Sharon Morgan (born 29 August 1949) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

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 ...

of stage and screen, currently based in Cardiff. She was brought up in the village of

Llandyfaelog Llandyfaelog () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. According to the 2001 census the community has a population of 1,272, of which 71.88 percent are Welsh speaking. The population at the 2011 Census had increased to 1,304. The commu ...

. She is best known for her work within the Welsh film and television industries and has been the recipient of three

BAFTA Cymru BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA in Wales or WAFTA) is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and was founded in 1987.

awards.

Personal life

Morgan grew up in Glanamman,

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

, the daughter of a headmaster and a drama teacher. In her youth she didn't believe she could succeed as an actress, but states that her parents always supported her career choice. As a back up to her desired acting career, Morgan studied an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

history course at

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

in the 1960s, before training to be a stage actress. Morgan has two children, Stephan (born 1979/1980) and Saran (born 1995/1996) and spent the largest part of her acting career juggling her work and life as a single parent. Speaking of her difficult home/work balance Morgan elaborates that "You manage with the help of friends. You find a way". A

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...

campaigner, Morgan was arrested in 1988 for daubing paint on the Welsh Office. The actress was afraid that this criminal conviction may have precluded her from gaining a US Visa to film ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

'' in Los Angeles. Morgan is trilingual, speaking Welsh – her mother tongue – English and French. Morgan is an advocate for remaining active in old age, and cites fellow actress

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

as an inspiration to older women.

Career

Since beginning her acting career in the 1970s, Morgan has appeared in a variety of TV series, films and stage productions in both the English and Welsh languages. Welsh Newspaper the ''Western Mail'' referred to her as "one of the most respected actors of her generation." Notable roles include her portrayal of Professor Margaret Edwards in ''

A Mind to Kill ''A Mind to Kill'' is a Welsh television police detective series, that developed from a feature-length pilot episode first broadcast in 1991. The series stars Philip Madoc as protagonist DCI Noel Bain. Four series were broadcast between 1994 a ...

'' between 1994 and 2002, and portraying Stella Craven in ''

Mine All Mine ''Mine All Mine'' is a British television series produced by Red Production Company for ITV. It was written by Russell T Davies and starred Griff Rhys Jones. The story takes place in Swansea, Wales. Overview Rhys Jones plays Max Vivaldi, an ecc ...

'', (2004) written by

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include '' Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scie ...

. Amongst Morgan's other screen credits are a regular lead role in the BBC drama series Belonging, as well as a semi-regular role in ''Doctors'' and appearances in other UK television shows such as ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'', ''

Caerdydd Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

'', ''

Pobol y Cwm ''Pobol y Cwm'' (''People of the Valley''; ) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, ''Pobol y Cwm'' was originally transmitted on BBC One Wales and l ...

'' and '' Alys''. In 2002 Morgan appeared as Kath, a frustrated middle-aged housewife in the Cardiff-shot comedy short ''Pleasure Pill''. She played the lead role of Martha in the 2008 S4C drama ''Martha, Jac a Sianco'' which she describes as a "culturally important film" that serves as "a strong and sensitive portrayal of agricultural life in Wales". Morgan's portrayal of Martha won her her second BAFTA Cymru award for best actress (having previously won one for her performance in ''Tair Chwaer''

998 Year 998 ( CMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Otto III retakes Rome and restores power in the papal city. Crescenti ...

. Morgan has also achieved prominence through her role in ''

'' as Mary Cooper, the mother of principal character

Gwen Cooper Gwen Cooper is a fictional character portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles in the BBC science-fiction television programme ''Torchwood'', a spin-off of the long-running series ''Doctor Who''. The lead female character, Gwen featured in every ep ...

. Morgan first appeared in the episode " Something Borrowed" in the second series (2008), and returned for six episodes of the show's fourth series, '' Torchwood: Miracle Day'' (2011). Later in 2011, Morgan starred as Maggie Jones in '' Resistance'', an adaptation of the novel of the same name by

Owen Sheers Owen Sheers (born 20 September 1974) is a Welsh poet, author, playwright and television presenter. He was the first writer in residence to be appointed by any national rugby union team. Early life Owen Sheers was born in Suva, Fiji in 1974, and b ...

. Morgan's work on ''Resistance'' earned her a further best actress nomination at the 21st

BAFTA Cymru BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA in Wales or WAFTA) is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and was founded in 1987.

awards; she went on to win the award in a ceremony held on 30 September 2012. In September 2012 Morgan joined the cast of the fifth series of ''

Hollyoaks Later ''Hollyoaks Later'' (originally ''Late Night Hollyoaks'') is a British television spin-off of the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. The series allows for more sexual content, 'edgier' storylines and stronger language than ''Hollyoaks''. The s ...

'', playing Nana Flo. She will also star in the upcoming U.S drama series ''

Da Vinci's Demons ''Da Vinci's Demons'' is a historical fantasy drama series that presents a fictional account of Leonardo da Vinci's early life. The series was conceived by David S. Goyer and stars Tom Riley in the title role. It was developed and produced in ...

'' as Sister Albina. In addition to her screen career, Morgan is also an established stage actress and dramatist who has also translated plays, including the ''

Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores con ...

'', into the Welsh language. Her stage acting roles include the

National Theatre Wales National Theatre Wales (NTW) is a theatre company known for its large-scale site-specific productions and its grassroots work with diverse Welsh communities. It is the English-language national theatre of Wales, and refers to Theatr Genedlaeth ...

production ''A Good night out in the Valleys'' which was first performed in 2010.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Sharon 1949 births Living people Alumni of Cardiff University Welsh language activists Welsh stage actresses Welsh television actresses Welsh soap opera actresses People from Carmarthenshire