Anna Friel
Encyclopedia
Anna Louise Friel is an English actress. She rose to fame in the UK as Beth Jordache on the Channel 4
soap Brookside
.
, Greater Manchester, the daughter of Julie, a special needs teacher, and Des Friel, a former teacher of French and owner of a web design company. Friel's Irish Catholic
father, a former folk
guitarist, was born in Belfast
, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Donegal
, Ireland. Her brother Michael starred in Hovis
television adverts.
She attended Crompton House Church of England High School
, in High Crompton
, Shaw and Crompton
. She then attended Holy Cross College
in Bury
.
drama serial G.B.H., as the daughter of Michael Palin
's character. Her performance led to a series of appearances on various British television shows, including Emmerdale
. In 1992, she was added to the cast on the Channel 4 soap opera
Brookside
, where she gained greater exposure in the role of Beth Jordache. She stayed on the programme for two years. Friel's on-air lesbian kiss
was the first in British soap history. In 1995, Friel won the National Television Award
for Most Popular Actress for her work on Brookside.
In 1996, Friel courted further controversy when she appeared in the television film The Tribe
by Stephen Poliakoff
, which included nudity and a much discussed ménage à trois
sex scene between characters played by Friel, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jeremy Northam
.
In 2001, she made her West End
stage debut in London in a fringe production of Lulu
, which also transferred to Broadway.
Friel's film credits include playing Nick Leeson
's wife Lisa in Rogue Trader
opposite Ewan McGregor
; David Leland
's The Land Girls, which also starred Rachel Weisz
and Catherine McCormack
; Adam Collis
Sunset Strip
as Tammy Franklin, opposite Jared Leto
, Simon Baker
and Nick Stahl
; All for Love
with Richard E. Grant
; A Midsummer Night's Dream
as Hermia, opposite Christian Bale
, Dominic West
and Calista Flockhart
; Timeline
as Gerard Butler
's object of affection; Me Without You
opposite Michelle Williams
; and Goal!
and Goal! 2: Living the Dream...
.
Her television work includes the short lived The Jury
for the Fox
and ITV1
's Watermelon
which was based on the novel by Marian Keyes
. In 2007, she started playing Charlotte "Chuck" Charles in Pushing Daisies
, a new television series from the creator of Dead Like Me
and Wonderfalls
, on the American network ABC
. Although popular with critics, in November 2008, creator Bryan Fuller
stated that it had been cancelled due to poor ratings. The show ran for two seasons.
In the pilot season following the cancellation of Pushing Daisies, Friel was offered six pilots but declined all six roles in favour of focusing on her movie career.
In November 2006, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate
by the University of Bolton
for contributions to the performing arts
.
She has also been seen as the face of Pantene
Pro-V Ice shine in the United Kingdom, appearing in both television advertisement
s and print advertising. She has also appeared in adverts on television for 3 Mobile
and Virgin Atlantic Airways
.
In September 2009, Friel starred in a West End adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's
at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
In April 2010, she was cast in the psychological thriller film The Dark Fields (now entitled Limitless
and released in March 2011). In November 2010, Friel starred in London Boulevard
alongside Ray Winstone
, Colin Farrell
, Keira Knightley
and her then partner David Thewlis.
Friel appears in the video for the Manic Street Preachers
' September 2010 single "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love
" opposite Welsh actor Michael Sheen
, with whom she co-starred in the 2003 film Timeline
.
In January 2011, Friel appeared in a episode of the BBC series Come Fly with Me
as a fictionalised version of herself. In the show she is bald and has lost her wig.
, whom she met on a flight to Cannes
. Their daughter, Gracie Ellen Mary Friel, was born on 9 July 2005 at Portland Hospital
in London. In December 2010, Friel and Thewlis ended their relationship. She began dating fellow actor Rhys Ifans
in 2011.
In 2008, Friel began supporting the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer
.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
.
