Samantha Spiro | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1968-06-20)20 June 1968 (age 57) |
| Education | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | Mark Leadbetter (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
Samantha Spiro (born 20 June 1968) is an English actress and singer. She playedBarbara Windsor in the stage playCleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick and thetelevision filmsCor, Blimey! andBabs, D.I. Vivien Friend inM.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, Melessa Tarly in theHBO seriesGame of Thrones, and Maureen Groff inSex Education. She has won twoLaurence Olivier Awards.
Born inMill Hill, London, England, Spiro grew up inRadlett,Hertfordshire.[2] She is Jewish.[3][4] Spiro decided to be an actress at the age of ten after seeing a production ofAndrocles and the Lion at theOpen Air Theatre, Regent's Park.[2] She joined theNational Youth Theatre and later trained at theWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.[5]
Spiro attendedBancroft's School from 1982 to 1985 and subsequently returned in 2016 for an Arts & Drama masterclass[6] Spiro spoke about how her time at Bancroft's had fuelled her enthusiasm for a career in the Arts.
Spiro married actor Mark Leadbetter, whom she met at drama school, in February 2002.[7] They have two daughters, one named Harriet.[8] They live inQueen's Park, London.[2]
Spiro's first acting job after graduating from drama school was with theOpen Air Theatre, Regent's Park, in productions ofA Midsummer Night's Dream,The Boys From Syracuse andMacbeth.[2] Her many theatre credits includeAs You Like It,Teechers,The Tragic Roundabout,Jumpers,On the Piste,Roots,How the Other Half Loves andGlyn and It, oppositePenelope Keith.[9]
Spiro playedBarbara Windsor inCleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick at theNational Theatre, a production she credits as her first big break, which "open[ed] a lot of doors".[5] She has also appeared in theMinerva Theatre production ofFunny Girl and the firstWest End revival ofAlan Ayckbourn'sBedroom Farce.[1][9]
Spiro played Rachel inMike Leigh's production ofTwo Thousand Years at the National Theatre. This was the first Jewish role of her career. She said:
For English/Jewish artists in this business, we're English first and the Jewish thing comes down the line. Whereas in the United States, Jewishness is a much celebrated thing. Jewishness is a part of their very being.
Here, I think, we repress it and, far from celebrating it, almost shy away from it. AfterTwo Thousand Years, I suddenly felt that there is a place for people like me. Until that point I hadn't had a career playing Jewish people. I had got that stuff out of the way by the time I came to play Fanny Brice [inFunny Girl] who is very much a Jewish character.[3]
In 2009 Spiro played Maria in theDonmar Warehouse production ofTwelfth Night at theWyndham's Theatre, alongsideDerek Jacobi, and Beatrice inMuch Ado About Nothing at theOpen Air Theatre.[5][10] Most recently, she appeared in the acclaimed Open Air Theatre production ofHello, Dolly!, playing Dolly Levi.[2][5]
In 2013 Spiro playedLady Macbeth inMacbeth atShakespeare's Globe, alongsideBilly Boyd andJoseph Millson.
Discussing whether she prefers acting in the theatre to television or film, Spiro said: "I think theatre prefers me. These days you have to do both, but it never feels as if the TV casting people are beating down my door to offer me work. I just feel that in this business you are lucky if you’re doing something you enjoy."[5]
Spiro reprised the role of Barbara Windsor in the television adaptation ofCleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick,Cor, Blimey!, starring oppositeGeoffrey Hutchings.[11]
Her other television credits includeThe Bill,Cold Feet,Plebs,Coupling,After You've Gone andM.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, in which she played the lead role of DI Vivien Friend. She described the role of Friend as "quite an unusual departure for me...I've done quite a bit of comedy and I've played characters who are light-hearted and characters who are tarts with hearts. In M.I.T. there is no tart or heart!"[12] In order to research the part, Spiro spent time with a female Detective Inspector with the real-lifeMurder Investigation Team.[12] From 9 August 2010, Spiro starred in the BBC comedyGrandma's House. She plays the part ofSimon Amstell's aunt Liz. In 2012 she also appeared in the SkyArts comedy seriesPsychobitches, where she played various female icons includingAudrey Hepburn,Elizabeth Taylor,Marilyn Monroe andMary Whitehouse.
In September 2013, Spiro joined the cast of theBBC Three sitcomBad Education as Professor Celia Green, the new deputy headmaster and adversary toJack Whitehall's character.
In 2013 Spiro starred in an episode of theSky Atlantic seriesLittle Crackers, an autobiographical comedy written byRebecca Front in which Spiro played Front's mother.
In 2016 she joined theHBO seriesGame of Thrones inseason 6 as Melessa Tarly, the mother ofSamwell Tarly.[13] That year she also joinedTracey Ullman's Show in the recurring role of Birgit, the fictitious fridge-magnet-loving personal assistant and confidante toTracey Ullman's impression ofGerman ChancellorAngela Merkel. She reprised her role in Ullman'sTracey Breaks the News. In 2017 Spiro reprised her role of Barbara Windsor in theBBC One dramaBabs, a biopic based on the life of Windsor. She also appeared in theDoctor Who episode "The Doctor Falls", as Hazran.
