Georgina McKee (born 14 April 1964) is an English actress. She won the 1997 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for Our Friends in the North (1996), and earned subsequent nominations for The Lost Prince (2003) and The Street (2007). She also starred on television in The Forsyte Saga (2002) and as Caterina Sforza in The Borgias (2011). Her film appearances include Notting Hill (1999), Phantom Thread (2017), and My Policeman (2022).
Gina McKee | |
|---|---|
| Born | Georgina McKee 14 April 1964[1] Peterlee, County Durham, England |
| Alma mater | East Durham College, National Youth Theatre |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse |
Kez Cary (m. 1989) |
Early life
editMcKee was born in Peterlee, County Durham, in 1964, the daughter of a coal miner,[1] and grew up there and in nearby Easington and Sunderland. Her first experience of acting occurred in her final year at primary school where her teacher finished the school week off with improvisations.[1] Seeing a poster in a shoe-shop window for a new youth drama group, McKee and her friends decided to attend, initially not seriously but later becoming enthusiastic.[1] It led to McKee's first professional appearance, working on Tyne Tees children's series, Quest of Eagles.[1]
From the age of 15, McKee spent three summers in London with the National Youth Theatre.[1] After completing her A-Levels at East Durham College, she decided, with her parents' blessing, to apply to drama schools rather than art colleges. However, she was rejected by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Central School of Speech and Drama.[1]
Career
editMcKee began her career in TV with several background roles including a part on The Lenny Henry Show. She made her film debut in 1988 when she had a small role in The Lair of the White Worm. In 1996, she played Mary in the BBC drama Our Friends in the North, a role for which she won three Best Actress awards in 1997: the British Academy Television Award, the Royal Television Society Award and the Broadcasting Press Guild Award.[2] McKee appeared in several episodes of the Chris Morris spoof current affairs show, Brass Eye (1997, 2001), as reporter Libby Shuss.
McKee's theatre credits include Harold Pinter's The Lover and The Collection at the Comedy Theatre in London. In 2008, she appeared in the BBC drama Fiona's Story and a West End revival of Chekhov's Ivanov.[3] In 2010, she appeared as Goneril in the Donmar Warehouse revival of King Lear, directed by Michael Grandage and starring Derek Jacobi. She received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.[4]
She played the mother of a deaf teenager in BBC TV's thriller, The Silence, opposite Genevieve Barr. In 2018, she appeared in the highly successful BBC/Netflix drama series Bodyguard as Commander Anne Sampson.
Personal life
editMcKee has been married to Kez Cary since 1989; they live in East Sussex, England.[5] She has been a vegetarian since 1982.[6]
In 2002, McKee received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland.[7][8]
Filmography
editFilm
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Quest of Eagles | Jane | 7 episodes |
| 1986 | Auf Wiedersehen, Pet | Girl | 1 episode |
| 1987 | Inspector Morse | Girl in Betting Shop | 1 episode |
| 1988 | The Lenny Henry Show | Julie | 12 episodes |
| 1990 | Drop the Dead Donkey | Lou | 1 episode |
| 1991 | An Actor's Life For Me | Sue Bishop | 6 episodes |
| 1991 | Minder episode "Look Who's Coming To Pinner" | Joanna | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Our Friends in the North | Mary Cox | 9 episodes |
| 1997 | Comedy Premieres episode "The Chest" | Fiona Croft | Television film |
| 1997 | Brass Eye | Libby Shuss / Vivian Banch | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | Dice | Angela Starck | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 2002–2003 | The Forsyte Saga | Irene Forsyte | Miniseries, 10 episodes |
| 2003 | The Lost Prince | Lalla | Television movie |
| 2004 | The Blackwater Lightship | Helen | Television movie |
| 2006 | Tsunami: The Aftermath | Kim Peabody | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2006 | The Lavender List | Marcia Williams | Television movie |
| 2007 | Lewis | Diane Turnbull | 1 episode |
| 2007 | The Old Curiosity Shop | Sally Brass | Television movie |
| 2007 | The Street | Jan Parr | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | 1983 The Brink of Apocalypse[16][17] | Narrator | |
| 2008 | Fiona's Story | Fiona | Television film |
| 2009 | Waking the Dead | Jackie | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Dive | Jacqueline | Television movie |
