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Ecstasy (play)
''Ecstasy'' is a 1979 play by British playwright Mike Leigh with a six-character cast. It covers the life of four blue-collar friends living in a ratty area of London near Kilburn High Road and the drunken frustration in their lives, particularly that of the lead character Jean. Jean is a suicidal garage attendant who sleeps with unsuitable men, like Roy, drinks heavily and has abortions. Her friend from Birmingham, Dawn, who has had three children, brings back her husband Mick, an Irish labourer, and his quiet friend, Len, to Jean's bleak Kilburn bedsitter, - 'their second act ensemble trumpets the dark night of the soul, in what is at once one of the best and gloomiest party scenes in contemporary drama.' The play opened at the Hampstead Theatre on 26 September 1979. The production was designed by Alison Chitty, and the cast comprised Sheila Kelley as Jean, Ron Cook as Roy, Rachel Davies as Val, Julie Walters as Dawn, Stephen Rea as Mick, and Jim Broadbent as Len. For both B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daniel Coonan
Daniel Coonan is a British actor. Early life Coonan was brought up in Haringey, in north London, moving to Plymouth, Devon in his teens, where he took up acting lessons. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Career After graduating, Coonan spent over ten years working almost exclusively in theatre, working with companies including The National Theatre, The Royal Court Theatre and Howard Barker's theatre company, The Wrestling School. Coonan then had roles in various television series, including a wrongly convicted murderer in ''Silent Witness'', an investigating policeman in the BBC crime drama ''Mayday'', and a violent alcoholic in Mike Leigh's revival of his classic play '' Ecstasy'', which Leigh directed. In 2013, Coonan joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', playing Carl White, having previously played David Priors in 2011. He was originally contracted to appear in 28 episodes as Carl over a six-month period, but filmed over 60 episodes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheila Kelley (British Actress)
Sheila Kelley is a British television actress. Her career began in 1974, in the series ''Village Hall''. Further notable appearances were in the series ''Within These Walls'' (1978), ''Empire Road'' (1978), ''Play for Today'' (1975; 1976, in Nuts in May; and 1982), ''A Touch of Frost'' (1994), '' Dangerfield'' (1998) and ''Dalziel and Pascoe'' (1997, 2000). She also acted in movies, including ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987) and '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996). She was married to actor Stephen Bill (known from ''Prick Up Your Ears''). Their son Leo Bill is also an actor (known from ''28 Days Later ''28 Days Later'' is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. It stars Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagi ...''). External links * Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English film actresses English television actresses Place ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duchess Theatre
The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 seats on two levels. It is a Grade II Listed Building. The Duchess Theatre was purchased in 2005 by Nica Burns and Max Weitzenhoffer forming part of the Nimax Theatres group. History The Duchess Theatre was designed by Ewen Barr and constructed by F. G. Minter Ltd for Arthur Gibbons. The theatre is built with the stalls below street level, both to overcome the scale of the site and to maintain the rights of neighbours to ancient lights. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 with a play called ''Tunnel Trench'' by Hubert Griffith. The interior decoration scheme was introduced in 1934 under the supervision of Mary Wyndham Lewis, wife of J. B. Priestley. The original interiors were Art Deco in style, designed by Marc Henri and Gaston Lav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craig Parkinson
Craig Parkinson (born 11 March 1976) is an English actor and podcaster. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Shaun in the E4 series ''Misfits'', twins Jimmy and Johnny Kray in the ITV series ''Whitechapel'', and DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan in ''Line of Duty''. He has also acted in several independent films, including ''Control'', ''Soulboy'', ''The Unloved'' and ''Four Lions''. Early life Parkinson was born on 11 March 1976 in Blackpool, Lancashire. He began acting at an early age in school plays. He studied at Blackpool and The Fylde College before moving to London aged 17 to attend the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Acting career Parkinson's early roles were small parts in long-running British television series such as ''Dalziel and Pascoe'', ''The Bill'', and ''Holby City''. He made his film debut in ''Control'' (2007), a biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis in which he played the role of Tony Wilson. He starred in the 2008 independent film ''The Taxidermist'', play ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allen Leech
Allen Leech (born 18 May 1981) is an Irish actor best known for his role as Tom Branson on the historical drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and as Paul Prenter in the 2018 biopic ''Bohemian Rhapsody''. He made his professional acting debut with a small part in a 1998 production of ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', made his first major film appearance as Vincent Cusack in ''Cowboys & Angels'', and earned an Irish Film & Television Awards nomination in 2004 with his performance as Mo Chara in ''Man About Dog''. Leech played Marcus Agrippa on the HBO historical drama series ''Rome''. Early life Leech was born in Killiney, County Dublin, to David Leech, the CEO of a computer systems company, and Kay Leech. He is the third of four children; he has an older brother, Greg, an older sister, Alli, and a younger brother, Simon. He attended St Michael's College. Leech became interested in acting at 11 when he was given the part of the Cowardly Lion in a school production of '' The Wizard of Oz'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sian Brooke