Early life
Friel was born in RochdaleRochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Greater Manchester, the daughter of Julie, a special needs teacher, and Des Friel, a former teacher of French and owner of a web design company. Friel's Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
father, a former folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
guitarist, was born in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Donegal
Donegal
Donegal or Donegal Town is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. Its name, which was historically written in English as Dunnagall or Dunagall, translates from Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" ....
, Ireland. Her brother Michael starred in Hovis
Hovis
Hovis is a UK brand of flour and bread, owned by Premier Foods. The brand, which began in 1886, ended up as part of Rank Hovis McDougall in 1962 after a succession of mergers. RHM, whose bread making division has been known as British Bakeries since 1955, also owns the Mother's Pride and Nimble...
television adverts.
She attended Crompton House Church of England High School
Crompton House
Crompton House Church of England High School is a mixed gender voluntary aided Church of England secondary school and sixth form for 11–18 year olds, located in the High Crompton area of Shaw and Crompton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England...
, in High Crompton
High Crompton
High Crompton is a locality in the west of the Shaw and Crompton parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is formed around High Crompton Park and Rochdale Road....
, Shaw and Crompton
Shaw and Crompton
Shaw and Crompton is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, north of Oldham, southeast of Rochdale, and to the northeast of the city of Manchester...
. She then attended Holy Cross College
Holy Cross College (UK)
Holy Cross College is a Catholic Sixth Form College on Manchester Road in Bury, England, UK-Admissions:It has around 2200 pupils. It offers education for pupils ages 16–19 including A Levels and a limited selection of Undergraduate degrees-History:...
in Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
.
Acting career
At the age of 13, she was hired for her first professional acting job in the Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
drama serial G.B.H., as the daughter of Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
's character. Her performance led to a series of appearances on various British television shows, including Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
. In 1992, she was added to the cast on the Channel 4 soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, where she gained greater exposure in the role of Beth Jordache. She stayed on the programme for two years. Friel's on-air lesbian kiss
Lesbian kiss episode
The "lesbian kiss episode" is a sub-genre of the U.S. television media created in the 1990s. Beginning in 1991 with a kiss on L.A. Law episode "He's a Crowd" between C.J...
was the first in British soap history. In 1995, Friel won the National Television Award
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
for Most Popular Actress for her work on Brookside.
In 1996, Friel courted further controversy when she appeared in the television film The Tribe
The Tribe (1998 film)
The Tribe is a 1998 television film written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, and starring Joely Richardson, Jeremy Northam, and Anna Friel.The film was made in 1996, but only first appeared in 1998, on BBC Two...
by Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists.-Early life and career:...
, which included nudity and a much discussed ménage à trois
Ménage à trois
Ménage à trois is a French term which originally described a domestic arrangement in which three people having sexual relations occupy the same household – the phrase literally translates as "household of three"...
sex scene between characters played by Friel, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Philip Northam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Ivor Novello in the 2001 film Gosford Park, as Dean Martin in the 2002 television movie Martin and Lewis, and as Thomas More on the Showtime series The Tudors...
.
In 2001, she made her West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
stage debut in London in a fringe production of Lulu
Lulu (opera)
Lulu is an opera by the composer Alban Berg. The libretto was adapted by Berg himself from Frank Wedekind's plays Erdgeist and Die Büchse der Pandora .-Composition history:...
, which also transferred to Broadway.
Friel's film credits include playing Nick Leeson
Nick Leeson
Nicholas "Nick" Leeson is a former derivatives broker whose fraudulent, unauthorized speculative trading caused the collapse of Barings Bank, the United Kingdom's oldest investment bank, for which he was sent to prison...
's wife Lisa in Rogue Trader
Rogue Trader (film)
Rogue Trader is a 1999 drama film directed by James Dearden about former derivatives broker Nick Leeson and the 1995 collapse of Barings Bank...
opposite Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
; David Leland
David Leland
David Leland is a director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut Wish You Were Here in 1987.-Life:...
