Maureen Jane Beattie (born 14 August 1953) is an Irish-born, Scottish actress of both stage and screen.

Early life

Beattie was born in

Bundoran Bundoran () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy s ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

on 14 August 1953, as the daughter of Scottish actor and comedian

Johnny Beattie John Gerard Beattie MBE (9 November 1926 – 9 July 2020) was a Scottish actor and stand-up comedian whose career spanned over six decades. He appeared on shows including the sketch show '' Scotch & Wry'' and the sitcom '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', a ...

, who appeared as Malcolm Hamilton in Glasgow drama ''

River City ''River City'' is a Scottish television soap opera that was first broadcast on BBC One Scotland on 24 September 2002. ''River City'' follows the lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch. In November 2017, a s ...

'', and his wife Kitty Lamont. She is the eldest of four children, and is the sister of Louise Beattie who appeared in ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

'' in 2000 as

Chris Tate Chris Tate is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Emmerdale'', played by Peter Amory. The character made his first appearance on 14 November 1989, when he arrived in the village alongside the rest of the Tate family – hi ...

's lawyer Laura Johnstone. Beattie was born in the seaside resort of

, Co Donegal, whilst her father was appearing at the town's St Patrick's Hall. She returned home to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, when she was two weeks old. After attending High School in Glasgow, she went on to do a three-year course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dramatic Art where she won the James Bridie Gold Medal for Acting during her final year. She graduated in 1974 with a Diploma in Dramatic Arts.

Career

After graduating, Beattie went on to play many roles in the theatre with companies across the UK including the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

, National Theatre in London, the Globe, the

RSC RSC may refer to: Arts * Royal Shakespeare Company, a British theatre company * Reduced Shakespeare Company, a touring American acting troupe * Richmondshire Subscription Concerts, a music society in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England * Rock Ste ...

and the Royal Exchange in Manchester as well as touring internationally. Previous theatre credits include: ''The List'', ''The Carousel'', ''The Deliverance'' (Stellar Quines); ''John Gabriel Barclay'' (Óran Mór); ''Yer Granny'', ''27'' and ''The Enquirer'' (

); ''

Romeo & Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a 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 lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' (Rose Theatre Kingston); ''Dark Road'', ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition ...

'' (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh); ''

Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of '' The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funnier ...

'' (The Old Vic); No Quarter (Royal Court Theatre); ''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'' (Citizens Theatre); Masterbuilder, ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'', ''

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 ...

'' (National Theatre); ''The History Plays'', ''Richard III'', ''

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen ...

'', ''The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe''

. She has also worked extensively in television where her roles include ''Casualty'', ''Bramwell'', ''The Bill'', ''Ruffian Hearts'', ''The Long Roads'', ''Wing and a Prayer'' and ''All Night Long''. Her most notable role in TV is that of Sandra Nicholl in medical drama ''Casualty'' from November 1991 until February 1993. In 2005 she played Mrs Danvers in a national tour of ''Rebecca'', with

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war drama ...

. in 2006 she was a member of 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 ...

's "Histories Ensemble", where her roles included Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester in '' Henry VI Part II'', and the Duchess of York in ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

''. In September 2006 she was interviewed by

Sally Magnusson Sally Anne Magnusson (born 1955) is a Scottish broadcast journalist, television presenter and writer, who currently presents the Thursday and Friday night edition of BBC Scotland's ''Reporting Scotland''. She also presents ''Tracing Your Roots' ...

about life with her father for the

Radio Scotland Radio Scotland was an offshore pirate radio station broadcasting on 1241 kHz mediumwave (242 metres), created by Tommy Shields in 1965. The station was on the former lightship L.V. ''Comet'', which had been fitted out as a radio station in ...

series ''Dad Made Me Laugh'', later networked throughout the UK on

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a day. It is the sister station of BBC Radio 4 and the p ...

. In 2007, Beattie appeared in the feature film ''Finding Bob McArthur'' as Russian actress, Svetlana. The film, also starring John Stahl, Bob Edwards and Alan Bell, was directed by Jim Hickey and produced by

Robin Mitchell Robin Mitchell is a Scottish writer and producer. Career Mitchell co-founded Edinburgh's Cadies & Witchery Tours in 1984. The name 'Cadies' was taken from the 18th-century Edinburgh 'Caddies'. The Scottish actor Kevin McKidd worked at The Cadi ...

. In 2008, she read part of the book '' Corvus: A Life with Birds'' for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

. In 2011, she played Iseabail Nic Aodh, the mother of the main character Katie Nic Aodh, in

The Decoy Bride ''The Decoy Bride'' is a 2011 British romantic comedy film written by comedian Sally Phillips and Neil Jaworski, and starring David Tennant, Alice Eve and Kelly Macdonald and set on the fictional island of Hegg, supposedly located in the Outer ...

. In 2013, she played the lead role of Isobel McArthur in

Ian Rankin Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Early life Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a schoo ...

's debut play Dark Road. In 2014, she played Professor Fiona Bellows in the

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

Christmas Special "

Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in December 1984 on CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side on Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in the UK. Described as a "high watermark of mid-80s Br ...

" In 2017, Beattie joined 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 ...

cast of

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

Yerma ''Yerma'' is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1934 and first performed that same year. García Lorca describes the play as "a tragic poem." The play tells the story of a childless woman living in rural S ...

. In 2020, Beattie played Carol Kendrick in

Deadwater Fell ''Deadwater Fell'' is a four-part British drama television miniseries written and created by Daisy Coulam. It stars David Tennant as a doctor whose wife and three young children are murdered in a fire. It premiered 10 January 2020 on Channel 4 ...

, a four-episode British television crime series. In February 2022, it was confirmed that she will be playing Mrs. Pearce in

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

at the London Coliseum, St. Martin's Lane from May to August 2022. She was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to the entertainment industry.

Personal life

Beattie is active in the actors' trade union

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the dif ...

, leading their investigations into sexual harassment in the industry. In 2018, she was elected President of Equity, as only the second female president in the organisation's history.

Theatre credits

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beattie, Maureen 1953 births Living people Scottish stage actresses Scottish soap opera actresses Scottish radio actresses Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Officers of the Order of the British Empire Presidents of British trade unions