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Winnifred Eaton (writer)

2025-10-31T20:05:16Z

2003:D3:FF23:88A3:5291:BC3D:9151:493:

{{Short description|Canadian author and screenwriter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox writer 
| name = Winnifred Eaton
| image = Picture of Onoto Watanna.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Winnifred Eaton c. 1903
| pseudonym = Onoto Watanna
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1875|8|21|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|1954|4|8|1875|8|21|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[Butte, Montana]], USA
| occupation =
| nationality =
| period = 1899–1932
| genre = [[novelist]], screenwriter
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks = ''Tama'' (1910) ''Me, A Book of Remembrance''
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| relatives = [[Edith Maude Eaton]], sister
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards =
| signature =
| website =
}}
'''Winnifred Eaton''' (August 21, 1875 – April 8, 1954) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] author and screenwriter of Chinese-British ancestry.<ref>Diana Birchall, ''Onoto Watanna: The Story of Winnifred Eaton,'' U of Illinois P, 2001, {{ISBN|0-252-02607-1}}, p.4.</ref> Publishing prolifically under a number of names,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Mary |last2=Cole |first2=Jean Lee |date=2022-03-13 |title=Pseudonyms used by Winnifred Eaton |url=https://winnifredeatonarchive.org/pseudonyms.html |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=The Winnifred Eaton Archive |language=en}}</ref> most predominantly, the pseudonym '''Onoto Watanna''', she was one of the first North American writers of Asian descent to publish fiction in English.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Birchall |first=Diana |date=2005 |title=Winnifred Eaton (Onoto Watanna) |journal=Asian American Writers |via=Gale Cengage}}</ref>

== Biography ==
Eaton was the daughter of an English merchant, Edward C. Eaton (1839 – 1915), and a Chinese performer, Achuen "Grace" Amoy (1846 – 1922).<ref>Canada's Early Women Writers. ''Winnifred Eaton''. [https://cwrc.ca/islandora/object/ceww%3A70aa43db-3694-48f9-888b-4b4e6ebafd02 Canada's Early Women Writers], 18 May 2018.</ref> The two married in [[Shanghai, China|Shanghai]] in 1863 but relocated to England a year later.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chapman |first1=Mary |title=Becoming Sui Sin Far: Early Fiction, Journalism, and Travel Writing by Edith Maude Eaton |date=2016 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |isbn=978-0-7735-4721-6 |location=Montreal |pages=xvi}}</ref> Over the next few years, the Eaton family moved back and forth from England to the US several times before finally relocating permanently to Montreal in 1872, where Winnifred was born.<ref name=":1"/>

The Eaton family was large; Winnifred was the eighth of 12 children who survived infancy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Birchall |first=Diana |title=Onoto Watanna: The Story of Winnifred Eaton |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2002 |location=Urbana and Chicago |pages=4–5}}</ref> Edward Eaton struggled to support the family, who moved frequently from one lodging to the next. Nonetheless, the children were raised in an intellectually stimulating environment.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Birchall |first=Diana |title=Onoto Watanna: The Story of Winnifred Eaton |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2002 |location=Urbana and Chicago |pages=11–15}}</ref> Winnifred's eldest sister, [[Edith Maude Eaton]], would become a journalist and, under the pen name Sui Sin Far, an author of stories about Chinese immigrants to the United States, and her older sister Grace Helen Eaton would marry fin-de-siècle editor Walter Blackburn Harte.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Birchall |first=Diana |title=Onoto Watanna: The Story of Winnifred Eaton |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2002 |pages=20}}</ref>

Winnifred achieved early success, publishing her first stories in Canadian and U.S. newspapers and magazines as a teenager and publishing her first novel, [https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/MissNumeJapaneseRomance1.html Miss Nume of Japan], in 1898. She would eventually publish over a dozen novels and dozens of short stories and articles.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Mary |last2=Cole |first2=Jean Lee |date=2022-03-13 |title=The Winnifred Eaton Archive |url=https://winnifredeatonarchive.org/index.html |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=The Winnifred Eaton Archive |language=en}}</ref>

While living in [[New York City]], Eaton met journalist Bertrand Babcock, the son of [[Emma Whitcomb Babcock]] and [[Charles Almanzo Babcock]]. The two married in 1901<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Birchall |first=Diana |title=Onoto Watanna: The Story of Winnifred Eaton |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2002 |isbn=9780252026072 |location=Urbana and Chicago |pages=201}}</ref> and had four children, three sons and a daughter; Perry, the oldest, died as a child. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1917, and in the same year, Eaton married Francis Fournier Reeve.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Birchall |first=Diana |title=Onoto Watanna: The Story of Winnifred Eaton |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2002 |pages=130}}</ref> Moving to [[Alberta]] in her native Canada, Eaton ranched with her husband while continuing to write. For a time in the mid-1920s, she moved to work in the film industry, first to New York in 1924 and then, in 1925, to Hollywood.

She returned to Calgary in 1932 and became an active member of the artistic community, founding Alberta's [[Little Theatre Movement]] and serving as the president of the Calgary branch of the [[Canadian Authors' Association]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Mary |last2=Cole |first2=Jean Lee |date=2022-03-13 |title=Biographical Timeline |url=https://winnifredeatonarchive.org/timeline.html |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=The Winnifred Eaton Archive |language=en}}</ref>

In 1954, while returning home from a vacation in California, Eaton fell ill and died of heart failure in Butte, Montana.<ref name=":0" /> Following her death, her husband donated funds to build the Reeve Theatre at the [[University of Calgary]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reeve Theatre Built History |url=https://asc.ucalgary.ca/building/reeve-theatre/ |access-date=December 5, 2022 |website=University of Calgary Archives and Special Collections}}</ref>

== Literary career ==

Eaton claimed to be only 14 when one of her stories was accepted for publication by a Montreal newspaper that had already published pieces by her sister. In fact, she was almost 20 when her story "[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/PoorDevil1.html A Poor Devil]" was published in ''[[Metropolitan Magazine (New York City)|Metropolitan Magazine]]''. Eaton left home at age 20 to take a job as a stenographer for a newspaper in [[Kingston, Jamaica]]. She remained there for less than a year, then moved to [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], and then [[Chicago, Illinois]], where for a time she worked as a typist while continuing to write short stories.<ref name=":1" /> Eventually, her compositions were accepted by the prestigious ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' as well as by other popular periodicals. She published her first novel, [https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/MissNumeJapaneseRomance1.html Miss Nume of Japan] capitalizing on her mixed ancestry to pass herself off as a [[Japanese American]] by the name of Onoto Watanna (which sounds Japanese but is not Japanese at all).

In 1900, Eaton moved to New York City, where her second major novel, ''[[A Japanese Nightingale]]'', was published. It proved extremely successful, being translated into several languages and eventually adapted both as a Broadway play and then, in 1918, as a motion picture. Her novel ''[[Tama (novel)|Tama]]'' (1910) was a runaway bestseller and her novel ''[[Me, A Book of Remembrance]]'', a thinly disguised memoir, told a titillating tale of a woman's infidelities. Under her Japanese pseudonym, Eaton published many romance novels and short stories and journalistic works that were widely read throughout the United States. Over the course of her 40-year career, Eaton also had articles published in many popular magazines in the United States, including the ''[[Ladies' Home Journal]]'' and [[Harper's Magazine|Harper's Monthly]].
[[File:A Japanese Nightingale by Onoto Watanna 1903.jpg|thumb|right|Poster for [[Klaw & Erlanger]]'s production of ''A Japanese Nightingale'' in New York in 1903]]

In collaboration with her sister Sara Eaton Bosse, Eaton published the ''Chinese-Japanese Cook Book'' in 1914. The authors preface their history of Asian food and a representative selection of recipes with the reassurance that "When it is known how simple and clean are the ingredients used to make up these oriental dishes, the Westerner will cease to feel that natural repugnance which assails one when about to taste a strange dish of a new and strange land."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Watanna |first1=Onoto |last2=Bosse |first2=Sara |title=Chinese-Japanese Cook Book |url=https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/ChineseJapaneseCookbook1.html |access-date=December 5, 2022 |website=Winnifred Eaton Archive}}</ref>

After marrying Frank Reeve and moving to [[Alberta]], Eaton continued to write fiction and journalism, mostly with an Albertan focus. She became intrigued by the financial opportunities offered in the burgeoning film industry and began to write scenarios, or early screenplays, for silent films. After receiving her first credit from [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] in 1921 for the scenario for the silent film ''False Kisses'', she left Calgary in 1924 to work at Universal's New York City offices. The following year, Universal tapped her to lead their scenario department in Hollywood, California. She also ghost-wrote scripts for [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. She is credited on six films, all produced by Universal; her work on many others remains uncredited.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cole |first=Jean Lee |title=The Literary Voices of Winnifred Eaton: Redefining Ethnicity and Authenticity |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=2002 |isbn=9780813530871 |location=New Brunswick, New Jersey |pages=195–197}}</ref>

Eaton's publications, including all her novels, have been collected in the [https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/index.html Winnifred Eaton Archive].

==Partial bibliography==
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/HisRoyalNibs1.html His Royal Nibs]'' (1925)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/Cattle1.html Cattle]'' (1923)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/SunnySan1.html Sunny-San]'' (1922)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/Marion1.html Marion: The Story of an Artist's Model]'' (1916); reprint edition edited by Karen E. H. Skinazi (2012)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/Me1.html Me: A Book of Remembrance]'' (1915); reprint edition edited by Linda Trinh Moser (1997)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/ChineseJapaneseCookbook1.html Chinese-Japanese Cook Book]'' (with Sara Eaton Bosse, 1914)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/HonorableMissMoonlight1.html The Honorable Miss Moonlight]'' (1912)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/Tama1.html Tama]'' (1910)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/DiaryOfDelia5.html The Diary of Delia]'' (1907)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/JapaneseBlossom1.html A Japanese Blossom]'' (1906)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/LoveOfAzalea.html The Love of Azalea]'' (1904)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/DaughtersOfNijo.html Daughters of Nijo]'' (1904)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/HeartOfHyacinth.html The Heart of Hyacinth]'' (1903); reprint edition edited by Samina Najmi (2000)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/WooingOfWistaria.html The Wooing of Wistaria]'' (1902)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/JapaneseNightingale.html A Japanese Nightingale]'' (1901); reprint edition (published with ''Madame Butterfly,'' by John Luther Long) edited by Jean Lee Cole and Maureen Honey (2002)
*''[https://www.winnifredeatonarchive.org/MissNumeJapaneseRomance.html Miss Numè of Japan]'' (1899); reprint edition edited by Eve Oishi (1999)

== Selected filmography ==

* ''[[East Is West (1930 film)|East Is West]]'' (1930)
* ''[[Young Desire (film)|Young Desire]]'' (1930)
* ''[[Undertow (1930 film)|Undertow]]'' (1930)
* ''[[Shanghai Lady]]'' (1929)
* ''[[The Mississippi Gambler (1929 film)|The Mississippi Gambler]]'' (1929)
* ''[[False Kisses]]'' (1921)

== Further reading ==
Birchall, Diana. ''Onoto Watanna: The Story of Winnifred Eaton'' (2001)

Cole, Jean Lee. ''The Literary Voices of Winnifred Eaton: Redefining Ethnicity and Authenticity'' (2002)

Ferens, Dominika. "Affect and Form in the Writings of the Eaton Sisters." In ''Asian American Literature in Transition, 1850-1930,'' ed. Josephine Lee and Julia H. Lee (2021)

Ferens, Dominika. ''Edith and Winnifred Eaton: Chinatown Missions and Japanese Romances'' (2002)

Lavery, Grace E. ''Quaint, Exquisite: Victorian Aesthetics and the Idea of Japan'' (2019)

Lee, Katherine Hyunmi. "The Poetics of Liminality and Misidentification: Winnifred Eaton's Me and Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior." ''Transnational Asian American Literature: Sites and Transits,'' ed. Shirley Geok-Lin Lim, pp 181–196 (2006)

Sheffer, Jolie A. ''The Romance of Race: Incest, Miscegenation, and Multiculturalism in the United States, 1880-1930'' (2012)

Skinazi, Karen E. H. "'As to Her Race, Its Secret Is Loudly Revealed': Winnifred Eaton's Revision of North American Identity." ''MELUS: The Journal of the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States'' 32(2): 31-53 (2007)

Teng, Emma Jinhua. "The Eaton Sisters and the Figure of the Eurasian." ''The Cambridge History of Asian American Literature,'' ed. Min Hyoung Song, pp 661–672 (2015)

Watanna, Onoto. ''"A Half Caste" and Other Writings'', edited by Linda Trinh Moser and Elizabeth Rooney, eds. (2003)

== See also ==
{{Portal|Literature}}
*[[List of Asian American writers]]
*[[List of women writers]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Gutenberg author|id=49587}}
* {{FadedPage|id=Bosse, Sara (née Eaton)|name=Winnifred Eaton Reeve|author=yes}}
* {{Librivox author |id=14911}}
* [https://winnifredeatonarchive.org The Winnifred Eaton Archive] Peer-edited scholarly archive of the collected works of Winnifred Eaton, [[University of British Columbia]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120819121445/http://www.mta.ca/faculty/arts-letters/english/faculty/harris/winnifred-eaton-project/index.html Winnifred Eaton Project:] Essays from a conference and exhibit on Winnifred Eaton, Mount Allison University
* [https://searcharchives.ucalgary.ca/winnifred-eaton-reeve-fonds Winnifred Eaton Reeve Fonds] Guide to the collection of her papers at University of Calgary Archives and Special Collections
* [http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/watanna.htm Onoto Watanna (Winnifred Eaton)] entry in Donna M. Campbell's "American Authors" site
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/winnifred-eaton Winnifred Eaten (Onoto Watanna)] entry in the Canadian Encyclopedia
* {{cite web |title=Winnifred Eaton |url=https://wfpp.cdrs.columbia.edu/pioneer/winnifred-eaton/ |website=[[Women Film Pioneers Project]]}}
* ''[http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.phtml?title=Winnifred_Eaton Winnifred Eaton], from [[Wikinfo]], licensed under the [[GNU Free Documentation License]].''

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Winnifred}}
[[Category:1875 births]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]
[[Category:American writers of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Canadian women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Canadian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Canadian writers of Asian descent]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian screenwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian women novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century pseudonymous writers]]
[[Category:Women film pioneers]]

Richard Beckinsale

2025-10-31T17:57:27Z

2003:D3:FF23:88A3:5291:BC3D:9151:493: /* Personal life */Non-notable

{{Short description|English actor (1947–1979)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}

{{Infobox person
| name = Richard Beckinsale
| image = lenniegodber.JPG
| caption = Beckinsale as [[Lennie Godber]] in ''Porridge''
| birth_name = Richard Arthur Beckinsale
| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|07|06|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Carlton, Nottinghamshire]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|03|19|1947|07|06|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Sunningdale|Sunningdale, Berkshire]], England
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1962–1979
| resting_place = [[Mortlake Crematorium]], [[Kew]], [[London]], England
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Margaret Bradley|1965|1971|end=divorced}} |{{marriage|[[Judy Loe]]|1977}}}}
| children = {{flatlist|
*[[Samantha Beckinsale|Samantha]]
*[[Kate Beckinsale|Kate]]
}}
}}

'''Richard Arthur Beckinsale''' (6 July 1947 – 19 March 1979) was an English actor. He played [[Lennie Godber]] in the BBC [[British sitcom|sitcoms]] ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]'' and ''[[Going Straight]]'', and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom ''[[Rising Damp]]''. He was the father of actresses [[Samantha Beckinsale|Samantha]] and [[Kate Beckinsale]].

==Early life==
Beckinsale was born in [[Carlton, Nottinghamshire]], the youngest of three children, to an [[Anglo-Burmese people|Anglo-Burmese]] father, Arthur John Beckinsale, and an English mother, Maggie Barlow.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1435156/Family-Detective.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |title=Family Detective|first=Nick|last=Barratt|date=4 November 2006|access-date=22 May 2010}}</ref> Beckinsale stated in 1977 that he may have been a distant relative of the actor [[Charles Laughton]].<ref name=cellout>{{cite magazine|title=He's A Cell-Out!|quote="My family's related to that famous actor, Charles Laughton. He's probably best known in his role as the Hunchback of Notre Dame," Richard explained. "He's somewhere on my great-great-grandmother's side!" |date=20 August 1977|magazine=[[Jackie (magazine)|Jackie]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=My mad scene: An ex-Hamlet's strange journey into musicals|quote="It is said I might be a relation of Charles Laughton. Going back a few generations the family on my mother's side were in service at the Laughton house. There was a bit of a scandal and one of the girls had a baby. The only people who really know are two elderly aunts and they don't tell me. Strange thought though."|date=30 September 1977|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]}}</ref>

While attending College House Junior School in [[Chilwell]], Beckinsale appeared in his first of many school plays, playing Dopey in ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.''<ref name=Clayton>{{cite book|title=The Richard Beckinsale Story|first=David|last=Clayton|isbn=978-0-7509-5061-9|publisher=History Press|year=2008 |place=Stroud}}</ref>{{rp|17}} As a teenager at Alderman White Secondary Modern School, he played the lead in ''Tobias and the Angel'' and also appeared as Hsieh Ping-Kuei in ''[[Lady Precious Stream]]'', which earned him a positive review in the ''[[Nottingham Evening Post]]''.{{r|Clayton|p=23}} Beckinsale left school at 15 with ambitions to become a professional actor but he was still too young to go to drama school. He spent a year working in numerous manual labour jobs, including spells as an upholsterer's apprentice, a pipe inspector, and an assistant in a grocery business.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Richard Beckinsale: Stage Struck – And He Was Only Nine Years Old...|last=Caisley|first=Sarah|quote=I was too young to go to drama school so I filled in time doing various things for a year. I worked in a grocer's shop and then I made a brief attempt at being an upholsterer's apprentice and after that I worked for a firm making sewer pipes. By the time I left school – at fifteen – I definitely knew I couldn't be anything but an actor.|date=21 June 1975|magazine=[[My Weekly]]}}</ref>{{r|Clayton|p=26-29}}

At 16, Beckinsale enrolled at Clarendon College (later part of [[Nottingham College]]) taking the drama teacher's training programme and spent the next two years there, until he was old enough to apply to the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Richard Beckinsale: Stage Struck – And He Was Only Nine Years Old... |last=Caisley|first=Sarah|quote=I was able to live at home in Nottingham and for two and a half years I took what was mainly an 'O' level course for teachers of drama. The idea was to take a teacher's diploma and then go to Teachers' Training College. I was one of the first students to go there and it has turned out to be quite successful. Quite a few well-known names have made their start there. But...I never intended to teach. I was still filling in time till I could be accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where I went when I was 18.|date=21 June 1975|magazine=[[My Weekly]]}}</ref> After failing his first audition for RADA, Beckinsale was accepted on his second attempt, becoming just one of 31 successful applicants from a total of more than 12,500.{{r|Clayton|p=38}} While at RADA, Beckinsale won a prize for comedy.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Scene Scope|quote=I won the prize for comedy at RADA, but it's not been one of my great loves.|date=10 April 1971|magazine=[[Petticoat (magazine)|Petticoat]]}}</ref>

