Geraldine Somerville
Encyclopedia
Geraldine Margaret Agnew-Somerville (born 19 May 1967) is a British actress best known for her roles as Detective Sergeant Jane "Panhandle" Penhaligon in Cracker
, and Lily Potter in the Harry Potter film series
.
, Ireland, the daughter of Sir Quentin Charles Agnew-Somerville, 2nd Baronet, and Margaret April Irene, Lady Agnew-Somerville (née Drummond), an antiques dealer, but was brought up on the Isle of Man
.
Her mother is a daughter of John Drummond, 15th Baron Strange
, and sister of the late Cherry Drummond, 16th Baroness Strange
. She has an elder sister, Amelia Rachel (who owns and works in a restaurant with her husband in the Australian rainforest
), and a younger brother, James Lockett Charles Agnew-Somerville, who worked in Hong Kong and writes poetry.
Somerville attended dance classes from the age of six, and at eight was sent to the Arts Educational School
, a boarding school
in Tring
, Hertfordshire
. There she was taught ballet. She left at 16, but continued her studies in London.
(1989) in London. She did stage work and appeared on TV in episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot
and Casualty (1993) before landing the role of Penhaligon (or 'Panhandle') in Cracker
, which she held from the show's inception in 1993 until its demise in 1995 and became one of the most memorable characters of the series.
Somerville played Lady Stockbridge in Julian Fellowes
's Gosford Park
and Harry Potter
's mother Lily in some Potter movies. In May 2007, she played author Daphne du Maurier
in the BBC
TV drama Daphne.
Cracker (UK TV series)
Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The series is centered on a criminal psychologist , Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane. Set in Manchester, it consists of three series which were...
, and Lily Potter in the Harry Potter film series
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
.
Early life
Geraldine Agnew-Somerville was born in County MeathCounty Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland, the daughter of Sir Quentin Charles Agnew-Somerville, 2nd Baronet, and Margaret April Irene, Lady Agnew-Somerville (née Drummond), an antiques dealer, but was brought up on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
Her mother is a daughter of John Drummond, 15th Baron Strange
John Drummond, 15th Baron Strange
John Drummond, 10th of Megginch, 15th Baron Strange , Chief of the Baronial House and Branch of Drummond of Concraig and Lennoch within the clan Drummond and Baron of Megginch....
, and sister of the late Cherry Drummond, 16th Baroness Strange
Cherry Drummond, 16th Baroness Strange
Jean Cherry Drummond of Megginch, 16th Baroness Strange was a cross bench hereditary peer in the House of Lords. She also wrote romantic novels and historical works.-Personal life:...
. She has an elder sister, Amelia Rachel (who owns and works in a restaurant with her husband in the Australian rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
), and a younger brother, James Lockett Charles Agnew-Somerville, who worked in Hong Kong and writes poetry.
Somerville attended dance classes from the age of six, and at eight was sent to the Arts Educational School
The Arts Educational School, Tring Park
Tring Park School for the Performing Arts is an independent co-educational school specialising in dance and performing arts. The school was renamed in January 2009 and was previously known as the Arts Educational School, Tring Park.-Overview:...
, a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Tring
Tring
Tring is a small market town and also a civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in Hertfordshire, England. Situated north-west of London and linked to London by the old Roman road of Akeman Street, by the modern A41, by the Grand Union Canal and by rail lines to Euston Station, Tring is now largely a...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. There she was taught ballet. She left at 16, but continued her studies in London.
Career
Somerville trained at the Guildhall School of Music and DramaGuildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
(1989) in London. She did stage work and appeared on TV in episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Agatha Christie's Poirot is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1989. It stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was originally made by LWT and is now made by ITV Studios...
and Casualty (1993) before landing the role of Penhaligon (or 'Panhandle') in Cracker
Cracker (UK TV series)
Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The series is centered on a criminal psychologist , Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane. Set in Manchester, it consists of three series which were...
, which she held from the show's inception in 1993 until its demise in 1995 and became one of the most memorable characters of the series.
Somerville played Lady Stockbridge in Julian Fellowes
Julian Fellowes
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL , known as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, as well as a Conservative peer.-Early life:...
's Gosford Park
Gosford Park
Gosford Park is a 2001 British-American mystery comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The film stars an ensemble cast, which includes Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, and Michael Gambon...
and Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
's mother Lily in some Potter movies. In May 2007, she played author Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV drama Daphne.
Personal life
Somerville married William Osbourne-Young in December 1995 with whom she has three children; her oldest son Casper was born in May 2002, her second son Arthur was born in 2004 and her youngest daughter Rose in 2007.Filmography
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 epic fantasy film directed by David Yates and the second of two films based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David...
(2011) as Lily Potter - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) as Lily Potter
- SurvivorsSurvivors (2008 TV Series)Survivors is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC. It depicts the lives of a group of people who survived a virulent strain of heretofore unknown influenza which has wiped out most of the human race...
(2010) as Fiona Douglas - Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (film) (2009) as Lily Potter
- The ChildrenThe Children (2008 miniseries)The Children is a three part 2008 drama miniseries written by Lucy Gannon and produced for ITV. It stars Lesley Sharp, Geraldine Somerville and Kevin Whately, and premiered on ITV at 9pm on Monday 1 September, 2008....
(2008) as Sue - DaphneDaphneDaphne was a female minor nature deity. Pursued by Apollo, she fled and was chased. Daphne begged the gods for help, who then transformed her into Laurel.-Overview:...
(2007) as Daphne du MaurierDaphne du MaurierDame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was... - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (2007) as Lily Potter
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy film directed by Mike Newell and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman...
(2005) as Lily Potter - Sixty SixSixty Six (film)Sixty Six is a 2006 British biographical-comedy-drama film about a bar mitzvah which takes place in London on the day of the 1966 world cup final based on the true life bar mitzvah of director Paul Weiland.- Plot :...
(2006) as Mrs. Barrie - Jericho (UK TV series) (2005) as Fiona Hewitt
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (2004) as Lily Potter
- Murder in Mind (2002) as Angela Coates in the episode "Disposal"
- The Safe House (2002) as Sam Graham
- Re-Inventing Eddie (2002) as Jeanie Harris
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (2002) as Lily Potter
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,...
(2001) as Lily Potter - Gosford ParkGosford ParkGosford Park is a 2001 British-American mystery comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. The film stars an ensemble cast, which includes Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, and Michael Gambon...
(2001) as Louisa Stockbridge - Aristocrats (1999) as Lady Emily Lennox
- Daylight RobberyDaylight Robbery (TV series)Daylight Robbery is a British television drama mini-series that aired on ITV from 9 September 1999 to 18 December 2000. Focusing on four Essex women struggling with personal and domestic problems, decide to turn to crime to make ends meet....
(1999) as Val - Heaven on Earth (1998) as Deborah Bennett
- Jilting Joe (1997) as Olivia
- True BlueTrue Blue (film)True Blue is a 1996 British sports film based on the book True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny by Daniel Topolski and Patrick Robinson. It follows the 1987 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race and the disagreement amongst the Oxford team known as the "Oxford mutiny". For the US DVD release, the film was...
(1996) as Ruth - Haunted (1995) as Kate
- CrackerCracker (UK TV series)Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The series is centered on a criminal psychologist , Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane. Set in Manchester, it consists of three series which were...
(1993–1995) as DS Jane Penhaligon - The Black Velvet GownThe Black Velvet GownThe Black Velvet Gown is a 1991 TV film, based on the novel by Catherine Cookson, and starring Janet McTeer, Geraldine Somerville, and Bob Peck...
(1985) as Biddy Millican