's The Land Girls, which also starred Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
and Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack is an English actress, known for her stage acting as well as her screen performances in films such as Braveheart, Spy Game and Dangerous Beauty.- Early life :...
; Adam Collis
Adam Collis
Adam Collis is an American filmmaker and actor. He attended the Duke University from 1986 to 1990 and the University of California, Los Angeles from 2007 to 2010. He also studied cinema at the University of Southern California from 1991 to 1997. Collis first work was the assistant director for the...
Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip (film)
Sunset Strip is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by Adam Collis for 20th Century Fox. Randall Jahnson wrote the story, who previously examined the rock scene in his scripts for The Doors and Dudes, and he and Russell DeGrazier adapted the story into a screenplay.This comedy takes place in...
as Tammy Franklin, opposite Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
, Simon Baker
Simon Baker
Simon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...
and Nick Stahl
Nick Stahl
Nicolas Kent "Nick" Stahl is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film The Man Without a Face and then embarked on a successful career as a child actor...
; All for Love
St. Ives (1998 film)
St. Ives is a 1998 television film based on the unfinished Robert Louis Stevenson novel, St Ives. The film features Miranda Richardson, Anna Friel, Richard E Grant and Jean-Marc Barr....
with Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant
Richard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born British actor, screenwriter and director. His most notable role came in the film Withnail and I. He holds dual British and Swazi citizenship.-Early life:...
; A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film)
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1999 American film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Michael Hoffman. The ensemble cast features Kevin Kline as Bottom, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett as Titania and Oberon, and Calista Flockhart, Anna Friel,...
as Hermia, opposite Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, Dominic West
Dominic West
Dominic Gerard Fe West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Film and TV:...
and Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart
Calista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
; Timeline
Timeline (film)
Timeline is a 2003 science fiction action film, directed by Richard Donner. It stars Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Gerard Butler and Anna Friel. It is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton...
as Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
's object of affection; Me Without You
Me Without You (film)
Me Without You is a 2001 British film, starring Anna Friel, Michelle Williams and Oliver Milburn, and written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher.- Plot :...
opposite Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (actress)
Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. After starting her career with television guest appearances in the early 1990s, Williams achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek, which she played from 1998 to 2003...
; and Goal!
Goal! (film)
Goal! is a 2005 film directed by Danny Cannon. It is the first installment of a trilogy also named Goal!. This film was made with full cooperation from FIFA, which is one of the reasons actual teams and players are used throughout the film...
and Goal! 2: Living the Dream...
Goal! 2: Living the Dream...
Goal II: Living the Dream is the second part of the football film trilogy Goal! and it was released on 9 February 2007 in the United Kingdom and 29 August 2008 in the United States.- Plot :...
.
Her television work includes the short lived The Jury
The Jury (TV series)
The Jury is an American legal drama television series that was broadcast by the Fox Network in 2004. Each week, in the same New York City courtroom, a new 12-person jury deliberates over a criminal case...
for the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's Watermelon
Watermelon (television film)
Watermelon is a 2003 television film, directed by Kieron J. Walsh.The screenplay is by Colin Bateman. The film is inspired by the novel by Marian Keyes.It stars Anna Friel, Jamie Draven, Ciaran McMenamin, Sean McGinley, and Brenda Fricker....
which was based on the novel by Marian Keyes
Marian Keyes
Marian Keyes is an Irish Book Awards-winner Irish novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for her work in women's literature. She has sold over more 22 million copies worldwide and been translated into 32 languages...
. In 2007, she started playing Charlotte "Chuck" Charles in Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
, a new television series from the creator of Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me was an American-Canadian comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for the Showtime network, where it ran for two seasons...
and Wonderfalls
Wonderfalls
Wonderfalls is a comedy-drama television series that was broadcast on the Fox television network in 2004.The show centres on Jaye Tyler , a recent Brown University graduate with a philosophy degree, who holds a dead-end job as a sales clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop...
