Anna Friel

Anna Friel (born 12 July, 1976) is a popular English actress born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Acting career

Friel's acting career took off when she played the role of Beth Jordache on the British Channel 4 soap opera, Brookside from 1993-1995; she created a piece of British television history with British TV's first pre-watershed lesbian kiss.^[1]. In 1995, Friel won the National Television Award for Most popular actress for her work on Brookside.

In 1998, Friel courted further controversy when she appeared in the television film The Tribe by Stephen Poliakoff, which became most memorable for it's nudity and a much discussed menage-a-trois sex scene between characters played by Friel, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jeremy Northam.

In 1998, Friel appeared in the original broadway run of Closer by Patrick Marber at the Music Box Theatre to much acclaim, winning Drama Desk and Theatre World awards for her turn as Alice and in 2001, Friel made her West End stage debut in a fringe production of Lulu.

Her film credits include Rogue Trader opposite Ewan McGregor, David Leland's The Land Girls, which also starred Rachel Weisz and Catherine McCormack, All For Love with Richard E. Grant, A Midsummer Night's Dream with Michelle Pfeiffer, Timeline, Me Without You opposite Michelle Williams and Goal! and Goal! 2.

Friel's television work includes the short lived The Jury for the Fox Network and ITV1's Watermelon which was based on the novel by Marian Keyes. She will shortly be seen in Pushing daisies, a new pilot for the 2007 season on the American network ABC.

In November 2006 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bolton for contributions to the performing arts.^[2]

She has recently been seen as the face of Pantene Pro-V Ice shine in the UK, appearing in both television commercials and print advertising, Friel has also previously appeared in commercials for 3 Mobile and Virgin Atlantic.

According to press reports, she narrowly missed out on the role of Jenny Everdeane in Gangs Of New York to Cameron Diaz. She will shortly be seen as Elizabeth Bathory in Bathory and in Angel Makers opposite Helen Mirren.

Personal life

Once engaged to Darren Day, and having been a girlfriend of Robbie Williams, she is currently living with her actor boyfriend David Thewlis. Their daughter, Gracie, was born on 9 July, 2005, in London. They currently divide their time between Los Angeles and Windsor, Berkshire.

Friel studied for her GCSEs at Crompton House School, in Shaw and Crompton, Greater Manchester.

Notes and references

1. ^ Discover more about the stars of BBC Drama - Anna Friel. BBC.
2. ^ "University announces winter Honorary Doctorates", University of Bolton, 24 November 2006.

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