Amanda Root (born 1963) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her starring role asAnne Elliot in the 1995BBC adaptation ofPersuasion. A familiar face on both stage and screen, she worked regularly with theRoyal Shakespeare Company during her early career, performing asJuliet inRomeo and Juliet, andLady Macbeth inMacbeth, among other roles. In 2009, she was nominated for aTony Award forBest Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Sarah inAlan Ayckbourn'sThe Norman Conquests.

Her film roles includeThe Iron Lady (2011),Their Finest (2016),The Black Prince (2017) andSummerland (2020). Root is also known for her television roles, including Dolly inAnna Karenina (2000), Mrs Davilow inDaniel Deronda (2002), and Winifred Dartie inThe Forsyte Saga (2002−2003). In 2018, she played Carol Finch inITV crime dramaUnforgotten (2018), and in 2023, she portrayed Sue Farquhar in BBC dramaThe Sixth Commandment (2023).

Root was born in 1963 inChelmsford,Essex, to Ken and Maureen Root.^[1] Her father was an accountant, whilst her mother had performed in amateur dramatic productions as a child.^[2] Both were supportive of her ambitions to become an actor. She attendedPhilip Morant School inColchester, studying drama at O Level; she joined the Essex Youth Theatre as a teenager. After graduating from theWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, she began her career at theLeeds Playhouse in 1983 when she played Essie inGeorge Bernard Shaw'sThe Devil's Disciple.

She was a remarkably complete actress even in her early twenties, when physically she looked little more than a child. With her dark soulful eyes she could command a stage, and theRoyal Shakespeare Company saw her talent very early on.^[3]

She worked regularly with the RSC inStratford-upon-Avon and London from 1983 to 1991, including playing the role of Juliet toDaniel Day-Lewis's Romeo; a very young Lady Macbeth; Cressida toRalph Fiennes's Troilus, and Rosaline to his Berowne. She also appeared as Jessica oppositeIan McDiarmid'sShylock inThe Merchant of Venice.^[3]

In 1985, Root made her television debut in the pilot episode ofLadies in Charge, as one of a trio of women setting up an agency to help others in postwar London. She then starred as the title character inMary Rose, a television drama based on the play byJ.M. Barrie. In 1988, she featured as the Storyteller in five episodes of children's seriesJackanory, and the following year voiced Sophie in animated featureThe BFG. The film was aired onITV onChristmas Day. In 1991, she reprised her role as Adela in aChannel 4 adaptation ofThe House of Bernarda Alba alongsideGlenda Jackson, having originally played the character in a 1986 stage production at theLyric Hammersmith.^[4] She also starred as Nina inChekhov'sThe Seagull at theBarbican Theatre. In 1993, Root played Hilda Maxwell in ITV period dramaThe Man Who Cried, oppositeCiarán Hinds.^[5] The series, adapted from the novel byCatherine Cookson, received positive reviews and was watched by 12.7 million viewers.

In 1994, she appeared inBBC comedy drama seriesLove on a Branch Line as Miss Mounsey. That same year, Root was sought by the actressEmma Thompson for the role ofMarianne inSense and Sensibility, based onthe 1811 novel byJane Austen. She participated in a read through in London with the cast but was unable to take on the role (it would later go toKate Winslet) as she had already committed to star asAnne Elliot in another Austen adaptation,Persuasion.^[6] The film, made by the BBC for drama anthology seriesScreen Two, reunited Root withCiarán Hinds, who played Captain Wentworth. It was broadcast onBBC Two in April 1995, and later gained a limited cinematic release in theUnited States, grossing over five million dollars.^[7] Well received by critics, it went on to win fiveTV BAFTAs, including forBest Single Drama.^[8] In 1996, she played Patricia “Pat” Green inBreaking the Code. Root's character was inspired byBletchley code-breakerJoan Clarke, and starredDerek Jacobi asAlan Turing.