After graduating in 1968,<ref>{{cite web|title=RADA: Student & Graduate Profiles|url=https://www.rada.ac.uk/profiles/richard-beckinsale/|website=RADA|access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref> he moved to [[Crewe]] to begin in [[repertory theatre]]. He also appeared in various other repertory productions around the country, including Hull, Leeds, London and Colchester. While at Crewe, Beckinsale played such roles as the Scarecrow in ''The Wizard of Oz'', Sir Andrew Aguecheek in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', and the title role in Shakespeare's ''[[Hamlet]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Personal Column|quote=Richard Beckinsale is playing Hamlet in Ted Craig's production of that play now at Crewe Theatre.|date=13 November 1969|work=The Stage and Television Today}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bard Tops B.O, Take|quote=Ted Craig's Hamlet, with Richard Beckinsale as the Prince at Crewe Theatre broke all Rep records there with audiences totalling some four thousand for its ten performances.|date=27 November 1969|work=The Stage and Television Today}}</ref>{{r|Clayton|p=55-63}} Following his stint in 1969 playing Hamlet, Beckinsale took a brief hiatus from acting and worked at a bottle factory, before returning to acting soon after.<ref>{{cite news|title=Why Richard is revealing all...|last=Davis|first=Victor|quote=He was a 21-year-old Hamlet with the Crewe Rep, a part, he says, that made him a bit looney for a while. "Afterwards I took a job in a bottle factory at Parsons Green – as a form of therapy.|date=20 April 1976|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=OK Let's Meet Richard Beckinsale!|last=Young|first=Sally|quote=I think the only time I've ever been depressed about my work and thought seriously about giving it all up, was just after I played Hamlet. I didn't like it at all and when the play finished I just went off and got myself a job in a bottle factory. That was almost as bad as playing Hamlet and eventually I went back to acting!|date=22 November 1975|magazine=OK}}</ref>

==Career==
===First television appearances===
Beckinsale made his television debut in 1969 as a police officer in ''[[Coronation Street]]'', in which he had to arrest veteran character [[Ena Sharples]].{{r|Clayton|p=56-57}} He later had a small role in a 1970 episode of ''[[A Family at War]]'', playing a young soldier.<ref>{{cite web|title=Beckinsale, Richard (1947–1979)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/462782/credits.html|website=BFI Screen Online|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref>

===''The Lovers''===
After being recommended by several other actors for the part, Beckinsale landed his first starring role as Geoffrey in the sitcom ''[[The Lovers (1970 TV series)|The Lovers]]'' (1970–71), opposite fellow newcomer [[Paula Wilcox]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Two Kinds of Loving|quote=Jack Rosenthal: I interviewed scores of young actors. Three of them told me the boy I wanted was Richard Beckinsale.|date=27 October 1970|newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]]}}</ref> The show put both leading performers in the eye of the public and a [[The Lovers! (1973 film)|film version]] was made in 1973 with both Beckinsale and Wilcox reprising their roles.<ref>{{cite news|last=McGarry|first=Peter|title=Hello Young Lovers – Nice To See You Again|date=16 July 1973|newspaper=[[Coventry Evening Telegraph]]}}</ref>

===''The Donati Conspiracy''===
In 1973, slightly unusually, he had an important straight acting role in ''[[The Donati Conspiracy]]'', as Robert Sadler, an alleged terrorist sentenced to death for killing a security guard.<ref>https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1970s/donati-conspiracy-the/</ref>

===''Porridge''===
From 1974 to 1977, Beckinsale starred as prison inmate [[Lennie Godber]] alongside [[Ronnie Barker]] in the hit BBC sitcom ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]''. Beckinsale expressed relief at landing the role, owing to his concern about being typecast as Geoffrey from ''The Lovers''.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=He's A Cell-Out!|quote='The Lovers' was the first TV I'd ever done," Richard explained, "and I was worried that from then on everyone would think of me as a bit of an idiot like Geoffrey – which was why I was so glad when 'Porridge' came up.|date=20 August 1977|magazine=[[Jackie (magazine)|Jackie]]}}</ref> Barker had suggested actor [[Paul Henry (actor)|Paul Henry]] for the role of Godber, owing to Henry being from [[Birmingham]] (as Godber was meant to be), but director [[Sydney Lotterby]] chose Beckinsale instead. Beckinsale initially played Godber with a Birmingham accent, but this was eventually abandoned.<ref>{{cite book|title=It's Hello From Him!|last=Barker|first=Ronnie|quote=I put Paul Henry's name forward but Sydney Lotterby, the director, explained that he was thinking of Richard Beckinsale. "A new lad, very funny, remember 'The Lovers'?" "Yes," I agreed, "but he's Nottingham and Lennie Godber is from Birmingham." "Doesn't matter," said Syd, and of course it didn't. In early Porridge's Richard tried to do a Birmingham accent but he gave up about three weeks in.|isbn=0-450-50813-7|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|year=1988|place=Great Britain|page=158}}</ref> Actor [[Brian Glover]], who played the character [[Cyril Heslop]] on ''Porridge'', stated that Heslop's line "I read a book once; green it was" from the first episode, "[[New Faces, Old Hands]]", was actually Beckinsale's idea.<ref>{{cite news|title=Writer/actor whose work conveys a distinctive tone|quote=I was in the initial series of Porridge, playing a very thick character called Heslop. People still come up to me in the street and say to me "I read a book once – green it was." It was a great line but Dick Clement or Ian La Frenais didn't write it, Richard Beckinsale did. The writers set up the situation to get the line out, but it actually came from Beckinsale.|date=20 September 1984|work=The Stage and Television Today}}</ref>

===''Rising Damp''===
While appearing in ''Porridge'' on the BBC, Beckinsale simultaneously starred as naive medical student Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom ''[[Rising Damp]]''<ref>{{cite news|title=Richard's straight double|last=Murray|first=James|quote=It's a memorable Friday for young actor Richard Beckinsale who appears on rival channels as straight man to two of the funniest characters on television. On ITV he teams up with Leonard Rossiter as the mickey-taking student in the seedy "digs" of Rigsby in "Rising Damp." And on BBC1 later in the evening, he's locked up in Slade prison again for another stretch of "Porridge" with that imperishable convict clown Fletcher, in the person of Ronnie Barker. Mr. Beckinsale makes a very impressive foil to both. There are similarities in the two characters he plays – the young listener having his ear bent by two would-be veterans of life's ugly traps. But he manages to pinch some of the thunder from the stars with a clever sense of timing of the throwaway punchline. Can it be long before he earns a show of his own?|date=7 November 1975|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]}}</ref> also from 1974 to 1977. Beckinsale was the only member of the cast not to have appeared in ''The Banana Box'', the play on which ''Rising Damp'' was based. Writer [[Eric Chappell]] stated: "Although not the oldest, he was the most experienced sitcom actor of the quartet, having already appeared in ''The Lovers'' and ''Porridge''. This allowed him to be something of a calming influence on the show – a calming influence that was often needed."<ref name=Chappell>{{cite book|title=Rising Damp: The Complete Scripts|last=Chappell|first=Eric|isbn=0-233-99944-2|publisher=Granada Media Group|year=2002|place=London}}</ref>{{rp|9–10}} Beckinsale had previously worked with [[Leonard Rossiter]] in the 1974 [[Johnny Speight]] drama ''If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have To Invent Them''.<ref>{{cite web|title=If There Weren't Any Blacks...|url=https://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk/if-there-werent-any-blacks-youd-have-to-invent-them|date=4 September 2019|website=British Classic Comedy|access-date=13 October 2019}}</ref> Because of a scheduling conflict with the musical ''[[I Love My Wife]]'', in which he was starring, Beckinsale was unable to appear in the fourth series of ''Rising Damp''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Tippett|first=Richard|title=For Richard Beckinsale...There's No Business Like Show Business|date=11 February 1978|quote=Some lines Richard won't have to consider changing in the future are on a new series of Rising Damp that's in production - he's not in the show anymore." "It's because I'm doing this play in London. Yorkshire TV (who produce Rising Damp) work the show on Fridays, and I can't get the night off.|magazine=[[Look-in]]}}</ref>{{r|Chappell|p=419}}

===''Going Straight''===
In 1977, ''Porridge'' was brought to an end with his character of Godber being released from his prison sentence in the final episode. He subsequently starred alongside Barker in ''[[Going Straight]]'' (1978), a spin-off of ''Porridge'' in which the two criminal characters are seen on the outside rebuilding their lives. Tentative plans for further episodes of the spin-off were shelved due to Beckinsale's death in 1979.

===''Bloomers''===
Beckinsale starred in his final television comedy, ''[[Bloomers (TV series)|Bloomers]]'', the five completed episodes of which eventually aired in September and October 1979 on [[BBC 2]]. He played Stan, an out-of-work actor who takes a job as a partner at a flower shop. This was the first sitcom of Beckinsale's in which he had the leading role.<ref>{{cite news|title=TV star Richard's last role|quote=Judy Loe: "It was the first series in which he was playing the main part. I know people will want to see it. I think it's a very good comedy.|date=23 March 1979|newspaper=Daily Mirror}}</ref>

===Other work===
In between series one and two of ''The Lovers'' Beckinsale starred in an ITV children's show titled ''[[Elephant's Eggs in a Rhubarb Tree (TV series)|Elephant's Eggs in a Rhubarb Tree]]''. The show featured jokes, poetry, and music.<ref>{{cite news|title=Around the studios – Thames|date=11 February 1971|work=The Stage and Television Today}}</ref>

He had the lead role of a young detective in the 1971 ''[[Armchair Theatre]]'' episode ''Detective Waiting''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Detective Waiting (1971)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1384468/index.html|work=BFI Screen Online|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref>

Beckinsale appeared in the films ''[[Rentadick]]'' (1972)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Rentadick Review|last=Tarratt|first=Margaret|date=September 1972|magazine=Films and Filming}}</ref> and ''[[Three for All]]'' (1975) and made appearances in several other television series such as the [[Stephen Frears]]-directed ''[[ITV Playhouse]]'' episode "Last Summer" in 1977.

Throughout his TV series run, Beckinsale also did a 19-month run in the [[West End theatre|West End]] play ''Funny Peculiar'', for which he was nominated for the [[Laurence Olivier Award]] for "Actor of the Year in a New Play" and "Comedy Performance of the Year."<ref>{{cite web|title=Olivier Winners, 1976|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1976/|website=Official London Theatre|access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref> He later did a six-month run in the London debut of the [[Cy Coleman]] and [[Michael Stewart (playwright)|Michael Stewart]] musical ''[[I Love My Wife]]''.

Shortly after his 30th birthday, Beckinsale was the subject of an episode of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]''. Ronnie Barker and Fulton MacKay of ''Porridge'', Leonard Rossiter and Don Warrington of ''Rising Damp'', and Paula Wilcox of ''The Lovers'' all gave tributes during the show.<ref>{{cite web|title=This Is Your Life: Richard Beckinsale|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0721913/|website=imdb.com|accessdate=6 December 2021}}</ref>

In 1977, he starred in a radio comedy series called ''[[Albert and Me]]'' with Pat Coombs and John Comer.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Radio 1, Radio 2|last=Matthews|first=Peter|date=5-11 November 1977|magazine=[[Radio Times]]}}</ref> He also appeared in an advertisement for [[Asda]] which aired in 1978 and early 1979. Beckinsale appeared in the [[Porridge (film)|film version of ''Porridge'']] released in 1979. It was to be his last and only completed work of the year.

In October 1980, Frederick Muller Ltd. posthumously published a volume of Beckinsale's poetry entitled "With Love" ({{ISBN|0-584-10387-5}}).<ref>{{cite news|title=Message to a Wife Left Behind|last=Morley|first=Janice|date=24 October 1980|newspaper=Daily Express}}</ref><ref>{{cite video|title=ATV Today: Richard Beckinsale|url=https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-27111980-richard-beckinsale|date=27 November 1980|website=Media Archive for Central England|access-date=13 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=To Judy with all my love|last=McGowan|first=Frankie|date=27 October 1980|newspaper=Liverpool Echo}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Beckinsale was married twice. In 1965, he married his pregnant girlfriend, a local Nottingham woman named Margaret Bradley, whom he had met in 1964 while singing at a folk club. Their daughter, actress [[Samantha Beckinsale]], was born on 23 July 1966. When Beckinsale was accepted into RADA, they moved to London. Beckinsale became immersed in student life and he and his wife grew apart.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Life and Richard Beckinsale|last=Woodward|first=Ian|quote=We had a child and we were both happy, but I was trying to reconcile being a student with being a husband and a father, and it wasn't easy.|date=March 1977|magazine=Woman & Home}}</ref> They separated in 1968 when Margaret took Samantha back to live in Nottingham and Beckinsale left London to work in repertory in Crewe.{{r|Clayton|p=38-42}} They divorced in 1971 and Beckinsale did not see his daughter for years. Margaret later remarried and her new husband raised Samantha as his daughter. Samantha was unaware that her biological father was Beckinsale until she was 11.<ref>{{cite news|title=Samantha has a burning need to be secretive about her life|last=Brennan|first=Zoe|date=16 March 1995|newspaper=Daily Express}}</ref> Beckinsale and Samantha reconnected soon after and spent time together before his death in 1979.{{r|Clayton|p=146-147}}

Beckinsale met actress [[Judy Loe]] in 1968 at Crewe repertory.{{r|Clayton|p=44-48}} They soon began dating and lived together for years. Their daughter, actress [[Kate Beckinsale]], was born on 26 July 1973.{{r|Clayton|p=81}} They married in 1977.{{r|Clayton|p=124-125}}

Beckinsale enjoyed playing the guitar and singing, and he performed in folk clubs in Nottingham as a teenager.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Imagine Being Arrested By Richard!|last=Fallon|first=Gerry|quote=Back in my College days in Nottingham I used to run the local Folk Club. I'd compere and sing there.|date=8 January 1977|magazine=OK}}</ref>{{r|Clayton|p=31-33}} He also enjoyed playing football and often played in charity matches with the Entertainers XI team.{{r|Clayton|p=114-118}} He was a fan of [[Manchester United]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=OK Let's Meet Richard Beckinsale!|last=Young|first=Sally|quote=Richard admits that work takes up most of his time, but if he gets any spare days he enjoys playing football for the showbiz team and they have matches for charity. "And I also support Manchester United," he grins.|date=22 November 1975|magazine=OK}}</ref>

Beckinsale stated that towards the end of his 19 month run with the play ''Funny Peculiar'', he took [[Valium]] and had several instances of having to start the play over again due to overwork and mental strain.<ref>{{cite news|title=My mad scene: An ex-Hamlet's strange journey into musicals|date=30 September 1977|quote=I was going out of my mind at the end of Funny Peculiar. It had been 19 months. I had been taking Valium to get me through. I brought the curtain down on three nights. I just didn't know what the play was about anymore. I was onstage for two hours every night and after 19 months I was going through mental torture with it.|newspaper=[[Evening Standard]]}}</ref> Beckinsale's widow, Loe, stated that he suffered from occasional [[panic attacks]].<ref name="greatlives">{{cite web|title=Great Lives|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00gj68j|work=BBC Radio 4|date=9 January 2007}}</ref>

Although Beckinsale was pleased with the success of the sitcoms he starred in, he expressed a desire to play more serious roles as he got older.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Reluctant Virgin|last=Irwin|first=Ken|quote=His comedy shows – 'The Lovers,' 'Porridge,' and 'Rising Damp' – have all been winners. "I like to think I've got the knack of picking only the good ones," he smiles. "But it's pure luck, really." – "I'd like to take more serious parts as I get older," he says. "There's a character actor in me trying to get out.|date=26 March 1977|newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]]}}</ref>

==Death==
Beckinsale worked on the BBC sitcom ''[[Bloomers (TV series)|Bloomers]]'', five episodes of which were filmed prior to Christmas 1978.<ref>{{cite news|title=Star of television comedy Porridge dies at 31|last=Andrews|first=John|date=20 March 1979|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> According to his ''Bloomers'' co-star [[Anna Calder-Marshall]], during the recording of the first episode, he told her he had suffered some kind of [[Syncope (medicine)|blackout]] and had some dizzy spells. This concerned him enough to make an appointment to see a doctor, but the doctor could not find anything wrong apart from an overactive stomach lining and slightly high [[cholesterol]]. As filming on the series progressed, Beckinsale appeared increasingly tired and "greyer and greyer", according to co-star [[David Swift (actor)|David Swift]].{{r|Clayton|p=155-156}} Because of an industrial dispute at the BBC in late December 1978, the filming of the sixth episode of ''Bloomers'' had to be postponed until March.<ref>{{cite news|title=Star of television comedy Porridge dies at 31|last=Andrews|first=John|quote=The cast of Bloomers were stunned by yesterday's news. A BBC spokesman said that Mr. Beckinsale was "lively and bright" at rehearsals over the weekend which brought the cast together after a three-month delay caused by an industrial dispute. He said: "Everybody was really happy and jolly, celebrating their return together. Even with hindsight no one is saying he looked bad or anything.|date=20 March 1979|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

In January 1979, for an insurance policy for a film, Beckinsale passed a full medical examination in which his heart, lungs, breathing, and blood pressure were checked.<ref name="bywife">{{cite news|last=Pratt|first=Colin|title=TV Star's Last Hours, By Wife|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=21 March 1979}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=It's Hello From Him!|last=Barker|first=Ronnie|quote=Answering himself, Richard said, "There's nothing, absolutely nothing, when you die. It all goes black...finish." I'll never be able to convey the poignancy of that conversation with Richard Beckinsale, Lennie Godber of 'Porridge.' It took place about six weeks before his totally unexpected death from a heart attack in 1979. Richard was only thirty, and had just been declared fully fit after an exhaustive check-up connected with insurance on a film.|isbn=0-450-50813-7|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|year=1988|place=Great Britain|page=154}}</ref> He spent January and February working on ''[[Porridge (film)|Porridge]]'' and then prepared to start work on ''[[Bloody Kids]]'' in March.

