Eileen Atkins Headshot

Eileen Atkins

Date of Birth: June 16, 1934 (88)

Birth Place: London, ENGLAND

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Eileen Atkins BIO

Eileen Atkins is a British actress with an extensive career in both stage and screen. Born in 1934 in London, England, Atkins began her acting career in the 1950s and quickly made a name for herself as a talented performer.
Atkins' Broadway debut came in 1966 in the play "The Killing of Sister George," for which she received a Tony Award nomination. She returned to Broadway in 2007 in the play "Doubt," for which she received another Tony nomination. Atkins has also performed in numerous West End productions, including "The Birthday Party," "The Caretaker," and "The Unexpected Man."
In addition to her stage work, Atkins has had a successful career in film and television. She has appeared in a number of popular films, including "Cold Mountain," "Gosford Park," and "Robin Hood." Her television credits include "Cranford," "Doc Martin," and "The Crown."
Atkins is perhaps best known for her work as a writer and performer in the one-woman show "A Room of One's Own," based on the Virginia Woolf essay of the same name. Atkins adapted the essay for the stage and performed it both in London and on Broadway, earning critical acclaim for her performance.
Throughout her career, Atkins has received numerous awards and accolades for her work. In addition to her Tony nominations, she has been honored with a BAFTA Award, an Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was also made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1990 and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2001 for her contributions to the arts.
Despite her many accomplishments, Atkins remains humble about her success. In an interview with The Guardian, she said, "I never wanted to be a star. I just wanted to be a good actress, and I've been very lucky to have had the chance to do that."
Atkins has also been open about her struggles with depression and anxiety throughout her life. In an interview with The Telegraph, she said, "I think it's important for people to know that even if you're successful, you can still suffer from mental health issues. It's not something to be ashamed of."
Atkins' dedication to her craft and her willingness to speak openly about her struggles have made her a beloved figure in the entertainment industry. Her contributions to both stage and screen have left a lasting impact on audiences around the world, and her legacy is sure to continue for many years to come.

Eileen Atkins Photos

Eileen Atkins STAGE CREDITS

[West End]
Old Vic's West End Production, 2020
Vera

[Broadway]
Manhattan Theatre Club Original Broadway Production, 2019
Performer

[West End]
Original West End Production, 0
Madeleine

[London]
Pre-West End Tour, 2018
Madeleine

[Broadway]
Broadway Transfer, 2005
Sister Aloysius [Replacement]

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 2003
Alice

[Broadway]
1995
Leonie

[Broadway]
1977
Marie Caroline David

[Broadway]
1972
Elizabeth I

[Broadway]
1967
Lika

[Broadway]
1966
Alice "Childie" McNaught

Writing

Playwright

Eileen Atkins Movies

[1968]Inadmissible Evidence Shirley

[1975]Sharon's Baby Sister Albana

[1977]Equus Hesther Saloman

[1983]The Dresser Madge

[1991]The Lost Language of Cranes Rose Benjamin

[1991]Let Him Have It Lillian Bentley

[1994]Wolf Mary

[1995]Jack & Sarah Phil

[1997]Mrs Dalloway writer

[1998]The Avengers Alice

[1999]Women Talking Dirty Emily Boyle

[2001]Gosford Park Mrs. Croft

[2002]The Hours Barbara in the Flower Shop

[2003]A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda Amanda

[2003]Cold Mountain Maddy

[2003]What a Girl Wants Jocelyn Dhwood

[2004]Vanity Fair Miss Matilda Crawley

[2004]The Queen of Sheba's Pearls School Matron

[2005]The Feast of the Goat Aunt Adelina

[2006]Scenes of a Sexual Nature Iris

[2006]Ask the Dust Mrs. Hargraves

[2007]Evening The Night Nurse

[2008]Last Chance Harvey Maggie

[2010]Wild Target Louisa Maynard

[2010]Robin Hood Eleanor of Aquitaine

[2012]The Scapegoat Lady Spence

[2013]Beautiful Creatures Gramma

[2014]Magic in the Moonlight Aunt Vanessa

[2016]ChickLit Peggy Law

[2017]Carnage Dorothy

[2017]Paddington 2 Madame Kozlova

[2018]Vita & Virginia writer


Eileen Atkins TV Shows

Doc Martin Ruth Ellingham

Jackanory Storyteller

Psychoville Nurse Edwina Kenchington

W. Somerset Maugham Olive Hardy, Leslie Crosbie

Eileen Atkins Awards and Nominations

Drama Desk Awards - 2003 - Outstanding Actress - Play

Eileen Atkins, The Retreat from Moscow

The Lortels - 2001 - Outstanding Lead Actress

Eileen Atkins, The Unexpected Man

Olivier Awards - 1999 - Best Actress

Eileen AtkinsThe Unexpected Man

Olivier Awards - 1997 - Best Actress

Eileen AtkinsJohn Gabriel Borkman

The Lortels - 1995 - Outstanding Lead Actress

Eileen Atkins, Vita & Virginia

The Lortels - 1992 - Outstanding Lead Actress

Eileen AtkinsA Room of One’s Own

Drama Desk Awards - 1978 - Outstanding Featured Actress - Play

Eileen Atkins, The Night of the Tribades

Drama Desk Awards - 1972 - Outstanding Performance

Eileen Atkins, Vivat! Vivat Regina!

