling out. Ranked #8 on Tatler's list of best dressed women in 2007. Vanity Fair named her #1 Best Dressed in 2010, 2011, and 2012, while UK Harper's Bazaar named her #1 Best Dressed in 2011. The Duchess of Cambridge is patron of Action on Addiction and the National Portrait Gallery, and royal patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices and The Art Room. She is also a volunteer with the Scout Association. With the Death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 2022, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has become Catherine, Princess of Wales.- Lucy Benjamin, recently noticed for her work in the TV soap opera, EastEnders, was born in Reading in 1970. Schooled in Maidenhead, she went on to a theatre school rather than continuing her academics. Her mother and brother live in Birmingham, to which Lucy often pays visits. Her first performances are credited under her birth name, Lucy Baker (or even Lucy-Jane Baker) - she changed her last name to her brother's name - Benjamin.
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Helen Labdon was born on 6 September 1969 in Bracknell, Berkshire, England, UK. She is known for Embrace of the Vampire (1995). She has been married to Greg Kinnear since 1 May 1999. They have three children.- Actress
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Dani Harmer is an actress famous for her lead role as Tracey Beaker in its various incarnations and Dani's House for BBC. She has been nominated for a BAFTA for her role as Tracey Beaker and nominated for a Welsh BAFTA for Best Actress in Tracey Beaker's Movie of Me. When Tracey Beaker was first transmitted via iPlayer, it received over 550K requests in it's first 3 days. Dani reached the finals of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing.- Moray Watson was born on 25 June 1928 in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Quatermass Experiment (1953), No Wreath for the General (1960) and Nobody's Perfect (1980). He was married to Pam Marmont. He died on 2 May 2017 in Hillingdon, London, England, UK.
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Justin Fletcher was born on 15 June 1970 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015), Something Special (2004) and Jollywobbles! (2010).- Actress
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Actress and singer Victoria Summer is best known for her breakout role as 'Julie Andrews' in Disney's 'Saving Mr. Banks' opposite Tom Hanks and a supporting role in Paramount Pictures' 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' (Michael Bay). She has since appeared in 'Garlic and Gunpowder' (Vivica A. Fox/Martin Kove/Michael Madsen), 'Game of Aces' (Chris Klein), 'Ratpocalypse' (Casper Van Dien), musical movie 'How Sweet Is It' (Erika Christensen/Joe Piscopo) and 'Glow and Darkness' (Jane Seymour/Denise Richards).
Victoria has a myriad of projects in the pipeline for 2024. Her next major movie release is 'Vindication Swim' playing Edith Gade about the first British woman to swim the English channel. Up next, 'Julie Davis' in the film 'Brooklyn All American', alongside Sex and The City favourite Chris Noth and Christopher McDonald. The film follows the life of a young man looking to achieve greatness in Division One college football. Along with her acting prowess, Victoria is a distinguished singer and continues to dazzle both on and off the big screen. Victoria headlines major Los Angeles events with 'The Victoria Summer Big Band' for prestigious brands and organizations like Women In Film, BMW, and 20th Century Fox. You may also recognize her from the Centennial Anniversary Celebration of the Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles, where she took center stage as 'The Biltmore Girl.'
From pantomimes and singing in the church choir to local theatre productions at age three, her heart has always been in entertainment. She landed a scholarship at Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, West London that earnt her an honours degree in Dance and Musical Theatre. In her last year of school, Victoria became the understudy to the lead role in Musical 'Brighton Rock', directed by Michael Attenborough performing at the prestigious Almeida Theatre. More recently, she recorded and contributed songs for the soundtracks of 'Garlic and Gunpowder' and 'Ratpocalypse' and is now working on her first single as a recording artist.
She is a global ambassador for Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit co-founded by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend of 'The Who', that provide facilities and support for adolescents and young adults with cancer. She has put on three Afternoon Tea Events 'Tea with Victoria Summer' for the charity; the last featuring Sheryl Crow, Alfie Boe and Downtown Abbey's Lesley Nicol. She looks forward to hosting a new Tea Event this June at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica that will boast a star-studded line up.