A week before he died, Beckinsale complained to his wife [[Judy Loe]] of feeling unwell and said he was unable to take her to hospital. At the time, they both put it down to nerves; she was due to have an operation to increase the couple's chances of having another child.{{r|Clayton|p=157}} Loe underwent the operation on Wednesday 14 March and while she remained in the hospital recuperating, Beckinsale continued to work on ''[[Bloody Kids]]'' and resumed work on the sixth episode of ''[[Bloomers (TV series)|Bloomers]]'', commuting between London by day and [[Southend-on-Sea]] by night.<ref name="bywife"/>

On the evening of Saturday, 17 March, he attended a farewell party for ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'', who were about to leave for Australia.<ref>{{cite book|title=It's Hello From Him!|last=Barker|first=Ronnie|quote=His passing, so suddenly and so young, was a terrible jolt. We'd been with him only the night before. Ronnie C. and I, and our families, were off to Australia for a year. – There was a farewell party at Langan's Brasserie. All our friends came along, including Richard, but he left early because he had to attend another function. My last memory of him is sitting with Joy, teasing her, pretending to whisper sweet nothings. Then it was, "Cheerio, see you in a year's time – don't stay over there forever," and he was gone, happy and full of life as ever.|isbn=0-450-50813-7|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|year=1988|place=Great Britain|pages=162–163}}</ref> According to [[David Jason]], who was at the party, Beckinsale left the party at around 11:30, in order to attend another friend's party.<ref>{{cite book|title=David Jason: My Life|first=David|last=Jason|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=KA5bvv3QLdYC&q=beckinsale|publisher=Random House UK|year=2013|pages=240–241|isbn=978-1448164202}}</ref> Jo Apted, wife of ''[[The Lovers (1970 TV series)|The Lovers]]'' director [[Michael Apted]], stated that Beckinsale attended a party at her house on Saturday night and felt unwell the next day.<ref name="bywife"/> On Sunday 18 March, he worked on ''Bloomers'' and gave Anna Calder-Marshall a lift home afterwards.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mixed feelings for Anna|last=Bell|first=Jack|quote=He drove me home from rehearsal. He looked a little peaky, but was very jolly," said Anna. "Next day we waited five hours for him to arrive at rehearsal – and I had a horrible premonition.|date=27 September 1979|newspaper=Daily Mirror}}</ref> To her surprise, he began to talk about his fear of dying and of being alone in the house.{{r|Clayton|p=158}} He then took his five-year-old daughter Kate to visit Loe in hospital. Upon leaving the hospital, Beckinsale dropped his daughter off with relatives to spend the night. Afterwards, he returned to his house in [[Sunningdale]], [[Berkshire]]. At some point that day, he called his older daughter Samantha and made plans to spend some time with her the following weekend. Before going to bed, he telephoned a couple of friends, and, during the conversation, he repeated that he had been feeling unwell, and also said that he had some pain in his chest and arms. He seemed in good humour, however, and made a joke out of it.{{r|Clayton|p=159}}
[[File:Richard Beckinsale Memorial Plaque.jpg|thumb|right|Beckinsale's memorial plaque in [[St Paul's, Covent Garden|St Paul's]] in [[Covent Garden]]]]

When he did not arrive at the rehearsal for the sixth and final episode of ''Bloomers'' the next morning, a member of the production team rang his house, and the phone was answered by family friend Rosana Bradley, who had been staying at the house to help take care of Kate, but had not been there the previous night. She said Beckinsale was still sleeping, and she left the phone to wake him up. When she returned, she said that she was unable to wake him, and was advised to call a doctor. Shortly after, it was confirmed that he had died during the night of what appeared to be a massive [[heart attack]].

The [[post-mortem examination]] revealed that he had [[coronary artery disease]], which caused the heart attack.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heart attack killed TV star|quote=TV comedy star Richard Beckinsale had coronary artery disease, a Bracknell [[post mortem]] revealed today. This led to a heart attack which killed the 31-year-old star of Porridge at his Berkshire home on Monday. Reading [[pathologist]] Dr Edmund Hemsted found that death was due to natural causes.|newspaper=[[Reading Evening Post]]|date=21 March 1979}}</ref> Beckinsale had expressed worries about his [[cholesterol]] to friend [[Stephen Frears]] over dinner just days earlier, but he seemed healthy and fit and had no [[cardiac]] problems in his medical records. According to Frears, Beckinsale's high cholesterol may have been a factor in his early death.

Beckinsale's death was met with great shock. ''Rising Damp'' co-star [[Frances de la Tour]] stated: "It is such a shock that someone as young and obviously fit as him should die so suddenly. The last time I saw him he had given up smoking, not that he smoked very much, anyway. He was always concerned about keeping fit and we used to tease him about it. He used to play a lot of charity [[association football|football]], but the terrible thing is that he was a family man. I am most distressed for his family."<ref>{{cite news|title=Post-mortem on TV actor postponed|date=20 March 1979|newspaper=[[Belfast Telegraph]]}}</ref> ''The Lovers'' creator [[Jack Rosenthal]] stated: "He must have had one of the biggest futures any actor could hope for. He was a very honest boy and he had that same quality in his acting."<ref>{{cite news|title='Porridge' star was set for a big future|last=Callister|first=Ian|newspaper=[[The Liverpool Echo]]|date=20 March 1979}}</ref>

Beckinsale was [[cremated]] during a private service in [[Bracknell, Berkshire]],<ref>{{cite news|title=A Last Kiss For Richard|date=29 March 1979|newspaper=Daily Mirror}}</ref> and his remains were then taken to [[Mortlake Crematorium]].{{r|Clayton|p=173}} Although Beckinsale left more than £65,000 ({{Inflation|UK|65000|1979|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) in his will, only approximately £18,000 was left after taxes and other costs.<ref>{{cite news|title=Star leaves £18,000|quote=Porridge TV star, Richard Beckinsale, who lived in Devenish Road, Sunningdale, left just £18,000 in his will published today. Beckinsale, 31, died of a heart attack in March. He left £65,701, but taxes and other costs cut it to £18,074|date=21 July 1979|newspaper=[[Reading Evening Post]]}}</ref> On 19 April 1979, one month after his death, more than 300 people attended a memorial service at the actors' church [[St Paul's, Covent Garden|St Paul's]] in [[Covent Garden]].{{r|Clayton|p=175}} [[Leonard Rossiter]], [[Fulton MacKay]], [[Richard Briers]], and ''Porridge'' writers [[Dick Clement]] and [[Ian La Frenais]] gave tributes during the service. La Frenais stated: "I was always amazed by Richard's talent. I'm convinced he would have become an international actor." Briers said: "The character of Lennie Godber had a kind of innocence which was a danger but also a kind of protection against prison life. Richard had a similar innocence. It made him vulnerable but he was never one for upstaging, scene-stealing and the kind of action which substituted technique for truth. Richard made us laugh and also charmed us. He was an effortless charmer." Beckinsale's widow, Judy, stated: "It was a celebration, not a memorial service."<ref>{{cite news|title=The Last Goodbye: Celebrity tributes to Porridge star Richard|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=20 April 1979}}</ref> A memorial plaque was later placed in the church in Beckinsale's honour.

==Unfinished work==
At the time of his death, Beckinsale had almost completed the BBC sitcom ''[[Bloomers (TV series)|Bloomers]]''. Writer [[James Saunders (playwright)|James Saunders]]'s original script reveals that Beckinsale was due to attend the sixth and last rehearsal for the final episode of the series on the day he died, with the show to be recorded the following day. The five completed ''Bloomers'' episodes were aired later in the year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Show must go on as a tribute says wife Judy|last=Pratt|first=Colin|date=22 March 1979|newspaper=Daily Express}}</ref>

Plans had been drawn up to make a film version of ''Rising Damp'' and ultimately [[Rising Damp (film)|the film]] was made in 1980. [[Christopher Strauli]] was recruited to replace Beckinsale, playing a different character.

He was also in the middle of making a television film, ''[[Bloody Kids]]'', which then had to be re-cast. This role marked a change in direction for Beckinsale, playing a hard-nosed detective character in contrast to the naive characters he had played before. Although Beckinsale does not noticeably appear in the film, director Stephen Frears stated that there are a small number of scenes in which Beckinsale is just off camera, as well as a scene in which he is in a car, although indistinguishable to the viewer.<ref name="greatlives"/> Some of the footage of Beckinsale, which could not be included in the film, was shown during the 2000 [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] tribute, ''The Unforgettable Richard Beckinsale'', as well as the 2016 [[ITV3]] documentary, ''Rising Damp Forever''. One scene showed Beckinsale questioning a character in the film with a tough stance, and looking quite different than his usual appearance with much shorter cropped hair.

==Legacy and tributes==
Three days after Beckinsale's death, ''Going Straight'' won a [[BAFTA]] award. A clearly shaken and upset Ronnie Barker delivered a brief acceptance speech in tribute to his co-star. Beckinsale holds the distinction of having starred in three different sitcoms, each of which won the BAFTA for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy|Best Situation Comedy]], in three successive years: ''Porridge'' in 1977, ''Rising Damp'' in 1978, and ''Going Straight'' in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|title=BAFTA Awards: Situation Comedy|url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=situation%20comedy&f%5B0%5D=string_category%3ASituation%20Comedy|website=awards.bafta.org|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref>

When Beckinsale's book of poetry, ''With Love'' was published in 1980, Judy Loe, Ronnie Barker, and Richard Briers appeared on ''The Russell Harty Show'' to talk about the book and recite some of the poetry.<ref>''The Russell Harty Show'', 28 October 1980, ''BBC''.</ref>

In 2000, 21 years after his death, a documentary was broadcast on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in tribute, called ''The Unforgettable Richard Beckinsale''. It featured interviews with his widow, the actress [[Judy Loe]], as well as his father, sister, closest school friend and two daughters. Also contributing were his co-stars, [[Ronnie Barker]] of ''Porridge'' and [[Don Warrington]] of ''Rising Damp''. Barker, remembering Beckinsale's premature death, said: "He was so loved. He hadn't done much but he was so loved that there was a universal sort of grief that went on."

In the 2006 film ''[[Venus (2006 film)|Venus]]'', during a scene inside the actors' church, [[St Paul's, Covent Garden|St Paul's]], [[Peter O'Toole]]'s character, an aging actor, points out Beckinsale's plaque, as an example of an actor who died in his prime.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 August 2012|title=Venus if you will, send a girl for me to thrill|last=Cho|first=Seongyong|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/venus-if-you-will-send-a-girl-for-me-to-thrill|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=26 April 2019}}</ref>

In 2007, [[Alan Davies]] nominated Beckinsale as his chosen subject for the [[BBC Radio 4]] series ''[[Great Lives]]''. Judy Loe and Stephen Frears participated in the discussion of Beckinsale's life and career.<ref name="greatlives"/>

A biography of Beckinsale, titled ''The Richard Beckinsale Story'' was published in 2008 by author David Clayton. It featured interviews with family, friends, and co-workers of Beckinsale's.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 January 2009|title=Book review: The Richard Beckinsale Story|last=Bennett|first=Steve|url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/books/2009/01/05/8069/book_review:_the_richard_beckinsale_story|website=[[Chortle]]|access-date=28 November 2019}}</ref>

In 2013, a [[blue plaque]] in Beckinsale's memory was unveiled at his former school, College House Junior School in [[Chilwell]]. Kate Beckinsale, Judy Loe, [[David Walliams]], and [[Michael Sheen]] attended the ceremony.<ref>{{cite news|date=17 July 2013|title=Kate Beckinsale unveils plaque for father Richard|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-23339465|website=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref>

[[UK Gold]] aired a three-part documentary in 2014 called ''Porridge: Inside Out'', in celebration of ''Porridge'''s 40th anniversary. During this series, there was a memorial segment dedicated to Beckinsale, in which Judy Loe and Kate Beckinsale took part.<ref>{{cite web|date=21 May 2014|title=Porridge: Inside Out|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/cwg4gx/porridge-inside-out/|website=[[Radio Times]]|access-date=23 September 2019}}</ref>

[[ITV3]] aired a two-part documentary in 2016 called ''Rising Damp Forever'' which looked back at the making of ''Rising Damp''. There was a memorial segment for Beckinsale during the series in which his daughters, Samantha and Kate took part.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 March 2016|title=ITV3 to air Rising Damp Forever|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/2038/itv3_rising_damp_forever_weekend/|website=[[British Comedy Guide]]|access-date=23 September 2019}}</ref>

In 2018, as part of an art project in Beckinsale's former hometown of [[Beeston, Nottinghamshire|Beeston]], a mural of him was commissioned by the town council and painted by the French street artist, Zabou.<ref>{{cite news|date=29 October 2018|title=Icons of Beeston in Street Art Tribute|url=https://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/news-events/news/press-releases-2018/october-2018/icons-of-beeston-in-street-art-tribute/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130053537/https://www.broxtowe.gov.uk/news-events/news/press-releases-2018/october-2018/icons-of-beeston-in-street-art-tribute/|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 January 2019|website=Broxtowe Borough Council|access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=11 October 2018|title=Hollywood star Kate Beckinsale thanks Beeston for new mural of her dad calling it 'unbelievably wonderful'|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/whats-on-news/hollywood-star-kate-beckinsale-thanks-2096892|website=[[Nottingham Post]]|access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref>

''[[Rising Damp]]'' co-star [[Frances de la Tour]] said of Beckinsale's acting ability: "Richard was a brilliant young actor as so many have testified. His comedy was based on the truth. That is what people mean by 'timing.' So we believed him at all times. There is no greater testament. Ronnie Barker was similar, which is why they worked so well and movingly together."{{r|Clayton|p=126}}

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Rentadick]]''
| Hobbs
|
|-
| 1973
| ''[[The Lovers! (1973 film)|The Lovers!]]''
| Geoffrey Scrimshaw
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Three for All]]''
| Jet Bone
|
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Porridge (film)|Porridge]]''
| Lennie
| Posthumous release
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Coronation Street]]''
| PC Wilcox
| 1 episode
|-
| 1970
| ''[[A Family at War]]''
| Private Grey
| Episode: "The Breach in the Dyke"
|-
| 1970–1971
| ''[[The Lovers (1970 TV series)|The Lovers]]''
| Geoffrey Scrimshaw
| rowspan="2" | Series regular
|-
| rowspan="4"|1971
| ''[[Elephant's Eggs in a Rhubarb Tree (TV series)|Elephant's Eggs in a Rhubarb Tree]]''
| Various roles
|-
| ''[[Armchair Theatre]]''
| Lewis
| Episode: "Detective Waiting"
|-
| ''[[Justice (1971 TV series)|Justice]]''
| Terry Watson
| Episode: "No Flowers, by Request"
|-
| rowspan="3"|''[[ITV Sunday Night Theatre]]''
| Pete
| Episode: "Tales of Piccadilly: A Room Full of Holes"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1972
| Dermot
| Episode: "Consequences"
|-
| Angus MacFee
| Episode: "Madly in Love"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1973
| ''[[The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (TV series)|The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes]]''
| Richard Frobisher
| Episode: "The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway"
|-
| ''[[The Donati Conspiracy]]''
| Robert Sadler
| 3 episodes
|-
|1974
|''If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them''
|The Young Man
|TV film
|-
| rowspan="2"|1974–1977
| ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]''
| Lennie Godber
| rowspan="2" | Series regular
|-
| ''[[Rising Damp]]''
| Alan Moore
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Play for Today]]''
| Michael Robson
| Episode: "The Floater"
|-
| 1976
| ''Couples''
| Daniel Graham
| Recurring role
|-
| 1977
| ''[[ITV Playhouse]]''
| Johnny
| Episode: "Last Summer"
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Going Straight]]''
| Lennie Godber
| Series regular
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Bloomers (TV series)|Bloomers]]''
| Stan
| Aired posthumously
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|65764}}
*{{Screenonline name|462782}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100402103915/http://www.richardbeckinsale.co.uk/ All My Love, Richard] Website for book by Margaret Bradley


{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckinsale, Richard}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English people of Burmese descent]]
[[Category:People from Carlton, Nottinghamshire]]
[[Category:Male actors from Nottinghamshire]]
[[Category:Deaths from coronary artery disease]]

Anna Friel

2025-10-31T17:53:47Z

2003:D3:FF23:88A3:5291:BC3D:9151:493: /* Personal life */Unreferenced and non-notable, and as per BLP

{{Short description|English actress (born 1976)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Anna Friel
| image = Anna Friel TCA 2015.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Friel in 2015
| birth_name = Anna Louise Friel
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|07|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Rochdale]], England
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1990–present
| partners = {{ubl
| [[Darren Day]] (1994-1997)
| [[David Thewlis]] (2001–2010)
| [[Rhys Ifans]] (2011–2014)

}}
| children = 1
}}
'''Anna Louise Friel''' (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. She first achieved fame as [[Beth Jordache]] in the British soap opera ''[[Brookside (TV series)|Brookside]]'' (1993–1995), later coming to wider prominence through her role as [[List of Pushing Daisies characters#Charlotte "Chuck" Charles|Charlotte "Chuck" Charles]] on ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'' (2007–2009), for which she received a nomination for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series]]. In 2017, she won the [[International Emmy Award for Best Actress]] for her portrayal of the title character in the detective drama series ''[[Marcella (TV series)|Marcella]]'' (2016–2021). Her other accolades include a [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play|Drama Desk Award]], an [[honorary degree]],<ref name=Bolton>{{cite news|url=https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/1042031.amp|work=The Bolton News|first=Edward|last=Chadwick|title=More than a degree of talent between them|date=25 November 2006}}</ref> and a [[British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress|BAFTA]] nomination.

Friel made her feature film debut in 1998 with a leading role in ''[[The Land Girls]]''. Subsequent credits include ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' (1999), ''[[Me Without You (film)|Me Without You]]'' (2001), ''[[Timeline (2003 film)|Timeline]]'' (2003), ''[[Goal! (film)|Goal!]]'' (2005), ''[[Bathory (film)|Bathory]]'' (2008), ''[[Land of the Lost (film)|Land of the Lost]]'' (2009), ''[[Limitless (film)|Limitless]]'' (2011), ''[[Books of Blood (film)|Books of Blood]]'' (2020), and ''[[Charming the Hearts of Men]]'' (2021). Her stage credits include ''[[Closer (play)|Closer]]'' ([[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], 1999), ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'' ([[West End theatre|West End]], 2009), and ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' (West End, 2012).

