Lesley Sharp

Lesley Sharp (born 3 April 1960) is an English stage, film and television actress whose roles on British television include Clocking Off (2000–2001), Bob & Rose (2001) and Afterlife (2005–2006). She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1997 film The Full Monty. Her other film appearances include Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986), Naked (1993), Priest (1994), From Hell (2001) and Vera Drake (2004). Between 2011 and 2016, she starred as DC Janet Scott in the ITV drama Scott & Bailey.

Lesley Sharp
Born
Karen Makinson

(1960-04-03) 3 April 1960
Manchester, England
OccupationActress
Years active1986–present
Spouse(s)Nicholas Gleaves
(m. 1994)[1]
Children2

Early life

Sharp was born in Manchester, England, and was adopted at 6 weeks old by a Scottish couple—the Sharps. Born Karen Makinson, she was renamed Lesley Sharp upon her adoption at 6 weeks old. She grew up in Formby, which is north of Liverpool. She has an older sister.[2]

Sharp has stated that she started acting because, as a child, she felt "invisible" and did not "quite fit in".[3] She has said that her inspiration to act came from watching Dick Emery on television.[4]

Sharp attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the class of 1982.[5]

Career

Sharp's screen debut was in Alan Clarke's Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986), playing Bob's wife, Michelle. She appeared in another Clarke-directed project, as Valerie in the filmed version of Jim Cartwright's successful stageplay Road (1987). Further film appearances included supporting roles in The Rachel Papers (1989) and Stephen Poliakoff's Close My Eyes, with Clive Owen and Alan Rickman. Sharp was establishing herself as a talented actress and social realist roles in Mike Leigh's Naked (1993) and the Jimmy McGovern-penned Priest (1994) further raised her profile. By the time she was in Prime Suspect 4: The Lost Child (1995) and The Full Monty (1997) she had become a well-known performer in Britain.

Although Sharp has appeared in a variety of films throughout her career, she is probably best known by television audiences. By the late 1990s, she was being offered lead roles in numerous well-written drama series. Common As Muck (1997) was followed by Playing the Field (1998–2002), a drama about a female football team which ran for five series. Sharp had supporting parts in Great Expectations (1999), as Mrs Joe, and in Nature Boy (2000), as Martha Tyler, before landing the role of Trudy Graham in Paul Abbott's BAFTA-award-winning Clocking Off (2000–2003), which lasted four series. Russell T. Davies then cast her opposite Alan Davies in Bob & Rose, which resulted in a BAFTA nomination for Sharp.[6] Further film roles in From Hell, starring Johnny Depp, and Cheeky (1993), which was directed by Naked co-star David Thewlis, preceded another television drama written by Russell T. Davies. In The Second Coming (2003) She was "the woman who killed God" in the form of Stephen Baxter, as played by Christopher Eccleston.

Sharp again worked with Mike Leigh in Vera Drake (2004) which was followed by one-off television dramas including Planespotting, Born with Two Mothers and Our Hidden Lives, all in 2005. The same year, she played the clairvoyant lead role of Alison Mundy opposite Andrew Lincoln's sceptical Robert Bridge in ITV's supernatural drama series Afterlife. Although the subject matter was seen as quite controversial, it was generally received positively by critics and audiences. Sharp's performance was highly praised and she was nominated for several awards. She commented, in a This Morning television interview, that the guest stars – including Natalia Tena, David Threlfall and Mark Benton — for the second series "were amazing".

After a ten-year break from stagework, in October 2005 Sharp return to the theatre as Emma in Sam Shepard's The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse. In what she described as "a black comedy about the poison at the heart of America", she was directed by her friend Kathy Burke — someone with whom she had previously competed for screen roles.[3] Lesley Sharp concentrated on theatrical work for the next few years, until re-appearing on television screens in 2008 in the three-part Lucy Gannon-penned drama The Children. Later in 2008, she worked with Russell T. Davies for a third time when she played Sky Silvestry in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight". Davies later tipped Sharp to become the first woman to play the Doctor.[7]

In early 2009 Sharp played Petronella van Daan in the BBC's new version of The Diary of Anne Frank. She subsequently played Paddy Considine's wife in Channel 4's acclaimed drama series Red Riding. Sharp starred in a 2009 revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre with Marc Warren and Diana Vickers,[8] which ran from October to the following January. Between 2011 and 2016, Sharp co-starred as Janet Scott in ITV1's crime drama series Scott & Bailey. In May 2012 she starred in the Sky1 comedy series Starlings as Jan Starling.[9]

In 2015, Sharp played the part of Mary, the daughter of Petunia Howe, in the three-part BBC series Capital based on John Lanchester's novel of the same name.[10]

She appeared in several episodes of the Netflix original Fate: The Winx Saga as Rosalind and is slated to appear more prominently in the shows second season should Netflix commission it.