Victoria has also created a successful new website and TV show 'Next Generation Role Model' that shines the spotlight on up-and-coming young talent and interviews visionaries and leaders of the Next Generation.
In her free time Victoria helps to rescue animals and find them forever homes. Originally from countryside town Wokingham in Berkshire, Victoria currently resides in Los Angeles with her Pomeranian Bentley and cats Tiger and Storm. In 2020 she met and became engaged to Italian Michelin star chef Fabrizio Vaccaro - a real life love story. The couple tied the knot in a fairy tale ceremony in Calabria, Italy on May 22nd 2023. The wedding was covered exclusively by HELLO! magazine. She truly has her 'happily ever after!'- Caroline Martin was born in 1978 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), Five Days (2007) and Foyle's War (2002).
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Julie Payne was born as Julie Watts on July 17th 1951 in Maidenhead, Berkshire, attending the local school. On leaving she began working for the BBC, initially as a secretary before moving into the costumes department. On the recommendation of Sandy Lieberson she went to work as an assistant to Ridley Scott on 'Thelma and Louise' and ultimately became managing director for his company Scott Free, winning an Emmy for their film drama about Winston Churchill, 'The Gathering Storm'. Julie Payne died of cancer on 15th June 2016, leaving a daughter by her former marriage.- Music Artist
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Has a twin brother called Rupert and an older sister, Emma. William's mother, Annabel, runs a market garden and lives with his father, Robin, a business man. He represented his school, Wellington College, in rugby, football, basketball, athletics, long jump and triple jump. William went to Exeter University at 19 and received a 2.2 in politics.
Apart from his musical career he has also appears in the BBC film Mrs Henderson Presents and during the early months of 2007 has been appearing as Nicky Lancaster in Noel Coward's The Vortex in Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre.- Actor
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Hadley Fraser (born Robert Hugh Fraser) is the son of Jack and Carol Fraser, and brother of Ed Fraser, an officer in the British Army. He holds a BA from Birmingham University and a Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music. In 2011 he was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, or ARAM. In 2012, Fraser was named a Patron of the Performance Preparation Academy (PPA) theatre college in Guildford, UK.
His West End and other theatre credits include Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Assassins, The Far Pavilions, The Shaughraun, Peter Pan, The Pirates of Penzance, Longitude, My Fair Lady, The Last Five Years, The Fantasticks, A Christmas Carol and Pacific Overtures. In 2006, Fraser originated the role of Tiernan in The Pirate Queen on Broadway.
Fraser played Gareth in the Doctor Who episode "Army of Ghosts" (2006). In 2009, Fraser played the supporting role of Reed in The Fresh Beat Band (season 1). He played the role of Chris in both (films) Convincing Clooney and Primevil. As a vocalist he can be heard on Scott Alan's releases Keys and Scott Alan LIVE.
In October 2010, Fraser sang the Les Misérables role of Grantaire in the 25th Anniversary concert.
Since 2009, Hadley has been writing music in a band called "Sheytoons" with Ramin Karimloo, who costarred as Enjolras on the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Misérables and co-starred as 'The Phantom' in the 25th anniversary of 'The Phantom of the Opera' (in which Hadley played Raoul).
On June 23, 2011, Fraser returned to Les Misérables, this time to play the role of Javert. He received critical acclaim for the role and remained with the show until June 2012.
On October 1 and 2, 2011, Fraser played Raoul in the 25th Anniversary staging of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He costarred alongside Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess, who played the Phantom and Christine respectively.
Fraser appeared in the film adaptation of Les Misérables, as the Army General of the National Guard.
Fraser's next endeavor into musical theatre will begin in April 2013 as the lead role of Sid in The Pajama Game (Chichester Festival Theatre).- Jessica's career started at the age of eight when she starred in an epic Persil commercial filmed in "Indiana Jones" style, in Spain. She then went on to feature in West End roles in the Sound of Music, Les Miserables, and Oliver!