==Early life==
Anna Louise Friel was born on 12 July 1976 in [[Rochdale]], [[Greater Manchester]].<ref name=MetroDoB>{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/21/how-old-is-anna-friel-and-what-has-the-deep-water-actress-been-in-before-10607522/|title=How old is Anna Friel and what has the Deep Water actress been in before?|work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]|last=Westbrook|first=Caroline|date=21 August 2019|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref><ref name=NewStatesman>{{cite web|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/television/2011/09/interview-gracie-school-lonely|title=The NS Interview: Anna Friel, actor
|work=[[New Statesman]]|last=Lewis|first=Helen|date=12 September 2011|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> Her mother, Julie Bamford Friel (born 1952), is a special needs teacher.<ref name=EverythingCloser/> Her father, Desmond "Des" Friel (born 1951), was born in [[Belfast]] and raised in [[County Donegal]], Ireland.<ref name=IrishPost>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishpost.com/news/anna-friel-discusses-life-set-marcella-collects-award-outstanding-contribution-film-tv-173945|title=Anna Friel discusses life on the set of Marcella as she collects award for Outstanding Contribution to Film & TV|work=[[The Irish Post]]|last=O'Connor|first=Rachael|date=18 November 2019|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> He is a former French teacher and [[folk music|folk]] guitarist, who now owns a web design company.<ref name=EverythingCloser>{{cite web|url=https://closeronline.co.uk/celebrity/news/anna-friel-need-know/ |title=Anna Friel: Everything you need to know |work=Closer |date=12 April 2016 |access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> Her brother Michael is a doctor, who in his youth did television advertising work for [[Hovis]].<ref name=hovis>{{cite news|last=Leith|first=William|title=Anna Friel: Lipstick thespian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1998/aug/09/williamleith|access-date=6 November 2011|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=9 August 1998|location=London, England}}</ref>

Friel attended [[Crompton House Church of England Academy|Crompton House CE Secondary School]], an [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] school; and later [[Holy Cross College (UK)|Holy Cross College]], a Roman Catholic [[sixth form]].<ref name=bury>{{cite news|last=Roffey|first=Monique|title=When Anna and Beth kissed Margaret: Anna Friel plays Brookside's lesbian pin-up. Monique Roffey met her|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/when-anna-and-beth-kissed-margaret-anna-friel-plays-brooksides-lesbian-pinup-monique-roffey-met-her-1440368.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/when-anna-and-beth-kissed-margaret-anna-friel-plays-brooksides-lesbian-pinup-monique-roffey-met-her-1440368.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=6 November 2011|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|publisher=Independent Print Ltd.|date=2 October 1994|location=London, England}}{{cbignore}}</ref> She began her training as an actress at [[Oldham Theatre Workshop]].<ref name=MEN>{{cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/meet-david-johnson---drama-9680550|title=Meet David Johnson - the drama tutor whose past students include Anna Friel and the late Anne Kirkbride|work=[[Manchester Evening News]]|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Katie|date=17 July 2015|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

==Career==
===1991–1999: Television work and film debut===
Friel made her professional debut at age 13 in the television miniseries ''[[G.B.H. (TV series)|G.B.H.]]'', which aired in 1991 and was nominated for several [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA]]s.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101104/awards?ref_=tt_awd | publisher=IMDb | title=G.B.H. - Awards | access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> This led to small parts on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] soap operas ''[[Coronation Street]]'' and ''[[Emmerdale]]'' (1991; 1992). She was cast the following year as [[Beth Jordache]] in the [[Channel 4]] soap opera ''[[Brookside (TV series)|Brookside]]'', a role she played for two years. The character was involved in some of the series' most famous storylines, including the murder and covert burial of her abusive father,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/best-90s-soap-storylines-eastenders-coronation-street-emmerdale-brookside_uk_61e1a7b9e4b01f707da293a7/|work=[[HuffPost]]|title=15 Iconic 90s Soap Storylines That Had Us All Glued To Our Screens|date=10 April 2022|access-date=25 April 2024}}</ref> and the first ever pre-[[watershed (broadcasting)|watershed]] lesbian kiss in British television history;<ref name=bury/> a moment that went on to be broadcast around the world—including 76 countries where homosexuality is outlawed—when it featured during a montage at the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|2012 Olympics opening ceremony]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/102520-the-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-includes-a-lesbian-kiss-seen-around-the-world|title=The London Olympics opening ceremony includes a lesbian kiss seen around the world|website=[[AfterEllen]]|date=28 July 2012|access-date=1 November 2018}}</ref> She later said, "For a very long time I was defined by that kiss. And I didn't want to be. I spent years turning down other lesbian roles because it felt like going back to Beth. [But it] did also make me want to take on parts that showed extreme sides of women".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/04/24/anna-friel-set-for-first-lesbian-sex-scene-in-two-decades-and-shes-terrified/|title=Anna Friel set for first lesbian sex scene in two decades – and she's terrified|work=PinkNews|date=24 April 2017|access-date=28 October 2018}}</ref> In 1995, Friel won a [[National Television Awards|National Television Award]] in the category of "Most Popular Actress" for her work on ''Brookside''.<ref name="Woods">{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8935850/Anna-Friel-My-daughter-didnt-ask-to-be-from-a-broken-home.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8935850/Anna-Friel-My-daughter-didnt-ask-to-be-from-a-broken-home.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Judith | last=Woods | title=Anna Friel: 'My daughter didn't ask to be from a broken home' | date=6 December 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Upon leaving the show (a decision she initially thought to be a "terrible mistake"),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/anna-friel-in-the-look-of-love-am-i-dramatic-you-could-say-that-8578672.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/anna-friel-in-the-look-of-love-am-i-dramatic-you-could-say-that-8578672.html|archive-date=7 May 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=Anna Friel in The Look of Love: 'Am I dramatic? You could say that'|work=The Independent|date=18 April 2013|access-date=28 October 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Friel was cast in a 1996 episode of ''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' and appeared as one of the main characters in [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s television film ''[[The Tribe (1998 film)|The Tribe]]'' (1998), which attracted controversy for its inclusion of a ''[[ménage à trois]]'' sex scene.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.redonline.co.uk/reviews/what-to-watch-tonight/amp526840/anna-friels-best-on-screen-moments/ |title=Anna Friel's best on-screen moments|publisher=Red Online|access-date=24 October 2018|date=3 April 2017}}</ref> She then played leading roles in small-screen adaptations of [[Charles Dickens]]' ''[[Our Mutual Friend]]'' and [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''[[St. Ives (novel)|St. Ives]]'' (both 1998), and co-starred in several British films, such as wartime period drama ''[[The Land Girls]]'' (1998),<ref>{{cite web|last=Levy|first=Emanuel|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/the-land-girls-1200452461/|title=The Land Girls|work=Variety|date=28 January 1998|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref> crime drama ''[[Rogue Trader (film)|Rogue Trader]]'' (1999), and slapstick comedy ''Mad Cows'' (1999).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://film.britishcouncil.org/mad-cows|title=Mad Cows|publisher=British Council Film|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> While most were dismissive of ''Cows''{{'}} eccentric humour, some critics felt that Friel's work as Australian expatriate Maddy was impressive.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mad-cows-review/|title=Mad Cows Review|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|date=29 October 1999|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/mad-cows-review/|title=Mad Cows review|work=[[Total Film]]|access-date=20 April 2024|date=29 October 1999}}</ref> Next, she played [[Hermia]] in the 1999 film version of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/05/14/filming-midsummer-nights-dream-was-nightmare/|title=Filming 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' was a nightmare|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=20 November 2023|date=14 May 1999}}</ref> saying later of the experience, "I think that [role] sort of changed things for me, especially in America, because the cast was really great—[[Kevin Kline]], [[Michelle Pfeiffer]], [[Christian Bale]]—and people started to think, 'if she's working with [those people] she must be doing well'".<ref name=FeelGoodFactor>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/anna-friel-the-feel-good-factor-317658.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/anna-friel-the-feel-good-factor-317658.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Anna Friel: The feel good factor|work=The Independent|access-date=24 October 2018|date=2005-10-06}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

During that same period, Friel made her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in a production of [[Patrick Marber]]'s ''[[Closer (play)|Closer]]'', which ran for 173 performances at the [[Music Box Theatre]] in New York (March–August 1999).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/article/last-chance-closer-closes-on-broadway-aug-22-com-83760|title=Last Chance: Closer Closes on Broadway Aug. 22|work=Playbill|date=10 August 1999|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref> In his review of the show for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', [[Charles Isherwood]] wrote:

{{blockquote|It's the exquisitely lovely Friel who is the discovery here. Her Alice is both the nihilistic core of the play and its tender center, and the paradoxical mixture of toughness and fragility [she] brings to it are essential to the play's deepest truths. It's a star-making performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1999/legit/reviews/closer-5-1200456828/|title=Closer|work=Variety|date=25 March 1999|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref>}}

For her work as exotic dancer Alice, Friel won that year's [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play]].<ref name=DramaDesk>{{cite web|title=1999 Drama Desk Winner: Anna Friel, Outstanding Featured Actress (Play)|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/1999-drama-desk-winner-anna-friel-outstanding-featured-actress-play-com-81792|work=Playbill|access-date=23 October 2018|date=9 May 1999}}</ref>

===2000–2009: Stage roles, film work, and ''Pushing Daisies''===
Friel had leading roles in the comedy-drama films ''[[An Everlasting Piece]]'' and ''[[Sunset Strip (2000 film)|Sunset Strip]]'' (both 2000), with her performance in ''Piece'' attracting particular praise.<ref>{{cite news|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|url=https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/an-everlasting-piece-1200465811/|title=An Everlasting Piece|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=21 April 2024|date=17 December 2000}}</ref> The following year, she starred as the wife of a [[World War II]] soldier in the decently reviewed Canadian film ''[[The War Bride]]'',<ref>{{cite news|first=Derek|last=Elley|url=https://variety.com/2002/film/reviews/the-war-bride-1200552074/|title=The War Bride|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=21 April 2024|date=3 January 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Neil|last=Smith|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/11/01/the_war_bride_2002_review.shtml|title=The War Bride (2002)|work=BBC Online|access-date=21 April 2024|date=27 November 2002}}</ref> for which she earned a [[Genie Awards|Genie Award]] nomination for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]],<ref name=IMDb-Awards/> and co-headlined the coming-of-age drama ''[[Me Without You (film)|Me Without You]]'' opposite [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]]. In his appraisal of ''You'' for ''Variety'', David Rooney said, "Of the central duo, Friel has the most difficult job, playing an essentially unsympathetic brat … But [she] continually tempers the negatives with a vulnerability and insecurity that redeem her".<ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Rooney|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/me-without-you-1200469924/|title=Me Without You|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=20 April 2024|date=14 September 2001}}</ref> Between March and May 2001, Friel appeared in an adaptation of [[Frank Wedekind]]'s ''[[Earth Spirit (play)|Lulu]]'' at the [[Almeida Theatre]]; her [[West End theatre|West End]] stage debut.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1237992.stm|title=Sex, violence and Anna Friel|date=23 March 2001|work=BBC News|first=Neil|last=Smith}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2001/legit/reviews/lulu-4-1200467946/|title=Lulu|date=6 April 2001|work=Variety|first=Matt|last=Wolf|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref> Describing her portrayal of the titular Victorian sex worker, theatre critic [[Nicholas de Jongh]] felt, "The appeal of Miss Friel's [performance] depends upon its restraint, guile and cool", noting that she mixes "child-like glee and naughtiness" with a "calm and callous" demeanour.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.picks.plus.com/howard/luluevestan.htm|title=Anna's bewitching Lulu is the femme with a fatale guile|date=20 March 2001|work=[[Evening Standard]]|first=Nicholas|last=de Jongh|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref> The play transferred to the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|Kennedy Center]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] for one month following its run at the Almeida.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://playbill.com/article/anna-friel-looks-after-lulu-at-kennedy-center-june-16-july-17-com-97275|title= Anna Friel Looks After Lulu at Kennedy Center, June 16-July 17|work=[[Playbill]]|access-date=22 April 2024|date=16 June 2001}}</ref>

Friel's next roles were in the Irish television film ''[[Watermelon (film)|Watermelon]]'' (2003), where she starred as a headstrong [[Dublin]] girl who travels to England for an abortion,<ref>{{cite news|first=Annie|last=Lawson|url=https://theguardian.com/media/2003/apr/17/overnights|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=TV ratings: Friel good factor for ITV|access-date=20 April 2024|date=17 April 2003}}</ref> and the [[Richard Donner]] fantasy adventure film ''[[Timeline (2003 film)|Timeline]]'' (2003), where she played the love interest of the main character. She was then cast as Attorney Megan Delaney in ''[[The Jury (TV series)|The Jury]]'', an American legal drama series that ran on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] for a single season in 2004. Writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Alessandra Stanley]] called the show "clever, innovative" and said of Friel, "hers is the most textured and persuasive character".<ref>{{cite news|first=Alessandra|last=Stanley|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/08/arts/television-review-they-meet-secretly-bicker-and-try-to-return-a-verdict.html|title=Television Review; They Meet Secretly, Bicker and Try to Return a Verdict|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=7 July 2023|date=8 June 2004}}</ref> Friel later admitted to finding the job—her first regular role on U.S. television—a challenge: "Everyone was saying, 'you will never believe how much hard work it is', and I was telling them not to worry because I'm used to it [but] my God were they right [...] You run off the set from one scene and get changed and run back on. It is so fast and so very well organised but it is hard, hard bloody work".<ref name=FeelGoodFactor/> Next, she played [[Geordie]] nurse Roz in the British-American sports drama ''[[Goal! (film)|Goal!]]'' (2005; a part she reprised in its [[Goal II: Living the Dream|sequel]]) and appeared as a recovering drug addict in the [[Toronto]]-set ''[[Niagara Motel]]'' (2006). In a mixed review of ''Motel'', ''[[The Georgia Straight]]''{{'}}s Ken Eisner noted that Friel's performance carried "the most weight" in the film, while commending her "perfect local accent".<ref>{{cite web|title=Niagara Motel|url=https://www.straight.com/article/niagara-motel|work=The Georgia Straight|date=23 March 2006|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> In November 2006, she was awarded an [[Honorary degree|honorary doctorate]] by the [[University of Bolton]] for contributions to the performing arts.<ref name=Bolton />

In 2007, Friel was cast as [[List of Pushing Daisies characters#Charlotte "Chuck" Charles|Charlotte "Chuck" Charles]] in ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'', an American [[comedy drama|dramedy]] series created by [[Bryan Fuller]], which aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] from October that year until June 2009. The show was warmly reviewed during its run,<ref>{{cite web|title=Pushing Daisies - Rotten Tomatoes|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pushing_daisies/|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> with television critic [[John Leonard (critic)|John Leonard]] believing it to be "at once satire, mystery, fairy tale, romance, lollipop, whimsy, and kazoo", and singling out Friel as a highlight.<ref>{{cite web|title=Are You Sitting Down?|url=https://nymag.com/arts/tv/reviews/37635/|first=John|last=Leonard|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazine]]|date=13 September 2007|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref> Her portrayal of Charles, a resurrected murder victim and passionate beekeeper, won her a nomination for the 2008 [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series]].<ref name=GoldenGlobes2008>{{cite web|title='Atonement' leads 65th Golden Globe noms|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/atonement-leads-65th-golden-globe-157115|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=14 December 2007|access-date=1 November 2018}}</ref> ''Daisies'' was cancelled shortly after its [[List of Pushing Daisies episodes#Season 2 (2008–09)|second season]] finale, with viewership having dropped from 13 million to 4.9 million.<ref name=pd>{{cite web|title=What does ABC's cancellation of ''Pushing Daisies'', ''Dirty Sexy Money'' and ''Eli Stone'' mean for network TV?|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/pushing-daisies/what-does-abcs-cancellation-of-pushing-daisies-dir|work=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=21 November 2008|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref> Friel was subsequently offered a number of roles on American television, but turned them down to focus on her film career.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dos Santos|first=Kristin |author-link=Kristin Dos Santos|author2=Jennifer Godwin|url=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b101903__lt_i_gt_Pushing_Daisies_lt__i_gt___What_s_Anna_Friel_s_Next_Project_.html|title=Pushing Daisies: What's Anna Friel's Next Project?|access-date=3 July 2009|date=26 February 2009|publisher=E! Online – Watch with Kristin}}</ref>

For her portrayal of the [[Elizabeth Báthory|title character]] in ''[[Bathory (film)|Bathory]]'', a 2008 historical drama directed by [[Juraj Jakubisko]], Friel was nominated for that year's [[Czech Lion Award for Best Actress in Leading Role|Czech Lion Award for Best Actress]].<ref name=IMDb-Awards/> With a budget of UK£9.5 million, the film was the most expensive ever made in central Europe and broke box-office records in Slovakia.<ref name=GuardianBathory>{{cite news|first=Gwladys|last=Fouché|url=https://theguardian.com/film/2008/aug/05/anna.friel|title=We all like some Euro pudding|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=7 July 2023|date=6 August 2008}}</ref> In her review for ''[[The Guardian]]'', Gwladys Fouché described the film as being "bathed in a gothic atmosphere that tops every ''Dracula'' movie you've seen", while saying of Friel, "[she] spends two-and-half hours wielding swords, torturing peasants, surviving poison plots and making love to [[Caravaggio]] (yes, the Italian painter) to protect her land", adding that "[she] rolls her r's in an interesting attempt at a local accent".<ref name=GuardianBathory/> Her next project was the science fiction adventure film ''[[Land of the Lost (film)|Land of the Lost]]''—her first lead role in a major U.S. production—where she co-starred opposite [[Will Ferrell]].<ref>{{cite web|first=James|last=Rampton|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/5895056/Anna-Friel-interview-for-Land-of-the-Lost.html|title=Anna Friel interview for Land of the Lost|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=21 April 2024|date=23 July 2009}}</ref> Directed by [[Brad Silberling]] and based on the 1970s [[Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)|television series of the same name]], ''Lost'' was met with tepid reviews and poor box office upon its release in June 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/land-of-the-lost/|title=Land of the Lost|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Land-of-the-Lost|title=Land of the Lost (2009)|work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref> though some critics enjoyed Friel's portrayal of Holly Cantrell, a spirited palaeontologist,<ref>{{cite web|first=Betty Jo|last=Tucker|url=http://www.reeltalkreviews.com/browse/viewitem.asp?type=review&id=3031|title=Never Insult a Dinosaur|work=ReelTalk|access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref> remarking that she and Ferrell shared onscreen chemistry.<ref>{{cite web|first=Brent|last=Simon|url=https://www.screendaily.com/land-of-the-lost/5002162.article|title=Land of the Lost|work=Screen Daily|access-date=20 April 2024|date=5 June 2009}}</ref>

Friel returned to the stage towards the end of 2009 in an adaptation of [[Truman Capote]]'s ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'', which ran for four months at the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]] and gained notice for its addition of nudity,<ref>{{cite news|first=Antoinette|last=Kelly|url=http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/Anna-Friels-Breakfast-at-Tiffanys-nude-scene-causing-a-stir-62889262.html#axzz2C87KCj2I |title=Anna Friel's 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' nude scene causing a stir |work=[[Irish News]] |access-date=30 September 2009 | date=30 September 2009}}</ref> with heightened security being implemented at the venue after naked images of Friel were leaked online.<ref>{{cite news|first=Anita|last=Singh|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/6246248/Breakfast-at-Tiffanys-ban-on-taking-pictures-of-Anna-Friel.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/6246248/Breakfast-at-Tiffanys-ban-on-taking-pictures-of-Anna-Friel.html |archive-date=12 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|title=Breakfast at Tiffanys ban on taking pictures of Anna Friel|date=30 September 2009|access-date=24 July 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The production received mixed reviews,<ref>{{cite web|title=What to say about … Anna Friel in Breakfast at Tiffany's|url=https://theguardian.com/stage/2009/oct/01/anna-friel-breakfast-at-tiffanys|work=The Guardian|access-date=21 April 2024|date=1 October 2009}}</ref> but Friel's portrayal of [[café society]] daydreamer Holly Golightly (one of her "all time favourite heroines")<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8052020.stm |title=Entertainment | West End Breakfast for Anna Friel |website=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC]]|location=London, England|access-date=16 May 2009 | date=15 May 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090518044718/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8052020.stm| archive-date= 18 May 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> was praised: Alice Jones of ''[[The Independent]]'' described her as "infectious", adding, "Gorgeously gamine and wrapped, like a treat from [[Tiffany & Co.|Tiffany's]], in an array of ever more extravagantly bowed cocktail dresses, she's a bewitching stage presence, at once perilously provocative and child-like";<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-breakfast-at-tiffanys-theatre-royal-haymarket-london-1795269.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-breakfast-at-tiffanys-theatre-royal-haymarket-london-1795269.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=First Night: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Theatre Royal Haymarket, London |work=The Independent |access-date=24 October 2018 | date=30 September 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> while Ray Bennett of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' believed she brought "confidence" and "considerable depth" to the part.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ray|last=Bennett|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/breakfast-tiffanys-theater-review-93617/|title=Breakfast at Tiffany's — Theater Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=20 April 2024|date=1 October 2009}}</ref> In November 2009, Friel won an [[Royal Television Society|RTS Award]] for "Best Performance in a Drama Series" for her work as Dee, a struggling single mother who turns to prostitution, in [[BBC One]]'s ''[[The Street (British TV series)|The Street]]''.<ref name=RTS>{{cite web|title=The Winners of the Royal Television Society North West Awards 2009|url=https://rts.org.uk/award/how-look-goodon-stage-winners-royal-television-society-north-west-awards-2009|publisher=RTS|access-date=23 October 2018|date=February 2011}}</ref>

