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Lesley Sharp

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For the American medical anthropologist, see Lesley A. Sharp.

Lesley Sharp
Sharp in Carla 2003
Born
Karen Makinson

Manchester, England
OccupationActress
Years active1986–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1994)​
Children2

Lesley Sharp is an English actress, She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her part in the film The Full Monty (1997), and for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her role in Bob & Rose (2001).

Her credits include Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986), The Rachel Papers (1989), Naked (1993), Priest (1994), The Moonstone (1996), Great Expectations (1999), Daylight Robbery (1999), Clocking Off (2000–2001), From Hell (2001), Vera Drake (2004), Afterlife (2005–2006), Scott & Bailey(2011-2016), The Full Monty (TV series) (2023).

Early life

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Sharp was born in Manchester, England to Elsie Makinson and Norman Patient, a married tram driver. She was adopted at six weeks old. Her adoptive father, Jack, was a tax inspector, and she grew up in Merseyside.[1]

Sharp has stated that she started acting because, as a child, she felt "invisible" and did not "quite fit in".[2] She has said that her inspiration to act came from watching Dick Emery on television.[3]

Sharp attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the class of 1982.[4]

Career

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Sharp's screen debut was in Alan Clarke's Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986),[1] playing Bob's wife, Michelle. Further film appearances included supporting roles in The Rachel Papers (1989),[4] and Stephen Poliakoff's Close My Eyes, with Clive Owen and Alan Rickman. Sharp starred in Mike Leigh's Naked (1993),[1] and the Jimmy McGovern-penned Priest (1994). She made appearances in Prime Suspect 4: The Lost Child (1995), and The Full Monty (1997).[1]

She was offered lead roles in Common As Muck (1997), followed by Playing the Field (1998–2002),[4] a drama about a female football team which ran for five series. Sharp had supporting parts in Great Expectations (1999),[4] as Mrs Joe, and in Nature Boy (2000),[4] as Martha Tyler, before landing the role of Trudy Graham in Paul Abbott's BAFTA-award-winning Clocking Off (2000–2003),[1] Russell T. Davies then cast her opposite Alan Davies in Bob & Rose,[1] which resulted in a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress nomination in 2002.[5]

Further film roles in From Hell, starring Johnny Depp, and Cheeky (1993), which was directed by Naked co-star David Thewlis, preceded another television drama written by Russell T. Davies. She starred in The Second Coming (2003).[1]

Sharp again worked with Mike Leigh in Vera Drake (2004),[2] which was followed by the television drama Planespotting,[2] The same year, she played the clairvoyant lead role of Alison Mundy opposite Andrew Lincoln's sceptical Robert Bridge in ITV's supernatural drama series Afterlife.[2]

After a ten-year break from stagework, in October 2005 Sharp returned to the theatre as Emma in Sam Shepard's The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse.[2] In 2008, she starred in the three-part Lucy Gannon-penned drama The Children.[4] Later in 2008, she worked with Russell T. Davies for a third time when she played Sky Silvestry in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight".[1] Davies later tipped Sharp to become the first woman to play the Doctor.[6]

In early 2009 Sharp played Petronella van Daan in the BBC's new version of The Diary of Anne Frank.[4] She subsequently played Paddy Considine's wife in Channel 4's acclaimed drama series Red Riding.[1] Sharp starred in a 2009 revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre with Marc Warren and Diana Vickers,[7] which ran from October to the following January. Between 2011 and 2016, Sharp co-starred as Janet Scott in ITV1's crime drama series Scott & Bailey. In May 2012 she starred in the Sky1 comedy series Starlings as Jan Starling.[8]

In 2015, Sharp played the part of Mary, the daughter of Petunia Howe, in the three-part BBC series Capital based on John Lanchester's novel of the same name.[9]

She appeared in several episodes of the Netflix original Fate: The Winx Saga as Rosalind but was replaced in this role with Miranda Richardson after the first season.

In 2021 she took the lead role in Kae Tempest’s Philoctetes at the National Theatre.

In 2022 she narrated the police comedy This Cop Life.