, on the American network ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Although popular with critics, in November 2008, creator Bryan Fuller
Bryan Fuller
Bryan Fuller is an American screenwriter and television producer.Fuller graduated from Clarkston High School in Clarkston, Washington in 1987...
stated that it had been cancelled due to poor ratings. The show ran for two seasons.
In the pilot season following the cancellation of Pushing Daisies, Friel was offered six pilots but declined all six roles in favour of focusing on her movie career.
In November 2006, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
by the University of Bolton
University of Bolton
The University of Bolton is a university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It has around 14,000 students across all sites and courses, with 700 academic and professional staff. Around 70% of its students come from Bolton and the North West region...
for contributions to the performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
.
She has also been seen as the face of Pantene
Pantene
Pantene is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1947 by Hoffman-LaRoche of Switzerland, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient...
Pro-V Ice shine in the United Kingdom, appearing in both television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s and print advertising. She has also appeared in adverts on television for 3 Mobile
Hutchison 3G
3 is a brand name under which several UMTS-based mobile phone networks and Broadband Internet Providers are operated in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom...
and Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
.
In September 2009, Friel starred in a West End adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella)
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella by Truman Capote published in 1958. The main character, Holly Golightly, is one of Capote's best-known creations and an American cultural icon.-Plot:...
at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
In April 2010, she was cast in the psychological thriller film The Dark Fields (now entitled Limitless
Limitless
Limitless is one of the world's largest private superyachts. She was built in 1997 by German shipmaker Lürssen, designed under the direction of Jon Bannenberg. The overall length is 96,25 m , the width 12,50 m...
and released in March 2011). In November 2010, Friel starred in London Boulevard
London Boulevard
London Boulevard is a 2010 British film noir released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2010. It is based on a novel by Ken Bruen with screenplay and direction by William Monahan, marking his directorial debut...
alongside Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
, Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
, Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
and her then partner David Thewlis.
Friel appears in the video for the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
' September 2010 single "(It's Not War) Just the End of Love
(It's Not War) Just the End of Love
" Just the End of Love" is a song by Manic Street Preachers and both the opener and the lead single of their tenth album Postcards From a Young Man....
" opposite Welsh actor Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
, with whom she co-starred in the 2003 film Timeline
Timeline (film)
Timeline is a 2003 science fiction action film, directed by Richard Donner. It stars Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Gerard Butler and Anna Friel. It is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton...
.
In January 2011, Friel appeared in a episode of the BBC series Come Fly with Me
Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series)
Come Fly with Me is a British mockumentary television comedy series created by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Narrated by Lindsay Duncan, the series launched on 25 December 2010 on BBC One and BBC One HD...
as a fictionalised version of herself. In the show she is bald and has lost her wig.
Personal life
In 2001, Friel began a relationship with actor David ThewlisDavid Thewlis
David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...
, whom she met on a flight to Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
. Their daughter, Gracie Ellen Mary Friel, was born on 9 July 2005 at Portland Hospital
Portland Hospital
The Portland Hospital for Women and Children, usually referred to simply as the Portland Hospital, is a hospital in Great Portland Street, London...
in London. In December 2010, Friel and Thewlis ended their relationship. She began dating fellow actor Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
in 2011.
In 2008, Friel began supporting the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a United Kingdom charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education. Its vision is "to work for a future free from the fear of breast cancer".-History:...
.
Awards and nominations
- 2009 Royal Television Society North West AwardRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
– Best Performance in a Single Drama or Drama Series for The StreetThe Street (TV series)The Street is a British television drama series created by Jimmy McGovern and produced by Granada Television for the BBC. The series follows the lives of various residents of an unnamed street in Manchester and features an all-star cast including Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Bob... - 2008 Golden Globe – Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical Nomination for Pushing DaisiesPushing DaisiesPushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
(nominee) - 1999 Drama Desk Awards – Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for "Closer"
- 1995 TV TimesTV TimesTVTimes is a television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom by IPC Media, a subsidiary of Time Warner. It is known for its access to television actors and their programmes. In 2006 it was refreshed for a more modern look, increasing its emphasis on big star interviews and soaps...
