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Linda Bassett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linda Bassett
Born (1950-02-04) 4 February 1950 (age 74)
Pluckley, Kent, England
OccupationActress
Years active1979–present

Linda Bassett (born 4 February 1950) is an English actress. Her television credits include Victoria Wood's dinnerladies (1999), Lark Rise to Candleford (2008–11), Grandma's House (2010–12) and Call the Midwife (2015–present).

She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1999 film East Is East and for the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for the 2013 revival of the play Roots at the Donmar Warehouse.

Biography

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Bassett was born in Pluckley, Kent, England, to a typist mother and a police officer father.[1] Her roles include the award-winning part of Ella Khan in the 1999 British comedy film East is East. Other roles include Mrs. Jennings in the three-part BBC adaptation Sense and Sensibility, Queenie Turrill in Lark Rise to Candleford, Doll in the film Cass.

In film, she first gained notice when she was cast as Gertrude Stein opposite Linda Hunt as Alice B. Toklas in Waiting for the Moon in 1987. She also appeared as Julia Roberts' mother in Mary Reilly in 1996, Mrs. Brenner, the prison official in the 2008 film The Reader and as Cora in Calendar Girls (March).

More recently she played Grandma in the BBC Two comedy Grandma's House. Since 2015, she has portrayed Nurse Phyllis Crane on the BBC One drama series Call the Midwife.

Theatre

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Bassett's career began in the theatre. She initially worked as an usher at the Old Vic whilst a schoolgirl, before enrolling at The University of Leeds. Her first professional work was in community and educational theatre in the 1970s.[2]

Among her most notable stage roles were those in:

Filmography

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Year Film / TV Role Notes
1987 Waiting for the Moon Gertrude Stein
1988 Dramarama Meg Crawford TV series (1 episode: "Making Waves")
Paris by Night Janet Swanton
1989 Traffik Rachel Lithgow TV series (4 episodes)
Boon Mrs. Sheridan TV series (1 episode: "In It for the Monet")
1990 Screen One Virginia Lyddon TV series (1 episode: "News Hound")
The Bill Shena Jackson TV series (2 episodes)
1991 A Small Dance Sandra Matkin
4 Play Phyllis Twigg TV series (1 episode: "Say Hello to the Real Dr. Snide")
Let Him Have It Mrs. Miles
1994 Love Hurts Janice TV series (1 episode: "Blue Heaven")
A Touch of Frost Mrs. Cornish TV series (1 episode: "Nothing to Hide")
Screen Two Mrs. Loveless/Susan TV series (2 episodes)
Frank Stubbs Eileen TV series (1 episode: "Babies")
1995 A Village Affair Gwen TV film
The Bill Chrissie Bates TV series (1 episode: "Old Habitats")
Bramwell Maud TV mini-series (1 episode: "Episode #1.7")
Loved Up Mother TV film
The Peter Principle Iris Jennings TV series (1 episode: "Pilot")
Haunted Madam Brontski
EastEnders Bridget Gilsenan TV series (1 episode)
1996 Mary Reilly Mary's Mother Film
Casualty Olwyn Humphries TV series (1 episode: "Asking for Miracles")
No Bananas Ellen Slater TV mini-series (10 episodes)
Indian Summer Doctor Film
1997 Kavanagh QC Miss Haddon QC TV series (1 episode: "Mute of Malice")
Oscar and Lucinda Betty Stratton
1998 Spoonface Steinberg Mrs. Spud TV film
The Life and Crimes of William Palmer Mary Thornton TV film
Our Mutual Friend Abby Potterson TV mini-series (2 episodes)
Far from the Madding Crowd Maryann Money TV film
Out of Hours Carol-Ann Kumar TV mini-series
1999 East is East Ella Khan Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Beautiful People Sister Film
dinnerladies Peggy TV series (1 episode: "Trouble")
2000 Lounge Act Voice Short
Don Quixote Housekeeper TV film
Losing It Tom's Mother TV film
2001 The Martins Anthea
2002 The Last Time Evelyn Short
The Hours Nelly Boxall
2003 This Little Life Nurse Nina TV film
Calendar Girls Cora Film
2004 Spivs Auntie Vee
The Brief Maureen Tyler TV series (8 episodes: 2004–2005)
2005 Separate Lies Maggie
Colour Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story Trolley Lady
Kinky Boots Melanie Film
Heartbeat Beryl Palmer TV series (1 episode: "Burden of Proof")
The English Harem Monica Pringle TV film
2007 Midsomer Murders Eileen Carnack TV series (1 episode: "The Animal Within")
2008 Sense and Sensibility Mrs. Jennings TV mini-series (3 episodes)
Cass Doll Film
The Reader Ms. Brenner
Lark Rise to Candleford Queenie Turrill TV series (40 episodes: 2008–2011)
2010 West Is West Ella Khan
Grandma's House Grandma TV series (12 episodes: 2010–2012)
2012 Nick Nickleby Mrs. Smike TV series (4 episodes: 2012–present)
2013 Spies of Warsaw Malka Rosen BBC miniseries
2015–2017 Twirlywoos Narrator children's TV show
2015– Call the Midwife Nurse Phyllis Crane TV series
2017 Carnage Dr Yasmine Vondenburg Mockumentary
2022 Strike Joan Nancarrow TV series (Troubled Blood)

Personal life

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Bassett lives in Kent, in a village close to her birthplace.

References

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  1. ^ "Linda Bassett Biography (1950-)". www.filmreference.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Linda Bassett: Sharing a fenland cottage with Caryl Churchill changed my career". TheGuardian.com. 30 January 2014.
  3. ^ Wiegand, Interview by Chris (10 February 2016). "Sunshine and terrible rage: Linda Bassett on Caryl Churchill's Escaped Alone". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  4. ^ Gilbert, Sophie (21 February 2017). "'Escaped Alone' Finds Comfort at the End of the World". The Atlantic. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  5. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Drama, Escaped Alone". BBC. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
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