Honeysuckle Weeks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Honeysuckle Susan Weeks 1 August 1979 Cardiff, Wales, UK |
| Alma mater | Pembroke College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse | Lorne Stormonth Darling (m. 2007;div. 2019) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Perdita Weeks (sister) Rollo Weeks (brother) |
Honeysuckle Susan Weeks (born 1 August 1979) is a British actress best known for her role as Samantha Stewart (later Wainwright) in the ITV wartime drama series Foyle's War .
Weeks was born in Cardiff, Wales, [1] [2] to Robin and Susan (née Wade) Weeks, and grew up in Chichester and Petworth, both in West Sussex, England. Her parents named her after the plant honeysuckle, because its flowers were in bloom when she was born. [3] She has a younger sister Perdita and brother Rollo, who have also pursued careers in acting.
Weeks was educated at Great Ballard School, [4] Roedean School, and Pembroke College, Oxford, where she read English (graduating with upper-second class honours). [5] She also spent time studying art on the John Hall Pre-university Course in Venice, Italy. As a child she was a member of the Chichester Festival Theatre. From the age of nine, Weeks studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School at the weekends. [6]
At age 11, Weeks was flown to the United States and cast in the Walt Disney Pictures feature A Far Off Place being directed by Steven Spielberg. [7] However, when Spielberg dropped out of the project, Weeks' role was re-cast with Reese Witherspoon. [8] [ unreliable source? ]
Despite missing out on a film role, Weeks was cast in 1993 as the juvenile lead role of Kitty Killen in the television adaptation of Anne Fine's Goggle-Eyes . Her sister Perdita and brother Rollo also appeared with her in small roles in the third episode of that series. The part gained her considerable attention, and she was interviewed by Alan Titchmarsh on the TV show Pebble Mill about her role in the series. She quickly became a familiar face to viewers, appearing in a number of Ruth Rendell adaptations, such as A Dark-Adapted Eye (1994), and The Ruth Rendell Mysteries episodes "The Strawberry Tree" (1995) and "The Orchid Walls" (1998), while she had a notable role in The Bill in 1995, playing a kidnap victim in the feature length episode "Deadline", with David Tennant as her abductor.
In 1997, Honeysuckle and Perdita were both cast in Catherine Cookson's The Rag Nymph, wherein Perdita played the younger version of her sister's character. It was a significant role for Honeysuckle, and she gained further fame when she appeared in the children's TV series The Wild House that year, appearing from 1997 to 1998. She appeared in the raunchy BBC serial Close Relations in 1998 as she sought to move to more adult roles, and continued to receive regular acting work, such as in Midsomer Murders (1999). In 2002, she was cast as Samantha Stewart in the TV series Foyle's War a BAFTA Award–winning detective series set in Hastings during and just after World War II; she starred opposite Michael Kitchen and was featured in every episode of all eight series, which were broadcast between 2002 and 2015.
She continued to find other roles during this period. In 2006 she appeared in the Poirot mystery "Cards on the Table", while in 2007, Weeks starred in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries as Tania Thompson, a character based on the Canadian serial killer Karla Homolka. In 2008, she appeared as Harriet Pringle in the Radio 4 adaptation of Fortunes of War . In 2012, she played a small part as Mrs Beeton in an episode of the BBC educational programme The Charles Dickens Show. [9]
After Foyle's War ended in 2015, she appeared as Mae Harmer in the BBC TV series Death in Paradise (series 4), while in May that year, she portrayed a wartime letter writer at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in Horse Guards Parade, London that was broadcast live on BBC1. She also appeared in the ITV series Lewis episode "Magnum Opus". The following year she appeared in the TV series The Five as Laura Marshall, before personal events saw her take a break from acting for the next three years.
In 2019, Weeks guest starred in an episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries as author Agatha Christie. [10] It was her first appearance back on screen in three years, and she followed it up with an appearance in the Channel 4 series Maxxx in the episode "House Party".
Weeks has appeared as Annie Ridd in the TV movie Lorna Doone in 2000, and Sarah in My Brother Tom in 2001. In 2005 she was cast as Clarissa in Red Mercury , but her most daring role was in The Wicker Tree (the "spiritual successor" to The Wicker Man) [11] in 2011, where she had to appear nude in a number of scenes for the first time in her career.
In early 2010, Weeks appeared as "Sarah Prentice" in a production of the Agatha Christie play A Daughter's A Daughter at London's Trafalgar Studios. [12] Later that year, Weeks appeared as Eliza Doolittle in a production of Pygmalion at the Chichester Festival Theatre in West Sussex.