Awards – Best Actress - 1994 TV Quick Magazine – Best Newcomer
- Honorary degree, awarded by University of BoltonUniversity of BoltonThe University of Bolton is a university in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It has around 14,000 students across all sites and courses, with 700 academic and professional staff. Around 70% of its students come from Bolton and the North West region...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | G.B.H. | Susan Nelson | TV mini-series |
| 1992 | Emmerdale Emmerdale Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972... |
Poppy Bruce | Episodes |
| 1993 | Medics | Holly Jarrett | Episode (#3.3) |
| 1993–1995 | Brookside Brookside Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003... |
Beth Jordache | Episodes |
| 1995 | The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show was a stand-up and sketch show by comedians Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. They were a double act in The Mary Whitehouse Experience, and they also featured in Canned Carrott, so they had plenty of experience working together. Impressionists Alistair McGowan... |
Episode (#2.1) | |
| 1996 | Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt (TV series) Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO... |
Angelica | Episode ("About Face") |
| Cadfael Cadfael Brother Cadfael is the fictional main character in a series of historical murder mysteries written between 1977 and 1994 by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name "Ellis Peters". The character of Cadfael himself is a Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey, in western England,... |
Sioned | Episode ("A Morbid Taste for Bones") | |
| 1998 | The Land Girls The Land Girls (film) The Land Girls is a 1998 movie directed by David Leland and starring Catherine McCormack, Rachel Weisz, Anna Friel, Steven Mackintosh and Ann Bell. It is based on the book Land Girls by Angela Huth.-Synopsis:... |
Prue (Prudence) | |
| Our Mutual Friend Our Mutual Friend (1998 TV serial) Our Mutual Friend is a British television serial broadcast in 1998 and adapted from Charles Dickens's novel Our Mutual Friend .-Plot summary:For a full length summary of the book see Our Mutual Friend plot summary.-Awards:... |
Bella Wilfer | Episodes (#1.1, #1.2) | |
| The Stringer | Helen | ||
| The Tribe The Tribe (1998 film) The Tribe is a 1998 television film written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, and starring Joely Richardson, Jeremy Northam, and Anna Friel.The film was made in 1996, but only first appeared in 1998, on BBC Two... |
Lizzie | ||
| St. Ives St. Ives (1998 film) St. Ives is a 1998 television film based on the unfinished Robert Louis Stevenson novel, St Ives. The film features Miranda Richardson, Anna Friel, Richard E Grant and Jean-Marc Barr.... |
Flora Gilchrist | ||
| 1999 | A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film) A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1999 American film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Michael Hoffman. The ensemble cast features Kevin Kline as Bottom, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Everett as Titania and Oberon, and Calista Flockhart, Anna Friel,... |
Hermia | |
| Rogue Trader Rogue Trader (film) Rogue Trader is a 1999 drama film directed by James Dearden about former derivatives broker Nick Leeson and the 1995 collapse of Barings Bank... |
Lisa Leeson | ||
| Mad Cows | Maddy | ||
| 2000 | Sunset Strip Sunset Strip (film) Sunset Strip is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by Adam Collis for 20th Century Fox. Randall Jahnson wrote the story, who previously examined the rock scene in his scripts for The Doors and Dudes, and he and Russell DeGrazier adapted the story into a screenplay.This comedy takes place in... |
Tammy Franklin | |
| An Everlasting Piece An Everlasting Piece An Everlasting Piece is a 2000 American comedy film. The movie was directed by Barry Levinson and written by and starring Barry McEvoy. The plot involves two wig salesmen, one Catholic and one Protestant, who live in war torn Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the mid-'80s... |
Bronagh | ||
| 2001 | The Fear | Storyteller | Recurring |
| The War Bride | Lily | ||
| Me Without You Me Without You (film) Me Without You is a 2001 British film, starring Anna Friel, Michelle Williams and Oliver Milburn, and written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher.- Plot :... |
Marina | ||