Spiro has appeared in the filmsBeyond Bedlam (1994), as WPC Foster, andTomorrow La Scala! (2002), as Janey. She also playedMartha Tabram inFrom Hell (2001), oppositeJohnny Depp.
Herradio drama credits includeThe Casebook of Inspector Steine,Gospel According to Mary,Little Cinderellas,Beside the Seaside,Show Boat in which she played Magnolia Hawks, Sarah Kahn inChicken Soup with Barley and the Guy Meredith playSpring Forward, Fall Back forBBC Radio 7.[14]
In 2018 Spiro played the role of Mrs Erlynne inKathy Burke's production ofOscar Wilde'sLady Windermere's Fan at London's Vaudeville Theatre. This production was recorded and shown in cinemas under the "More2Screen" initiative.
From 2019 to 2023, Spiro portrayed the recurring character Maureen Groff inLaurie Nunn's British comedy-drama seriesSex Education.
In 2001, Spiro was awarded theOlivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the 2000 seasonDonmar Warehouse production ofMerrily We Roll Along. She won a Whatsonstage.com award for Best Actress in a Musical for the same production.[1] In 2010, Spiro was once again awarded theOlivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance inHello, Dolly! at theOpen Air Theatre, Regent's Park.
Spiro won a 2004Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, for the production ofA Little Night Music at theChicago Shakespeare Theater in Chicago,Illinois.[citation needed]
In the 2011 British Comedy Awards she won the Best Female Comedy Breakthrough Artist award for her performance inGrandma's House.[15]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Beyond Bedlam | WPC Foster | |
| 1998 | Guru in Seven | Sharon | |
| 2001 | From Hell | Martha Tabram | |
| 2002 | Tomorrow La Scala! | Janey | |
| 2012 | A Running Jump | Debbie | Short film |
| 2016 | Me Before You | Josie Clark | |
| 2017 | Carnage | Edith Paper | |
| Catherine the Great: Husbands, Lovers and Sons | Catherine II | ||
| 2019 | Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans | Mrs. Felix | |
| 2021 | Where Is Anne Frank | Edith Frank | |
| 2023 | Hoard | Michelle | |
| One Life | Esther Rantzen | ||
| 2024 | Hard Truths | Nicole |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Bill | Cherie | Episode: "Dealer Wins" |
| The Knock | Young Woman | Episode: #1.1 | |
| 2000 | Cor, Blimey! | Barbara Windsor | TV film |
| 2001 | Cold Feet | Ruth Wylie | 3 episodes |
| TV Go Home | Sarah Galoshes | Unknown episodes | |
| 2002 | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Red Lady | Voice; TV film |
| 2003 | M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team | D.I. Vivien Friend | 8 episodes |
| 2004 | Coupling | Jeffina | Episode: "9½ Months" |
| 2007 | After You've Gone | Ann Venables | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2012 | Grandma's House | Auntie Liz | 12 episodes |
| 2011 | Rock & Chips | Beryl Bird | Episode: "The Frog and the Pussycat" |
| 2012 | Playhouse Presents | Mary Whitehouse | Episode: "Psychobitches" |
| Little Crackers | Sheila Front | Episode: "Rainy Days and Mondays" | |
| Panto! | Di Jenkins | TV film | |
| 2012–2014 | Psychobitches | Various | 11 episodes |
| 2013 | Bad Education | Professor Celia Green | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Wrong Mans | Maria | Episode: "X-Mans" |
| 2015 | London Spy | Detective Taylor | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones | Melessa Tarly | Episode: "Blood of My Blood" |
| 2016–2018 | Tracey Ullman's Show | Various | 13 episodes |
| 2016, 2019 | Plebs | Sylvia | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Babs | Barbara Windsor | TV film |
| Doctor Who | Hazran | Episode: "The Doctor Falls" | |
| Doc Martin | Tina Collins | Episode: "Accidental Hero" | |
| 2017–2018 | Tracey Breaks the News | Various | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Grandpa's Great Escape | Patricia Bunting | TV film |
| Oi Leonardo | Various | 3 episodes | |
| Agatha and the Truth of Murder | Pamela | TV film | |
| 2019 | Island of Dreams | J. K. Rowling | TV film |
| 2019–2020 | Semi-Detached | Kate | 6 episodes |
| 2019–2023 | Sex Education | Maureen Groff | 23 episodes |
| 2020 | Call the Midwife | Grace Calthorpe | Episode #9.5 |
| 2021 | Midsomer Murders | Phyllis Cuttle | Episode: "For Death Prepare" |
| Ridley Road | Liza Epstein | 4 episodes | |
| The Larkins | Bertha | Episode: "In Which Ma's Sister Bertha Comes to Visit" | |
| Ragdoll | Joy | 3 episodes | |
| 2022 | Dodger | Marie Tussaud | Episode: "Waxworks" |
| Not Going Out | Bigoted Woman | Episode: "Jury" | |
| The Pentaverate | Darleen Windelchuck | 2 episodes | |
| 2023 | Vera | Belinda Rayford | Episode: "Against the Tide" |
| Beyond Paradise | Yvonne Wiley | Episode #1.1 | |
| Inside No. 9 | Sue | Episode: "Paraskevidekatriaphobia"[16] | |
| Still Up | Christine | Episode: "Veggie Veggie Bing Bong" |
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