In 1998, Root starred in BBC crime dramaMortimer's Law, as Rachel Mortimer, a barrister who relocates to rural Wales to take up a vacant coroner's post. The series ran for six episodes but was not recommissioned. In 2000, she played Dolly inAnna Karenina, and later appeared as Mrs. Davilow inDaniel Deronda. That same year, Root returned to the stage inYasmina Reza'sConversations After a Burial at theAlmeida Theatre. She also made guest appearances in various crime dramas, includingA Touch of Frost,Foyle's War,Waking the Dead,Poirot andMidsomer Murders. In 2004, she appeared in ten episodes of period dramaThe Forsyte Saga as Winifred Dartie. The following year, she featured in the docudramaJulian Fellowes Investigates, playing murder victim Vera Sidney.^[9] In 2006, she portrayedAlice Hoschede, wife ofImpressionist painterClaude Monet, in the BBC miniseriesThe Impressionists. She also made her third appearance at theAlmeida Theatre as Polina Bardin inEnemies byMaxim Gorky, in a new interpretation byDavid Hare.^[10]

In 2008, Root was cast as Sarah inAlan Ayckbourn'sThe Norman Conquests. It was first staged at theOld Vic Theatre in London, before making itsBroadway transfer to theCircle in the Square Theatre inNew York. The production, directed byMatthew Warchus, was positively received by critics, and gained sevenTony nominations, winningBest Revival. Root was nominated forBest Featured Actress in a Play; her performance was described as “remarkable” byThe New York Times.^[11] The cast were also nominated for anOlivier Award forBest Company Performance.

In 2011, she starred as Hester Collyer in a stage production ofThe Deep Blue Sea at theChichester Festival Theatre.^[12] She also played Amanda inMargaret Thatcher biopicThe Iron Lady oppositeMeryl Streep and continued to make further guest appearances in television crime dramas, such asDCI Banks,The Tunnel andDeath in Paradise. In 2016, she appeared as Cecy in wartime comedy dramaTheir Finest. In 2017, Root featured in an episode of hit BBC dramaSherlock as Emma Welsborough. Later that same year, she starred asQueen Victoria in historical dramaThe Black Prince; the film explored the complex relationship between Victoria andDuleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire. In 2018, she played Carol Finch in six episodes ofITV dramaUnforgotten, and Virginia Scott-Watson inPatrick Melrose. On stage, she played governess Miss Madrigal in aChichester Festival Theatre production ofThe Chalk Garden. In 2020, she appeared on television in popularBBC dramaCall the Midwife and ITV thriller miniseriesThe Sister, and on film in British dramaSummerland as social worker Mrs Lawrence.

In 2021, she played Sister Brumfett in one episode ofDalgliesh. The following year, she played Cynthia in afilm adaptation ofAlan Bennett's 2018 playAllelujah!. She also appeared in BBC mystery thrillerThe Capture. In 2023, Root featured in two episodes of romantic comedy drama seriesYou & Me. She also had a supporting role in true-life crime dramaThe Sixth Commandment, based on the murder ofPeter Farquhar. Root played Farquhar's sister-in-law Sue Farquhar.^[13] In 2024, she featured in three episodes of black comedy dramaBaby Reindeer. The series premiered on Netflix on 11 April to critical acclaim.^[14][15]The series went on to win six Primetime Emmys and two Golden Globes.^[16][17] Later that year, she portrayed English abbessElizabeth Zouche in four episodes of BBC historical drama seriesWolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, based on the novel byHilary Mantel.

