Jeannette "Jeany" Spark (born 7 November 1982) is an English

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 ...

, known for portraying Linda Wallander in the British television series ''

Wallander Wallander may refer to: TV, film, books * Kurt Wallander, a fictional Swedish police inspector in novels by Henning Mankell :* ''Wallander'' (film series), Swedish-language television films of the Wallander stories starring Rolf Lassgård :* ''Wal ...

''. The actress has also had significant roles in the comedy series '' Man Down'' and the drama series ''

The Interceptor ''The Interceptor'' is a British drama television serial that was first broadcast on BBC One from 10 June until 29 July 2015. The eight-part series was written by Tony Saint and made by BBC Drama Productions. The series was cancelled after one ...

''.

Education

Spark studied English literature at

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located on the banks of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formall ...

, graduating with a First-Class Honours degree in 2004. She then trained as an actress at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 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 Sen ...

, graduating in 2007.

Career

In 2008, Spark played schoolteacher Mercy Chant in the BBC adaptation of

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

's ''

Tess of the D’Urbervilles ''Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy. It initially appeared in a Book censorship, censored and Serialized novel, serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper ''The Graphic'' in 1891, then ...

''. Spark also took on the role of Linda Wallander, the daughter of the titular character in the BBC One drama ''

''. In 2011 Spark portrayed Joan Malin in the television drama film ''

Hattie Hattie or Hatty may refer to: People *Hattie Alexander (1901–1968), American pediatrician and microbiologist *Hattie Helen Gould Beck, birth name of burlesque dancer Sally Rand (1904–1979) *Hattie Bessent (1908–2015), American psychiatric ...

''. In 2013, she took the role of the deputy headmistress, Emma, in '' Man Down'', the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

comedy series. The show lasted for four series. Spark plays the role of Detective Inspector Kate Gemmill in the 2015 BBC drama ''

''. In 2016, Spark joined the cast of the ITV drama ''

Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...

''. In 2017, Spark took the lead role in the

Theatr Clwyd Theatr Clwyd () is a regional arts centre and producing theatre from Mold, Flintshire, in North East Wales. It opened as Theatr Clwyd in 1976, but was known between 1998 and 2015 as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, before reverting to its original name. His ...

's production of ''Skylight'', a play by

David Hare David Hare may refer to: *David Hare (philanthropist) (1775–1842), Scottish philanthropist *David Hare (artist) (1917–1992), American sculptor and photographer *David Hare (playwright) (born 1947), English playwright and theatre and film direc ...

. In 2019, she appeared for 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 ...

in ''Crooked Dances'' as the character Katy Porlock, a new play by

Robin French Robin French (born 1978, Birmingham) is an English playwright, film and television writer and songwriter. Background French's father is English, his mother is from Barbados. French studied modern and medieval languages at Selwyn College, Cambri ...

. In 2018, she appeared as Captain Sandrine Shaw in the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

miniseries ''

Collateral Collateral may refer to: Business and finance * Collateral (finance), a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan * Marketing collateral, in marketing and sales Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Collate ...

''. In 2020, Spark was cast as Kate in the Channel 4 drama '' I am Hannah'' starring

Gemma Chan Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied law at Worcester College, Oxford before choosing to pursue a career in acting instead, enrolling at t ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spark, Jeany 1982 births Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Alumni of RADA English television actresses Living people Place of birth missing (living people)