Fay Ripley (born 26 February 1966)
[Ripley, Fay (25 February 2011).]
Don't tell me you are going to get my followers up to 5,000 for my birthday tomorrow...I say my birthday tomorrow
. Twitter. Retrieved 26 February 2011. is an English actress, television presenter and recipe author. She is a graduate of the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...
(1990). Her first professional role was in the chorus of a pantomime version of ''Around the World in 80 Days''. Ripley's early film and television appearances were limited, so she supplemented her earnings by working as a children's entertainer and by selling menswear door-to-door. After her scenes as a prostitute were cut from ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
'' (1994), Ripley gained her first major film role playing Karen Hughes in ''
Mute Witness
''Mute Witness'' is a 1995 horror film written, directed, and produced by Anthony Waller, and starring Alec Guinness, Marina Zudina, and Fay Ripley. Its plot follows a mute American makeup artist working on a slasher film in Moscow, who is p ...
'' (1995).
In 1996, Ripley was cast in her breakthrough role of Jenny Gifford in the
ITV series ''
Cold Feet
Cold feet is a phrase that refers to a person not going through with an action, particularly one which requires long term commitment, due to fear, uncertainty, and doubt. A person is said to be "getting cold feet" when, after previously committin ...
''. Initially a supporting role in the
pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in television in the United States, United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a te ...
, Ripley's character was expanded when a series was commissioned in 1998. She stayed with the show for three full series before leaving to take more varied roles and to spend more time with her family. She returned for a guest appearance in the fifth series.
After leaving ''Cold Feet'', Ripley played a succession of leading roles in comedies and dramas including ''Green-Eyed Monster'' (2001), ''I Saw You'' (2002), ''
The Stretford Wives'' (2002), and ''Dead Gorgeous'' (2002). Each role won her critical acclaim. In 2006, she filmed a leading role in the ITV drama ''
Bon Voyage'', before taking time away from acting after the birth of her second child. Ripley returned to television in 2009, starring as human resources manager Christine Frances in the ITV comedy drama ''
Monday Monday
''Monday Monday'' is an ITV, UTV comedy drama. It stars Fay Ripley, Jenny Agutter, Neil Stuke, Holly Aird, Morven Christie, Tom Ellis, and Miranda Hart.
It is set in the head office of a supermarket that has fallen on hard times and had t ...
'', and Nicola Perrin alongside
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes Order of the British Empire, OBE Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV (TV network), IT ...
in
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
's ''
Reggie Perrin
''Reggie Perrin'' is a modern update of the 1970s BBC sitcom ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', which starred Leonard Rossiter. The revival stars Martin Clunes and was first broadcast on 24 April 2009. Series 1 was released on DVD in R ...
''.
Since 2009, Ripley has authored three recipe books; ''Fay's Family Food'' in 2009, ''What's for Dinner?'' in 2012 and ''Fay Makes it Easy'' in 2014. She is married to actor
Daniel Lapaine, with whom she has two children—a daughter and a son—and is an advocate of several charities and causes.
Early life
Ripley was born in
Wimbledon, southwest London to Bev(erley) William Deacon Ripley and Tina Ripley (née Forster) on 26 February 1966.
[ Her father was a successful businessman – the son of ]Greater London Council
The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...
man Sydney William Leonard Ripley, J.P., D.L., whose family had owned a printing company that produced movie posters - and brother of 1960s pop singer Twinkle, and her mother an antiques dealer.[Cooke, Rachel (11 August 2002).]
The talented Miss Ripley
. ''The Observer'' (Guardian News & Media): pp. 3–4 (''Observer Review'' supplement). They separated when Ripley was two years old and both remarried, so Ripley spent her childhood moving around Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...
between two families.
She was the only child from her parents' marriage but had several half-brothers and sisters from their new relationships. In her early life, she lived in various Surrey towns, including Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...
, Weybridge
Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...
, Esher
Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole.
Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up ...
and Cobham.[Steiner, Susie (23 March 2002).]
The accidental feminist
. ''The Guardian'' (Guardian News & Media): p. 34 (''Weekend'' supplement). Her father wanted her to have a good education so, despite the family's Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
religion, sent her to various Catholic convent school
Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...
s around the county.[Mackay, Neil (9 September 2001). "The talented Miss Ripley". ''The Sunday Herald'' (Newsquest Sunday Herald): p. 6.] One was St Maur's Convent School in Weybridge, which she attended with Liza Tarbuck
Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter.
Early life
Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck and his wife Pauline, with an older siste ...
