Juliet Stevenson

Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, CBE (born 30 October 1956) is an English actress of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her other film appearances include Emma (1996), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), Being Julia (2004), and Infamous (2006).

Juliet Stevenson
in Dustbin Baby (2008)
Born (1956-10-30) 30 October 1956
Kelvedon, Essex, England
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active1978–present
Partner(s)Hugh Brody (1993–present)
Children2

Stevenson has starred in numerous Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre productions, including Olivier Award nominated roles in Measure for Measure (1984), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1986), and Yerma (1987). For her role as Paulina in Death and the Maiden (1991–92), she won the 1992 Olivier Award for Best Actress. Her fifth Olivier nomination was for her work in the 2009 revival of Duet for One. She has also received three nominations for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress: for A Doll's House (1992), The Politician's Wife (1995) and Accused (2010). Other stage roles include The Heretic (2011) and Happy Days (2014).

Early life

Stevenson was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, the daughter of Virginia Ruth (née Marshall), a teacher, and Michael Guy Stevenson, an army officer.[1] Stevenson's father was assigned a new posting every two and a half years.[2] When Stevenson was nine, she attended Berkshire's Hurst Lodge School,[3] and she was later educated at the independent St Catherine's School in Bramley, near Guildford in Surrey, and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).[4] Stevenson was part of the 'new wave’ of actors to emerge from the Academy. Others included Jonathan Pryce, Bruce Payne, Alan Rickman, Anton Lesser, Kenneth Branagh, Imelda Staunton and Fiona Shaw. This led to a stage career starting in 1978 with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Career

Although she has gained fame through her television and film work, and has often undertaken roles for BBC Radio, she is known as a stage actress. Significant stage roles include her performances as Isabella in Measure for Measure, Madame de Tourvel in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, as Anna in the UK premiere of Burn This in 1990, and as Paulina in Death and the Maiden at the Royal Court theatre and the West End (1991–92). For the latter, she was awarded the 1992 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress.[5]

In the 1987 TV film Life Story, Stevenson played the part of scientist Rosalind Franklin, for which she won a Cable Ace award.[6] She played the leading role in the Anthony Minghella film Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991) and her roles in The Secret Rapture (1993), Emma (1996), Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003). She has more recently starred in Pierrepoint (2006), Infamous (2006) as Diana Vreeland and Breaking and Entering (2006) as Rosemary, the therapist. In 2003, she played the mother of an autistic child in the television film Hear the Silence, a film based on the now debunked claims of Andrew Wakefield that the MMR vaccine was responsible for autism.[7] The film and Stevenson were criticised for "trying to influence parents against MMR and dressing up science as entertainment."[7]

Stevenson speaking at the 2011 Latitude Festival.

In 2009, she starred in ITV's A Place of Execution. The role won her the Best Actress Dagger at the 2009 Crime Thriller Awards.[8] She performs as a book reader, and has recorded all of Jane Austen's novels as unabridged audiobooks, as well as a number of other novels, such as Lady Windermere's Fan, Hedda Gabler, Stories from Shakespeare, and To the Lighthouse. She received lifetime achievement prize at Women In Film And TV awards..[9]

Personal life

Stevenson has lived with her partner, British anthropologist Hugh Brody, since 1993. The couple live in Highgate, North London. They have two children, both born in Camden, London: Rosalind Hannah Brody (born 1994) and Gabriel Jonathan Brody (born late 2000/early 2001).[10]

She is an atheist but considers herself a spiritual and superstitious person.[11][12]

In 1992 she appeared in a political broadcast for the Labour Party.[13][14]

In 2008 she campaigned on behalf of refugee women[15] with a reading of 'Motherland' at the Young Vic. She is patron of the UK registered charity LAM Action, which provides support, information and encouragement to patients with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and their families, and raises funds to advance research into LAM.[16]

On 12 September 2016 Stevenson, as well as Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Peter Capaldi, Douglas Booth, Neil Gaiman, Keira Knightley, Jesse Eisenberg, Kit Harington and Stanley Tucci, featured in a video from the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR to help raise awareness of the global refugee crisis. The video, titled "What They Took With Them", has the actors reading a poem, written by Jenifer Toksvig and inspired by primary accounts of refugees, and is part of UNHCR's #WithRefugees campaign, which also includes a petition to governments to expand asylum to provide further shelter, integrating job opportunities and education.[17][18]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Drowning by Numbers Cissie Colpitts 2
1990 Ladder of Swords Alice Howard
1990 The March Clare Fitzgerald
1990 Truly, Madly, Deeply Nina
1993 The Trial Fräulein Bürstner
1993 The Secret Rapture Isobel Coleridge
1996 Emma Augusta Hawkins Elton
1997 Treasure Island Jane (voice) Video
2001 Play Second Woman Short film
2001 Christmas Carol: The Movie Mrs. Cratchit / Mother Gimlet (voice)
2001 The Search for John Gissing Gwenyth Moore
2002 Food of Love Pamela Porterfield
2002 Bend It Like Beckham Paula Paxton
2002 Nicholas Nickleby Mrs. Squeers
2003 Mona Lisa Smile Amanda Armstrong
2004 Being Julia Evie
2005 Red Mercury Sofia Warburton
2005 Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman Anne Fletcher
2006 Infamous Diana Vreeland
2006 In Search of Mozart Narrator
2006 Breaking and Entering Rosemary McCloud
2007 And When Did You Last See Your Father? Kim Morrison
2008 A Previous Engagement Julia Reynolds
2008 The Secret of Moonacre Miss Heliotrope
2009 Quietus Jayne Short film
2009 In Search of Beethoven Narrator
2009 Desert Flower Lucinda
2009 Triage Amy
2012 In Search of Haydn Narrator
2013 Penelope Penny Short film
2013 Diana Sonia
2014 The Letters Mother Teresa
2014 In Search of Chopin Narrator
2014 The Portrait Laura Burrell Short film
2015 Departure Beatrice
2016 Let Me Go Helga Post-production
2016 Love Is Thicker Than Water Ethel
2018 London Unplugged Jayne

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Mallens Barbara Mallen 6
1981 Maybury Joanna Langston "A Fall from Grace", "What I Mean Is...", "Ten Green Bottles"
1983 Bazaar and Rummage Fliss TV film
1984 Crown Court Catherine Lloyd "Dirty Washing: Part 1"
1984 Freud Elizabeth von Reitberg "The Secret of Dreams"
1984 Pericles, Prince of Tyre Thaisa TV film
1986 The Theban Plays by Sophocles Antigone "Oedipus at Colonus", "Antigone"
1987 Life Story Rosalind Franklin
1988 Screenplay Ruth "Out of Love"
1988 Screen Two Hilda Carline "Stanley Spencer"
1988 This is David Lander Penny Foster "The Nicholson Story"
1989 Living with Dinosaurs Vicky TV film
1990 The Jim Henson Hour Vicky "Living with Dinosaurs"
1991 4 Play Margaret "In the Border Country"
1991 Screen Two Lucy "Aimée"
1992 Performance Nora Helmer "A Doll's House"
1993 The World of Eric Carle Narrator (voice) TV series short
1993 The Legends of Treasure Island Jane (voice) Main role
1993 Who Dealt?[19] The Wife Short story in the form of a monologue by Ring Lardner.
1994 Verdi Giuseppina Strepponi (voice) TV film
1995 The Politician's Wife Flora Matlock "Stand by Him", "Echo Chamber", "Body Politic"
1997 Screen Two Jean "Stone, Scissors, Paper"
1998 Cider with Rosie Annie Lee TV film
1999 Trial by Fire Helen West TV film
2002 The Road from Coorain Eve TV film
2003 Hear the Silence Christine Shields TV film
2005 The Snow Queen Gerda's Mother TV film
2007 Agatha Christie's Marple Gwenda Vaughn "Ordeal by Innocence"
2008 10 Days to War Elizabeth Wilmshurst "A Simple Private Matter"
2008 Place of Execution Catherine Heathcote TV miniseries
2008 Dustbin Baby Marion TV film
2010 Law & Order: UK Rachel Callaghan "Denial"
2010 Accused Helen Ryland "Helen's Story"
2011 Lewis Diana Ellerby "Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things"
2011 The Hour Lady Elms Recurring role
2012 White Heat Charlotte TV miniseries
2013–14 The Village Clem Allingham Main role
2013–15 Atlantis The Oracle Main role
2014 On Angel Wings Mary TV short
2015 X Company Mayor Marie Bellaire "Walk with the Devil"
2015 The Enfield Haunting Betty Grosse TV miniseries
2015 Artsnight Contributor "Richard Wilson on Samuel Beckett"
2016 One of Us Louise Elliot TV miniseries
2017 1066: A Year to Conquer England Narrator Docudrama
2019 Queens of Mystery Narrator TV series

Theatre
Year Title Role Notes
1978 The Tempest Spirit Royal Shakespeare Company
1978 Antony and Cleopatra Iras / Octavia Royal Shakespeare Company
1978 Measure for Measure Whore / Nun Royal Shakespeare Company
1978 The Churchill Play Caroline Thompson
1978 Hippolytus Aphrodite / Artemis
1978 Lovers and Kings
1978 The Taming of the Shrew Widow / Curtis
1978 The White Guard Yeliena
1978 Once in a Lifetime Miss Chasen
1980 Henry IV Lady Percy Royal Shakespeare Company
1981 A Midsummer Night's Dream Hippolyta / Titania
1981 The Witch of Edmonton Susan
1981 Money Clara Douglas
1983 Other Worlds Emma / Betsy Royal Court Theatre, London
1984 Measure for Measure Isabella Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Theatre
1984 Breaking the Silence Polya Royal Shakespeare Company, The Pit Theatre, London
1985 Troilus and Cressida Cressida Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Theatre
1985 As You Like It Rosalind Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Theatre
1986 Les Liaisons dangereuses Madame de Tourvel Royal Shakespeare Company, The Pit Theatre
1987 Yerma Yerma National Theatre, London
1988–90 The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus Kyllene Theatre of Delphi/National Theatre, London
1989 Hedda Gabler Hedda National Theatre, London
1989 On the Verge Fanny Sadler's Wells Theatre, London
1990 Burn This Anna Hampstead Theatre, London
1991–92 Death and the Maiden Paulina Theatre Upstairs, Duke of York Theatre, London
1993 Scenes from an Execution Galactia Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles
1995 The Duchess of Malfi Greenwich Theatre/Wyndham's Theatre, London
1997 The Caucasian Chalk Circle Royal National Theatre, London
1999 Private Lives Amanda The National Theatre
2000 The Country Royal Court Theatre
2004 We Happy Few Gielgud Theatre, London
2005 The Alice Trilogy Royal Court Theatre
2006 The Seagull Irina Arkadina The National Theatre
2009 Duet for One London
2011 The Heretic Royal Court Theatre
2014–15 Happy Days Winnie Young Vic
2016–17 2018 Mary Stuart Mary Stuart/Elizabeth I Almeida Theatre & Duke of York's Theatre
2017 Hamlet Gertrude Almeida Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre
2019 The Doctor The Doctor Almeida Theatre

Audio recordings

A partial list of Stevenson's audio recordings:

Awards and honours

For her screen work, Stevenson has been nominated four times for a BAFTA (three for television, one for film), while for her stage work she has earned five Olivier nominations, winning one.

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref
1984Olivier AwardBest Actress in a RevivalMeasure for MeasureNominated
1986Olivier AwardBest ActressAs You Like It; Les Liaisons DangereusesNominated
1987Olivier AwardBest ActressYermaNominated
1992BAFTA Film AwardBest ActressTruly, Madly, DeeplyNominated[21]
1992Olivier AwardBest ActressDeath and the MaidenWon[22]
1993BAFTA TV AwardBest ActressA Doll's HouseNominated
1996BAFTA TV AwardBest ActressThe Politician's WifeNominated
2010Olivier AwardBest ActressDuet for OneNominated
2011BAFTA TV AwardBest ActressAccusedNominated
gollark: And not punishing people for having them is at least... a start.
gollark: I think most drug law is unreasonable and the government shouldn't legislate what people can do with their own bodies.
gollark: Oh, homeopathy, THAT'S the right word.
gollark: You can get rid of any particularly bad things. Stuff doesn't work like ~~"holistic" cures~~ homeopathic "medicine" where it "remembers" where it came from.
gollark: I know the bug is *there*, I'm just waiting for it to actually show up so I can read the logs.

References
  1. "Juliet Stevenson Biography (1956–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  2. My Secret Life: Juliet Stevenson
  3. Sierz, Aleks (7 November 2005). "Why Juliet Dreads the Boards". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  4. According to Who's Who on Television (1982 edition)
  5. Archived 11 June 2009 at Archive.today
  6. Awards for Juliet Stevenson on IMDb
  7. "Juliet Stevenson: 'I would love a completely different life?'". The Daily Telegraph. 18 February 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  8. Flood, Alison (22 October 2009). "British readers vote Harlan Coben their favourite crime writer". London: guardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  9. "Juliet Stevenson receives lifetime achievement prize at Women In Film And TV awards". news.sky.com. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  10. "Births England and Wales Births 1984–2006". Findmypast.com. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  11. Dodd, Celia (14 March 2008). "Actress Juliet Stevenson reveals that her toughest role is being an older mother". The Times. London. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  12. Sign Up (25 July 2008). "National Secular Society – Coming out as atheist – Billy Connolly, Juliet Stevenson and Peter O'Toole". Secularism.org.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  13. "Transcript of Labour Party video". Psr.keele.ac.uk. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  14. Labour Party video on YouTube
  15. "Juliet Stevenson: 'I would love a completely different life?'". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 February 2008.
  16. LAM Action
  17. "2016 Stories – #WithRefugees". Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  18. "What They Took With Them – #WithRefugees". 7 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  19. Who Dealt? at IMDB
  20. Julian Fellowes's Belgravia. 27 June 2017.
  21. "BAFTA Awards search Juliet Stevenson". BAFTA site. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  22. "Olivier winners 1992". Olivier Awards. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  23. "Meet The Team", LIFT. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
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