Jessica then went on to voice the Ghost Of Christmas Past in the The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). Very shortly afterwards, her career in television really took off with featured roles in Angel of Nitshill Road; May and June: Part One (1997); Trial & Retribution IV - Part One (2000) and The Bill (1984) and the leading role of Anthea in The Phoenix and the Carpet (1997).
She then established herself as the 'naughty but nice' Enid Nightshade in three series of the much loved The Worst Witch (1998) and the slightly naughtier Enid in the spin off Weirdsister College (2001). Co-starring with Sarah Lancashire, Jessica showed that she had the undoubted talent to handle the more demanding and dramatic role of Rusty Dickinson in Back Home (2001) for which she received favorable reviews from the critics, and held her own in the company of such acclaimed actresses such as Rosemary Leach and Stephanie Cole.
Since then, as well as guest leads in TV programs such as Powers (2004) and frequent Theatre work, Jessica has moved into British soap operas, firstly playing Belle Wise in Crossroads (2001) appearing on our TVs five nights a week, and, as of January 2008, Jessica is playing the role of Nancy Hayton in the popular soap Hollyoaks (1995) .
Jessica made her first Hollyoaks appearance on 6th July 2005. - Actress
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Sarah Harding was born on 17 November 1981 in Ascot, Berkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009), Wild Child (2008) and Bad Day (2008). She died on 5 September 2021 in Manchester, England, UK.- Actor
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Doug Rao was born on 31 March 1974 in Berkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Dark Heart (2016), Battlefield 1 (2016) and Colombiana (2011).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Roy Boulting was born on 21 December 1913 in Bray, Berkshire, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for Seven Days to Noon (1950), A French Mistress (1960) and The Family Way (1966). He was married to Sandra Payne, Hayley Mills, Enid Munnik, Jean Capon and Marian Angela Warnock. He died on 5 November 2001 in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, England, UK.- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Lucy Worsley was born on 18 December 1973 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. She is a writer and producer, known for Tales from the Royal Bedchamber (2013), Our Food (2012) and Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen (2022). She has been married to Mark Hines since 2011.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Janie Dee won the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards for Best Actress for Alan Ayckbourn's Comic Potential which she performed in London and New York, and the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Carousel, directed by Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre.
She has worked extensively with both Sir Alan Ayckbourn and Harold Pinter, originating roles in Ayckbourn's Comic Potential, House and Garden, and Dreams from a Summerhouse and starred in Pinter's Old Times, Betrayal and the film of Celebration, opposite Colin Firth (Channel 4). She has worked extensively with Sir Peter Hall who directed Janie in Much Ado About Nothing, Betrayal and Design For Living. Recent dramatic roles include: Michael Frayn's Noises Off at the Old Vic and West End, Lucy Kirkwood's NSFW at the Royal Court, (earning a fourth Olivier Award nomination), Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre, with Dame Angela Lansbury and A Midsummer Night's Dream on tour in Asia and Russia for Shakespeare's Globe.
Janie has performed in numerous classic musicals, both in the West End and across the UK, including: Cats, Cabaret, Showboat (RSC at the London Palladium), South Pacific, The Sound of Music, The King And I, My One and Only (Olivier Award Nomination) and Mack and Mabel, opposite David Soul. She starred in Hello Dolly! at Curve Leicester, for which she received the TMA UK Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Musical, the Stephen Sondheim revue, Putting It Together at the St James Theatre, London and a 40th Anniversary concert performance of A Little Night Music at the Palace Theatre.
She regularly performs in cabaret at Crazy Coqs, The Pheasantry and King's Place and is a champion of new musical theatre writing.
Her screen credits include; Me and Orson Welles (directed by Richard Linklater), Harold Pinter: A Celebration (BBC4), Dare to be Wild, written and directed by Vivienne DeCourcy, and The Trouble With Dot and Harry, written and directed by Sundance Festival grand prize-winner, Gary Walkow. TV credits include: In Love With Shakespeare (Sky Arts), The Southbank Show (Sir Peter Hall), Death in Holy Orders, The Murder Room (BBC) and House of Cards (Warner Bros).