She starred in the UK premiere of Melanie Marnich's play These Shining Lives from 8 May to 9 June 2013. [13]
In 2018, she starred as Mabel Cantwell in Gore Vidal's play The Best Man on the West End. [14]
In 2023, she was a member of the ensemble cast of the touring production of Calendar Girls - The Musical . [15]
In 2016, Weeks had a recurring role as Heleyna in the Big Finish Productions audio play series The War Doctor , based on the TV series Doctor Who .
Weeks was engaged to the poet and musician Anno Birkin for a short period before his death, at age 20, in a car crash in Italy in 2001.
While on holiday in the Himalayas in 2005, she married hypnotherapist Lorne Stormonth Darling, of a landed gentry family of Lednathie, Kirriemuir, Scotland, [16] [17] in an impromptu Buddhist wedding ceremony, followed by a London wedding in July 2007.[ citation needed ] The couple have a son, Wade, born in 2011, and lived in Petworth.[ citation needed ] The marriage ended in 2019. [18] Lorne Stormonth Darling died 16 November 2023, aged 60. [19]
In August 2015, Weeks was caught speeding on the A3 in south-west London. It later emerged that she was already banned from driving under the totting-up scheme, due to points violations, and in early 2016 was ordered to wear an electronic tag when the court imposed a four-week night time curfew on her. [20] In January 2023, Weeks was again banned from driving, this time following an incident in which she reversed into a parked vehicle whilst more than twice the legal limit for alcohol. [21] [22]
In July 2016, it was reported that Weeks had gone missing, with relatives said to be concerned for her welfare. [20] However, she was later found safe and well and remained with police late that night before returning to West Sussex. [23] [24]
In a 2010 interview for the Sunday Mercury , Weeks said that she was a vegetarian. [25]
In 2004, Weeks was nominated in the Most Popular Newcomer category at the National Television Awards.[ citation needed ]
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goggle-Eyes | 1993 | Kitty Killen | 4-part miniseries (appeared in all episodes) |
| A Dark-Adapted Eye | 1994 | Young Faith | 2-part miniseries (appeared in Episode 1) |
| The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | 1995 | Young Petra Saunderton | Series 8, episode 4 - "The Strawberry Tree: Part 1" |
| The Bill | Lucy Dean | Series 11, episode 128 - "Deadline" | |
| 1996 | Deborah White | Series 12, episode 64 - "Cuckoo" | |
| Have Your Cake and Eat It | 1997 | Sophie Dawson | 4-part miniseries (appeared in all episodes) |
| The Rag Nymph | Millie | 3-part miniseries (appeared in all episodes) | |
| The Wild House | 1997–1998 | Serena Wild | Main role; Series 1 and 2 (18 episodes) |
| Close Relations | 1998 | Imogen | 6-part miniseries (appeared in Episodes 1–5) |
| The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Jenny | Series 11, episode 7 - "The Orchard Walls" | |
| Midsomer Murders | 1999 | Fleur Bridges | Series 2, episode 4 - "Blood Will Out" |
| Casualty | 2000 | Diane Gibson | Series 15, episode 1 - "Phoenix" |
| Lorna Doone | Annie Ridd | Television film | |
| Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings | Alice Cottisloe | Christmas special | |
| My Brother Tom | 2001 | Sarah | Feature film |
| Foyle's War | 2002–2015 | Samantha Stewart / Samantha Wainwright | Main role; 8 series (28 episodes) |
| Red Mercury | 2005 | Clarissa | Feature film |
| Agatha Christie's Poirot | Rhoda Dawes | Series 10, episode 2 - "Cards on the Table" | |
| Where the Heart Is | 2006 | Carly | Series 10, episode 7 - "Don't Look Back in Anger" |
| The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | 2007 | Tania Thompson | Series 6, episode 2 - "Know Thine Enemy" |
| The Bill | 2009 | Julie Nowak | Series 25, episodes 12 and 13 - "Righteous Kill" (Parts 1 and 2) |
| The Wicker Tree | 2011 | Lolly | Feature film |
| The A to Z of Crime | Herself | 6-part series (appeared in 3 episodes) | |
| The Charles Dickens Show | 2012 | Mrs. Beeton | 4-part miniseries (appeared in Episode 3 - "Christmas") |
| The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson | 2014 | Herself | Show 1,939 (28 May 2014) |
| Death in Paradise | 2015 | Mae Harmer | Series 4, episode 8 - "Unlike Father, Unlike Son" |
| Lewis | Carina Beskin | Series 9, episodes 3 and 4 - "Magnum Opus" (Parts 1 and 2) | |
| The Five | 2016 | Laura Marshall | Series 1 (4 episodes) |
| Frankie Drake Mysteries | 2019 | Agatha Christie [26] | Series 3, episode 1 - "No Friends Like Old Friends" |
| Maxxx | 2020 | Christy | Series 1, Episode 2 (House Party) |
Murder, She Wrote is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series focuses on the life of Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer and amateur detective, who becomes involved in solving murders that take place in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, across the United States, and abroad. The program ran for 12 seasons from September 30, 1984, to May 19, 1996, for a total of 264 episodes and included amongst its recurring cast Tom Bosley, William Windom and Ron Masak, as well as a vast array of guest cast members including Mickey Rooney, Michael Horton, Keith Michell, George Segal, Kevin McCarthy, Gene Barry, Martin Milner, Earl Holliman, Pat Morita, Tom Wopat, John Astin, Loretta Swit, John Saxon, Ruth Roman, Kathryn Grayson, Ken Howard, Bradford Dillman, Jean Peters, Neil Patrick Harris, Harvey Fierstein, Bill Maher, Cynthia Nixon, Bryan Cranston, and Julie Adams.