Eileen Atkins Videos

Eileen Atkins News

Jason Alexander and Jerome Robbins To Be Honored At The Actors' Temple, June 12

Douglas J. Cohen and Carol Ostrow present an exciting evening celebrating the extraordinary Broadway career of the Broadway director and choreographer Jerome Robbins;  well as honoring Tony winner actor Jason Alexander on his Broadway debut as director of The Cottage.  

THE SOUND OF MUSIC and Sondheim's ASSASSINS Announced as Part of the New Chichester Festival Theatre Season

Chichester Festival Theatre’s Festival 2023 – the final season programmed by outgoing Artistic Director Daniel Evans – has been announced by Daniel and Executive Director Kathy Bourne.

The 2023 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Names 10 Finalists Including Zadie Smith, Francisca Da Silveira & More

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, the oldest and largest international prize awarded to women+ playwrights.

HARRY POTTER Stars Who Have Appeared on Broadway

To celebrate Daniel Radcliffe's return to theatre in the Off-Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along, we are taking a look back at the stage careers of he and his fellow Harry Potter film cast members. Keep reading to find out times you may have seen Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Staunton, and more onstage!

BC/EFA Auctions Limited Edition Autographed Al Hirschfeld Prints

Twenty one limited-edition prints of acclaimed caricature artist Al Hirschfeld – signed by the iconic stage and screen stars featured in the image – are being auctioned online to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, in partnership with Heritage Auctions, the largest collectibles auctioneer in the world.

VIDEO: Acorn TV Shares Final DOC MARTIN Trailer

Returning for the final season are Dame Eileen Atkins, Ian McNeice, Joe Absolom, John Marquez, Jessica Ransom and Selina Cadell. The guest stars in the final season of Doc Martin include: Fay Ripley (Cold Feet), David Hayman (Landscapers), Ben Miller (Professor T, Bridgerton), Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey), and ore. Watch the video trailer now!

Acorn TV'S DOC MARTIN Closes With Season 10 in October

Doc Martin, starring Martin Clunes as the grumpy, iconic title character, Dr. Martin Ellingham, packs it up next month as the long-running British series comes to an end after 18 years on-air. Acorn TV, AMC Networks’ acclaimed streamer devoted to British and international television, will premiere the tenth and final season of the dramedy.

Paul Roberts Joins Miranda Wilford in S'WONDERFUL: The Great American Songbook at London's Crazy Coqs

Former lead singer of The Stranglers (1990 – 2006), songwriter and actor Paul Roberts, and renowned West End singer, actor, choreographer and resident director Miranda Wilford, alongside a swinging trio of musicians, are bringing their nostalgic and toe-tapping sell-out show back to London for the first time in over 10 years, as they feature the world's greatest music and lyrics of legendary songwriters at the Crazy Coqs in London, from August 22nd.

Shortlist Announced For the STR Theatre Book Prize 2022

Judged by director Jatinder Verma, National Theatre archivist Erin Lee and theatre critic Paul Vale on a panel chaired by STR Committee Member Howard Loxton, the shortlist includes six titles ranging from the history of Sheffield's Crucible Theatre to the candid account of the early career of actress Eileen Atkins.

Wake Up With BWW 5/6: Final Tony Eligibility Ruling, Encores! INTO THE WOODS Opens, and More!

Today's top stories include final Tony Award eligibility rulings for Funny Girl, A Strange Loop, and more. Plus go inside the opening performance for Into The Woods at Encores!, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Sara Bareilles, and more!

Timothée Chalamet's West End Stage Debut in 4000 MILES Cancelled At London's Old Vic

The Old Vic’s production of Amy Herzog’s play 4000 Miles, which was set to feature the West End debut of Timothée Chalamet starring opposite Dame Eileen Atkins, has been cancelled. The play was previously set to open in April of 2020, and was postponed due to the pandemic. 

Gregory Doran To Step Down as RSC Artistic Director

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) announced that Gregory Doran will step down as Artistic Director from today after 35 years with the Company including the last ten years as Artistic Director.

These are `Happy Days' Indeed for Trevor Nunn

The 60th anniversary production of Beckett's masterwork Happy Days, newly opened at west London's Riverside Studios, is indistinguishable from the keen eye of its director, Trevor Nunn, who across more than six decades has contributed many of the most significant (not to mention quite a few of the best) productions in my experience. We look back at a seismic career and select five productions for the ages.