| 2002 | Fields of Gold | Lucia Merritt | TV movie |
| 2003 | Watermelon Watermelon (television film) Watermelon is a 2003 television film, directed by Kieron J. Walsh.The screenplay is by Colin Bateman. The film is inspired by the novel by Marian Keyes.It stars Anna Friel, Jamie Draven, Ciaran McMenamin, Sean McGinley, and Brenda Fricker.... |
Claire Ryan | TV movie |
| Last Rumba in Rochdale | Bodney | Voice actor | |
| Timeline Timeline (film) Timeline is a 2003 science fiction action film, directed by Richard Donner. It stars Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Gerard Butler and Anna Friel. It is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton... |
Lady Claire | ||
| 2004 | Perfect Strangers Perfect Strangers (2004 film) Perfect Strangers is a 2004 romantic comedy film starring Rob Lowe and Anna Friel.-Plot:Lloyd and Susie in London work for the same ad agency, but in different cities. An arrangement is made where they switch jobs and homes for a month... |
Susie Wilding | |
| 2005 | Goal! Goal! (film) Goal! is a 2005 film directed by Danny Cannon. It is the first installment of a trilogy also named Goal!. This film was made with full cooperation from FIFA, which is one of the reasons actual teams and players are used throughout the film... |
Roz Harmison | |
| 2006 | Irish Jam Irish Jam Irish Jam is a 2006 comedy film starring Eddie Griffin. The plot centred around an African American who wins an Irish public house in a raffle, and has to save the village from the clutches of an evil landlord. Despite the bulk of the film being set in Ireland it was not filmed there, nor were the... |
Maureen | |
| Niagara Motel Niagara Motel Niagara Motel is a 2006 Canadian drama film directed by Gary Yates. The film earned numerous nominations, including a Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for Caroline Dhavernas.- Plot :... |
Denise | ||
| 2007 | Goal! 2: Living the Dream... Goal! 2: Living the Dream... Goal II: Living the Dream is the second part of the football film trilogy Goal! and it was released on 9 February 2007 in the United Kingdom and 29 August 2008 in the United States.- Plot :... |
Roz Harmison | |
| Rubbish | Isobel | ||
| 2007–2008 | Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations... |
Charlotte "Chuck" Charles | Main cast |
| 2008 | Bathory | Countess Erzsébet Báthory Elizabeth Báthory Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family of Hungarian nobility. Although in modern times she has been labelled the most prolific serial killer in history, the number of murders has been debated... |
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| 2009 | Land of the Lost Land of the Lost (film) Land of the Lost is a 2009 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel, based on the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series of the same name.-Plot:... |
Holly Cantrell | |
| The Street The Street (TV series) The Street is a British television drama series created by Jimmy McGovern and produced by Granada Television for the BBC. The series follows the lives of various residents of an unnamed street in Manchester and features an all-star cast including Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Jane Horrocks, Bob... |
Dee Purnell | Episodes (#3.2 and #3.3) | |
| 2010 | London Boulevard London Boulevard London Boulevard is a 2010 British film noir released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2010. It is based on a novel by Ken Bruen with screenplay and direction by William Monahan, marking his directorial debut... |
Briony | |
| Angel Makers | Lizzie | upcoming film | |
| You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is a 2010 English-language Spanish-American co-production comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. It features Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch, Naomi Watts, Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Pauline... |
Iris | ||
| 2011 | Neverland | Elizabeth Bonny | TV movie |
| Treasure guards | Victoria Eckhart | TV movie | |
| Come Fly with Me Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series) Come Fly with Me is a British mockumentary television comedy series created by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Narrated by Lindsay Duncan, the series launched on 25 December 2010 on BBC One and BBC One HD... |
Herself | Comedy series | |
| Limitless | Melissa |
External links
- Anna Friel's Sentimental Journey Horkins, Tony Page Six Magazine Oct. 19, 2008