Tamsin Greig

Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig (; born 12 July 1966) is an English actress, narrator and comedian. She played Fran Katzenjammer in the Channel 4 sitcom "Black Books", Dr Caroline Todd in the Channel 4 sitcom "Green Wing", Beverly Lincoln in British-American sitcom "Episodes" and Jackie Goodman in the Channel 4 sitcom "Friday Night Dinner". Other roles include Alice Chenery in BBC One's comedy-drama series "Love Soup", Debbie Aldridge in BBC Radio 4's soap opera "The Archers", Miss Bates in the 2009 BBC version of Jane Austen's "Emma", and Beth Hardiment in the 2010 film version of "Tamara Drewe". In 2020, Greig starred as Anne Trenchard in Julian Fellowes' ITV series "Belgravia".
Greig is also an acclaimed stage actress; she won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2007 for "Much Ado About Nothing", and was nominated again in 2011 and 2015 for her roles in "The Little Dog Laughed" and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown".
Early life.
Greig was born in Maidstone, Kent, the second of three sisters. Her father, Eric, worked as a colour chemist creating dyes, and her mother, Ann, was enthusiastic about amateur dramatics. Her maternal grandfather was a Polish Jew. The family moved to Kilburn when she was three.
She went to Malorees Junior School, followed by Camden School for Girls later graduating with a first-class BA in Drama and Theatre Arts from the University of Birmingham in 1988. After graduating, she worked at the Family Planning Association and continued doing temporary work until 1996. She also spent some time at a secretarial college.
Career.
Her professional acting career began in early 1990. Greig is known for both dramatic and comedic roles. Comedy roles can pose problems for Greig, who has problems with [[corpsing]].
Radio.
Greig has had a long-running part as Debbie Aldridge in the [[BBC Radio 4]] soap opera "[[The Archers]]" since 1991. As her other work increased, her appearances in the show decreased and her character Debbie spends most of her time living in Hungary.
Her other radio work includes narrating the Radio 4 comedy "Warhorses of Letters", and guest-starring in five episodes of the second series of the radio version of "[[Absolute Power (comedy)|Absolute Power]]", playing Charles Prentiss's former lover Gayle Shand, who now runs a rival firm.
Television.
Greig appeared in a number of supporting parts, notably as Lamia in "[[Neverwhere]]" (1996) and The Mother in an episode of "[[People Like Us (mockumentary)|People Like Us]]" (2000). Her first major role was [[Fran Katzenjammer]] in the sitcom "[[Black Books]]", which ran for three series from 2000. Fran was a friend of the main character, Bernard, and originally owned a gift shop called "Nifty Gifty" next door to his bookshop.
In 2004, she played constantly embarrassed surgical registrar [[Caroline Todd (Green Wing character)|Dr Caroline Todd]], the lead character in the Channel 4 comedy drama series "[[Green Wing]]". Her performance won her "Best Comedy Performance" in the 2005 [[Royal Television Society]] Awards. She also appeared as Caroline in an appearance at "[[The Secret Policeman's Ball (2006)|The Secret Policeman's Ball]]".
She starred in the [[BBC]] comedy drama series "[[Love Soup]]" (2005), as Alice Chenery, a lovelorn woman working on a department store perfume counter, in a role specifically written for her by [[David Renwick]], whom she met in 2003 when she appeared in an episode of "[[Jonathan Creek]]". In May 2005 she also appeared as a nurse in an episode of the BBC series "[[Doctor Who]]", entitled "[[The Long Game]]".
Greig appeared in the role of [[Edith Frank]] in the BBC's January 2009 production of "[[The Diary of Anne Frank (2009 miniseries)|The Diary of Anne Frank]]". Also in 2009, she appeared as Miss Bates in the BBC serial "[[Jane Austen]]'s [[Emma (2009 TV serial)|Emma]]". In 2010, she played [[Sacharissa Cripslock]] in the two part mini-series "[[Terry Pratchett's Going Postal]]".
In 2011, she starred in the BBC/[[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] sitcom "[[Episodes (TV series)|Episodes]]", alongside [[Matt LeBlanc]] and "Green Wing" co-star [[Stephen Mangan]]. Greig and Mangan play a husband-and-wife writing duo who travel to America to work on an adaptation of their successful series. Greig also stars in the Channel 4 sitcom, "[[Friday Night Dinner]]", as Jackie Goodman, the mother of a North London Jewish family.
She played Beth in the 2012 BBC series "[[White Heat (TV series)|White Heat]]".
She is also the lead in "[[The Guilty (TV series)|The Guilty]]" in the three-part series on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] in 2013, playing DCI Maggie Brand who investigates the death of a young child who went missing five years previously.
 In 2014, she played Sally in the "[[Inside No. 9]]" episode "[[Last Gasp (Inside No. 9)|Last Gasp]]".
In 2015 the fourth season of "[[Episodes (TV series)|Episodes]]" was aired, and in 2016 a seven-episode fifth season, still starring Greig alongside [[Stephen Mangan]] and [[Matt LeBlanc]], was filmed in London.
In October 2018 it was confirmed that Greig would narrate "[[The Secret Life of the Zoo]]", taking over from [[Olivia Colman]].