Personal life

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Sharp married Nicholas Gleaves in 1994,[1] and they have two children.[10]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Rita, Sue and Bob Too Michelle
The Love Child Bernadette
1989 The Rachel Papers Jenny
1991 Close My Eyes Jessica
1993 Naked Louise
1994 Syrup Miss James Short
Priest Mrs. Unsworth
1997 The Full Monty Jean
2001 From Hell Kate Eddowes
2002 Spyhole Angela Miller Short
2003 Cheeky Kath
2004 Vera Drake Jessica Barnes
2008 Inkheart Mortola
2009 In Passing Fay Travers Short
2012 Peekaboo Emily Short
2015 The Holocaust: A Story of Remembrance Narrator Short
2016 Dusty & Me Lil
2017 All That You Love Will Be Carried Away Alice Short
2018 Spoon Fed Ellie Short
2019 Brighton Doreen
2022 Catherine Called Birdy Morwenna
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1983 Tartuffe, or the Impostor Mariane TV film
1987 ScreenPlay Valerie "Road"
1989 Marion Parkin "Night Voice"
Woman "Wedded"
1991 Josie 1 episode
Performance Dull Gret / Angie "Top Girls"
1992 She-Play "First Night"
1993 Nights Carol
1993–94 Frank Stubbs Promotes Petra Dillon Main (13 episodes)
1994 The All New Alexei Sayle Show Various 2 episodes
Stages Susan "Speaking in Tongues"
Dandelion Dead Constance 'Connie' Martin, née Davies Mini-series
1995 Prime Suspect Anne Sutherland "The Lost Child"
The Peter Principle Susan Harvey "Pilot"
1996 The Moonstone Rosanna Spearman TV film
1997 Common As Muck Christine Stranks Main (6 episodes)
Lloyds Bank Channel 4 Film Challenge Pet Warmley "Nurse Ajax"
1998–2000 Playing the Field Theresa Mullen Main (20 episodes)
1999 Great Expectations Mrs. Joe TV film
Daylight Robbery Carol Murphy Main (4 episodes)
2000 Nature Boy Martha Mini-series
2000–01 Clocking Off Trudy Graham Main (11 episodes)
2001 Bob & Rose Rose Cooper Main (6 episodes)
2003 The Second Coming Judith Roach Mini-series
Carla Helen North TV film
2004 Carrie's War Louisa Evans
2005 Planespotting Lesley Coppin
Born with Two Mothers Laura Mayfield
Days of Darkness Jerri Nielsen
2005–06 Afterlife Alison Mundy Main (14 episodes)
2005 Our Hidden Lives Edie Rutherford TV film
2006 The True Voice of Murder
The True Voice of Prostitution
2008 Doctor Who Sky Silvestry "Midnight"
The Children Anne Mini-series (3 episodes)
2009 The Diary of Anne Frank Petronella van Daan Mini-series (5 episodes)
Red Riding Joan Hunter "1980"
Moving On Sylvie "Butterfly Effect"
Cranford Mrs. Bell Specials
Poirot Miss Martindale "The Clocks"
2010 Whistle and I'll Come to You Hetty TV film
2011 Leah's Story Narrator Documentary
The Shadow Line Julie Bede Mini-series (6 episodes)
2011–16 Scott & Bailey DC Janet Scott Main (33 episodes)
2011 The Walton Sextuplets: Moving On Narrator TV film
Shirley Eliza Bassey TV film
2012 Protecting Our Children Narrator Mini-series (3 episodes)
2012–13 Starlings Jan Main (16 episodes)
2012 Corfu: a Tale of Two Islands Narrator Documentary
2013 Homeboys Eileen TV film
Who Do You Think You Are? Herself 1 episode (S10E4)
2014 Shirley Charlotte Brontë
2015 Capital Mary Mini-series (3 episodes)
Tom Daley: Diving for Gold Narrator Documentary
2016 Paranoid Lucy Cannonbury Main (8 episodes)
2017 Three Girls DC Margaret Oliver Mini-series (3 episodes)
2017–19 Living the Dream Jen Pemberton Main (12 episodes)
2021 Fate: The Winx Saga Rosalind 3 episodes
2021– Before We Die Hannah Laing Main
2021 Help Gaynor TV film
Heaven Made Narrator Documentary
2023 The Full Monty Jean Mini-series
2024 Red Eye Madeline Drama

Theatre

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In October 2005, Sharp starred in her first theatre role for a decade in the play The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse, London.[11]

In 2008, she played the lead character in the play Harper Regan at Royal National Theatre.[12]

In 2014, she played the character Helen in the play A Taste of Honey at Royal National Theatre.

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
1988 Olivier Awards Best Comedy Performance A Family Affair Nominated
1992 Best Supporting Actress Uncle Vanya Nominated
1998 BAFTA Film Awards Best Supporting Actress The Full Monty Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Cast in a Film Won
2002 BAFTA TV Awards Best Actress Bob and Rose Nominated [5]
Royal Television Society Best Female Actor Nominated
2006 Afterlife Won

References and notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e McLean, Gareth (10 September 2005). "A truly visible woman". theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  3. ^ Billen, Andrew; "Lesley Sharp shows she's married to the job in The Children" The Times, 30 August 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Television | Actress in 2002". BAFTA. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. ^ Wallis, Sara; "Writer Russell T. Davies backs Lesley Sharp to be first female Doctor Who" Daily Record, 19 December 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009)
  7. ^ Michael Billington "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Vaudeville", The Guardian, 21 October 2009
  8. ^ "A quick chat with Lesley Sharp". What's on TV. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  9. ^ "BBC One: Capital". BBC Online. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. ^ Peter Stanford (23 February 2014). "Lesley Sharp: 'Adoption gave me this sense I don't belong". The Telegraph.
  11. ^ Billington, Michael. "The God of Hell". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. ^ Billington, Michael. "Harper Regan". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
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