Sarah Alexander

Sarah Alexander (née Smith)[1] is an English actress. She has appeared in British series including Armstrong and Miller, Smack the Pony, Coupling, The Worst Week of My Life, Green Wing, Marley's Ghosts and Jonathan Creek.

Sarah Alexander
Born (1971-01-03) 3 January 1971
Hammersmith, London, England, United Kingdom
OccupationActress
Years active1989–present
Spouse(s)Peter Serafinowicz
Children2

Early life

Alexander was born in Hammersmith, London in 1971.[2] Her father, Frank Smith, was a television producer and director on factual shows such as Panorama; he died when she was still at school.[1][3][4] She attended Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith.[5] At the age of 19, she left home after her A-levels and travelled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to get a start in acting.[5] Her parents wanted her to continue to university, but she turned down a place at the University of Manchester to take her first professional acting job.[6]

Career

In 1992 Alexander appeared in The Bill, as a witness to an attempted robbery. The following year she played Muriel in an episode of the BBC comedy-drama Lovejoy. In 1994, she played Nicky, Damien's risk-addicted weather reporter girlfriend in Drop the Dead Donkey. In 1996, she played Beatrice in the British première of Octavio Paz's only play, Rappaccini's Daughter, at the Gate Theatre Studio. She has appeared in other theatre productions, including The Vagina Monologues, Hand in Hand, The Secretary Bird, Northanger Abbey, and as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth.[7] In the mid-1990s, she met Ben Miller when they filmed an advertisement for disposable cameras together, and through him she met Alexander Armstrong.[8] Miller and Armstrong became friends and collaborators, and Alexander went on to appear on their Channel 4 sketch show Armstrong and Miller (1997–2001), usually in the regular "Nude Practice" segment.

Alexander moved into comedy acting, in which she has since specialised. Her other sketch show work included Smith and Jones (1997–1998) and Smack the Pony (1999–2003), also writing for the latter. In the science-fiction comedy series Red Dwarf, she played the Queen of Camelot in "Stoke Me a Clipper". She also appeared in the Midsomer Murders episode "The Garden of Death", as Fliss Inkpen-Thomas. In 2000, she appeared in the comedy The Strangerers, as well as becoming co-host of the final series of the current-affairs satire The 11 O'Clock Show, alongside Jon Holmes. She made her debut as Susan Walker in the BBC sitcom Coupling, which ran for four series from 2000 to 2004. Other British TV roles included Mel in The Worst Week of My Life and Angela Hunter in the hospital comedy Green Wing.

Alexander appeared as Alice Fletcher in NBC's short-lived remake of the British comedy series Teachers, before roles in the films I Could Never Be Your Woman and Stardust (both released in 2007). Her previous film credits include Seaview Knights (1994) and Going Off Big Time (2000). She also starred in the 2008 BBC dramedy Mutual Friends,[8] and played Layla Barton in the BBC drama All The Small Things,[9] which debuted in 2009.

Since 2011, she has played Mimi in the BBC Radio 4 comedy series The Gobetweenies. The first series was broadcast in 2011 and two more followed in 2012 and 2013. She starred in the 2012 BBC series Me and Mrs Jones.[10] Since 2013, she has starred in the BBC One series Jonathan Creek as Polly Creek, wife of main character Jonathan, making her first appearance in the episode titled "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb" in 2013. She starred in the Dave comedy Undercover as DS Zoe Keller. From 2015 she has starred in the comedy series Marley's Ghosts on Gold. In 2019, Alexander appeared as Undine Thwaite in the Epix series Pennyworth.[11]

Other work

Alexander has contributed to the BBC charity telethon Comic Relief, appearing in 2001 as a judge based on Nicki Chapman in a parody of Popstars, in 2003 as Liza Goddard in a spoof of Blankety Blank, and in 2005 in a celebrity version of University Challenge.

Personal life

In 2001, Alexander was in a relationship with actor Gerald Harper.[12] However in 2002 she began a new relationship with writer and actor Peter Serafinowicz.[12] Alexander eventually married Serafinowicz,[13] and the couple have a son and daughter together.[8] She appeared in both series of Look Around You, which Serafinowicz co-created and starred in, as well as his internet E! News spoof, O!News.

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Kappatoo Melanie
1992 Natural Lies Anne-Marie
1992 Covington Cross 3rd Girl
1993 Lovejoy Muriel
1993 You, Me and It Emma TV Mini-Series
1993 Chris Cross Sam
1994 Anna Lee Mary Vincent
1992-1994 The Bill Madeline Dexter / Lesley Anderson[14]
1994 Drop the Dead Donkey Nicky
1997 Red Dwarf Queen
1997-1998 Alas Smith & Jones Various Roles
1999 People Like Us Madeline Goddard
1999 Tilly Trotter Lady Agnes Myton TV Mini-Series
1999-2003 Smack the Pony Various Characters
2000 Midsomer Murders Fliss Inkpen-Thomas
2000 The Strangerers Rina
2000-2004 Coupling Susan Walker Main Lead, 28 Episodes
2001 Armstrong and Miller Various Roles
2001 Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible Beatrice Crown
2002-2005 Look Around You Scientist / Ros Lamb Song Sexual Interface's vocals were performed by Sarah Alexander
2004-2006 Worst Week of My Life Mel Cook Main Lead, 17, Episodes
2006 Teachers
2006-2007 Green Wing Angela Hunter
2007 The Peter Serafinowicz Show Various
2008 Mutual Friends Liz
2009 All the Small Things Layla
2010 Marple Lydia Harsnet "The Pale Horse"
2011 The Jury Theresa Vestry
2011 The Gobetweenies Mimi
2012 Me and Mrs Jones Gemma
2015 Undercover Zoe
2016 Drunk History: UK Queen Elizabeth I
2015-2016 Marley's Ghosts Marley Wise
2013-2016 Jonathan Creek Polly Creek
2019 Pennyworth Undine Thwaite

References

  1. "A modern Mrs Robinson with a passion for laughs". The Independent. 5 November 2012.
  2. "Sarah Alexander - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk.
  3. "Sarah Alexander: Blonde ambition". The Independent. 9 November 2005.
  4. "BBC - Press Office - Coupling Sarah Alexander". www.bbc.co.uk.
  5. Jones, Alice (9 November 2005). "Sarah Alexander: Blonde ambition". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  6. How We Met: Sarah Alexander & Ben Miller The Independent on Sunday, 7 March 2004
  7. The Worst Christmas Of My Life – a Christmas to remember for all the wrong reasons BBC Press Office. 6 December 2006
  8. Mutual Friends Press Pack BBC Press Office. 13 August 2008
  9. "All-singing new drama series announced for BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  10. "Me and Mrs Jones". BBC. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  11. Rayner, Daniel (25 August 2019). "'Pennyworth' Season 1, Episode 6 'Cilla Black' Review: Sorcery".
  12. Scott, Peter (6 August 2002). "New Man For Coupling Star". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 May 2020 via The Free Library.
  13. Philby, Charlotte (30 August 2008). "My Secret Life: Peter Serafinowicz". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  14. "The Bill" Exit (TV Episode 1992) - IMDb, retrieved 20 November 2020
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