. Ripley did not feel academically challenged there, and later declared the school mediocre.[
At school, Ripley enjoyed drama lessons, spurred on by the positive remarks she received from her drama teacher Susan Ford. She said of Ford, "When I was 15, one of the few people who said, 'Well done', was my drama teacher, and she was really brilliant. She was a powerful woman. Those women change your life. You always remember them. There was something about her. She basically made me feel very good about myself as a 15-year-old girl."][ Abandoning her childhood ambition to become a nurse, Ripley decided to go into acting.][
Her father wanted to send her to a ]finishing school
A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wi ...
in Switzerland but, in an effort to rebel from her middle class Home Counties
The home counties are the counties of England that surround London. The counties are not precisely defined but Buckinghamshire and Surrey are usually included in definitions and Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent are also often included ...
background, Ripley instead went to a local state college in Surrey, where she took A-levels
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational a ...
in communication studies, art, and drama.[Ross, Deborah (29 April 2002).]
The Deborah Ross Interview: Cold Feet, hot property
. ''The Independent'' (Independent News & Media): pp. 4–5 (features section). During her time at the college, Ripley performed her own small shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
. In an effort to "bring Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
to the masses",[ she performed '' The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' at the 1983 festival.][Smith, Aidan (9 November 2000). "According to Ripley". ''The Scotsman'' (Scotsman Publications): p. 8.]
After completing her A-levels, Ripley sought entry to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...
. It took her three attempts before she was accepted onto an acting course at the age of 20.[ While at drama school, Ripley lived in a flat in ]Streatham
Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
Streatham was in Surrey ...
, South London, during a time she described as "horrible and penniless".[ To support herself financially, she sold menswear door-to-door, timeshares on ]Kensington High Street
Kensington High Street is the main shopping street in Kensington, London, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
Kensington High Street is the continuation of Kensington Road and part ...
and Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and ...
, worked as a receptionist at a health club, and spent five years as children's entertainer "Miss Chief the Clown".[Grice, Elizabeth (6 October 2006). "'People cross the road to tell me how ridiculous I look'". ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Telegraph Media Group): p. 23 (''Woman'' section).] As Miss Chief, Ripley performed magic tricks and painted faces at children's parties.[ The work paid off when she was able to get a mortgage on her first flat, stating clown as her occupation.][
]
Career
Early career
Ripley graduated from drama school in 1990. Her first role afterwards was playing Osatko in the chorus of ''Around the World in 80 Days'' at the Liverpool Playhouse
The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actres ...
during the 1990–1991 pantomime season. She had ten lines in Japanese.[ Her next role came at the end of the year in the ]Manchester Royal Exchange
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
's production of ''Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jaso ...
''.[ Ripley recalled, "It was only my second job, and I took it all very seriously, in my Greek sarong and my torch of fire, having to burble in tongues."][
Ripley's early television and film career was characterised by minor roles as prostitutes or mistresses;][ in what was to be her film debut, she filmed two scenes as a prostitute in the film '']Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
'' (1994), directed by Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...
. In the first scene, her character was strangled by the creature (played by Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
's stand-in). The second scene featured De Niro himself, though Ripley's character was lying dead in a mortuary
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...
throughout. Pleased with what looked like her breakout role, Ripley bought a dress for the premiere, though she was distraught when Branagh sent her a card apologising for cutting her scenes from the finished film.[
The same year, she filmed the role of Karen Hughes, the sister of a mute character who believes she sees a murder, in the low-budget film '']Mute Witness
''Mute Witness'' is a 1995 horror film written, directed, and produced by Anthony Waller, and starring Alec Guinness, Marina Zudina, and Fay Ripley. Its plot follows a mute American makeup artist working on a slasher film in Moscow, who is p ...
'' (1995), directed by Anthony Waller
Anthony Waller (born 24 October 1959) is a film director. He was born in Beirut.
Filmography
*'' Mute Witness'' (1995)
*''An American Werewolf in Paris'' (1997)
*'' The Guilty'' (2000)
*'' Nine Miles Down'' (2008)
*''The Singularity Is Near'' ( ...
.[ After ''Mute Witness''s British television premiere in 1999, a '' Daily Record'' critic wrote that Ripley's dramatic scenes were not as good as her comic ones. In 1995, she appeared in an episode of ]Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
's Alan Davies
Alan Roger Davies (; born 6 March 1966) is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor and TV presenter. He is best known for his portrayal of the title role in the BBC mystery drama series ''Jonathan Creek'' (1997–2016) and as the only per ...
vehicle ''One for the Road'' and made her last theatre appearance for almost thirty years as a cast member in the Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a s ...
's ''Two Lips, Indifferent Red''.
In 1996, she had a role in Stephen Poliakoff's ''Frontiers'', and played a club barmaid in Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...
's penultimate television series ''Karaoke
Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
''. The following year she had roles in the comedy film ''Roseanna's Grave
''Roseanna's Grave'' (also known as ''For Roseanna'') is a 1997 American romantic dramedy film directed by Paul Weiland. In his review, Roger Ebert concludes that ''Roseanna's Grave'' "isn't of much consequence, perhaps, and the gears of the plot a ...
'' (Paul Weiland, 1997), an episode of ''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 o ...
