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Joanna Riding | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joanne Riding (1967-11-09)9 November 1967 (age 57) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse(s) | Sebastien Maillot |
Joanna Riding (bornJoanne Riding; 9 November 1967) is anEnglish actress. For her work inWest End musicals, she has won twoLaurence Olivier Awards, and has been nominated for three others.
Riding was born in Preston,Lancashire, England, growing up on a farm, where her father ran a successful cheese-making business.[citation needed] She received theatre training at theBristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1986 to 1989.[1]
After leaving school, Riding worked atChichester Festival Theatre for a season, playing Anne Page inThe Merry Wives of Windsor and Dorothy inThe Wizard of Oz. She met her former husband, actorPeter O'Brien, at Chichester.[2] He proposed outside the theatre and they married on Christmas Eve 1990. Their separation was announced in December 1993.[2] She was next cast as a replacement Sally in theWest End production ofMe and My Girl.[3]
In 1993, Riding played the role of Julie Jordan inNicholas Hytner'sRoyal National Theatre revival ofCarousel and won theOlivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. Also in 1993, she appeared asSean Hughes' love interest 'Lizzie Workman' in the second series ofSean's Show. Her character was introduced via a parody ofGrease's 'Summer Nights'.[4]
In 1995 she played Anne Egerman inA Little Night Music oppositeJudi Dench, followed by Sarah Brown inRichard Eyre's acclaimed revival ofGuys and Dolls, both at the National Theatre. She created the role of Jane Smart inThe Witches of Eastwick in 2000, at theTheatre Royal, Drury Lane and in 2002 played the role of Eliza Doolittle inTrevor Nunn's National Theatre revival ofMy Fair Lady, for which she won her second Olivier Award.
On 12 May 2002 she appeared in theRichard Rodgers' Tribute Gala 'Some Enchanted Evening' at theTheatre Royal, Drury Lane, which was broadcast onBBC Four and has since been released on DVD. At the concert she performed the song "An Old Man" fromTwo by Two.
Riding performed the role of Ruth inBlithe Spirit in 2004 on tour at theMilton Keynes Theatre andTheatre Royal, Bath, and at theSavoy Theatre in London.[5] in 2004 she appeared in The Royal as Sheena, a woman suffering from post natal depression. In 2006 she played PC Rob Walker’s sister Ange inHeartbeat, when he married Dr Helen Trent in the episode ‘Keeping Secrets’.
From 1 December 2008 to 29 May 2010, Riding starred as Mrs. Wilkinson in the London production ofBilly Elliot the Musical at theVictoria Palace Theatre. She took maternity leave from the show between 23 December 2008 and 24 August 2009 when the role was played by Kate Graham. Following this, she headlined a one-off concert on 24 October 2010 at Freedom Bar inSoho calledSondheim in Reverse, as part of the composer's 80th birthday celebrations.
In 2011, Riding starred in two musicals at theGielgud Theatre in London'sWest End. From 5 March to 21 May she played Madame Emery in the Kneehigh Theatre Company's musical adaptation ofThe Umbrellas of Cherbourg.[6] The production had its try-out atLeicester'sCurve Theatre from 11 to 26 February. A month later, from 6 June to 6 August[7] she played jealous Italian mistress Maria Merelli in the London production ofLend Me A Tenor.
In 2013 she appeared in the Sky1 TV comedy seriesStella as Melissa. Riding also portrayedValerie Hobson inAndrew Lloyd Webber's musicalStephen Ward, and was one of few elements of the production to be praised by every major critic.
In 2014, Riding appeared as Cinderella's Mother inRob Marshall's film version ofStephen Sondheim'sInto the Woods.
In September 2016 it was announced that Riding would take the leading role of Annie inThe Girls musical written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth to open at The Phoenix Theatre, London on 27 January 2017.[8]
When the 2017 London revival of Sondheim'sFollies returned to the Olivier Theatre on February 14, 2018, playing until May 11, Riding replaced Imelda Staunton as Sally.
In July 2022 Riding played Rose in theBuxton Festival production of theJule Styne andStephen Sondheim musicalGypsy.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Laurence Olivier Award[9] | Best Actress in a Musical | Carousel | Won |
| 1997 | Laurence Olivier Award[10] | Best Actress in a Musical | Guys and Dolls | Nominated |
| 2001 | Laurence Olivier Award[11] | Best Actress in a Musical | The Witches of Eastwick | Nominated |
| 2003 | Laurence Olivier Award[12] | Best Actress in a Musical | My Fair Lady | Won |
| 2017 | Laurence Olivier Award[13] | Best Actress in a Musical | The Girls | Nominated |
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