Alexandra Gilbreath (born 28 March 1969) is an English actress, born in Chalfont St Giles,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and trained at the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. LAMDA's Principal is ...

. Widely known for her role as depressed author Lucy Moss in '' Not Going Out''. Work both on stage and onscreen (in film and on television), Gilbreath is an Associate Artist with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

, gaining notice for her work in productions of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'', ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' (for which she received a Helen Hayed Award nomination for Best Actress), ''The Tamer Tamed'', ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'' and ''Merry Wives: the Musical''. She was nominated for an Olivier award as Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Olivia in the RSC's ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'', directed by Greg Doran, which played at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in 2010. She was also awarded the 1996

Ian Charleson Award The Ian Charleson Awards are theatrical awards that reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under age 30. The awards are named in memory of the renowned British actor Ian Charleson, and are run by the '' Sunday Times'' n ...

for her performance as the title character in '' Hedda Gabler'' for the English Touring Theatre. Gilbreath's work on the British television series '' Monarch of the Glen'' as Stella Moon brought her worldwide attention. She was then seen in '' Life Begins'', with Caroline Quentin and Alexander Armstrong. Other television credits include episodes of '' Absolute Power'', ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

'', '' The Commander'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' and '' Trial & Retribution''. She is probably best known to ITV audiences for playing the original

Sun Hill Serial Killer The Sun Hill Serial Killer was a major storyline from the ITV police procedural drama ''The Bill''. They were known on screen as the "River Murders", due to the bodies being left on the banks of the River Thames. The storyline spanned several mon ...

Pat Kitson on ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

''. In 2006, she appeared in episode one of the sitcom '' Not Going Out'' as depressed author Lucy Moss. Gilbreath appeared as Alice Ford in the

Christmas production of ''

The Merry Wives Of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'', at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre,

Stratford upon Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-wes ...

. The production, directed by Philip Breen, ran from 29 October 2012 to 12 January 2013. Her work at the

includes "Shakespeare ''Live!'' From The RSC", broadcast by the BBC to celebrate

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

’s birthday and the 400th anniversary of his death. She also worked with the RSC at the

Swan Theatre The Swan was a theatre in Southwark, London, England, built in 1595 on top of a previously standing structure, during the first half of William Shakespeare's career. It was the fifth in the series of large public playhouses of London, aft ...

on their production of Aphra Behn's '' The Rover''. At the Bush Theatre in London, she premiered Oscar winner

Rebecca Lenkiewicz Rebecca Lenkiewicz (born 1968) is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is best known as the author of ''Her Naked Skin'' (2008), which was the first original play written by a living female playwright to be performed on the Olivier stage of ...

’s play, ''The Invisible'', directed by Michael Oakley. In 2015 Gilbreath filmed the Justin Chadwick-directed '' Tulip Fever'', with Alicia Vikander and

Christoph Waltz Christoph Waltz (; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian-German actor. Since 2009 he has been primarily active in the United States. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and two Sc ...

, and appeared as Georgina Francis in the BBC TV series ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...

'' episode "The Time Machine". She has worked with

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas f ...

twice - on ''The Wars Of The Roses'' in Kingston and ''Dessert'' at the Southwark Playhouse. She also performed in the World Premiere of

Florian Zeller Florian Zeller (; born 28 June 1979) is a French novelist, playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, and film director. He won the Prix Interallié for his 2004 novel ''The Fascination of Evil'' and several awards for his plays. He wrote and ...

's ''The Lie'', directed by

Lindsay Posner Lindsay Steven Posner (born 6 June 1959)"Lindsay Posner ...

, and appeared at the Hampstead Theatre in the black comedy ''Mother Christmas''. In 2019, she returned to the

to play Lady Brute in the Restoration comedy '' The Provoked Wife''.

Filmography

Films

TV

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbreath, Alexandra 1969 births Living people English stage actresses English television actresses English film actresses English musical theatre actresses Ian Charleson Award winners Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art People from Chalfont St Giles Royal Shakespeare Company members Actresses from Buckinghamshire 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses