Lesley Sharp

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Lesley Sharp
Lesley Sharp in Carla 2003.jpg
Sharp in Carla 2003
Born
Karen Makinson

(1960-04-03) April 3, 1960 (age 65)
Manchester, England
OccupationActress
Years active1983–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1994)​
Children2

Lesley Sharp (born 3 April 1960) is an English actress, She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her part in the film The Full Monty (1997), and for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her role in Bob & Rose (2001).

Contents

Her credits include Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987), The Rachel Papers (1989), Naked (1993), Priest (1994), The Moonstone (1996), Great Expectations (1999), Daylight Robbery (1999), Clocking Off (2000–2001), From Hell (2001), Vera Drake (2004), Afterlife (2005–2006), Scott & Bailey (2011-2016), This Cop Life (2022), and The Full Monty (TV series) (2023).

Early life

Sharp was born in Manchester, England to Elsie Makinson and Norman Patient, a married tram driver. She was adopted at six weeks old. Her adoptive father, Jack, was a tax inspector, and she grew up in Merseyside. [1]

Sharp has stated that she started acting because, as a child, she felt "invisible" and did not "quite fit in". [2] She has said that her inspiration to act came from watching Dick Emery on television. [3]

Sharp attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the class of 1982. [4]

Career

Sharp's screen debut was in Alan Clarke's Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986), [1] playing Bob's wife, Michelle. Further film appearances included supporting roles in The Rachel Papers (1989), [4] and Stephen Poliakoff's Close My Eyes , with Clive Owen and Alan Rickman. Sharp starred in Mike Leigh's Naked (1993), [1] and the Jimmy McGovern-penned Priest (1994). She made appearances in Prime Suspect 4: The Lost Child (1995), and The Full Monty (1997). [1]

She was offered lead roles in Common As Muck (1997), followed by Playing the Field (1998–2002), [4] a drama about a female football team which ran for five series. Sharp had supporting parts in Great Expectations (1999), [4] as Mrs Joe, and in Nature Boy (2000), [4] as Martha Tyler, before landing the role of Trudy Graham in Paul Abbott's BAFTA-award-winning Clocking Off (2000–2003), [1] Russell T. Davies then cast her opposite Alan Davies in Bob & Rose , [1] which resulted in a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress nomination in 2002. [5]

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. She starred in The Second Coming (2003). [1]

Sharp again worked with Mike Leigh in Vera Drake (2004), [2] which was followed by the television drama Planespotting, [2] 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 . [2]

After a ten-year break from stagework, in October 2005 Sharp returned to the theatre as Emma in Sam Shepard's The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse. [2] In 2008, she starred in the three-part Lucy Gannon-penned drama The Children . [4] Later in 2008, she worked with Russell T. Davies for a third time when she played Sky Silvestry in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight". [1] Davies later tipped Sharp to become the first woman to play the Doctor. [6]

In early 2009 Sharp played Petronella van Daan in the BBC's new version of The Diary of Anne Frank . [4] She subsequently played Paddy Considine's wife in Channel 4's acclaimed drama series Red Riding . [1] Sharp starred in a 2009 revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre with Marc Warren and Diana Vickers, [7] 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. [8]

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. [9]

She appeared in several episodes of the Netflix original Fate: The Winx Saga as Rosalind but was replaced in this role with Miranda Richardson after the first season.

In 2021 she took the lead role in Kae Tempest’s Philoctetes at the National Theatre.

In 2022 she narrated the police documentary This Cop Life.