===2010–2019: ''Marcella'' and other leading roles ===
Friel had key parts in three films released in 2010: self-destructive Iris in the [[Woody Allen]] ensemble comedy ''[[You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger]]'', ex-drug addict Melissa in [[Neil Burger]]'s lucrative sci-fi thriller ''[[Limitless (film)|Limitless]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Limitless|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl139232769/|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref> and depressed alcoholic Briony in the gangster drama ''[[London Boulevard]]'', with her work in the latter being described as "engaging".<ref>{{cite web|title=London Boulevard|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/reviews/london-boulevard-1117944118/|work=Variety|date=25 November 2010|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Review: 'London Boulevard' A Miscast Mess|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-london-boulevard-a-miscast-mess-2-255078/|work=[[IndieWire]]|date=11 November 2011|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref> She appeared the following year as a fictionalised version of herself in the [[mockumentary]] comedy series ''[[Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series)|Come Fly with Me]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Come Fly With Me, Monday, June 13|url=https://smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/come-fly-with-me-monday-june-13-20110613-1fznf.html|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=13 June 2011|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref> as well as starring as a ruthless pirate in ''[[Neverland (miniseries)|Neverland]]''—a [[Syfy]]-produced prequel to [[J. M. Barrie]]'s ''[[Peter Pan (play and novel)|Peter Pan]]''—and earning strong notices for her performance in the mystery-drama miniseries ''Without You''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/dec/11/without-you-black-mirror-review|title=Rewind TV – Without You; Come Date With Me; The Great British Property Scandal; Black Mirror; After Life: The Strange Science of Decay – review |newspaper=The Guardian |date=10 December 2011 |access-date=24 October 2018|last1=Ferguson |first1=Euan }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8944303/Without-You-ITV1-review.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8944303/Without-You-ITV1-review.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Without You, ITV1, review |work=The Telegraph |date=8 December 2011 |access-date=24 October 2018|last1=Brown |first1=Helen }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2012, Friel starred as a vilified probation officer in the [[BBC]] crime drama series ''[[Public Enemies (TV series)|Public Enemies]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theguardian.com/society/2012/jan/03/tv-drama-public-enemies-probation-officers-reality|title=TV drama Public Enemies reflects the reality of probation officers|work=The Guardian|date=3 January 2012|access-date=20 April 2024|last=Fletcher|first=Harry}}</ref> with ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]'' calling her "sharp-suitedly intense".<ref>{{cite news|last=Watson|first=Keith|url=https://metro.co.uk/2012/01/03/public-enemies-daniel-mays-tv-review-271984/|title=Public Enemies had a promising start but ultimately lost its edge|newspaper=Metro|date=3 January 2012|access-date=5 August 2025}}</ref> She then headlined two British films—''[[The Look of Love (film)|The Look of Love]]'', a [[biographical film|biopic]] where she played the long-suffering wife of millionaire porn baron [[Paul Raymond (publisher)|Paul Raymond]], and the [[independent film|independent]] dramedy ''[[Having You]]'' (both 2013)—and returned to the West End in [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' at the [[Vaudeville Theatre]] (November 2012 to February 2013),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/uncle-vanya-with-stott-friel-and-west-at-vaudeville|title=Uncle Vanya with Stott, Friel, and West at Vaudeville|work=London Theatre|date=8 June 2016 |access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> receiving praise for her role as aristocratic newlywed Yelena.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9651959/Uncle-Vanya-Vaudeville-Theatre-review.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9651959/Uncle-Vanya-Vaudeville-Theatre-review.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|last=Spencer|first=Charles|title=Uncle Vanya, Vaudeville Theatre, review |work=The Telegraph |date=3 November 2012 |access-date=24 October 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9683173/Uncle-Vanya-Vaudeville-Theatre-review.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9683173/Uncle-Vanya-Vaudeville-Theatre-review.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|last=Walker|first=Tim|title=Uncle Vanya, Vaudeville Theatre: review |work=The Telegraph |date=16 November 2012 |access-date=24 October 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In September 2013, Friel was cast as one of the main characters in the [[Ridley Scott]]-directed [[television pilot|pilot]] ''The Vatican'',<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rice|first=Lynette|url=https://ew.com/article/2013/03/01/showtime-casts-anna-friel-in-the-vatican/|title=Showtime casts Anna Friel in 'The Vatican'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=1 March 2013|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref> though—due in part to a negative response from affiliates of the [[Catholic Church]]—[[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] decided not to proceed with a full series.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hibberd |first=James |url=https://ew.com/article/2013/12/12/showtime-the-vatican-project/|title=Controversial 'The Vatican' snuffed by Showtime |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=12 December 2013 |access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> Her sole film credit of 2014 was the American action thriller ''[[Good People (film)|Good People]]'', in which ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''{{'}}s Guy Lodge felt she was she "egregiously wasted in a throwaway best-friend role".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Lodge|first=Guy|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-good-people-1201314148/|title=Film Review: 'Good People'|magazine=Variety|date=26 September 2014|access-date=5 August 2025}}</ref>

In the thriller series ''[[American Odyssey]]'', Friel played the lead role of Sgt. Odelle Ballard, an American [[special operations|special ops]] soldier on a secret mission in [[Mali]], West Africa. The [[NBC]] show ran for a single season between April and June 2015, with some critics comparing it unfavourably to ''[[Homeland (TV series)|Homeland]]'', though Friel's performance was roundly praised.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lowry|first=Brian|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/reviews/tv-review-american-odyssey-1201459309/|title=TV Review: 'American Odyssey'|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=2 April 2015|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Poland|first=Matthew|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/american-odyssey-season-one/|title=Review: ''American Odyssey: Season One''|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=3 April 2015|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Goodman|first=Tim|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/american-odyssey-tv-review-786451/|title='American Odyssey': TV Review|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=5 April 2015|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Nicholson|first=Max|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/05/american-odyssey-gone-elvis-review|title=American Odyssey: "Gone Elvis" Review|work=[[IGN]]|date=5 April 2015|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref> She starred that same year in the [[World War II]]-set Norwegian miniseries ''[[The Heavy Water War]]'' (known elsewhere as ''The Saboteurs'')<ref>{{cite news|url=https://theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/jun/20/saboteaurs-more4-review|title=Saboteurs review – complex drama of wartime nuclear collaboration |newspaper=The Guardian |date=20 June 2015 |access-date=24 October 2018|last1=Wollaston |first1=Sam }}</ref> and in the British film ''Urban and the Shed Crew'', a drama based on a 2005 memoir.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theguardian.com/books/2005/jun/26/shopping.society|title=Mr Chips meets the feral children|work=The Guardian|date=26 June 2005|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref> Her next film projects were the independent dark comedy ''[[The Cleanse]]'', revenge thriller ''[[I.T. (film)|I.T.]]'' (both 2016), and the Irish-Canadian crime drama ''[[Tomato Red]]'' (2017), where her role as a [[trailer trash]] mother drew attention for being [[Typecasting#Playing against type|against type]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/24/tomato-red-review-ozarks-lowlife-drama-a-little-too-beautiful-for-its-own-good|title=Tomato Red review – Ozarks lowlife drama a little too beautiful for its own good|work=The Guardian|date=24 February 2017|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/tomato-red-review-a-hard-boiled-trailer-park-tragedy-1.2992408|title=Tomato Red review: A hard-boiled trailer-park tragedy|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=2 March 2017|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref>

Friel began playing the eponymous Marcella Backland in the British [[Nordic noir]] detective series, ''[[Marcella (TV series)|Marcella]]'', in 2016. Speaking of her decision to take on the part—a former policewoman who returns to work to investigate an unsolved serial killer case—she told a journalist prior to the debut of the [[Marcella (TV series)#Series 2 (2018)|second season]], "I nearly pulled out of [the job] after I'd accepted it [because] I just thought, 'Oh God, how can I do this? There are so many amazing female detectives that have done it so well, I don't know what I can offer differently' [...] so when [the first season] was received as well as it was, I thought maybe I had done something that is different and I've put my own ownership and my own stamp on it".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-08-10/marcella-series-2-itv-Anna-friel-interview/|title=Marcella star Anna Friel: "I like to tackle controversial things"|work=Radio Times|date=10 August 2018|access-date=29 October 2018}}</ref> In 2019, Friel collected the [[International Emmy Award for Best Actress]] for her portrayal of Backland,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42065694|title=Anna Friel celebrates International Emmy Award win for Marcella|work=BBC News|date=21 November 2017|access-date=6 July 2023}}</ref> which ''[[New York Post#Decider|Decider]]'' felt was "extraordinary":

{{blockquote|Friel is a master of expressions. From scene to scene the actress' face can shift from chilling hard stares to wide-eyed looks of terror. It's never completely clear what Marcella is thinking or what she's going to do next. Not only does this allow Friel to explore her wide range, but it adds to the unsettling tone of this show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://decider.com/2018/06/08/marcella-season-2-netflix/|title=Missing 'Killing Eve'? Then It's Time to Binge 'Marcella'|work=Decider|date=8 June 2018|access-date=6 July 2023}}</ref>}}

''[[Marcella (TV series)|Marcella]]''{{'}}s third and [[Marcella (TV series)#Series 3 (2020)|final season]] debuted on [[Netflix]] in 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/marcella-season-3-release-date/|title=Marcella season 3 release date: cast, plot and trailer|work=Radio Times|date=2 March 2021|access-date=6 July 2023}}</ref> with Friel commenting afterwards that a fourth season was unlikely to happen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/will-marcella-season-4-happen-cast-story-everything-we-know/|title=Will Marcella Season 4 Ever Happen: Confirmation, Cast, Story & Everything We Know|work=[[Screen Rant]]|date=12 September 2023|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref>

On the [[The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)#Season 2 (2017)|second season]] of ''[[The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)|The Girlfriend Experience]]'' (2017), an [[anthology series|anthology]] drama series produced by [[Steven Soderbergh]] for the [[Starz]] network, Friel played Erica Myles, an ambitious financier engaged in [[Dominance and submission|dom-sub]] partnerships with multiple women. Her performance was described as "outstanding" by ''[[The Atlantic]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/11/the-girlfriend-experience-season-2-review-anna-friel-louisa-krause-carmen-ejogo/544982/|title=The Bleak World of ''The Girlfriend Experience'' |work=The Atlantic |date=5 November 2017 |access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> and "fantastic" by ''Variety'', who added, "sometimes [the camera] just focuses on her eyes, which can either well up with frustrated tears or shutter in Erica's emotions, as changeable as the sky reflected in a lake".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/reviews/the-girlfriend-experience-season-2-tv-review-1202606902/|title=TV Review: 'The Girlfriend Experience,' Season 2 |work=Variety |date=4 November 2017 |access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref> Referring to the series' intense work schedule and the explicit nature of its sex scenes, Friel said that the role was her "most challenging job to date".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/anna-friel-marcella-brookside-the-girlfriend-experience-david-thewlis-the-bridge-a8197431.html/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/anna-friel-marcella-brookside-the-girlfriend-experience-david-thewlis-the-bridge-a8197431.html/ |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Anna Friel on Marcella, The Girlfriend Experience and breaking sexual taboos on TV|work=The Independent|date=8 February 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> That same year, she was nominated for the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for her portrayal of a destitute mother in the six-part BBC drama ''[[Broken (British TV series)|Broken]]'',<ref name=Bafta2017>{{cite web|url=http://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/nominations-announced-for-tv-awards-2018|title=Nominations Announced for the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards in 2018|publisher=Bafta.org|date=4 April 2018}}</ref> with ''Metro''{{'}}s Sarah Deen noting, "Friel excellently [plays] Christina's frantic desperation [...] all wild eyes, flapping shoes and dry humour ('I went to Mass and I got the sack. What am I gonna get tomorrow? Cystitis?'). You couldn't tell if her wit was genuine or hastily developed as a defence mechanism to stop her from bursting into tears".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2017/05/30/broken-review-anna-friel-and-sean-bean-are-a-dream-team-in-jimmy-mcgoverns-bleak-new-drama-6673026/|title=Broken review: Anna Friel and Sean Bean are a dream team in Jimmy McGovern's bleak new drama|work=Metro|date=30 May 2017|access-date=6 July 2023}}</ref>

Friel's next project was the ITV drama series ''[[Butterfly (2018 TV series)|Butterfly]]'', in which she played Vicky, the parent of a [[transgender]] child.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mangan |first=Lucy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/oct/14/butterfly-review-an-important-truthful-drama-about-a-transgender-child |title=Butterfly review – an important, truthful drama about a transgender child |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 October 2018 |access-date=1 November 2018}}</ref> In their review of the show, which aired across three weeks in October 2018, the ''[[New Statesman]]'' felt that Friel's portrayal of a mother "racked by guilt" was "sterling".<ref>{{cite web|last=Fae |first=Jane |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/tv-radio/2018/10/forget-pink-dresses-what-matters-most-itv-s-drama-butterfly |title=Forget pink dresses – this is what matters most in ITV's drama Butterfly |work=New Statesman |date=18 October 2018 |access-date=1 November 2018}}</ref> Friel said that she and the show's creators felt a great responsibility to make it as realistic as possible: "We met all these wonderful families, who were saying, 'please tell our story and tell it properly'".<ref>{{cite web|last=Bray |first=Elisa |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/butterfly-anna-friel-interview-itv-drama-transgender-child-trans-backlash-a8581171.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/butterfly-anna-friel-interview-itv-drama-transgender-child-trans-backlash-a8581171.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Anna Friel on transgender drama Butterfly: 'If it was my daughter, I don't know what I would do' |work=The Independent |date=12 October 2018 |access-date=1 November 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The following year, she headlined the six-part miniseries ''Deep Water'', which ''Metro'' described as a "dark soap opera", adding, "The performances [elevate it] to a must-binge drama [...] Friel excels when it comes to playing harassed women, usually ones with a secret to keep, and the actress completely [disappears] into [her character]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Deen|first=Sarah|url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/18/deep-water-review-soapy-dark-drama-deserved-way-more-hype-than-it-got-10764987/|title=Deep Water review: Soapy dark drama deserved way more hype than it got|work=Metro|date=18 September 2019|access-date=7 July 2023}}</ref>

===2020–present: Film and television===

In the 2020 horror film ''[[Books of Blood (film)|Books of Blood]]'', Friel played Mary, a grieving mother who tries to make contact with her late son through a spiritual medium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/books-blood-show-anna-friel-rafi-gavron-interview/|first=Joe|last=Deckelmeier|title=Anna Friel & Rafi Gavron Interview: Books of Blood|work=[[Screen Rant]]|date=9 October 2020|access-date=6 August 2025}}</ref> Based on a collection of stories by [[Clive Barker]], ''Blood'' received mixed reviews,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/books-of-blood/|title=Books of Blood|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref> though critics remarked that Friel's work was strong.<ref>{{cite web|first=Brian|last=Tallerico|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/books-of-blood-movie-review-2020|title=Books of Blood|work=[[RogerEbert.com]]|date=7 October 2020|access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Pramit|last=Chatterjee|url=https://in.mashable.com/entertainment/17385/books-of-blood-review-a-gory-horror-movie-that-marries-trauma-with-the-supernatural|title='Books Of Blood' Review: A Gory Horror Movie That Marries Trauma With The Supernatural|work=[[Mashable]]|date=5 October 2020|access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref> Her next project was the starring role of Sharon Pici, a [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] detective, in [[Viaplay]]'s seven-part psychological thriller series ''[[The Box (Swedish TV series)|The Box]]'' (2021).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=11 November 2021|title='The Box': MGM To Distribute NENT Group Series Starring Anna Friel From Creator Adi Hasak|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/mgm-acquires-the-box-anna-friel-adi-hasak-nent-group-1234871726/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|access-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126134632/https://deadline.com/2021/11/mgm-acquires-the-box-anna-friel-adi-hasak-nent-group-1234871726/|archive-date=2021-11-26|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, she co-headlined the Fox musical drama series ''[[Monarch (American TV series)|Monarch]]'' opposite [[Susan Sarandon]]. Friel played Nicolette "Nicky" Roman, a singer-songwriter trying to continue her family's legacy while forging her own path in the [[country music]] industry. In his review for ''[[The A.V. Club]]'', Max Gao said:

{{blockquote|Friel, not Sarandon, is the show's ''real'' leading lady—and a pretty great one at that [...] She belts out song after song, delivers memorable, fast-paced one-liners in a Texas accent ("I was going to say be careful about the rats, but there's no need because... you're going to fit right in"), and plays Nicky with such steadfast conviction that it's easy to wonder why she hasn't been more successful on this side of the pond since starring in ABC's ''Pushing Daisies'' [...] thankfully [this is] a role that is worthy of her talents.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/monarch-review-fox-tv-susan-sarandon-trace-adkins-anna-1849514721|title=''Monarch'' is a little bit country-music drama, a little bit murder mystery|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=9 September 2022|access-date=6 July 2023}}</ref>}}

Friel performed every song that her character sings—a mixture of covers and originals—herself.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/can-anna-friel-sing|title='Monarch' Star Anna Friel Once Declined a Record Contract From Simon Cowell|work=Distractify|date=11 September 2022|access-date=10 July 2023}}</ref> It was announced in December 2022 that the series had been cancelled after one season.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/fox-monarch-canceled-susan-sarandon/|title=Susan Sarandon loses her crown as Fox cancels country music drama Monarch after 1 season|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=7 December 2022|access-date=6 July 2023}}</ref>

In the period drama film ''[[Charming the Hearts of Men]]'' (2021), Friel played Grace Gordon, a woman fighting for [[Civil rights movement|civil rights]] in 1960s Southern America. Her work drew acclaim,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/21/charhear.htm|first=Rich|last=Cline|title=Charming the Hearts of Men|work=Shadows on the Wall|date=9 August 2021|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aiptcomics.com/2021/08/13/charming-the-hearts-of-men/|first=Nathaniel|last=Muir|title='Charming the Hearts of Men' review: Great performances in film about change|work=AIPT Comics|date=13 August 2021|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref> with ''[[Film Threat]]'' commenting that her "lived-in" performance was key to ''Hearts''{{'}} success.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/charming-the-hearts-of-men/|first=Christian|last=Gallichio|title=Charming the Hearts of Men|work=Film Threat|date=25 August 2021|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref> She then appeared as Nicky, a [[Liverpool|Liverpudlian]] nurse helping one of her patients unravel a dark secret, in the Netflix feature ''[[Locked In (2023 film)|Locked In]]'' (2023). The psychological thriller was poorly reviewed,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/locked_in_2023|title=Locked In|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=3 August 2025}}</ref> though Benjamin Lee of ''The Guardian'' felt that Friel was "excellent" in an "underwritten role".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/01/locked-in-movie-review-netflix-famke-janssen|first=Benjamin|last=Lee|title=Locked In review – lurid Netflix thriller isn't quite lurid enough|work=The Guardian|date=1 November 2023|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref>

