Alison Steadman

Infobox actor
name = Alison Steadman


imagesize = 200px
caption = Steadman during a recording of "You'll Have Had Your Tea" for BBC Radio 4 in 2006
birthdate = birth date and age|1946|8|26
location = Liverpool, England
laurenceolivierawards = Best Actress
1992 "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice"

Alison Steadman OBE (born on August 26 1946) is anaward-winning English stage, film, TV and radio actress.

Personal life

Steadman was born in Liverpool, Lancashire now Merseyside, England. She trained as a secretary and worked in a probation office. In her 20s she enrolled in the East 15 Acting School, where she met Mike Leigh. They married in 1973 and had two sons, Toby in 1979 and Leo in 1981. They separated in 1995 and divorced in 2001. Her present partner is Michael Elwyn [ [http://pandp2.home.comcast.net/pandp2cast/steadman.html The Alison Steadman Page] accessed 21 Mar 2007] and she currently lives in Highgate, London. [ [http://www.myhampstead.co.uk/hampstead/celebs&gossip-alison_steadman.htm MyVillage.com] accessed 21 Mar 2007]

Career

Stage work

She created the role of the monstrous Beverly in Mike Leigh's "Abigail's Party", which she reprised with the original cast on television. Steadman also appeared in "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice", "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Entertaining Mr Sloane", "Hotel Paradiso", and others in locations as diverse as the Royal Court, the Theatre Royal, the Old Vic, the Hampstead Theatre, the Nottingham Playhouse, the Everyman Liverpool and the National Theatre. She also starred as Elmire in the 1983 RSC production of Molière's "Tartuffe", which was adapted for BBC television.

Film

She has appeared in many films, including "Shirley Valentine", "Clockwise", "Wilt" and "A Private Function", although she is perhaps most noted for her work in films directed by Leigh such as "Life Is Sweet" and "Topsy Turvy".

Television

Her television work include "Fat Friends" as Betty, "Selling Hitler", "The Singing Detective", "The Caucasian Chalk Circle", and "Pride and Prejudice" as Mrs. Bennet. She also provides a voice over in the children's TV show "Bob the Builder". Television productions directed by Leigh in which she has appeared include "Nuts in May", and most famously "Abigail's Party". She also appeared in the BBC comedy The Worst Week of My Life. In 2007 she has been seen in the "BBC Three" comedy "Gavin & Stacey" as Gavin's proud mother Pamela, and in "Fanny Hill" on BBC Four.

Radio

On radio, Alison's talent for mimicry and 'character voices' was given full reign in shows such as "Week Ending", "Castle's in the Air" and "The Worst Show on the Wireless", in both the latter of which she played the over-protective mother to Eli Woods' long-suffering "Bunty/Precious".

Awards and recognition

* Invested as Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1999
* Nominated for Best Actress by BAFTA for "Fat Friends" in 2001
* Nominated for Best Actress by BAFTA for "The Singing Detective" in 1987
* Awarded Best Actress by the US National Society of Film Critics for "Life Is Sweet" in 1992
* Awarded the Olivier for Best Actress for "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" in 1993
* Nominated for the Olivier for Best Actress for "The Memory of Water" in 1998

Footnotes

External links

*imdb name|id=0824102|name=Alison Steadman
* [http://www.east15.ac.uk/ East15 Acting School (part of the University of Essex)]
* [http://www.pfd.co.uk/clients/steadmaa/a-act.html Agent's website]