Greig has received three [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA]] nominations for her TV work. She was nominated for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance|Best Comedy Performance]] for "[[Green Wing]]" in 2005, and for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance|Best Female Comedy Performance]] for "[[Friday Night Dinner]]" in 2012 and "[[Episodes (TV series)|Episodes]]" in 2015.
Theatre.
During 2006 and early 2007, Greig played [[Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)|Beatrice]] in a much acclaimed production of "[[Much Ado About Nothing]]" for which she won a [[Laurence Olivier Awards|Laurence Olivier Award]], and Constance in "[[The Life and Death of King John|King John]]", as part of the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]]'s "The Complete Works" season. Whilst the win itself was a surprise, her acceptance speech was received very well as being highly entertaining, claiming that she was so excited that she had wet her dress. The speech was apparently completely improvised. Backstage, when told not to tell her mother about her wetting her dress, she told the host that her mum was dead before dedicating her award to her "dead mum". She also won the [[Critics' Circle Theatre Awards|Critics' Circle Theatre Award]] for "Best Shakespearean Performance" in "Much Ado About Nothing", becoming the first woman to win the award, and was nominated for "The FRANCO'S Best Actress in a Play" in the Whatsonstage Theatregoers' Choice Awards.
At the [[Gielgud Theatre]] in March 2008, she co-starred with [[Ralph Fiennes]], [[Janet McTeer]] and [[Ken Stott]] in the UK premiere of [[Yasmina Reza]]'s "[[The God of Carnage]]" ("Le Dieu du carnage") translated by [[Christopher Hampton]] and directed by [[Matthew Warchus]]. The play won the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy]] in 2009. In 2008, she co-starred in the surreal sci-fi film "[[Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth]]".
In November 2008, she made her [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] debut in "[[Gethsemane (play)|Gethsemane]]", a new play by [[David Hare (dramatist)|David Hare]] which toured the UK.
Greig was starring in "[[The Little Dog Laughed]]" by [[Douglas Carter Beane]] at the [[Garrick Theatre]] in London, which did run a limited season until 10 April 2010. She starred alongside [[Rupert Friend]], [[Gemma Arterton]] and [[Harry Lloyd]], and the play was directed by [[Jamie Lloyd (director)|Jamie Lloyd]]. She won the 2011 WhatsOnStage Theatregoers Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a play for her portrayal. Her performance as Diane in "The Little Dog Laughed" garnered her a second Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress. In October 2011 she was Hilary, the central character, in "Jumpy" at the [[Royal Court Theatre|Royal Court]], London., which later transferred to the [[Duke of York's Theatre]] in the West End. In March 2013 she played Varia in "[[Longing (play)|Longing]]", a new play by [[William Boyd (writer)|William Boyd]] based on two short stories by [[Anton Chekov|Chekov]], at the [[Hampstead Theatre]]. Greig previously performed in "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" at the Playhouse Theatre, London, until May 2015. In March 2015, she received a nomination for the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical]].
In October 2016, she returned to the [[Hampstead Theatre]] to play Empty in "[[The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures]]" by [[Tony Kushner]]. In February 2017 she returned to the [[Royal National Theatre]] to play [[Malvolio|Malvolia]] in a new production of "[[Twelfth Night]]" at the Olivier Theatre. As a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] [[Election agent|constituency agent]] spanning a period of 27 years, she gave a "polished...magnificent" performance in [[James Graham (playwright)|James Graham]] "[[Labour of Love (play)|Labour of Love]]" at the [[Noël Coward Theatre]], London, in October 2017.
Film.
Greig made a [[cameo appearance]] in the 2004 comedy "[[Shaun of the Dead]]". She starred with [[Richard E. Grant]] in the 2009 film "[[Cuckoo (2009 film)|Cuckoo]]", and with [[Roger Allam]] and [[Gemma Arterton]] in "[[Tamara Drewe (film)|Tamara Drewe]]" (2010). The latter role earned Greig a [[British Independent Film Awards]] nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She co-starred in 2015's comedy-drama "[[The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]" and in the 2016 release of "Breaking the Bank", opposite [[Kelsey Grammer]].
Personal life.
Greig lives in a flat in [[Kensal Green]], having moved back to the area in 1996 to be with her dying father. She became a [[Christianity|Christian]] at this time, despite being brought up as an [[atheist]]. Greig is also a vegetarian.
Since 1997 she has been married to actor [[Richard Leaf]], whom she met at a [[wrap party]] of [[Neil Gaiman]]'s 1996 miniseries "[[Neverwhere]]", and has three children.
She is a supporter of the [[National Health Service]], giving her backing to a rally organised by pro-NHS protest group [[NHS Together]]. She also supports more practical teaching of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] in British schools, supporting the [[Royal Shakespeare Company|RSC]]'s "Stand Up For Shakespeare" manifesto. In August 2014, Greig was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to "[[The Guardian]]" opposing [[Scottish independence]] in the run-up to the 2014 [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue]].
External links.
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Maidstone]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham]]
[[Category:English Christians]]
[[Category:Converts to Christianity from atheism or agnosticism]]
[[Category:Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners]]
[[Category:English radio actresses]]
[[Category:English soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners]]
[[Category:People educated at Camden School for Girls]]
[[Category:People from Camden Town]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:English Shakespearean actresses]]
[[Category:English people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:English people of Polish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century English actresses]]
[[Category:British comedy actresses]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Kent]]