Friel's work in the one-off television drama ''[[Unforgivable (2025 film)|Unforgivable]]'' was particularly well received,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/unforgivable-anna-friel-maxwell-martin-b2795225.html|first=Nick|last=Hilton|title=Anna Friel steals every scene in Jimmy McGovern's Unforgivable|work=The Independent|date=24 July 2025|access-date=3 August 2025}}</ref> with ''The Guardian'' referring to her portrayal of Anna McKinney—a mother trying desperately to hold her family together after her son is sexually abused by her own brother—as "absolutely wonderful",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/24/unforgivable-review-jimmy-mcgoverns-mesmeric-new-drama-is-even-better-than-adolescence|first=Lucy|last=Mangan|title=Unforgivable review – Jimmy McGovern's mesmeric new drama is even better than Adolescence|work=The Guardian|date=24 July 2025|access-date=3 August 2025}}</ref> and ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'' calling it
"the best performance of her career".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/unforgivable-bbc-two-review/|first=Anita|last=Singh|title=The BBC's Unforgivable asks if we can ever forgive a child sex offender|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=24 July 2025|access-date=3 August 2025}}</ref> The project marked her third collaboration with writer [[Jimmy McGovern]], about whom she said, "[His] work is so hard-hitting and real and true. I don't think any actor would ever say no to a Jimmy McGovern script".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/anna-friel-jimmy-mcgovern-interview-unforgivable-tv/|first=Adrian|last=Lobb|title=Anna Friel and Jimmy McGovern on redemption, new drama Unforgivable and the power of storytelling|work=[[The Big Issue]]|date=24 July 2025|access-date=3 August 2025}}</ref>

==Other work==
Friel has featured in print and television advertising campaigns for brands such as [[Reebok]], [[Virgin Atlantic]], [[Mulberry (company)|Mulberry]], [[3 (company)|Three]], [[Pantene]], and [[Marks & Spencer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/videos/263983/classic-adverts-reebok-spluff-3m-to-employ-cavalcade-of-nineties-pop-culture-royalty-for-theatre-of-dreams-commerical-1998-video.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103124040/http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/videos/263983/classic-adverts-reebok-spluff-3m-to-employ-cavalcade-of-nineties-pop-culture-royalty-for-theatre-of-dreams-commerical-1998-video.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=3 November 2017|title=Classic Football Adverts: Reebok Spluff £3M to Employ Cavalcade of Nineties Pop Culture Royalty for 'Theatre of Dreams' Commercial, 1998 (Video)|work=Who Ate All The Pies|date=1 November 2017|access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/12920/celebrities-to-star-in-virgin-ad|title=Celebrities to star in Virgin ad|work=Travel Weekly (UK)|date=16 October 2000|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/friel-the-heat|title=Friel The Heat|work=Vogue|date=31 July 2001|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/3-break-tv-campaign-featuring-anna-friel/202140|title=3 to break TV campaign featuring Anna Friel|work=Campaign|date=12 February 2004|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hairfinder.com/videos/anna-friel-pantene.htm|title=Anna Friel for Pantene|publisher=Hairfinder.com|access-date=24 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aol.co.uk/2013/05/13/mands-bringing-sultry-food-voice-over-ads-back/?guccounter=1|title=M&S bringing sultry food voice-over ads back|publisher=AOL.com|date=13 May 2013|access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref>

In 2010, she co-starred with [[Michael Sheen]] in the music video for the [[Manic Street Preachers]]' single "[[(It's Not War) Just the End of Love]]", in which their characters were absorbed in a game of chess.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/music/a259926/manics-confirm-anna-friel-for-new-video/|title=Manics confirm Anna Friel for new video|work=Digital Spy|date=11 August 2010|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref>

Friel works as an ambassador for the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] wildlife charity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwf.org.uk/council-of-ambassadors|title=Council of ambassadors|publisher=WWF.org.uk|access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/15/anna-friel-oil-congo|title=Anna Friel 'shocked' by her success as oil firm pulls out of Congo park|author=Tracy McVeigh|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=28 November 2015|date=14 June 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 2001, Friel began a relationship with actor [[David Thewlis]], after the pair met on a flight to [[Cannes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/i-love-anna-friel-i-just-won-t-marry-her-david-thewlis-surprise-confession-6873889.html|title='I love Anna Friel... I just won't marry her': David Thewlis' surprise confession|work=[[Evening Standard]]|date=12 April 2012|access-date=20 April 2024}}</ref> Later that year, Friel collapsed and was rushed to a hospital, needing emergency surgery and two blood transfusions for a ruptured [[ovarian cyst]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Anna+Friel+was+almost+left+infertile+by+a+medical+condition.-a0204050159|title=Anna Friel was almost left infertile by a medical condition.|publisher=The Free Library|date=20 July 2009|access-date=13 September 2013}}</ref> It was discovered that she suffers from [[endometriosis]] and would have difficulty conceiving.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/anna-friel-was-almost-left-infertile-by-a-medical-condition_35730.htm|title=Anna Friel was almost left infertile by a medical condition|publisher=[[Zee News]]|date=20 July 2009|access-date=13 September 2013}}</ref> Despite this, she later became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Gracie Ellen Mary Friel, on 9 July 2005 at [[Portland Hospital]], London.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3646815/Post-natal-confession.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3646815/Post-natal-confession.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | location=London | title=Post-natal confession | first=Marianne | last=MacDonald | date=26 September 2005 | access-date=25 April 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In December 2010, Friel and Thewlis separated after almost ten years together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a293164/friel-thewlis-split-after-nine-years.html?rss |title=Friel, Thewlis split after nine years|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|date=14 December 2010 |access-date=26 December 2010}}</ref> Friel dated actor [[Rhys Ifans]] from 2011 to 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20210209106526/marcella-anna-friel-love-life-all-you-need-to-know/|title=Marcella: Anna Friel's love life – from first partner to recent heartbreak|work=[[Hello! (magazine)|Hello!]]|date=9 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/celebrities/a23521721/anna-friel-reveals-helen-mirren-is-her-role-model-for-finding-love/|title=Anna Friel reveals Helen Mirren is her role model for finding love|magazine=[[Harper's Bazaar]]|date=29 September 2018}}</ref>

On 18 September 2025, Phil Appleton, 71, was handed a 15 year [[restraining order]] by His Honour Alan Blake, presiding judge at Reading Crown Court, when he pleaded guilty to stalking Friel over a period of almost three years, regularly turning up at her home and leaving unwanted gifts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/07/man-sentenced-stalking-actor-anna-friel|title=Stalker 'fixated' with Anna Friel ordered to stay away from actor's home|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=7 August 2025|access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref>

== Accolades ==
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Work
! Result
! Ref
|-
|rowspan=3|1995
|[[National Television Awards]]
|Most Popular Actress
|rowspan=3|''[[Brookside (TV series)|Brookside]]''
|{{won}}
|<ref name="Woods"/>
|-
|[[TVTimes|''TV Times'' Awards]]
|Best Actress
|{{won}}
|<ref>{{cite news|title=Anna Friel celebrates International Emmy Award win for Marcella|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42065694|publisher=BBC|date=21 November 2017|work=BBC News}}</ref>
|-
| [[Smash Hits Poll Winners Party|''Smash Hits'' Poll Winners Party]]
| Best TV Actress
| {{won}}
| <ref>{{cite news|title=TAKE THE LOT |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19951204/062/0009|newspaper=Daily Mirror|date=4 December 1995|via = [[British Newspaper Archive]] | url-access=subscription}}</ref>
|-
|1999
|[[Drama Desk Award]]s
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play|Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play]]
|''[[Closer (play)|Closer]]''
|{{won}}
|<ref name=DramaDesk />
|-
|2001
|[[Genie Awards]]
|[[Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|''[[The War Bride]]''
|{{nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Atanarjuat, War Bride lead Genie list|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/atanarjuat-war-bride-lead-genie-list/article4157600/|work=The Globe and Mail|date=13 December 2001|access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref>
|-
|2007
|[[Satellite Awards]]
|[[Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy]]
|rowspan=7|''[[Pushing Daisies]]''
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=IMDb-Awards>{{cite web|title=Anna Friel - Awards|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0295484/awards|publisher=IMDb|access-date=1 November 2018}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=5|2008
|[[Saturn Awards]]
|[[Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television|Best Actress on Television]]
|{{nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title='300' leads Saturn nominations|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/300-leads-saturn-nominations-105304|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=21 February 2008|access-date=1 November 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[Scream Awards]]
|Breakout Performance
|{{nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Comics Take Over '2008 Scream Awards' As Nominees Announced|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/940wdn/comics-take-over-2008-scream-awards-as-nominees-announced|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809205410/https://www.mtv.com/news/940wdn/comics-take-over-2008-scream-awards-as-nominees-announced|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 August 2022|work=MTV.com|date=15 September 2008|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Golden Globe Awards]]
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy]]
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=GoldenGlobes2008/>
|-
|Online Film & Television Association
|Best Actress in a Comedy Series
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=IMDb-Awards/>
|-
| [[Entertainment Weekly#Poppy Awards|Poppy Awards]]
|Best Actress in a Comedy Series
| {{nom}}
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20045108_20045120_20227779_5,00.html|title=Best Actress in a Comedy - Jenna Fischer, The Office|publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|accessdate=September 21, 2009}}</ref>
|-
|2009
|Scream Awards
|Best Fantasy Actress
|{{nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Spike TV Announces 2009 Scream Awards Nominees|url=https://www.popoptiq.com/spike-tv-announces-2009-scream-awards-nominees/|work=PopOptiq|date=1 September 2009|access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2|2009
|[[Royal Television Society|RTS North West Awards]]
|Best Performance in a Single Drama or Drama Series
|''[[The Street (British TV series)|The Street]]''
|{{won}}
|<ref name=RTS />
|-
|[[Czech Lion Awards]]
|[[Czech Lion Award for Best Actress in Leading Role|Best Actress in Leading Role]]
|rowspan=2|''[[Bathory (film)|Bathory]]''
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=IMDb-Awards/>
|-
|rowspan=2|2010
|[[Sun in a Net Awards]]
|Best Actress in a Leading Role
|{{won}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Slovak Film Academy announces awards|url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20036157/slovak-film-academy-announces-awards.html|work=The Slovak Spectator|access-date=23 October 2018|date=10 May 2010}}</ref>
|-
|[[SFX (magazine)#SFX Awards|''SFX'' Awards]]
|Best Actress
|''Pushing Daisies''
|{{nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=SFX Sci-Fi 2010 Winners: Best Actress|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/sfx_sci_fi_awards_2010_winners_best_actress/|work=GamesRadar+|date=January 2010 |access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=3|2017
|[[Series Mania|Festival Séries Mania]]
|Best Actress
|''[[Broken (British TV series)|Broken]]''
|{{won}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title='Your Honor' Tops 2017's Series Mania|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/festivals/your-honor-tops-2017-series-mania-1202393026/|work=Variety|date=22 April 2017|access-date=28 October 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[International Emmy Awards]]
|[[International Emmy Award for Best Actress|Best Performance by an Actress]]
| rowspan = "2"| ''[[Marcella (TV series)|Marcella]]''
|{{won}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=International Emmy Awards: Kenneth Branagh, Anna Friel Among Winners – Complete List|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/international-emmy-awards-2017-justica-steve-coogan-emilio-azcarraga-jean-1202212755/|website=Deadline|access-date=21 November 2017|date=21 November 2017}}</ref>
|-
| National Television Awards
| Drama Performance
|{{longlisted}}
| <ref>{{ cite web | title = NTAs Reveal 2017 Nominations Longlist - Here's How To Vote For Your Favourites | url = https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ntas-2017-nominations-longlist-national-television-awards_uk_57fccbbfe4b01fa2b905451d | website = [[Huffington Post]] | date = 11 October 2016 }}</ref>
|-
|2018
|[[British Academy Television Awards]]
|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
|''Broken''
|{{nom}}
|<ref name=Bafta2017/>
|-
| 2019
| [[The Irish Post#Irish Post Awards|''Irish Post'' Awards]]
| Outstanding Contribution to Film and TV
|
| {{Won}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Anna Friel to be honoured with Outstanding Contribution To Film and TV at The Irish Post Awards 2019|url=https://www.irishpost.com/news/anna-friel-honoured-outstanding-contribution-film-tv-irish-post-awards-2019-173804|newspaper = [[Irish Post]] |access-date=12 November 2019|date=21 November 2023}}</ref>
|-
|2019
|RTS North West Awards
|Best Performance in a Single Drama or Drama Series
|''[[Butterfly (2018 TV series)|Butterfly]]''
|{{nom}}
|<ref>{{cite web|title=RTS NORTH WEST AWARDS 2019|url=https://rts.org.uk/award/rts-north-west-awards-2019|website=[[Royal Television Society]]|date=23 November 2019}}</ref>
|-
| 2020
| National Television Awards
| Drama Performance
| ''Deep Water''
| {{longlisted}}
| <ref>{{ cite web | title = Love Island, Emmerdale, Killing Eve, Drag Race UK and more land National Television Awards longlist nominations | url = https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a29465042/national-television-awards-2020-longlist-revealed/ | website = [[Digital Spy]] | date = 15 October 2019 }}</ref>
|}

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1998 || data-sort-value="Stringer, The" | ''The Stringer'' || Helen ||
|-
| data-sort-value="Land Girls, The" | ''[[The Land Girls]]'' || Prue (Prudence) ||
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1999 || data-sort-value="Midsummer Night's Dream, A" | ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' || Hermia ||
|-
| ''[[Rogue Trader (film)|Rogue Trader]]'' || Lisa Leeson ||
|-
| ''Mad Cows'' || Maddy ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2000 || ''[[Sunset Strip (2000 film)|Sunset Strip]]'' || Tammy Franklin ||
|-
| ''[[An Everlasting Piece]]'' || Bronagh ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2001 || data-sort-value="War Bride, The" | ''[[The War Bride]]'' || Lily ||
|-
| ''[[Me Without You (film)|Me Without You]]'' || Marina ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2003 || ''Last Rumba in Rochdale'' || Bodney (voice) || [[Short film|Short]]
|-
| ''[[Timeline (2003 film)|Timeline]]'' || Lady Claire ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2005 || ''[[Goal! (film)|Goal!]]'' || Roz Harmison ||
|-
| ''[[Niagara Motel]]'' || Denise ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[Irish Jam]]'' || Maureen Duffy ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2007 || ''[[Goal II: Living the Dream]]'' || Roz Harmison ||
|-
| ''Rubbish'' || Isobel || Short
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Bathory (film)|Bathory]]'' || [[Elizabeth Báthory|Countess Erzsébet Báthory]] ||
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Land of the Lost (film)|Land of the Lost]]'' || Holly Cantrell ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2010 || ''[[London Boulevard]]'' || Briony ||
|-
| ''[[You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger]]'' || Iris ||
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Limitless (film)|Limitless]]'' || Melissa ||
|-
| 2012 || ''Metamorphosis: Titian 2012'' || Diana || Short
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2013 || data-sort-value="Look of Love, The" | ''[[The Look of Love (film)|The Look of Love]]'' || Jean Raymond ||
|-
| ''[[Having You]]'' || Anna ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2014 || ''[[Good People (film)|Good People]]'' || Sarah ||
|-
| ''Advent'' || Helen || Short
|-
| 2015 || ''Urban & the Shed Crew''|| Greta ||
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2016 || data-sort-value="Cleanse, The" | ''[[The Cleanse]]'' || Maggie ||
|-
| ''[[I.T. (film)|I.T.]]'' || Rose Regan ||
|-
| 2017 || ''[[Tomato Red]]'' || Bev Merridew ||
|-
| 2018 || data-sort-value="Sea, The" | ''The Sea'' || Jenny || Short
|-
| 2019 || ''Sulphur and White'' || Joanne Tait ||
|-
| 2020 || ''[[Books of Blood (film)|Books of Blood]]'' || Mary ||
|-
| 2021 || ''[[Charming the Hearts of Men]]'' || Grace Gordon ||
|-
|2023 || ''[[Locked In (2023 film)|Locked In]]'' || Nurse Mackenzie ||
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1991 || ''[[G.B.H. (TV series)|G.B.H.]]'' || Susan Nelson || Main cast
|-
| ''[[Coronation Street]]'' || Belinda Johnson || 2 episodes
|-
| 1992 || ''[[Emmerdale]]'' || Poppy Bruce || 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1993 || ''[[Medics (British TV series)|Medics]]'' || Holly Jarrett || Episode #3.3
|-
| ''[[In Suspicious Circumstances]]'' || Alice Rudrum || Episode #3.5
|-
| 1993–1995 || ''[[Brookside (TV series)|Brookside]]'' || [[Beth Jordache]] || Series regular
|-
| 1995 || data-sort-value="Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show, The" | ''[[The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show]]'' || {{n/a|Unknown}} || Episode #2.1
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1996 || ''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' || Angelica / Leah || Episode: "About Face"
|-
| ''[[Cadfael (TV series)|Cadfael]]'' || Sioned || Episode: "[[A Morbid Taste for Bones]]"
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1998 || ''[[Our Mutual Friend (1998 TV serial)|Our Mutual Friend]]'' || Bella Wilfer || Main cast
|-
| data-sort-value="Tribe, The" | ''[[The Tribe (1998 film)|The Tribe]]'' || Lizzie || Television film
|-
| ''[[St. Ives (1998 film)|St. Ives]]'' || Flora Gilchrist || Television film
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Urusei Yatsura (1981 TV series)|Lum the Invader Girl]]'' || [[Lum (Urusei Yatsura)|Lum]] (voice) || Comedy [[dubbing|dub]] of ''Urusei Yatsura'' for [[BBC Choice]]; 2 episodes
|-
| 2001 || data-sort-value="Fear, The" | ''The Fear'' || Storyteller || Episode: "Horror: A True Tale"
|-
| 2002 || ''Fields of Gold'' || Lucia Merritt || Television film
|-
| 2003 || ''[[Watermelon (film)|Watermelon]]'' || Claire Ryan || Television film
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2004 || data-sort-value="Jury, The" | ''[[The Jury (TV series)|The Jury]]'' || Megan Delaney || Main cast
|-
| ''[[Perfect Strangers (2004 film)|Perfect Strangers]]'' || Susie Wilding || Television film
|-
| 2007–2009 || ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'' || [[List of Pushing Daisies characters#Charlotte "Chuck" Charles|Charlotte "Chuck" Charles]] || Main cast
|-
| 2009 || data-sort-value="Street, The" | ''[[The Street (British TV series)|The Street]]'' || Dee Purnell || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4"| 2011 || ''[[Neverland (miniseries)|Neverland]]'' || Elizabeth Bonny || Main cast
|-
| ''[[Treasure Guards]]'' || Victoria Eckhart || Television film
|-
| ''[[Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series)|Come Fly with Me]]'' || Herself || Episode #1.5
|-
| ''Without You'' || Ellie || Main cast
|-
| 2012 || ''[[Public Enemies (TV series)|Public Enemies]]'' || Paula Radnor || Main cast
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2013 || ''[[Playhouse Presents]]'' || Jenny || Episode: "The Pavement Psychologist"
|-
| data-sort-value="Vatican, The" | ''The Vatican'' || Kayla Duffy || Unaired [[television pilot|pilot]]
|-
| 2014 || data-sort-value="Psychopath Next Door, The" | ''The Psychopath Next Door'' || Eve Wright || Television film
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2015 || ''[[American Odyssey]]'' || Sgt. Odelle Ballard || Main cast
|-
| data-sort-value="Heavy Water War, The" | ''[[The Heavy Water War]]'' || Julie Smith || Main cast
|-
| 2016–2019 || ''[[Marcella (TV series)|Marcella]]'' || Det Sgt Marcella Backland || Main cast
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2017 || data-sort-value="Keith and Paddy Picture Show, The" | ''[[The Keith & Paddy Picture Show]]'' || Adrian || Episode: "Rocky"
|-
| ''[[Broken (British TV series)|Broken]]'' || Christina Fitzsimmons || Main cast
|-
| data-sort-value="Girlfriend Experience, The" | ''[[The Girlfriend Experience (TV series)|The Girlfriend Experience]]'' || Erica Myles || Main cast (season 2)
|-
| rowspan="1"| 2018 || ''[[Butterfly (2018 TV series)|Butterfly]]'' || Vicky Duffy || Main cast
|-
| rowspan="1"| 2019 || ''Deep Water'' || Lisa Kallisto || Main cast
|-
| 2022 || ''[[Monarch (American TV series)|Monarch]]'' || Nicolette "Nicky" Roman || Main cast
|-
| 2025 || ''[[Unforgivable (2025 film)|Unforgivable]]'' || Anna || Television film
|-
| TBA || ''[[The Dream Lands]]'' || Jas || Main cast<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/bbc-dream-lands-cast|title=BBC announces casting for The Dream Lands, the brand-new drama from BAFTA-winner Kayleigh Llewellyn|website=bbc.co.uk/mediacentre|accessdate=18 February 2025}}</ref>
|-
|}