Sian Brooke (born Sian Elizabeth Phillips; born 1980) is a British actress. Her television work includes '' Cape Wrath'' (2007), '' Sherlock'' (2017), '' Doctor Foster'' (2017), ''Good Omens'' (2019), ''Guilt'' (2019), and '' Trying'' (2020–). Early life and education Sian Elizabeth Phillips was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England in 1980 and is the youngest of three siblings. She took on a stage name to avoid confusion with fellow actress Siân Phillips, choosing Brooke after an English Civil War general Lord Brooke who was killed at Lichfield. She is the daughter of a police officer and a teacher. Her parents are Welsh. Brooke's early education was at The Friary School in Lichfield. She initially joined the Lichfield Youth Theatre at the age of 11 before becoming a member of the National Youth Theatre and subsequently training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), from where she graduated in 2002. Career Her acting debut was as Krista in television series ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Broadbent
James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film ''Iris'' (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for his leading role as Lord Longford in the television film ''Longford'' (2006). Broadbent received four BAFTA Film Award nominations and won for his performance in ''Moulin Rouge!'' (2001). He was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, Broadbent first came to prominence in the 1980s, chiefly appearing in television comedy including playing Roy Slater in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses''. He appeared in the Terry Gilliam films ''Time Bandits'' (1981) and ''Brazil'' (1985) before a breakthrough role in Mike Leigh's independent comedy drama '' Life Is Sweet'' (1990). His notable film roles since include ''The Borrowers'' (1997), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea ( ; born 31 October 1946) is an Irish film and stage actor. Rea has appeared in films such as ''V for Vendetta'', ''Michael Collins'', ''Interview with the Vampire'' and ''Breakfast on Pluto''. Rea was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Neil Jordan's thriller ''The Crying Game'' (1992). He has had important roles in the Hugo Blick TV series '' The Shadow Line'' and ''The Honourable Woman'', for which he won a BAFTA Award. In 2020, ''The Irish Times'' ranked Rea the 13th greatest Irish film actor of all-time. Early life Rea was born in Belfast; his father was a bus driver and his mother a housewife. He studied English at the Queen's University Belfast and drama at the Abbey Theatre School in Dublin. In the late 1970s, he acted in the Focus Company in Dublin with Gabriel Byrne and Colm Meaney. Career After appearing on the stage and in television and film for many years in Ireland and England, Rea came to international attention when he was nomina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julie Walters
Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Fellowship, and a Golden Globe. Walters has twice been nominated for an Academy Award: once for Best Actress and once for Best Supporting Actress. She was made a Dame (DBE) in 2017 for services to drama. Walters rose to prominence playing the title role in ''Educating Rita'' (1983), a part she originated on the West End. She has appeared in many other films, including ''Personal Services'' (1987), ''Prick Up Your Ears'' (1987), '' Stepping Out'' (1991), ''Sister My Sister'' (1994), ''Girls' Night'' (1998), '' Titanic Town'' (1998), ''Billy Elliot'' (2000), the ''Harry Potter'' series (2001–2011), ''Calendar Girls'' (2003), '' Wah-Wah'' (2005), ''Driving Lessons'' (2006), ''Becoming Jane'' (2007), '' Mamma Mia!'' (2008) and its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rachel Davies
Rachel Davies is an English actress. She has numerous television credits to her name, including ''Boon'' (1986), ''A Little Bit Of Lippy'' (1989), ''Emmerdale'' (1993–94), '' Band of Gold'' (1995–96), '' Hillsborough'' (1996), and '' The Chase'' (2006–07). Career Born in Manchester, Lancashire, she has played leading roles in the following series: ''Boon'', ''The Cuckoo Waltz'', ''Making Out'', '' Band of Gold'', '' Telltale'', ''Emmerdale'', ''Nice Guy Eddie'', ''Linda Green'' and '' The Chase''. She appeared in the acclaimed single drama '' Hillsborough''. In 2000 she played in Estelle in the last film that had John Thaw in the lead role, ''Buried Treasure''. Guest roles on TV include: ''Z-Cars'', ''Coronation Street'', ''The Sweeney'', '' All Creatures Great and Small'', ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ''Doctor Who'' (in the serial ''State of Decay''), '' The Professionals'', '' Tales Of The Unexpected'', Grange Hill ''Juliet Bravo'', ''Minder'', ''C.A.T.S. Eyes'', '' Crac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Cook
Ronald G. Cook (born 1948) is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s. Early and personal life Cook was born in 1948 in South Shields, County Durham, England, the son of a school cook and a car worker. When he was six his family moved to Coventry; he went to Wyken Croft Junior School and then Caludon Castle School and is a graduate of Rose Bruford College. Career On stage, he appeared in the original 1988 production of Timberlake Wertenbaker's play ''Our Country's Good''. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor in 2000 for his role in '' Juno and the Paycock'' at the Donmar Warehouse. He also appeared in a new play by Conor McPherson, '' The Seafarer'', at the Royal National Theatre. In 2008–2009, he took part in the Donmar's West End season at Wyndham's Theatre, playing Sir Toby Belch in ''Twelfth Night'' and Polonius in ''Hamlet''. In 2011, he played The Fool in ''King Lear'' st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alison Chitty
Alison Chitty (born 16 October 1948) is an Olivier Award winning production designer and set and costume designer, known for her collaborations with Mike Leigh, Francesca Zambello, Peter Gill and Sir Peter Hall. She is also the Director of the Motley Theatre Design Course, a successor to Motley Theatre Design Group. Both organisations included Margaret Harris as one of their founders. She studied at Saint Martin's School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design,National Life Stories: An Oral History of British Theatre Design: Sound Archive catalogue reference number: C1173 British Library. Accessed September 2013. and subsequently was resident at the [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