In 2025, Root appeared in the penultimate episode of long-runningITV crime dramaVera as Deena Corbridge. She is set to feature in upcoming British crime thrillerLazarus forAmazon Prime; filming for the series began in February 2024.^[18]

In 2010, after hearing a talk by American attorney and formerInternational Justice Mission presidentGary Haugen, Root founded Talitha Arts,^[19] a non-profit organisation that uses the creative arts to provide therapeutic support for survivors of trafficking and domestic abuse throughout the UK and overseas.^[20] The organisation gained charitable status in 2015,^[21] and has since expanded to support children, refugees, ex-offenders, and people experiencing homelessness as well as those living with dementia.^[22] In 2016, Root was awarded a Point of Light Award byPrime MinisterTheresa May in recognition of her work.^[23] She was also shortlisted forLorraine Kelly's Inspirational Woman of the Year Award; she was informed of her nomination in a surprise live announcement on theLorraine programme.^[24] In 2020, Root announced that she was stepping down as Artistic Director after ten years in the role.^[25]

Her stage credits include:

• Essie inThe Devil's Disciple (Bernard Shaw), Leeds Playhouse, 1983
• Juliet inRomeo and Juliet and Hermia inA Midsummer Night's Dream,RSC small-scale tour 1983;The Other Place 1984
• Jessica inThe Merchant of Venice, RSCRoyal Shakespeare Theatre, 1984
• Moth inLove's Labours Lost, RSC Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 1984
• Lucy Ellison inToday byRobert Holman,RSC The Other Place, October 1984;The PitBarbican Centre, May 1985
• Apricot inThe Dragon's Tail byDouglas Watkinson,Apollo Theatre, October 1985
• Neuroza inTell Me Honestly (Kenneth Branagh), Not the RSC Festival,Almeida Theatre 1985
• Adela inThe House of Bernarda Alba (Federico García Lorca, directed byNúria Espert),Lyric Hammersmith, September 1986;Globe Theatre, January 1987
• Harriet inThe Man of Mode (George Etherege), RSCSwan Theatre, July 1988; The Pit, April 1989
• Lady Macbeth inMacbeth, RSCBarbican Theatre, May 1989
• Betty McNeil inSome Americans Abroad (Richard Nelson), RSC The Pit, July 1989
• Cordelia inKing Lear, RSCAlmeida Theatre. September 1989
• Cressida inTroilus and Cressida, RSC Swan Theatre, April 1990; The Pit, June 1991
• Rosaline inLove's Labours Lost RSC Royal Shakespeare Theatre, September 1990; Barbican Theatre, March 1991
• Nina inThe Seagull (Anton Chekhov), RSC Swan Theatre; November 1990; Barbican Theatre July 1991
• Cleopatra inCaesar and Cleopatra (Shaw), co-starring withAlec McCowen,Greenwich Theatre, February 1992
• Nora inThe Plough and the Stars (Sean O'Casey),West Yorkshire Playhouse, April 1993
• The Manageress in50 Revolutions (Murray Gold),Oxford Stage Company,Whitehall Theatre, September 1999
• Edith inConversations After a Burial (Yasmina Reza),Almeida Theatre, September 2000
• Polina Bardin inEnemies (Maxim Gorky in a version byDavid Hare), Almeida Theatre, May 2006^[26]
• Sarah inThe Norman Conquests, an interlinked trilogy byAlan Ayckbourn, Old Vic, October 2008^[27]
• Corinne inThe Country,Arcola Theatre (Martin Crimp), September 2010
• Hester Collyer inThe Deep Blue Sea (Terence Rattigan),Chichester Festival Theatre, July 2011
• Bea inJumpy (Nina Raine),Duke of York's Theatre, August 2012
• Carol inThe Herd (Rory Kinnear),Bush Theatre, September 2013
• Zhenya inDonkey Heart (Moses Raine),Trafalgar Studios, January 2015
• Heather Espy inRacing Demon (David Hare),Theatre Royal Bath, June 2017
• Miss Mardrigal inThe Chalk Garden (Enid Bagnold),Chichester Festival Theatre, June 2018

• Theatre Record and its annual Indexes

• The Journal, "Dame 'Kate' Scores Double Triumph", 21 January 1993, Page 1.

• Amanda Root atIMDb

• 1963 births
• Living people
• 20th-century English actresses
• 21st-century English actresses
• Actresses from Chelmsford
• Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
• Audiobook narrators
• English film actresses
• English radio actresses
• English stage actresses
• English television actresses
• English voice actresses
• Royal Shakespeare Company members

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