===Voice work===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 2016
| ''[[The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots|The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots and Other Stories]]''
| Narrator
| [[Audiobook]] {{small|(author: [[Beatrix Potter]])}}
|-
| 2017
| ''Alien: River of Pain''
| Anne Jorden
| Audiobook {{small|(author: [[Christopher Golden]])}}
|-
| 2018
| ''The Perfect Girlfriend''
| Narrator
| Audiobook {{small|(author: Karen Hamilton)}}
|}

===Music videos===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Song
! scope="col" | Artist
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|2010
|"[[(It's Not War) Just the End of Love]]"
| [[Manic Street Preachers]]
| Directed by Alex Smith
|}

==Theatre==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1997
| ''Look, Europe!''
| {{n/a|Unknown}}
| [[Almeida Theatre]]
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Closer (play)|Closer]]''
| Alice
| [[Music Box Theatre]]
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Earth Spirit (play)|Lulu]]''
| Lulu
| Almeida Theatre; [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|Kennedy Center]]
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]''
| Holly Golightly
| [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]]
|-
| 2012–2013
| ''[[Uncle Vanya]]''
| Yelena
| [[Vaudeville Theatre]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0295484}}
* {{IBDB name|41373}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes person|anna_friel|Anna Friel}}
* {{Instagram|annafriel}}
* {{Twitter|annafriel}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Anna Friel
| list =
{{DramaDesk PlayOutstandingFeaturedActress 1975-1999}}
{{International Emmy for Best Performance by an Actress}}
{{SuninaNetBestActress}}
}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friel, Anna}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Actresses from Rochdale]]
[[Category:Drama Desk Award winners]]
[[Category:English child actresses]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:English Shakespearean actresses]]
[[Category:English soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:English voice actresses]]
[[Category:International Emmy Award for Best Actress winners]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:People educated at Holy Cross College]]
[[Category:Sun in a Net Awards winners]]
[[Category:Theatre World Award winners]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century English actresses]]

David Thewlis

2025-10-31T17:52:39Z

2003:D3:FF23:88A3:5291:BC3D:9151:493: /* Personal life */Non-notable and as per BLP

{{short description|English actor (born 1963)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Thewlis
| image = File:David Thewlis 2008.jpg
| caption = Thewlis in 2008
| birth_name = David Wheeler
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|3|20}}
| birth_place = [[Blackpool]], Lancashire, England
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|filmmaker}}
| years_active = 1985–present
| spouse = {{ubl
| {{marriage|[[Sara Sugarman]]|1992|1994|end=div}}
| {{marriage|Hermine Poitou|2016}}}}
| partner =[[Anna Friel]] (2001–2010)
| children = 1
| education = [[Highfield Leadership Academy|Highfield High School]]
| alma_mater = [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama|Guildhall School]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
}}
'''David Wheeler''' (born March 20, 1963), better known as '''David Thewlis''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|θj|uː|l|ɪ|s}}), is an English actor and filmmaker. He has appeared in a variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the [[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor]] and nominations for two [[BAFTA Awards]], a [[Golden Globe Award]], a [[Primetime Emmy Award]], and a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]].

Thewlis made his film debut in ''[[Little Dorrit (1987 film)|Little Dorrit]]'' (1987) and had his breakthrough with roles in the [[Mike Leigh]] films ''[[Life Is Sweet (film)|Life Is Sweet]]'' (1990) and ''[[Naked (1993 film)|Naked]]'' (1993), winning the [[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor]] for the latter. He appeared in films such as ''[[Black Beauty (1994 film)|Black Beauty]]'' (1994), ''[[Restoration (1995 film)|Restoration]]'' (1995), ''[[James and the Giant Peach (film)|James and the Giant Peach]]'' (1996), ''[[Dragonheart]]'' (1996), ''[[Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film)|Seven Years in Tibet]]'' (1997), ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'' (1998), ''[[Gangster No. 1]]'' (2000), and as [[Remus Lupin]] in the [[Harry Potter (film series)|''Harry Potter'' franchise]] (2004–2011). Other film roles include ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'' (2005), ''[[The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (film)|The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas]]'' (2008), ''[[War Horse (film)|War Horse]]'' (2011), ''[[The Theory of Everything (2014 film)|The Theory of Everything]]'' (2014), ''[[Anomalisa]]'' (2015), ''[[Wonder Woman (2017 film)|Wonder Woman]]'' (2017), ''[[I'm Thinking of Ending Things]]'' (2020), and ''[[Enola Holmes 2]]'' (2022).

Thewlis's most notable television roles include [[V. M. Varga]] in the [[Fargo season 3|third season]] of [[FX (TV channel)|FX]]'s ''[[Fargo (TV series)|Fargo]]'' (2017), the voice of the Shame Wizard in the [[Netflix]] animated sitcoms ''[[Big Mouth (American TV series)|Big Mouth]]'' (2017–2025) and ''[[Human Resources (TV series)|Human Resources]]'' (2022–2023), Christopher Edwards in the [[HBO]] miniseries ''[[Landscapers (TV series)|Landscapers]]'' (2021), [[Doctor Destiny|John Dee]] in the Netflix drama series ''[[The Sandman (TV series)|The Sandman]]'' (2022), and [[Fagin]] in the [[Disney+]] TV series ''[[The Artful Dodger (2023 TV series)|The Artful Dodger]]'' (2023). His performance in ''Fargo'' earned him nominations for an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie|Emmy]], a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe]], and a [[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries|Critics' Choice Award]].

==Early life==
Thewlis was born David Wheeler in [[Blackpool]] on 20 March 1963,<ref>{{Cite web |first=Alexander |last=Larman |title=Thewlis, David (1963-) |website=[[Screenonline]] |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/515943/index.html |access-date=2025-03-04}}</ref> the son of Maureen (née Thewlis) and Alec Raymond Wheeler.<ref name="encyclopedia/thewlis-david-1963"/><ref name="contactmusic/david-thewlis"/> His parents ran a toy and wallpaper shop.<ref name="encyclopedia/thewlis-david-1963">{{cite web |title=Thewlis, David 1963– |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thewlis-david-1963 |website=[[Encyclopedia.com]] |access-date=29 January 2023}}</ref><ref name="contactmusic/david-thewlis">{{cite web |title=David Thewlis |url=https://www.contactmusic.com/david-thewlis |website=[[Contactmusic.com]] |access-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129034556/https://www.contactmusic.com/david-thewlis |archive-date=2023-01-29 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He has an older and a younger sibling. As a teenager, he played in a rock band called QED and played lead guitar with a [[punk rock]] band called Door 66.<ref name="lancs.live/20052579">{{cite news |last1=Moffitt |first1=Dominic |title=Lancs Harry Potter star who started off as Only Fools and Horses extra |url=https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/blackpool-harry-potter-star-who-20052579 |access-date=29 January 2023 |work=[[LancsLive]] |publisher=[[Reach plc]] |date=14 March 2021}}</ref> He was educated at [[Highfield Leadership Academy|Highfield High School]] in Blackpool's [[Marton, Blackpool|Marton]] area. He later enrolled in the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]] in [[London]], graduating in 1984.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/05/04/ftthewlis04.xml&page=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013112320/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/05/04/ftthewlis04.xml&page=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2007|title=Anna has changed me for the better|access-date=30 August 2007|date=4 May 2005|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|location=London|first=Elizabeth|last=Grice}}</ref>

==Career==
===Acting===
He changed his surname to Thewlis, his mother's maiden name, after attempting to register with the actors' union and discovering that his birth name, David Wheeler, was already used by someone else.<ref name=":0" /> His first professional role after doing so was in the play ''Buddy Holly at the Regal'' in [[Greenwich Theatre|Greenwich]]<ref name=telegraph/> and in a commercial for [[Kellogg's|Kellogg's Bran Flakes]]. In theatre, Thewlis has starred in [[Sam Mendes]]' ''[[The Sea (play)|The Sea]]'' at [[the Royal National Theatre]], [[Max Stafford-Clark]]'s ''Ice Cream'' at the [[Royal Court Theatre]], ''The Ruffian on the Stairs/The Woolley'' at [[Redgrave Theatre|Farnham]], and ''The Lady and the Clarinet'' at [[the King's Head Theatre]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-12-19 |title=David Thewlis says he cried over The Lady script |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-16217837 |access-date=2024-11-15 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

He went on to play small roles in high-profile series such as [[BBC]]'s ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' in 1985 and ''[[The Singing Detective]]'' in 1986, before being offered a more significant part in [[Alan Clarke]]'s [[ScreenPlay#Road|''Road'']] and in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] sitcom ''Valentine Park'' in 1987. That same year, Thewlis made his film debut in ''[[Little Dorrit (1987 film)|Little Dorrit]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Thewlis|website=Bluscreens|quote=Feature Film Debut: Little Dorrit (1987)|url=https://www.bluscreens.net/thewlis-david.html|access-date=21 November 2024}}</ref>

His first big-screen leading role was opposite [[Clive Owen]] in ''Vroom'', directed by [[Beeban Kidron]] in 1988, and he starred in [[Paul Greengrass]]'s anti-[[Falkland War]] drama [[Resurrected (film)|''Resurrected'']] in 1989, playing a presumed-dead soldier who returns to Britain. He collaborated with [[Mike Leigh]] on [[Life Is Sweet (film)|''Life Is Sweet'']] in 1990, in which he played [[Jane Horrocks]]' character's lover. He continued playing low-key supporting roles in films such as [[Damage (1992 film)|''Damage'']] in 1992, directed by [[Louis Malle]] and [[The Trial (1993 film)|''The Trial'']] in 1993 directed by [[David Hugh Jones]].{{cn|date=July 2024}}

Thewlis's breakout role was 1993's ''[[Naked (1993 film)|Naked]]'' directed by Mike Leigh, as the main character Johnny, a homeless, highly intelligent, embittered, rambling street philosopher, for which Thewlis was established as one of the great actors of his generation and named Best Actor by the [[National Society of Film Critics]], the [[London Film Critics Circle]], the [[Evening Standard]], the [[New York Film Critics' Circle]] and the [[Cannes Film Festival]]. That same year, he appeared on television as a sexual predator named James Jackson in ''[[Prime Suspect|Prime Suspect 3]]'', opposite [[Helen Mirren]] and [[Ciarán Hinds]].{{cn|date=July 2024}}

During the 1990s, Thewlis appeared in a variety of films, mostly [[fantasy]] and [[period piece|period]], including ''[[Restoration (1995 film)|Restoration]]'' (1995), ''[[Black Beauty (1994 film)|Black Beauty]]'' (1994), ''[[Total Eclipse (film)|Total Eclipse]]'' (1995) with [[Leonardo DiCaprio]], ''[[The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)|The Island of Dr. Moreau]]'' (1996), ''[[Dragonheart]]'' (1996), and ''[[Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film)|Seven Years in Tibet]]'' (1997), opposite [[Brad Pitt]]. He was nominated for a [[British Independent Film Awards|British Independent Film Award]] for ''[[Divorcing Jack (film)|Divorcing Jack]]'' (1998), and played [[Clov]] in a television film of [[Samuel Beckett]]'s ''[[Endgame (play)|Endgame]]'' (2000). Notable appearances include [[Bernardo Bertolucci]]'s ''[[Besieged (film)|Besieged]]'' (1998), the [[Coen brothers]]' ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'' (1998), and [[Paul McGuigan (filmmaker)|Paul McGuigan]]'s ''[[Gangster No. 1]]'' (2000), opposite [[Paul Bettany]] and [[Malcolm McDowell]].{{cn|date=July 2024}}

He auditioned for the role of [[Quirinus Quirrell]] in the [[Chris Columbus (filmmaker)|Chris Columbus]] directed film ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', but the part went to [[Ian Hart]]. Despite missing out on the first film, he was cast in 2004 as Professor [[Remus Lupin]] in ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''. He did not have to audition as he was director [[Alfonso Cuarón]]'s first choice for the role.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviehole.net/news/3764.html|title=Interview: David Thewlis|access-date=28 August 2007|date=9 June 2004|first=Clint|last=Morris|publisher=Movie Hole|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225458/http://www.moviehole.net/news/3764.html|archive-date=26 September 2007}}</ref> Thewlis reprised the role in four other films in the series.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

He appeared as an SS Commandant of a Nazi death camp and father of the main character in ''[[The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (film)|The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas]]'', which was well received. Other credits include [[Ridley Scott]]'s ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'' (2005), [[Terrence Malick]]'s ''[[The New World (2005 film)|The New World]]'' (2005), and ''[[The Omen (2006 film)|The Omen]]'' (2006).{{cn|date=July 2024}}

Thewlis played the Dr [[Michael Aris]], husband of [[Aung San Suu Kyi]], with Malaysian actress [[Michelle Yeoh]] as Suu Kyi, in the biopic ''[[The Lady (2011 film)|The Lady]]'' directed by [[Luc Besson]]. In 2012, he received an [[International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Plus Camera|International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Plus Camera Award]]. In the same year, he played in ''[[Separate We Come, Separate We Go]]'', directed by [[Bonnie Wright]].{{cn|date=July 2024}}

In June 2015, Thewlis was reported to be filming scenes for a [[Donald Crowhurst]] biopic, ''[[The Mercy]]'', on the beach at [[Teignmouth, Devon]], playing Donald Crowhurst's press agent, Rodney Hallworth, while [[Colin Firth]] would play Donald Crowhurst.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/pictures/PICTURES-Filming-new-Donald-Crowhurst-film/pictures-26619491-detail/pictures.html|title=PICTURES: Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz on a Teignmouth film set|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630182948/http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/pictures/PICTURES-Filming-new-Donald-Crowhurst-film/pictures-26619491-detail/pictures.html|archive-date=30 June 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He starred in ''[[Regression (film)|Regression]]'', a thriller released in autumn 2015. In September 2015, Thewlis starred as Inspector Goole in [[Helen Edmundson]]'s BBC TV adaptation of [[J. B. Priestley]]'s ''[[An Inspector Calls (2015 TV film)|An Inspector Calls]]''. In October 2015, he played [[King Duncan]] in the film ''[[Macbeth (2015 film)|Macbeth]]''.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

Thewlis portrayed [[Ares (DC Comics)|Ares]] in ''[[Wonder Woman (2017 film)|Wonder Woman]]'' (2017), the [[DC Comics]] film featuring the character [[Wonder Woman]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/11/21/gal-gadot-releases-first-wonder-woman-image-while-warner-bros-announces-the-cast/#2715e4857a0b7d1d62493b79|title=Gal Gadot Releases First 'Wonder Woman' Image While Warner Bros. Announces The Cast|first=Scott|last=Mendelson|work=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/19/wonder-woman-harry-potter-actor-david-thewlis-reportedly-cast-as-villain-ares|title=Wonder Woman: Harry Potter Actor David Thewlis Reportedly Cast as Villain Ares|first=Alex|last=Osborn|date=19 February 2017 |publisher=IGN}}</ref> He briefly reprised his role as Ares in ''[[Justice League (film)|Justice League]]'' (2017). That same year, he appeared as [[V. M. Varga]], the main antagonist of the [[Fargo season 3|third season]] of ''[[Fargo (TV series)|Fargo]]''. His performance was critically acclaimed,<ref name="Indiewire">{{cite web|first=Liz Shannon|last=Miller|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/fargo-david-thewlis-vm-varga-emmys-1201832545/|title='Fargo': David Thewlis on the Details and Delight of Playing a Bad Guy Who's 'Out and Out Foul'|website=[[Indiewire]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=26 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Brian|last=Tallerica|url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/fargo-season-3-finale-recap.html|title=Fargo Season-Finale Recap: The Great American Experiment|website=[[Vulture.com]]|publisher=[[New York Media]]|location=New York City|date=21 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Maureen|last=Ryan|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/reviews/fargo-season-3-review-fx-ewan-mcgregor-carrie-coon-1202028861/|title=TV Review: ''Fargo'' Season 3 on FX|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=13 April 2017}}</ref> and earned him nominations for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Primetime Emmy Award]], [[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries|Critics' Choice Television Award]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Golden Globe Award]] as a supporting actor.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

He has voiced the Shame Wizard in the Netflix animated sitcom [[Big Mouth (American TV series)|''Big Mouth'']] (2017–2025) and its spin-off ''[[Human Resources (TV series)|Human Resources]]'' (2022–2023).{{cn|date=July 2024}}

Thewlis starred in the Netflix film ''[[I'm Thinking of Ending Things]]'' (2020), the [[HBO]] miniseries ''[[Landscapers (TV series)|Landscapers]]'' (2021), the Netflix drama series ''[[The Sandman (TV series)|The Sandman]]'' (2022), the Netflix film ''[[Enola Holmes 2]]'' (2022), and the animated film ''[[The Amazing Maurice]]'' (2022). In 2023, he played [[Fagin]] in ''[[The Artful Dodger (2023 TV series)|The Artful Dodger]]'' and in 2024, [[Hades]] in ''[[Kaos (TV series)|Kaos]]''.

