Brenda Blethyn

Birth Place: Ramsgate, ENGLAND

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Brenda Blethyn BIO

Brenda Blethyn is a British actress with a career spanning over four decades. Born in Ramsgate, Kent in 1946, Blethyn began her career as a stage actress in the 1970s. She made her Broadway debut in 1992 in the play "Absent Friends" and later returned to Broadway in 2000 in the play "The Play What I Wrote."
Blethyn's breakthrough role came in 1996 when she starred in the Mike Leigh film "Secrets & Lies." Her performance earned her critical acclaim and numerous awards, including a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress.
In addition to her work in film, Blethyn has had a successful career on television. She starred in the BBC series "Outside Edge" in the early 1990s and later appeared in the popular crime drama "Vera," which premiered in 2011 and is still ongoing. Blethyn has received two International Emmy Award nominations for her work on "Vera."
Blethyn has also continued to work in the theater throughout her career. In addition to her Broadway credits, she has appeared in numerous productions in London's West End, including "Steaming," "Death of a Salesman," and "Humble Boy."
In recent years, Blethyn has appeared in several films, including the 2018 drama "Mary and the Witch's Flower" and the 2019 comedy "Blow the Man Down." She has also continued to star in "Vera," with the show's 11th season set to premiere in 2021.
Offstage, Blethyn has been an advocate for several charities, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Alzheimer's Society.

Brenda Blethyn STAGE CREDITS

[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 2004
Thelma Cates


Brenda Blethyn Awards and Nominations

Olivier Awards - 1984 - Actress of the Year in a New Play

Brenda BlethynBenefactors

Brenda Blethyn News


MIKE LEIGH AT THE BBC Now Streaming on The Criterion Channel

In the seventeen years between his first two theatrical features (1971’s BLEAK MOMENTS and 1988’s HIGH HOPES), Mike Leigh, the great humanist of British cinema, sharpened his distinctive voice and famously improvisatory process at the BBC, where he directed a string of striking, bittersweet slice-of-life dramas built on sharply etched characters.

Austin Pendleton & Barbara Bleier to Make London Debut at The Pheasantry in January

Austin Pendleton  & Barbara Bleier will make their London cabaret debut with 'Barbara and Austin Sing Steve & Oscar, and then some……' at The Pheasantry in Chelsea. The show will run for two nights only, on Friday and Saturday, January 13th & 14th, 2023.

Interview: KT Tunstall on Touring, Making Unpopular Music and Bringing SAVING GRACE to the Stage

BroadwayWorld catches up with KT Tunstall to chat about bringing Saving Grace to the stage at Riverside Studios.

Cast Announced For SAVING GRACE at the Riverside Studios

Casting has been announced as rehearsals begin for the previously announced intimate first run of the new musical Saving Grace.

SAVING GRACE Comes to the Riverside Studios Next Month

The first run has been announced of the new musical Saving Grace which will have twelve performances only at the Riverside Studios from Tuesday 22 November – Sunday 4 December 2022.

HUMAN CONDITIONS: THE FILMS OF MIKE LEIGH Comes to Be Featured at Film at Lincoln Center

Film at Lincoln Center announces Human Conditions: The Films of Mike Leigh, a retrospective of the widely lauded director’s career, running from May 27-June 8. For over half a century, Mike Leigh has directed films suffused with emotion and the realities of working-class struggle. From his debut feature, Bleak Moments (1971); to his ’70s television work for the BBC; to the breakout mid-career successes of Life Is Sweet (1990), Naked (1993), and Secrets and Lies (1996); through the historical films that have marked his output more recently, like Mr. Turner (2014) and Peterloo (2018), a Mike Leigh film always has an unmistakable energy and feeling for the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life.

Photos/Video: Inside Rehearsal For THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

New photographs and a trailer have been released from the rehearsal room of the UK touring production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.  The new production opens on 23 March at MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton and tours until 16 July. 

Rehearsals Start For THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE UK Tour

Rehearsals have started this week for the new UK touring production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.

Full Casting Announced For UK Tour of THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

Full casting has been announced for the brand-new touring production of Jim Cartwright’s The Rise And Fall of Little Voice, produced by Katy Lipson and Glass Half Full Productions, directed by Bronagh Lagan (Cruise, West End; Little Women The Musical, Park Theatre/ Hope Mill) and starring international YouTube sensation Christina Bianco in the title role. 

Final Casting Announced For THE SEVEN POMEGRANATE SEEDS at Rose Theatre

Shannon Hayes will join the previously announced Niamh Cusack in the world premiere of Colin Teevan's The Seven Pomegranate Seeds directed by Melly Still.  This will be the second Rose Original production in Christopher Haydon's inaugural season as Rose Theatre's Artistic Director.

Saffron Coomber & Niamh Cusack Will Lead LEOPARDS and THE SEVEN POMEGRANATE SEEDS as Part of Rose Theatre's New Season

In Leopards, by rising playwright Alys Metcalf, Niala will be played by Saffron Coomber. Niamh Cusack will be reuniting with director Melly Still in the world premiere of Colin Teevan’s The Seven Pomegranate Seeds.

Shobna Gulati, Ian Kelsey and Christina Bianco Will Lead New Touring Production of THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

Learn more about the cast, production, tour dates, and how to purchase tickets here!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, August 27, 2020

Get all the scoop on LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, August 27, 2020!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 10:00PM EST

Get all the scoop on LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, August 6, 2020!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 9:00PM EST

Get all the scoop on LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, August 6, 2020!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 10:00PM EST

Get all the scoop on Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, July 30, 2020!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 9:00PM EST

Get all the scoop on Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, July 30, 2020!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, July 23, 2020

Get all the scoop on Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, July 23, 2020!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, July 16, 2020

Get all the scoop on Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, July 16, 2020!

Scoop: Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT on NBC - Thursday, July 9, 2020

Get all the scoop on Coming Up on a Rebroadcast of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, airing on NBC on Thursday, July 9, 2020!

Brenda Blethyn FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Brenda Blethyn been in?

Brenda Blethyn has appeared on Broadway in 1 shows.

How many West End shows has Brenda Blethyn been in?

Brenda Blethyn has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Brenda Blethyn been nominated for?

Brenda Blethyn has been nominated for Actress of the Year in a New Play at the Olivier Awards for her role in "Benefactors."

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