Personal life

Sharp married Nicholas Gleaves in 1994, [1] and they have two children. [10]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1987 Rita, Sue and Bob Too Michelle
The Love ChildBernadette
1989 The Rachel Papers Jenny
1991 Close My Eyes Jessica
1993 Naked Louise
1994SyrupMiss JamesShort
Priest Mrs. Unsworth
1997 The Full Monty Jean
2001 From Hell Kate Eddowes
2002SpyholeAngela MillerShort
2003CheekyKath
2004 Vera Drake Jessica Barnes
2008 Inkheart Mortola
2009In PassingFay TraversShort
2012PeekabooEmilyShort
2015The Holocaust: A Story of RemembranceNarratorShort
2016Dusty & MeLil
2017All That You Love Will Be Carried AwayAliceShort
2018Spoon FedEllieShort
2019BrightonDoreen
2022 Catherine Called Birdy Morwenna
2025 Pillion Peggy
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1983Tartuffe, or the ImpostorMarianeTV film
1987 ScreenPlay Valerie"Road"
1989Marion Parkin"Night Voice"
Woman"Wedded"
1991Josie1 episode
Performance Dull Gret / Angie"Top Girls"
1992She-Play"First Night"
1993NightsCarol
1993–94 Frank Stubbs Promotes Petra DillonMain (13 episodes)
1994 The All New Alexei Sayle Show Various2 episodes
StagesSusan"Speaking in Tongues"
Dandelion Dead Constance 'Connie' Martin, née DaviesMini-series
1995 Prime Suspect Anne Sutherland"The Lost Child"
The Peter Principle Susan Harvey"Pilot"
1996 The Moonstone Rosanna SpearmanTV film
1997 Common As Muck Christine StranksMain (6 episodes)
Lloyds Bank Channel 4 Film ChallengePet Warmley"Nurse Ajax"
1998–2000 Playing the Field Theresa MullenMain (20 episodes)
1999 Great Expectations Mrs. JoeTV film
Daylight Robbery Carol MurphyMain (4 episodes)
2000Nature BoyMarthaMini-series
2000–01 Clocking Off Trudy GrahamMain (11 episodes)
2001 Bob & Rose Rose CooperMain (6 episodes)
2003 The Second Coming Judith RoachMini-series
Carla Helen NorthTV film
2004 Carrie's War Louisa Evans
2005PlanespottingLesley Coppin
Born with Two MothersLaura Mayfield
Days of DarknessJerri Nielsen
2005–06 Afterlife Alison MundyMain (14 episodes)
2005Our Hidden LivesEdie RutherfordTV film
2006The True Voice of Murder
The True Voice of Prostitution
2008 Doctor Who Sky Silvestry"Midnight"
The Children AnneMini-series (3 episodes)
2009 The Diary of Anne Frank Petronella van DaanMini-series (5 episodes)
Red Riding Joan Hunter"1980"
Moving On Sylvie"Butterfly Effect"
Cranford Mrs. BellSpecials
Poirot Miss Martindale"The Clocks"
2010 Whistle and I'll Come to You HettyTV film
2011Leah's StoryNarratorDocumentary
The Shadow Line Julie BedeMini-series (6 episodes)
2011–16 Scott & Bailey DC Janet ScottMain (33 episodes)
2011The Walton Sextuplets: Moving OnNarratorTV film
ShirleyEliza BasseyTV film
2012 Protecting Our Children NarratorMini-series (3 episodes)
2012–13 Starlings JanMain (16 episodes)
2012Corfu: a Tale of Two IslandsNarratorDocumentary
2013HomeboysEileenTV film
Who Do You Think You Are? Herself1 episode (S10E4)
2014Shirley Charlotte Brontë
2015 Capital MaryMini-series (3 episodes)
Tom Daley: Diving for GoldNarratorDocumentary
2016 Paranoid Lucy CannonburyMain (8 episodes)
2017 Three Girls DC Margaret OliverMini-series (3 episodes)
2017–19 Living the Dream Jen PembertonMain (12 episodes)
2021 Fate: The Winx Saga Rosalind3 episodes
2021– Before We Die Hannah LaingMain
2021 Help GaynorTV film
Heaven MadeNarratorDocumentary
2023 The Full Monty JeanMini-series
2024 Red Eye MadelineDrama

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. [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

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
1988 Olivier Awards Best Comedy Performance A Family AffairNominated
1992 Best Supporting Actress Uncle VanyaNominated
1998 BAFTA Film Awards Best Supporting Actress The Full MontyNominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Cast in a FilmWon
2002 BAFTA TV Awards Best Actress Bob and RoseNominated [5]
Royal Television Society Best Female ActorNominated
2006AfterlifeWon

References and notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 McLean, Gareth (10 September 2005). "A truly visible woman". theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  3. ↑ Billen, Andrew; "Lesley Sharp shows she's married to the job in The Children" The Times , 30 August 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Television | Actress in 2002". BAFTA. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Wallis, Sara; "Writer Russell T. Davies backs Lesley Sharp to be first female Doctor Who" Daily Record , 19 December 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009)
  7. ↑ Michael Billington "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Vaudeville", The Guardian, 21 October 2009
  8. ↑ "A quick chat with Lesley Sharp". What's on TV. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "BBC One: Capital". BBC Online . Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. ↑ Peter Stanford (23 February 2014). "Lesley Sharp: 'Adoption gave me this sense I don't belong". The Telegraph.
  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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