===Filmmaking===
Thewlis directed ''Hello, Hello, Hello'' in 1995, for which he was nominated for a [[BAFTA Award for Best Short Film]] at the [[49th British Academy Film Awards]].<ref name=BAFTAData>{{cite web |title=Awards Search Results: Thewlis |publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] |url=https://www.bafta.org/awards/search?search=Thewlis&type= |access-date=2025-03-03}}</ref> He also wrote, directed and starred in the feature ''Cheeky'' (2003).<ref>{{cite magazine |first=David |last=Rooney |title=Cheeky |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=2003-09-18 |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/cheeky-1200539198/ |access-date=2025-03-04}}</ref>

===Writing===
Thewlis's [[black comedy]] novel set in the art world, ''[[The Late Hector Kipling]]'', was published by [[Simon & Schuster]] in 2007.<ref>{{Cite book |first=David |last=Thewlis |title=The Late Hector Kipling: A Novel |year=2007 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=London |isbn=978-1-4165-4121-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/latehectorkiplin00davi |access-date=2025-03-04 |url-access=limited |via=[[Internet Archive#Text collection|Internet Archive Book Reader]]}}</ref> His second book, ''Shooting Martha'', was published by [[Weidenfeld & Nicolson]] in 2021.<ref>{{Cite book|isbn = 9781474621564|title = Shooting Martha|last1 = Thewlis|first1 = David|date = 5 August 2021| publisher=Orion }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Thewlis was married to Welsh director and actress [[Sara Sugarman]] from 1992 until 1994.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |first=Aimee |last=Seddon |title=David Thewlis: to celebrate the Blackpool actor's birthday we explore his life story so far |work=[[Blackpool Gazette]] |department=People |date=2024-03-20 |orig-date=6 March 2024 |url=https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/people/david-thewlis-to-celebrate-the-blackpool-actors-birthday-we-explore-his-life-story-so-far-4544386 |access-date=2025-03-03}}</ref> Later on, he had a relationship with the English actress [[Kate Hardie]] for three years.<ref name=":0" />

He was in a relationship with English actress [[Anna Friel]] from 2000 until late 2010.<ref>{{cite news |first=Steven |last=Zeitchik |title=David Thewlis is the 'Anonymous' actor who's everywhere |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |department=Entertainment |date=2012-01-13 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-jan-12-la-et-david-thewlis-20120112-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Ayres |title=Friel, Thewlis split after nine years |website=[[Digital Spy]] |department=ShowBiz |date=2010-12-14 |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a293164/friel-thewlis-split-after-nine-years/ |access-date=2025-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326130810/https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a293164/friel-thewlis-split-after-nine-years/ |archive-date=2023-03-26 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Their daughter was born in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marianne |last=MacDonald |title=Post-natal confession |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |department=Culture |date=26 September 2005 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3646815/Post-natal-confession.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126040116/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3646815/Post-natal-confession.html |archive-date=2025-01-26 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Instagram |last=Thewlis |first=David |user=officialdavidthewlis |postid=CRGmAcas8J1 |date=2021-07-09 |title=Gracie is 16 today. Happy Birthday my cheeky, charming and beautiful angel. What can I say? Your voice is from heaven, you're funnier than fun and you cheat at Uno. Oh… and I love you ❤️❤️❤️ |access-date=2025-03-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/officialdavidthewlis/2613943790015332981_2613943783824348713 |archive-date=2021-12-23}}</ref>

Thewlis married French designer and artist Hermine Poitou on 6 August 2016.<ref>{{cite interview |subject-first=David |subject-last=Thewlis |interviewer-first=Michael |interviewer-last=Hogan |title= David Thewlis: It does get to you, spending more waking hours as a character than oneself |work=[[The Guardian]] |department=Film |date=25 July 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/25/david-thewlis-it-does-get-to-you-spending-more-waking-hours-as-a-character-than-oneself |access-date=2025-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Instagram |last=Thewlis |first=David |user=officialdavidthewlis |postid=CSPYAaFM1l3 |date=2021-08-06 |title=Five years ago today. Why would I ever keep such happiness a secret? |access-date=2025-03-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/CSPYAaFM1l3 |archive-date=2021-12-23}}</ref> They live in [[Sunningdale|Sunningdale, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Zoe |last=Williams |author-link=Zoe Williams (writer) |title=David Thewlis on new show Landscapers and the misogyny of Naked: 'I find it much tougher to watch today' |work=[[The Guardian]] |department=Television |date=2021-12-07 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/07/david-thewlis-landscapers-misogyny-naked-olivia-colman-mansfield-murders-julie-walters |access-date=2025-03-03}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| ''[[The Short and Curlies]]''
| Clive
| Short film
|-
| ''[[Little Dorrit (1987 film)|Little Dorrit]]''
| George Braddle
|
|-
| rowspan="1" | 1988
| ''Vroom''
| Ringe
|
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Resurrected (film)|Resurrected]]''
| Kevin Deakin
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1991
| ''[[Life Is Sweet (film)|Life Is Sweet]]''
| Nicola's Lover
|
|-
| ''[[Afraid of the Dark]]''
| Locksmith / Tom Miller
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| ''Swords at Teatime''
| Michael
| Short
|-
| ''[[Damage (1992 film)|Damage]]''
| Detective
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1993
| ''{{sortname|The|Trial|dab=1993 film}}''
| Franz
|
|-
| ''[[Naked (1993 film)|Naked]]''
| Johnny
|
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Black Beauty (1994 film)|Black Beauty]]''
| Jerry Barker
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1995
| ''[[Total Eclipse (film)|Total Eclipse]]''
| [[Paul Verlaine]]
|
|-
| ''[[Restoration (1995 film)|Restoration]]''
| Pearce
|
|-
| ''Hello, Hello, Hello''
| {{N/A}}
| Short film; Writer and director
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1996
| ''[[James and the Giant Peach (film)|James and the Giant Peach]]''
| Earthworm
| Voice role
|-
| ''[[Dragonheart]]''
| Einon
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Island of Dr. Moreau|dab=1996 film}}''
| Douglas
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997
| ''[[American Perfekt]]''
| Santini
|
|-
| ''[[Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film)|Seven Years in Tibet]]''
| [[Peter Aufschnaiter]]
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| ''{{sortname|The|Big Lebowski}}''
| Knox Harrington
|
|-
| ''[[Divorcing Jack (film)|Divorcing Jack]]''
| Dan Starkey
|
|-
| ''[[Besieged (film)|Besieged]]''
| Jason Kinsky
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| ''[[Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?]]''
| Nesbit
|
|-
| ''Love Story''
| Dealer
| Voice role, short
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000
| ''{{sortname|The|Miracle Maker|dab=2000 film}}''
| [[Judas Iscariot]]
| Voice role
|-
| ''[[Gangster No. 1]]''
| Freddie Mays
|
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Goodbye Charlie Bright]]''
| Dad
|
|-
| 2002
| ''D.I.Y. Hard''
| Man
| Short
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2003
| ''Cheeky''
| Harry Sankey
| Writer, director
|-
| ''Little Wolf's Book of Badness''
| Mr. Twister
| Voice role, short
|-
| ''[[Timeline (2003 film)|Timeline]]''
| Robert Doniger
|
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''
| [[Remus Lupin]]
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2005
| ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]''
| [[Knights Hospitaller|Hospitaler]]
|
|-
| ''[[All the Invisible Children]]''
| Jonathan
| Segment: "Jonathan"
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|New World|dab=2005 film}}''
| [[Edward Maria Wingfield|Wingfield]]
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| ''[[Basic Instinct 2]]''
| Roy Washburn
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Omen|dab=2006 film}}''
| Keith Jennings
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007
| ''{{sortname|The|Inner Life of Martin Frost}}''
| Martin Frost
|
|-
| ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''
| Remus Lupin
|
|-
| 2008
| ''{{sortname|The|Boy in the Striped Pyjamas|dab=film}}''
| Father
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009
| ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''
| Remus Lupin
|
|-
| ''[[Veronika Decides to Die (film)|Veronika Decides to Die]]''
| Dr. Blake
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2010
| ''[[Mr. Nice]]''
| [[James McCann (drugs trafficker)|Jim McCann]]
|
|-
| ''[[London Boulevard]]''
| Jordan
|
|-
| ''Athena''
| Chuck
| Short
|-
| ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1]]''
| rowspan="2"|Remus Lupin
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2011
| ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]''
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Lady|dab=2011 film}}''
| [[Michael Aris]]
|
|-
| ''[[Anonymous (2011 film)|Anonymous]]''
| [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley|William Cecil]]
|
|-
| ''[[War Horse (film)|War Horse]]''
| Lyons
|
|-
| ''The Organ Grinder's Monkey''
| Pablo
| Short
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Separate We Come, Separate We Go]]''
| Norman
| Short film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2013
| ''[[Red 2 (film)|RED 2]]''
| The Frog
|
|-
| ''[[The Fifth Estate (film)|The Fifth Estate]]''
| [[Nick Davies]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Zero Theorem]]''
| Joby
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2014
| ''[[The Theory of Everything (2014 film)|The Theory of Everything]]''
| [[Dennis W. Sciama|Dennis Sciama]]
|
|-
| ''[[Stonehearst Asylum]]''
| Mickey Finn
|
|-
| ''[[Queen and Country (film)|Queen and Country]]''
| Sargeant Major Bradley
|
|-
| ''Sunday Roast''
| Dick Puck
| Short film; Writer
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2015
| ''[[Regression (film)|Regression]]''
| Kenneth Raines
|
|-
| ''[[Legend (2015 film)|Legend]]''
| Leslie Payne
|
|-
| ''[[Macbeth (2015 film)|Macbeth]]''
| [[King Duncan|Duncan]]
|
|-
| ''[[Anomalisa]]''
| Michael Stone
| Voice role
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| ''[[Wonder Woman (2017 film)|Wonder Woman]]''
| [[Ares (DC Comics)|Sir Patrick Morgan / Ares]]
|
|-
| ''[[Justice League (film)|Justice League]]''
| Ares
| Cameo
|-
| 2018
| ''[[The Mercy]]''
| [[Rodney Hallworth]]
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2019
| ''[[Rare Beasts (film)|Rare Beasts]]''
| Vic
|
|-
| ''[[Guest of Honour (2019 film)|Guest of Honour]]''
| Jim
|
|-
| ''[[Eternal Beauty]]''
| Mike
|
|-
| 2020
| ''[[I'm Thinking of Ending Things]]''
| Father
|
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Zack Snyder's Justice League]]''
| Ares
| Face superimposed over body of Nick McKinless
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2022
| ''[[Enola Holmes 2]]''
| Grail
|
|-
| ''[[The Amazing Maurice]]''
| Boss Man
| rowspan="2" | Voice role
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2025
| ''[[The Thing with Feathers (film)|The Thing with Feathers]]''
| Crow
|-
| style="background:#FFFFCC;" | ''[[Avatar: Fire and Ash]]'' {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}}
| Peylak
| Post-production
|-
| TBA
| style="background:#FFFFCC;" | ''Littlemouth''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/dennis-quaid-josh-hutcherson-isabelle-fuhrman-more-to-star-in-littlemouth-1235050847/|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|title=Dennis Quaid, Isabelle Fuhrman, David Thewlis, Josh Hutcherson & Kiera Allen To Star In Sci-Fi Mystery 'Littlemouth' From Director Jonathan Sobol|first=Matt|last=Grobar|date=23 June 2022|access-date=12 October 2025}}</ref> {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}}
|
| Post-production
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Key
| style="background:#FFFFCC;"| {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}}
|Denotes works that have not yet been released
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
| rowspan="3"|1985
| ''[[Up the Elephant and Round the Castle]]''
| The Mugger
| Episode: "[[List of Up the Elephant and Round the Castle episodes#Series 3|A Taxing Problem]]" (non-speaking)
|-
| ''Summer Season''
| Jim Dench
| Episode: "Radio Pictures"
|-
| ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]''
| Stew
| Episode: "[[It's Only Rock and Roll (Only Fools and Horses)|It's Only Rock and Roll]]"
|-
| 1986
| ''{{sortname|The|Singing Detective}}''
| Second Soldier
| Miniseries
|-
| 1987–1988
| ''Valentine Park''
| Max
| 12 episodes
|-
| 1987–1991
| ''[[ScreenPlay]]''
| Joey / Terry
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|1989
| ''{{sortname|A|Bit of a Do}}''
| Paul Simcock
| 6 episodes
|-
| ''Skulduggery''
| Tony
| Television film
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (TV serial)|Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit]]''
| Doctor
| Miniseries
|-
| 1991
| ''Shrinks''
| Terry Slater
| Episode #1.5
|-
| 1991–1992
| ''[[Screen One]]''
| Crematorium Attendant / Tim Shanks
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|1993
| ''[[Frank Stubbs Promotes]]''
| Mike Bence
| Episode: "Striker"
|-
| ''[[Prime Suspect|Prime Suspect 3]]''
| James Jackson
| Episode: "Keeper of Souls: Parts 1 and 2"
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Dandelion Dead]]''
| Oswald Martin
| Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2001
| ''[[Beckett on Film#Endgame|Endgame]]''
| Clov
| Television film
|-
| ''Hammilton Mattress''
| Hammilton Mattress
| Voice role, television film
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Dinotopia (miniseries)|Dinotopia]]''
| Cyrus Crabb
| Miniseries
|-
| 2007
| ''{{sortname|The|Street|dab=British TV series}}''
| Harry Jennerson / Joe Jennerson
| Episode: "Twins"
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Family Guy]]''
| British Father
| Voice role, Episode: "[[Chap Stewie]]"
|-
| 2015
| ''[[An Inspector Calls (2015 TV film)|An Inspector Calls]]''
| The Inspector
| Television film
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Fargo (TV series)|Fargo]]''
| [[V. M. Varga]] / Robot
| 10 episodes
|-
| 2018–2025
| ''[[Big Mouth (American TV series)|Big Mouth]]''
| Shame Wizard
| Voice role, 15 episodes
|-
| 2019
| ''[[The Feed (British TV series)|The Feed]]''
| Lawrence Hatfield
| 6 episodes
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Barkskins (TV series)|Barkskins]]''
| Monsieur Claude Trepagny
| 8 episodes
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Landscapers (TV series)|Landscapers]]''
| Christopher Edwards
| Miniseries
|-
| 2022–2023
| ''[[Human Resources (TV series)|Human Resources]]''
| Lionel St. Swithens / Shame Wizard
| Voice role, 20 episodes
|-
| 2022
| ''[[The Sandman (TV series)|The Sandman]]''
| [[Doctor Destiny|John Dee]]
| Co-starring; 4 episodes
|-
| 2023–present
| ''[[The Artful Dodger (2023 TV series)|The Artful Dodger]]''
| [[Fagin]]
| Main role
|-
| 2024
| ''[[Kaos (TV series)|Kaos]]''
| [[Hades]]
| Regular role
|-
| 2025
| ''[[Sherlock & Daughter]]''
| [[Sherlock Holmes]]
| Lead role
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
| 2010
| ''[[World of Warcraft: Cataclysm]]''
| Lord Darius Crowley
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Award !! Category !! Work !! Result
|-
| rowspan="5"|1993 || [[Cannes Film Festival]] || [[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] || rowspan="5"|''[[Naked (1993 film)|Naked]]'' || {{won}}
|-
| [[Evening Standard British Film Awards|Evening Standard British Film Award]] || [[Evening Standard British Film Awards#1993 Winners|Best Actor]] || {{won}}
|-
| [[London Film Critics' Circle]] || [[London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the Year|British Actor of the Year]] || {{won}}
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics]] || [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] || {{won}}
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle]] || [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] || {{won}}
|-
| 1995 || [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Award]] || [[BAFTA Award for Best Short Film|Best Short Film]] (shared with Helen Booth and James Roberts) || ''Hello, Hello, Hello'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 1998 || [[British Independent Film Awards|British Independent Film Award]] || [[BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film|Best Performance by a British Actor in an Independent Film]] || ''[[Divorcing Jack (film)|Divorcing Jack]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 2006 || [[Golden Raspberry Awards|Golden Raspberry Award]] || [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor|Worst Supporting Actor]] || ''[[Basic Instinct 2]]'' / ''[[The Omen (2006 film)|The Omen]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 2007 || [[Monte-Carlo Television Festival]] || [[Golden Nymph Award]] for Outstanding Actor – Drama Series || ''[[The Street (UK TV series)|The Street]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 2008 || [[British Independent Film Awards|British Independent Film Award]] || colspan=2|[[British Independent Film Award – The Richard Harris Award|Richard Harris Award]] for Outstanding Contribution to British Film || {{won}}
|-
| 2009 || [[Scream Awards|Scream Award]] || Best Ensemble (shared with the entire cast) || ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'' || {{won}}
|-
| 2010 || [[Evening Standard British Film Awards|Evening Standard British Film Award]] || Peter Sellers Award for Comedy || ''[[London Boulevard]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 2011 || [[Scream Awards|Scream Award]] || Best Ensemble (shared with the entire cast) || rowspan="2"|''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 2012 || [[Gold Derby|Gold Derby Film Awards]] || Best Ensemble Cast (shared with the entire cast) || {{nom}}
|-
| 2014 || [[21st Screen Actors Guild Awards|Screen Actors Guild Awards]] || [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]] || ''[[The Theory of Everything (2014 film)|The Theory of Everything]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 2015 || CinEuphoria Awards || Best Supporting Actor - International Competition || ''[[Queen and Country (film)|Queen and Country]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| 2016 || [[Alliance of Women Film Journalists]] || Best Depiction of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction (shared with [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]]) || ''[[Anomalisa]]'' || {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="4" |2017 || [[Primetime Emmy Award]] || [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie]] || rowspan="5" |''[[Fargo (TV series)|Fargo]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Critics' Choice Television Award]] || [[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries|Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries]] || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award]] || [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film]] || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Gold Derby|Gold Derby Television Awards]] || Best TV Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actor || {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2|2019 || Gold Derby TV Decade Award || Best TV Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actor || {{nom}}
|-
| [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle]] || [[Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Canadian Film|Best Actor in a Canadian Film]] || ''[[Guest of Honour (2019 film)|Guest of Honour]]'' || {{nom}}
|-
|2020 || {{ill|Indiana Film Journalists Association|fr|Indiana Film Journalists Association|preserve=yes}} || Best Supporting Actor || rowspan="2" |''[[I'm Thinking of Ending Things]]''|| {{nom}}
|-
|2021
| [[Chlotrudis Award]]|| Best Supporting Actor || {{nom}}
|-
| 2022 || [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA Award]] || [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] || ''[[Landscapers (TV series)|Landscapers]]'' || {{nom}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|667|David Thewlis}}
*{{Instagram|OfficialDavidThewlis|David Thewlis}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for David Thewlis
|list =
{{Prix d'interprétation masculine 1980–1999}}
{{Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}
{{The Richard Harris Award}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thewlis, David}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama]]
[[Category:Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Blackpool]]