Personal life

Sharp married Nicholas Gleaves in February 1994. They have two sons, Zachary (b. October 1994) and Gabriel (b. 12 March 1998).

List of credits

Television

Year Title Role Network Notes
1994 Dandelion DeadConstance MartinITVmini-series
1995 Prime SuspectAnne SutherlandITVSeries 4, "The Lost Child"
1999–2001 Playing the FieldTheresa MullenBBC OneSeries 1–3
1999 Daylight RobberyCarol MurphyITV
2000–2001 Clocking OffTrudy GrahamBBC OneSeries 1, 2
2001 Bob & RoseRose CooperITV
2003 The Second ComingJudith RoachITVtwo-part drama
2005–2006 afterlifeAlison MundyITV
2008 Doctor WhoSky SilvestryBBC OneSeries 4, Episode 10 "Midnight"
The ChildrenAnneITVmini-series
2009 The Diary of Anne FrankPetronella Van DaanBBC One
Red RidingJoan HunterChannel 4Part 2 "In the Year of Our Lord 1980"
Moving OnSylvieBBC OneSeries 1, Episode 5 "Butterfly Effect"
2009 Return to CranfordMrs. BellBBC One
2010 Agatha Christie's PoirotMiss MartindaleITVSeries 12, Episode 4 "The Clocks"
2010 Whistle and I'll Come to YouHetty the nurseBBC Two
2011 Leah's StoryNarratorITV
2011–2016 Scott & BaileyDC Janet ScottITV
2011 The Shadow LineJulie BedeBBC Two
2012 Protecting Our ChildrenNarratorBBC Two
Corfu — A Tale of Two IslandsNarratorITV
2012–2013 StarlingsJan StarlingSky 1
2013 Who Do You Think You Are?SelfBBC OneSeries 10, Episode 4
2015 CapitalMaryBBC One
ParanoidLucy CannonburyITV/Netflix
Tom Daley: Diving for GoldNarratorITVDocumentary
2017 Three Girls DC Margaret Oliver BBC One True Story Drama
Living the DreamJen Pemberton
2021 Fate: The Winx Saga Rosalind Netflix 2 episodes

Film

Year Title Role
1986 Rita, Sue and Bob TooMichelle
1987 RoadValerie
1989 The Rachel PapersJenny
1991 Close My EyesJessica
1993 NakedLouise Clancy
1994 PriestMrs. Unsworth
1997 The Full MontyJean
2001 From HellCatherine Eddowes
2004 Vera DrakeJessie Barnes
2008 InkheartMortola

Theatre

In October 2005, Sharp starred in her first theatre role for a decade in the play The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse, London.[3][11]

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

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

Awards and nominations

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

References and notes

  1. Peter Stanford (23 February 2014). "Lesley Sharp: 'Adoption gave me this sense I don't belong". The Telegraph.
  2. "Lesley Sharp Biography". IMDB. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  3. McLean, Gareth; "A truly visible woman" The Guardian, 10 September 2005 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009)
  4. Billen, Andrew; "Lesley Sharp shows she's married to the job in The Children" TimesOnline.co.uk, 30 August 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009)
  5. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. "Television | Actress in 2002". BAFTA. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  7. Wallis, Sara; "Writer Russell T. Davies backs Lesley Sharp to be first female Doctor Who" Daily Record, 19 December 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009)
  8. Michael Billington "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Vaudeville", The Guardian, 21 October 2009
  9. "A quick chat with Lesley Sharp". What's on TV. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  10. "BBC One: Capital". BBC Online. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  11. Billington, Michael. "The God of Hell". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. Billington, Michael. "Harper Regan". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
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