Jump to content

Deborah Findlay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 38.95.13.133 (talk) at 08:44, 16 October 2023. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Deborah Findlay
Born31 December 1947
Leatherhead, Surrey, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActress
Years active1978–present

Deborah Findlay (born 31 December 1947)[1] is an English actress. She has worked primarily on stage, but has also appeared in several TV series. She is known for playing the Defoe family matriarch Ruth in three series of the BBC TV legal drama The Split (2018-2022).

Early life and education

Findlay joined a theatre company while studying English at the University of Leeds.[2]

Career

Theatre

Findlay has worked primarily on stage, appearing in numerous productions, including the original Top Girls. In the 1980s she worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company where she appeared in Twelfth Night and The Merchant Of Venice.[3] In 1997 she won an Olivier Award, as well as Outer Critics' Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, for her performance as Hilda, the wife of the painter Stanley Spencer in Pam Gems' play Stanley.[4]

In 2008 she starred in the US premiere of Vincent River by Philip Ridley. In 2009 she appeared alongside Judi Dench in a Donmar West End revival of Madame de Sade.[citation needed]

In 2013 she starred in the Donmar Warehouse production of Coriolanus as Volumnia, a role which earned her Clarence Derwent award for best supporting actress.[5]

In 2016 she appeared on the stage of The Royal Court Theatre twice: as Sally in Caryl Churchill's Escaped Alone and as Hazel in Lucy Kirkwood's The Children. She reprised her role during The Children's Broadway run, receiving a Tony Award nomination.[citation needed]

In 2018, she appeared at the Bridge Theatre in London, playing the role of Sister Gilchrist in Alan Bennett's Allelujah![6]

Television

Findlay's TV credits include Nurse Motte 1992 Maigret with Michael Gambon; Gillian in the ITV drama The Last Train (1999); and the recurring character Greer Thornton in four of the six episodes of State of Play and in the episode "The French Drop" (2004) in Foyle's War. [citation needed]

She appeared in four episodes of the 2001 series of The Armstrong and Miller Show and one episode of the acclaimed and original entry of the Messiah TV series. In autumn 2007 she appeared with Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton and Francesca Annis in the BBC1 costume drama series Cranford, playing the role of the spinster Miss Tompkinson, as well as in Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale. She reprised her (in this case more prominent) role as Miss Tompkinson[7] in the two-part Christmas special Return to Cranford.[citation needed]

She portrayed Home Secretary Denise Riley in Torchwood's 2009 third series Children of Earth. She was featured in separate episodes as agent Mary Carter in October 2003 and lawyer Gemma King in January 2010 of the BBC1 series Silent Witness. In 2010 she also appeared in Agatha Christie’s Poirot “Hallowe’en Party” as Rowena Drake. She also appeared in two episodes of the ITV series Midsomer Murders: as Hilary Richards in "Blue Herrings" (2000) and as Lorna Sloane in "Murder by Magic" (2015).[citation needed]

Findlay played Sarah Cushing in the television episode of "Sherlock Holmes - The Cardboard Box", which went to air on 11 April 1994.[8]

In episodes aired in 2018, 2020 and 2022 she portrayed Ruth in three series of the BBC TV legal drama The Split.[citation needed]