The State of the London Stage: What's Coming in June 2021

And they're off! London theatres have been open for several weeks now, and the reviews once again are coming hard and fast as a glance at this very site will confirm. Quick off the mark have been the smaller-sized shows: solo plays like Cruise or Harm or a three-person West End entry like Amy Berryman's Walden (though that title was beset by pre-opening dramas of its own, more of which below). But as the big musicals prepare their own re-emergence on to a scene marked out already by the producer Sonia Friedman's RE:EMERGE season (of which Walden is the first of three to open), excitement is in the air. The question now remains as to who, precisely, the audience is likely to be for these shows, given the difficulty for many in travelling to the UK.

The State Of The London Stage: May 2021

The fabled date is getting nearer!  For months, May 17 has loomed large in the calendar of London theatreland as the signal for playhouses to reopen their doors after a five-month lockdown - a period of closure that has, of course, been much longer in New York for the simple reason that London theaters did at least flicker partially to life last autumn.

VIDEO: Watch the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Ceremony

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize will present a virtual presentation to announce the 2021 winner of one of the most prestigious playwriting awards, and the oldest and largest prize awarded to women+ playwrights, today, April 7, 2021 at 3pm EST/ 8pm BST. Tune in right here at BroadwayWorld to watch the presentation, hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright and Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner (1983) Marsha Norman.

Finalists Announced For The 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for 2021 for its prestigious playwriting award, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women+ playwrights.

BWW Review: TALKING HEADS: HAND OF GOD, BBC iPlayer

A cautionary tale of what goes around, comes around, The Hand of God continues the series of Alan Bennett's wonderful Talking Heads with a story of comeuppance, karma and justice.

BWW Review: A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK, Home Premiere

In a world of remakes, reboots and recycled stories, inimitability is hard to find. Woody Allen is a prolific playwright, comedian, actor, screenwriter and director who has carved out a cohesive career in film. Although many have drawn influence from the auteur, no one can replicate the authentic, witty voice we've heard over the last five decades.

Streaming Service BritBox Will Launch The Complete BBC Television Shakespeare Collection

BritBox, the subscription streaming service from BBC Studios and ITV with the largest collection of British television content in North America, will launch the full BBC Television Shakespeare Collection on May 26.

Eileen Atkins FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Eileen Atkins has appeared on Broadway in 8 shows.

Eileen Atkins has appeared on London's West End in 2 shows.

Eileen Atkins's first West End show was The Height of the Storm which opened in 2018

Outstanding Actress in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Height of the Storm , Best Actress (Olivier Awards) for Honour , Outstanding Actress in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Retreat from Moscow , Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for The Retreat from Moscow , Outstanding Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Retreat from Moscow , Outstanding Actress in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Unexpected Man , Outstanding Lead Actress (The Lortels) for The Unexpected Man , Outstanding Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Unexpected Man , Best Actress (Olivier Awards) for The Unexpected Man , Best Actress (Olivier Awards) for John Gabriel Borkman , Honorary Awards (Drama Desk Awards) for Eileen Atkins , Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for A Room of One's Own , Outstanding Lead Actress (The Lortels) for Vita & Virginia , Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Indiscretions , Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Olivier Awards) for The Night Of The Iguana , Outstanding Lead Actress (The Lortels) for A Room of One’s Own , Outstanding One Person Show (Drama Desk Awards) for A Room of One's Own , Special Citation (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for A Room of One's Own , Best Actress - Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for A Room of One's Own , Outstanding Performance of the Year in a Supporting Role (Olivier Awards) for Cymbeline , Actress of the Year in a New Play (Olivier Awards) for Passion Play , Outstanding Featured Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Night of the Tribades , Actress of the Year in a Revival (Olivier Awards) for Twelfth Night , Outstanding Performance (Drama Desk Awards) for Vivat! Vivat Regina! , Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards) Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Vivat! Vivat Regina! and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for The Killing of Sister George .

Outstanding Actress in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Height of the Storm, Best Actress (Olivier Awards) for Honour , Outstanding Actress in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for The Retreat from Moscow , Outstanding Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Retreat from Moscow, Outstanding Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Unexpected Man, Best Actress (Olivier Awards) for The Unexpected Man, Honorary Awards (Drama Desk Awards) for Eileen Atkins, Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production (Helen Hayes Awards) for A Room of One's Own, Outstanding Lead Actress (The Lortels) for Vita & Virginia, Outstanding Lead Actress (The Lortels) for A Room of One’s Own, Outstanding One Person Show (Drama Desk Awards) for A Room of One's Own, Special Citation (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for A Room of One's Own, Outstanding Performance of the Year in a Supporting Role (Olivier Awards) for Cymbeline, Outstanding Featured Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Night of the Tribades, Outstanding Performance (Drama Desk Awards) for Vivat! Vivat Regina! Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards)and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Vivat! Vivat Regina!.

Eileen Atkins has written 1 shows including Vita & Virginia (Playwright).

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