Anna Friel Biography

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Birth Date: July 12, 1976

Birth Place: Rochdale, Lancashire, England, UK

Stage, screen and theatre actress ANNA FRIEL has garnered awards and critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. After a busy 2004 in the US (opposite Rob Lowe in the CBS one off romantic comedy `Perfect Strangers' and winning over audiences as defense attorney Megan Delaney in Barry Levinson's gritty courtroom drama `The Jury' for Fox), Anna finished off the year shooting “Niagara Motel” for Gary Yates in Canada before returning to Cornwall in her native England to play Eddie Griffin's melodic Irish sweetheart in `Irish Jam.' 2005 kept Anna firmly in the UK….at the beginning of the year she announced her pregnancy, filmed “GOAL” and then gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter Gracie Ellen Mary on July 9th with partner, actor David Thewlis.

Born in 1976 in North West England, to language teaching parents, Anna grew up speaking fluent French. She first joined Oldham Theatre Workshop in 1989, performing in numerous productions in theaters across England. The following year, she was cast on the BBC series "In Their Shoes,” and also starred in Alan Bleasdale's critically acclaimed mini-series "G.H.B."

During the next two years, the teenager amassed a long string of UK television credits that led to a gritty regular role, that of Beth Jordache, on the phenomenally popular series "Brookside.” During her last year on "Brookside” she garnered the coveted National Television Award for Best Actress, after which a number of fantastic television performances followed-including her much admired depiction of Bella Wilfer playing opposite Steven Mackintosh in Charles Dickens' “Our Mutual Friend.”

In 1995, Friel made her first foray into the world of feature film with Stephen Poliakoff's movie "The Tribe," starring opposite Joely Richardson and Jeremy Northam. Other films followed including "The Stringer,” "The Land Girls”-in which she starred alongside Rachel Weisz and Catherine McCormack-"Rogue Trader" with Ewan McGregor, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer, "Sunset Strip,” “Watermelon,” Barry Levinson's "An Everlasting Piece,” "The War Bride," for which she was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role; the critically acclaimed "Me Without You" and the recent time-travel adventure for Paramount, "Timeline.”

In 1997, Friel returned to the stage at the Almeida Theatre in "Look Europe" with Harold Pinter. Two years later, she starred on Broadway in Patrick Marber's "Closer," alongside Ciaran Hinds, Rupert Graves and Natasha Richardson, and was honored with a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play as well as Special Achievement Award for an Ensemble Performance. More recently she starred in the London stage play “Lulu” at the Almeida for which she received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2002. Anna would love to return to the London stage as soon as she gets a breather from filming.

Anna Friel Filmography

Limitless (2011) Melissa

London Boulevard (2010) Briony

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) Iris

Land of the Lost (2009) Holly Cantrell

Goal! 2 (2007) Roz Harmison

Goal! The Dream Begins (2006) Roz Harmison

Niagara Motel (2006) Denise

Irish Jam (2006) Maureen Duffy

Timeline (2003) Lady Claire

Me Without You (2002) Marina

St. Ives (2001) Flora