Maggie Lunn (born Margaret Hilary Lunn; 26 January 1961 – 19 February 2017) was an English

casting director In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra (acting), extra for a particular role or part in a scr ...

, for leading theatre companies and for notable productions on television and film.

Life

Lunn was born in

Jesmond Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city. H ...

, Newcastle upon Tyne, youngest of four children born to John Lunn, a school teacher, and Norah Lunn ( Lucey). She attended Sacred Heart Grammar School in

Fenham Fenham is an area of the west-end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It lies to the west of the city centre, and is bounded on the north and east by a large area of open land known as the Town Moor. To the south lies Benwell, West Denton lies ...

, and read English at

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

. Starting a career in journalism, she was a research assistant, at ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' and then at ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...

''.

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Ma ...

br>"Maggie Lunn obituary"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 8 March 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018. Moving to casting in 1987, she was an assistant to the casting director Gill Titchmarsh, and later an agent at

International Creative Management ICM Partners is a talent and literary agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington D.C. and London. ICM (International Creative Management) Partners represents clients in the fields of motion pictures, television, music, publi ...

. In 1995 she was appointed head of casting at 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 2002, she joined

Michael Attenborough Michael John Attenborough (born 13 February 1950) is an English theatre director. Background Attenborough was born on 13 February 1950 in London, the only son of actress Sheila Sim and actor-director Richard Attenborough. He is the nephew of ...

at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

as artistic associate. From 2001 to 2002 she was acting head of casting at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

.Michael Quinn
"Obituary:Maggie Lunn"
''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'', 7 March 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018. With the Royal Shakespeare Company and later, she was interested in casting black and minority ethnic actors in roles usually regarded as white, notably

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

as the king in Shakespeare's ''Henry VI'', at the RSC in 2001. She then became a freelance casting director and worked on TV as well as theatrical productions. This included the production of ''The Rivals'' at

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

in 2016 where the cast she put together was part of the success of the production. She worked with other theatre companies including the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

, the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

and the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya John Hidalgo Moya (5 May 1920 – 3 August 1994), ...

. Her casting decisions were influential at the start of the careers of several including

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence O ...

Ben Whishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor and producer. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in ''My Brother Tom'' (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the titl ...

Alex Jennings Alex Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is an English actor of the stage and screen, who worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings received three Olivier Awards, winning for ...

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. Known for his roles in biopics and blockbusters, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Olivier Awards. He ...

Eve Best Emily "Eve" Best (born 31 July 1971) is an English actress and director. She is known for her television roles as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara in the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–13), First Lady Dolley Madison in the ''American Experience'' t ...

Rory Kinnear Rory Michael Kinnear (born 17 February 1978) is an English actor and playwright who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. In 2014, he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of William S ...

and

Lucian Msamati Lucian Gabriel Wiina Msamati (born 5 March 1976) is a British-Tanzanian actor. He played Salladhor Saan in HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', and was the first black actor to play Iago in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2015 production of ''Othel ...

. On television, she was casting director for productions including ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

'' (1995), '' Cranford'' (2007) and ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'' (2011). In film, productions included '' Carrington'' (1995), ''

Notes on a Scandal ''Notes on a Scandal'' (''What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal'' in the U.S.) is a 2003 novel by Zoë Heller. It is about a female teacher at a London comprehensive school who begins an affair with an minor (law), underage pupil. Heller sai ...

'' (2007) and '' Broken'' (2012).

Death

Maggie Lunn died of cancer in 2017, aged 56, survived by her husband, the actor

Paul Jesson Paul Jesson is an English stage, television and film actor and an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has played leading roles at the National Theatre and the RSC and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Suppo ...

, and daughter Joanne from an earlier relationship. The director

Rufus Norris Rufus Norris (born 16 January 1965) is a British theatre and film director, who is currently the Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre. Life and career Norris grew up in Africa and Malaysia, attended North Bromsg ...

, with whom she worked at the Almeida Theatre and later, said "To work with her was to enter a cauldron of robust and rigorous inquiry".

Theatre

*''Henry VI'' (2001), Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon *''Anything Goes'' (2001- 2003) National Theatre, London *''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (2001- 2003) National Theatre, London *''The Coast of Utopia trilogy'' (''Voyage'', ''Shipwreck'', ''Salvage'') (2001- 2003) National Theatre *''Festen'' (2004) Almeida, London *''Blood Wedding'' (2005) Almeida, London *''Hedda Gabler'' (2005) Almeida, London *''The Government Inspector'' (2005) Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester *''A Moon for the Misbegotten'' (2006) Old Vic, London *''Birdsong'' (2010) Comedy Theatre, London *''Flare Path'' (2011) Haymarket, London *''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead'' (2011) Haymarket, London *''The Tempest'' (2011) Haymarket, London *''Bridge Project'' (2009 - 2012) Old Vic *''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (2014) Young Vic, London *''Speed-the-Plow'' (2014) Playhouse Theatre, London *''High Society'' (2015) Old Vic, London *''The Young Chekhov trilogy'' (''Platonov'', ''Ivanov'' and ''The Seagull'' adapted 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 ...

) (2015), Chichester Festival theatre, Chichester then National Theatre, London *''The Rivals'' (2016) Bristol Old Vic, Bristol *''Long Day's Journey Into Night'' (2016) Bristol Old Vic, Bristol

Films

*''Carrington'' (1995) *''

Funny Bones ''Funny Bones'' is a 1995 comedy-drama film from Hollywood Pictures. It was written, directed and produced by Peter Chelsom, co produced by Simon Fields, and co written by Peter Flannery. The music score was by John Altman, and the cinematogr ...

'' (1995) *''Archangel'' (2005) *''Notes on a Scandal'' (2006) *''Broken'' (2012)

TV programmes

*''Pride and Prejudice'' (1995) *''Cranford'' (2007) (BBC series) (Emmy nomination) *''Oliver Twist'' (2007) *''Robin Hood'' (2009) 13 episodes *''Hustle'' (2010 - 2011) 12 episodes *''Great Expectations'' (2011) *''The Hollow Crown'' (2012) *''Law and Order: UK'' (2013) Four episodes *''Silent Witness'' (2013) Four episodes

Awards

She was nominated for one Primetime Emmy in 2007 for Cranford in the category of the casting of a miniseries, movie or a special.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lunn, Maggie 1961 births 2017 deaths People from Newcastle upon Tyne British casting directors Women casting directors