Joanna David is an English actress, best known for her television work.
Amy Irving is an American actress and singer, who worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.
Stella Gonet is a Scottish theatre, film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC dramas The House of Eliott (1991–94) and Holby City (2007–09). Her stage credits include playing Ophelia in the 1989 National Theatre revival of Hamlet, opposite both Daniel Day-Lewis and Ian Charleson as Hamlet and playing Margaret Thatcher in the original West End production of Handbagged (2014). She played Queen Elizabeth II in the 2021 movie Spencer and Margaret Thatcher in the 2023 movie El Conde.
Foyle's War is a British detective drama television series set during and shortly after the Second World War, created by Midsomer Murders screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz and commissioned by ITV after the long-running series Inspector Morse ended in 2000. It began broadcasting on ITV in October 2002. ITV director of programmes Simon Shaps cancelled Foyle's War in 2007, but Peter Fincham revived the programme after good ratings for 2008's fifth series. The final episode was broadcast on 18 January 2015, after eight series.
Tasma Walton is an Aboriginal Australian television and film actress.
Michael Roy Kitchen is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle in the ITV drama Foyle's War, which comprised eight series between 2002 and 2015. He also played the role of Bill Tanner in two James Bond films opposite Pierce Brosnan, and that of John Farrow in BBC Four's comedy series Brian Pern.
Amanda Root is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her starring role as Anne Elliot in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Persuasion. A familiar face on both stage and screen, she worked regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company during her early career, performing as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, among other roles. In 2009, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Sarah in Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests.
Henry Goodman is a RADA trained British actor. He has appeared on television and radio, in film and in the theatre.
Shirley Henderson is a Scottish actress. Her accolades include two Scottish BAFTAs, a VFCC Award and an Olivier Award, as well as BAFTA, BIFA, London Critics' Circle, Chlotrudis, Gotham, and Canadian Screen Award nominations.
Anthony Matthew Howell is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Sgt. Paul Milner in the British TV series Foyle's War and Margit/Morgott in Elden Ring.
Guy Henry is an English actor whose roles include Henrik Hanssen in Holby City, Pius Thicknesse in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2, Cassius in Rome and Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One.
Jessy Schram is an American actress, model and singer. Her most notable roles include Hannah Griffith in Veronica Mars, Rachel Seybolt in Life, Karen Nadler in Falling Skies, Cinderella/Ashley Boyd in Once Upon a Time and Dr. Hannah Asher in Chicago Med.
Philip Jackson is an English actor. He appeared as Chief Inspector Japp in both the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot and in BBC Radio dramatisations of Poirot stories; as Melvin "Dylan" Bottomley in Porridge; and as Abbot Hugo, one of the recurring adversaries in the 1980s series Robin of Sherwood.
Rollo Percival Loring Weeks is a British former actor. He is best known for his titular roles in the films The Little Vampire (2000) and The Thief Lord (2006).
Perdita Rose Weeks is a British actress who plays Juliet Higgins in the CBS/NBC reboot series Magnum P.I.
Daniel Max Weyman is an English actor notable for his main roles in Just Inès (2010), Foyle's War (2013), and Silent Witness (2016), and more recently known for his role as The Stranger / Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–present).
Brittany Leanna Robertson-Floyd, known professionally as Britt Robertson, is an American actress. She has appeared in the films The First Time (2012), Tomorrowland (2015), The Space Between Us (2017) and I Still Believe (2020).
Sarah M. Badel is a retired British stage and film actress. She is the daughter of actors Alan Badel and Yvonne Owen.
Sophie Alexandra Skelton is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Brianna Fraser in the Starz drama series Outlander.
She grew up just near Petworth, went to school at Great Ballard and started her acting career with Chichester Festival Youth Theatre in 1988.
Weeks was educated at Great Ballard School, Sussex, Roedean School and Pembroke College, Oxford
She is a vegetarian and has a small scar on her lip where her Tibetan Mastiff puppy Kensal jumped on her.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
