Eva Gray is a stage and screen

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

. Eva is known for her performance as

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

and also as Trudy Lite – International Celebrity Life Coach to the Stars, hosting the satirical television comedy series 'The Trudy Lite Show' and 'The Trudy Lite Chat Show'. Eva moved from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Teignmouth Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about 12 miles south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14,749 at the ...

in Devon in 2014 to enable her to care for her older brother, who has

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. ...

. She has a home studio with voiceover and green screen equipment to enable her to continue her acting and voice over career from her home.

Youth

Eva Gray's grandfather, a

Polish aristocrat The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

, was arrested during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Stalin's Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

troops when they invaded and took possession of the family farm near

Vilno Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

. When Stalin and

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

broke ties, her grandfather fought for the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and the family settled in Britain where her father met her mother. She was born in

Kingston Hospital Kingston Hospital is an acute hospital in Kingston upon Thames, England. It is managed by the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. It has an Accident & Emergency Unit, a popular midwife-led Maternity unit, and an sexually transmitted infecti ...

and grew up in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. She studied acting at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

Career

Eva Gray began her career working for The Artaud Company in

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...

, in the role of Lulu in 'Intimacy", based on the short story by Jean-Paul Sartre and Michael Almaz. In April 2012, Eva took to the catwalk as a Celebrity Model for 'Celebrity Fashion Rocks', a charity event in aid of children's charity Cloud 9 and animal charities Teckels and K9-Angels, organised by

Willie Carson William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE (born 16 November 1942) is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. Life and career Best known as "Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland in 1942. He was apprenticed ...

and Russell Nurding at the Sundial Theatre in

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

. In February 2012, Eva played the role of Carla in 'Brotherly Love', a semi-autobiographical play written and directed by David Schaal, for the Real London Ensemble Company. Eva played the role of Cecilia Huddlestone, a central character in the period comedy play 'The Unrest Cure' by Plum Roll Productions. Gray has appeared in ''Casualty'', '' Goodnight Sweetheart'', ''

Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is d ...

'', ''

French and Saunders ''French and Saunders'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is al ...

'', amongst others, and played the leading role of Portia du Pont in ''

Sooty Heights ''Sooty Heights'' is a British children's television series, created and presented by Richard Cadell, co-stars Liana Bridges and Brenda Longman, produced by Granada Television, and aired on ITV Network from 27 September 1999 to 11 December 200 ...

''. She has appeared in many theatrical performances, including the title role in

Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

's ''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' ( sv, Fröken Julie) is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of ...

'' in 2007 (directed by Conrad Blakemore), Pansy in

John Symond John Joseph Symond (born 17 August 1947) is an Australian entrepreneur, former financial executive, and the founder of Aussie Home Loans. Early life Symond was born on 17 August 1947 in Crookwell, New South Wales and raised in Sydney. He sp ...

's ''The Poison Maker'' (2006), Branwen in

J.B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

's ''The Long Mirror'' (2006 and again in 2011), several more productions of

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

's ''Intimacy'' (adapted by Michael Almaz) in the West End, Hampstead and Brighton – at different times playing both the characters in this two-hander and also in productions to a sequel to the story by Michael Almaz entitled "After Intimacy". Her award-winning performance as

in ''All That Loving Stuff'' received critical acclaim and, following a successful run at the Gateway Theatre,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

transferred to London and the

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, it presents a series of locally produced and national touring productions, including opera, ballet and pantomime. The theatre h ...

, then toured nationally and internationally. In July and August 2011 she played the role of Eleanor Bryant in 'Mirror Mirror' by

Robert Calvert Robert Newton Calvert (9 March 1945 – 14 August 1988) was a South African-British writer, poet, and musician. He is principally known for his role as lyricist, performance poet and lead vocalist of the space rock band Hawkwind. Early life ...

(the former lead singer of

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

). Gray has appeared in several independent and numerous short films. Feature films include ''The 13th Sign'' (2000), black comedy ''Dead Money'' (2004) and they yet to be released ''Dead Crazy''. In January 2014, Eva appeared at The Cockpit Theatre in London playing the role of the sexually charged Margo in an extract from 'Someone's Lost the Plot', a new play by Peter Ramsey and Mary Dawson. Gray is a Lifetime Voting Member of BAFTA.

Personal life

Eva is a dedicated

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

and is involved with several

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

charities. Eva appeared with her partner ("The Vegans") in the first episodes of the reality TV series ''

Coach Trip ''Coach Trip'' is a British reality game show originally broadcast on Channel 4 from 7 March 2005 to 30 June 2006. The programme returned after a three-year break, from 25 May 2009 to 9 March 2012. In early 2013, the show went into hiatus agai ...

'' but they were the first couple to be voted off the show by the other contestants.

References

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External links

The Trudy Lite Show on YouTubeThe Story of Trudy LiteTrudy Lite's websiteEva Gray's websiteSpotlight CV for Eva Gray
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Eva Gray on VimeoEva Gray on FacebookEva Gray on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Eva 1971 births English stage actresses English television actresses English film actresses Living people People from Kingston upon Thames Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art