| 2010 | The Silence | Anne | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2011 | Vera | Julie Armstrong | 1 episode |
| 2011–2013 | The Borgias | Caterina Sforza | Main cast, 13 episodes |
| 2012 | Missing | Jamie Ortega | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Line of Duty | Jackie Laverty | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Hebburn | Pauline | 12 episodes |
| 2012 | Secret State | Ellis Kane | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2013 | By Any Means | Helen Barlow | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Royal Wives At War | Wallis Simpson | Television film |
| 2017 | Emerald City | Dr. Jane Andrews | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2017 | Knightfall | Landry's Mother | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Bodyguard | Commander Anne Sampson | Main cast, 5 episodes |
| 2019 | The Rook | Jennifer Birch | Miniseries, 7 episodes |
| 2019 | Catherine the Great | Countess Bruce | Miniseries, 4 Episodes |
| 2020 | Black Narcissus | Sister Adela | Miniseries, 2 Episodes |
Theatre
edit- King Lear ... Goneril; Donmar Warehouse, London (director: Michael Grandage)[3]
- Ivanov ... Anna Petrovna; Donmar Warehouse, London (director: Michael Grandage)[3]
- The Lover and the Collection ... Comedy Theatre, London (director: Jamie Lloyd)
- The Exonerated ... Sunny Jacobs; Riverside Studios, London (director: Bob Balaban)
- Aristocrats ... Judith; National Theatre, London (director: Tom Cairns)
- Old TImes ... Kate; Donmar Warehouse, London (director: Roger Michell)
- Five Kinds of Silence ... Lyric Hammersmith, London (director: Ian Brown)
- Uganda ... National Theatre (Studio), London (director: Polly Teale )
- Hammett's Apprentice ... Royal Court Theatre (Upstairs), London (director: James McDonald)
- Fighting for the Dunghill ... Warehouse Theatre, Croydon (director: Richard Osborne)
- Separate Tables ... Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester (director: Philip Franks)
- Boudicca ... Shakespeare's Globe, London
- Dear England ... National Theatre (Olivier), London (director: Rupert Goold)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Lane, Harriet (30 January 2008). "'I had nothing to lose'". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
She was born in 1964. Her father was a coal miner, and she grew up in the north-east, in County Durham - an "industrial white working-class background". She has no children.
- ^ Jones, Alice; "Who's that girl?" Independent.co.uk, 16 September 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ^ a b c Taylor, Paul; "First Night: Ivanov, Wyndham's Theatre, London", Independent.co.uk, 18 September 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ^ "Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Olivier Awards". Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
- ^ Gladwin, Anna (25 August 2021). "Friston: The little-known celebrity hotbed with links to Alex Polizzi, Gina McKee, and Grayson Perry". Sussex Live. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Norman, Neil; "My favourite table: Actress Gina McKee at Rasa, London" Guardian.co.uk, 25 March 2007 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)
- ^ "Honorary Graduates", Sunderland.ac.uk Archived 15 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ^ "Football veteran receives honorary degree", TheNorthernEcho.co.uk, 15 July 2002. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ^ Ellen, Barbara; "Pale and interesting" Guardian.co.uk, 27 August 2000 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)
- ^ Morrison, Blak "This is your life" Guardian.co.uk, 29 September 2007 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)
- ^ Eyre, Hermione; "Ministry of offence: Armando Iannucci takes on the White House" Independent.co.uk, 12 April 2009 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)
- ^ Eyre, Hermione; "Fiona's Story, BBC 1" Independent.co.uk, 7 September 2008 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)
- ^ "All the latest news on My Policeman starring Harry Styles". Capital. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ "Bodyguard' star Gina McKee, Douglas Hodge of 'Catastrophe' join 'A Grand Romantic Gesture' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "The End We Start From". IMDB.
- ^ "Encore -- 1983 : the brink of Apocalypse (2007) / directed by Henry Chancellor [DVD]". Encore. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "1983: The Brink of Apocalypse". Screenocean. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
External links
edit- Gina McKee at IMDb
- Gina McKee Biography FilmReference.com