Radio

Findlay's radio credits include Sally in Closed to Visitors by Dawn Lowe-Watson on BBC Radio 4 in 1992 and Hermione Pink in the BBC Radio 4 Drama The Ferryhill Philosophers, starting in 2015.[9] Findlay played Miss Dredger in BBC Radio 4 Drama Mr Pye 2023.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Truly Madly Deeply Claire
1995 Jack & Sarah Miss Cartwright
1999 The End of the Affair Miss Smythe
2001 Me Without You Judith
A Loving Act Dr. Emily Smith Short film
2004 Vanity Fair Mrs. Sedley
2008 Summer Doctor Price
One of Those Days Supervisor Short film
2011 Arthur Christmas General (voice)
2014 National Theatre Live: Coriolanus Volumnia
Suite Française Madame Joseph
2015 The Lady in the Van Pauline
The Ones Below Tessa
2016 Jackie Maud Shaw
Kaleidoscope Maureen
2017 Hampstead Mary Neal
2018 National Theatre Live: Allelujah! Sister Gilchrist
2019 Making Noise Quietly Helene Ensslin
2021 From A Strange Land Margaret Short film
2022 Up on the Roof Claire
TBA Such A Lovely Day Granny Pre-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1978–1980 The English Programme Unknown 3 episodes
1982 Play for Today Ingy Episode: "Commitments"
1983 Busted Angela Television film
1984 Shroud for a Nightingale Heather Pearce 2 episodes
Dramarama Nurse Episode: "Rachel and Rosie"
1986 Ladies in Charge Hetty Episode: "Zoe's Fever"
What If It's Raining Marilyn 3 episodes
1989 First and Last Lisa Television film
1991 All Good Things Doll 5 episodes
Performance Isabella / Joyce / Mrs. Kidd Episode: "Top Girls"
The House of Bernarda Alba Martirio Television film
1992 Anglo Saxon Attitudes Kay Consett 3 episodes
Natural Lies Grace 3 episodes
Downtown Lagos Celia Dawson 3 episodes
1993 Maigret Juliette Motte Episode: "Maigret on the Defensive"
15: The Life and Death of Philip Knight Cheryl Morris Television film
1994 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Sarah Cushing Episode: "The Cardboard Box"
Milner Sylvia Milner Television film
1994–1997 Casualty Caroline Palmer / Debbie Cookson 2 episodes
1996 The Vet Anna Walker Episode: "Out of the Past"
1997 Jane Eyre Mrs Reed Television film
1998 Heat of the Sun Matilda Watcham Episode: "Hide in Plain Sight"
Kavanagh QC Susannah Emmott Episode: "Bearing Witness"
Trial and Retribution DC Jill Ashton 2 episodes
1999 The Last Train Gillian Episode: "Episode #1.5"
Wives and Daughters Miss Phoebe 4 episodes
2000 Anna Karenina Countess Lydia 4 episodes
The Bill DSU Wray Episode: "Fifty-Fifty"
Comedy Lab Roxanne Anderson Episode: "Anderson"
2000−2015 Midsomer Murders Lorna Sloane / Hilary Richards 2 episodes
2001 The Armstrong and Miller Show Various 4 episodes
Messiah Clarissa Buchanan Episode: "The First Killings"
2003 State of Mind D.C.I. Stella Munroe Television film
State of Play Greer Thornton 4 episodes
Home Margaret Ballantyne Television film
2003–2010 Silent Witness Gemma King / Mary Carter 4 episodes
2004 Foyle's War Mrs Thorndyke / Evelyn Cresswell Episode: "The French Drop"
2006 Thin Ice Jeanette TV miniseries
The Family Man Mary Television film
2007 This Life + 10 Doctor Television film
The Yellow House Madame Roulin Television film
The Good Samaritan Eileen Mayhew Television film
Who Gets the Dog? Pamela Wilson Television film
Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale Susan Owen Television film
2007–2009 Cranford Miss Tomkinson 7 episodes
2008 Lewis Lady Hugh Episode: "Life Born of Fire"
Heartbeat Eva Knight Episode: "Out of the Long Dark Knight"
2009 Gunrush Jill Television film
Torchwood Denise Riley 2 episodes
2010 Poirot Rowena Drake Episode: "Hallowe'en Party"
Law & Order: UK Kim Sharkey Episode: "Broken"
2011 The Trouble with Tolstoy Sophia Tolstoy (voice) Television film
New Tricks Helen Gilder Episode: "Setting Out Your Stall"
2012 Holby City Philippa Pawlowski 2 episodes
Leaving Vanessa 3 episodes
2013 Starlings Sandra Episode: "Episode #2.6"
2015 Life in Squares Aunt Jane Episode: "Episode #1.1"
Coalition Harriet Harman Television film
Comedy Blaps Harriet Episode: "High and Dry Blap"
2016 Lovesick Fiona Episode: "Jonesy?"
2018 Collateral Eleanor Shaw 2 episodes
2018–2022 The Split Ruth 18 episodes
2021 The Drowning Lynn 4 episodes
Romeo and Juliet Nurse Television film
2023 Dalgliesh Miss Willard 2 episodes

References

  1. ^ https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?scan=1&r=195893830:0703&d=bmd_1695680319
  2. ^ "The Women in His Life: Deborah Findlay & Anna Chancellor create the muses in "Stanley"". Backstage.com. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Deborah Findlay". www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Interview: Leading with self-effacement". The Independent. 3 November 1997. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Deborah Findlay and Adam James win Clarence Derwent awards". The Stage. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  6. ^ Trueman, Matt (19 July 2018). "London Theater Review: 'Allelujah!' by Alan Bennett". Variety. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  7. ^ El
  8. ^ "Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes - the Cardboard Box". YouTube.
  9. ^ "The Ferryhill Philosophers - BBC Episode Guide". Retrieved 29 April 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deborah_Findlay&oldid=1180384259"