''—as a woman whose nanny is accused of stealing from her—and a two-part episode of the Kevin Whately
Kevin Whately (born 6 February 1951) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Neville "Nev" Hope in the British comedy drama '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'', Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the crime dramas '' Inspector Morse'' 1987–2000 an ...
series ''The Broker's Man
''The Broker's Man '' is a BBC British television drama series centred on the work of Jimmy Griffin, an ex-detective who applies his skills as a fraud investigator for an insurance company. Produced by Bentley Productions for BBC One, the seri ...
'' as a police officer.[ Her role in ''The Broker's Man'' was one of the few occasions on which Ripley played a police officer; she has frequently declined offers of similar roles because she does not want to "summon up the misery" to play a character that performs post-mortem examinations or investigates murders when she could be starring in more true to life and funny programmes.
]
Breakthrough roles
In 1996, Ripley auditioned for Granada Television
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...
's ''Cold Feet
Cold feet is a phrase that refers to a person not going through with an action, particularly one which requires long term commitment, due to fear, uncertainty, and doubt. A person is said to be "getting cold feet" when, after previously committin ...
'', a television pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other dis ...
about the romances of three couples living in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
. She believed she was reading for the role of Rachel, the "young, pretty one", and was surprised to discover that she was wanted for Jenny, the "northern housewife". In the audition, she performed with an inelegant approximation of a local Manchester accent. The producers found her approach to the role refreshing from other actresses, who were seen as too "finger-wagging". Ripley won the role, and appeared opposite John Thomson and James Nesbitt
William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland.
From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994) ...
in the programme. After the pilot won an award, ITV's director of programmes commissioned a series of ''Cold Feet
Cold feet is a phrase that refers to a person not going through with an action, particularly one which requires long term commitment, due to fear, uncertainty, and doubt. A person is said to be "getting cold feet" when, after previously committin ...
'', so Ripley worked on improving her character's accent by speaking to locals and mimicking their speech. Her supporting character from the pilot episode was given a bigger role in the series; in the first episode
A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
(broadcast in 1998), Jenny gives birth to her first child. At that time, Ripley had never experienced childbirth, so copied birth scenes she had seen in other television series. An ''Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independe ...
'' review of the first series in November 1998 noted, "Fay Ripley has a range of quirky mannerisms that are more reminiscent of Elaine in ''Seinfeld
''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...
'' than of any other Brit-com woman."
Ripley's performance in the first series won her a nomination for Best TV Comedy Actress at the British Comedy Awards 1999. For her performance in the third series (2000), in which her character separates from her husband and dates another man (played by Ben Miles
Benjamin Charles Miles (born 29 September 1966) is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the television comedy ''Coupling'', from 2000 to 2004, as Montague Dartie in ''The Forsyte Saga'', from 2002 to 2003, a ...
), she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
This is a list of the British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress. The British Academy Television Awards began in 1955. The Best Actress award was initially given as an "individual honour", without credit to a particular performance, until ...
. During pre-production of the fourth series (2001), Ripley announced to the producers that she would be leaving the show, partly because she did not want to spend five months living in Manchester away from her home in London and wanted to spend more time with her husband, and partly to take other roles which she would otherwise not be able to do. She asked the writer Mike Bullen
Michael J. Bullen (born 13 January 1960) is an English screenwriter. Bullen grew up in the West Midlands of England, attending the Solihull School and later Magdalene College, Cambridge. He left with a degree in history of art and became a ra ...
to either kill off Jenny or have her lose a limb. Bullen refused and instead wrote a plot in which Jenny moves to New York.[ Ripley returned to the series for a guest appearance in the final episode (2003).
In 2000, Ripley appeared in the British ]dogme
Dogme 95 is a 1995 avant-garde filmmaking movement founded by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vows of Chastity" ( da, kyskhedsløfter). These were rules to create films ba ...
film ''The Announcement'',[ as well as playing lead female character Grace Bingley—opposite ]Paul Rhys
Paul Rhys (born 19 December 1963) is a Welsh theatre, television and film actor.
Early life
Rhys was born in Neath to working class Catholic parents, Kathryn Ivory and her husband Richard Charles Rhys, a labourer. At fourteen, he bred and train ...
—in the Granada television pilot ''I Saw You'', which used many of the same production staff as ''Cold Feet''. David Belcher of '' The Herald'' called Ripley "perfectly scatty, tousled and self-sufficient" in the role, and Joe Joseph of ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' complimented her comic timing. Ripley returned to ''I Saw You'' for a three-episode miniseries in 2002. She considers ''I Saw You
''Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Lena Dunham, who serves as executive producer along with Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner. The series premiered on HBO on April 15, 2012. ''Girls'' stars Dunham as Hannah Horvath, an ...
'', in which she acted alongside her husband Daniel Lapaine, the television show she is most proud to have worked on.
Further projects
Having left ''Cold Feet'', Ripley began to take on more leading roles; her first role was as housewife Deanna in the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'', which was broadcast in September 2001. She researched her character, a murderer, by visiting a coroner.