Susan Elizabeth Jenkins (born 31 July 1958) is an English actress. She is most widely known for her roles as Gloria Todd in the ITV soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' (1985–1988) and as Jackie Corkhill in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

soap opera ''

Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Bro ...

'' (1991–2001).

Career

Jenkins worked in repertory theatres across the UK for the first 11 years of her career, performing in many productions, playing everything from works by

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen ...

to those of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Alan Bleasdale Alan George Bleasdale (born 23 March 1946) is an English screenwriter, best known for social realist drama serials based on the lives of ordinary people. A former teacher, he has written for radio, stage and screen, and has also written novels ...

wrote the lead female role in ''Having a Ball'' for Jenkins. She began to work more on television including '' How We Used To Live'' and, as the "platinum blonde", in the cult TV programme, ''

The Beiderbecke Affair ''The Beiderbecke Affair'' is a television series produced in the United Kingdom by ITV (TV network), ITV during 1985, written by the prolific Alan Plater, whose lengthy credits in British television since the 1960s included the four-part mini se ...

''. In 1985 she joined the cast of top-rated British

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

, ''

'', playing barmaid Gloria Todd in 238 episodes. She left the show in 1988 after becoming pregnant with her second child,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, who played

Craig Harris Craig S. Harris (born September 10, 1953) is an American jazz trombonist, who started working with Sun Ra in 1976. He also has worked with Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray (saxophonist), David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers (jazz ...

in the soap from 2002 until 2006. She returned to television in the series ''Coasting'' with

Peter Howitt Peter Howitt (; born 5 May 1957) is a British actor and film director. Biography Early life Howitt was born on 5 May 1957, the son of Frank Howitt, a renowned Fleet Street journalist who, in 1963, broke the infamous Profumo affair, Profumo ...

and from 1991 until 2001 playing the part of Jackie Corkhill in the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

based, and often controversial,

''. She also appeared on ''

Lily Savage's Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which first aired in 1979. The show is based on the American game show ''Match Game'', with contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panellists to fill-in-the-blank questions. The ...

'' in 2001. Since leaving ''Brookside'', Jenkins has continued to work in theatre and television, making guest appearances on British television, including '' In Deep'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'',Emmerdale,Doctors, Casualty, ''

Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...

'', '' Dalziel & Pascoe'', ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

,'' '' Heartbeat, Dr Who, The Responder.'' Jenkins also presented ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about aspects of ...

.'' She returned to theatre, playing at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

in London in ''The People Are Friendly'', Esther in Arthur Miller's ''The Price'' at the

Library Theatre Manchester Central Library is the headquarters of the city's library and information service in Manchester, England. Facing St Peter's Square, it was designed by E. Vincent Harris and constructed between 1930 and 1934. The form of the build ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and ''Maybe Tomorrow'' at the

Royal Exchange, Manchester The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal Ex ...

. She appeared in the film, ''Blue Collars and Buttercups'' Sue is regularly heard on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

afternoon dramas. She has recorded more than 200 radio plays, short stories and radio adaptations of classic serials over the years, including ''

Middlemarch ''Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midlands town, in 1829 ...

'', '' Villette'' and ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...

'' with

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen as well as for his work at the Royal National Theatre, he has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two ...

. Sue created, produced and directed ''Night of Stars'' 1 and 2 at the Palace Theatre,

, raising over £70,000 to build an orphanage in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

for orphaned children of the

2004 tsunami On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the scient ...

and to help children's charities in the UK. She has directed many pantomimes across the UK and produced her son,

Richard Fleeshman Richard Jonathan Fleeshman (born 8 June 1989) is an English actor and singer. His career began at age 12 playing Craig Harris on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2002 to 2006. He went on to become an established West End and Br ...

's first concert in 2006 at Tameside Theatre. In 2013, she played Maureen in the BBC series ''

Being Eileen ''Being Eileen'' is a BBC comedy-drama which began as a six-part series on 4 February and ended on 11 March 2013. It began as a one-off Christmas special titled ''Lapland'', broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 24 December 2011. A full ...

'' written by Michael Wynne. Jenkins was voted 'Woman of the Year' in 2008 for her Charity work and was honoured by '' This Is Your Life'' in 2001. She performed in

Eve Ensler V, formerly Eve Ensler (; born May 25, 1953), is an American playwright, author, performer, feminist, and activist. V is best known for her play ''The Vagina Monologues''.

's ''

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 at the Westside Theatre. The play explores ...

'' at the Empire Theatre,

and in 2010 starred in the 3-month Autumn National Tour of ''The Vagina Monologues'', playing in 65 theatres across the country. In 2009, Jenkins appeared in an episode of ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'' starring opposite her own daughter, Emily Fleeshman. Sue produced and directed an open-air production of ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' at

Plas Coch Plas Coch () is an area of the community of Rhosddu, in the city of Wrexham, Wales. A major retail and educational area of Wrexham, it lies to the north-west of Wrexham city centre. Formerly known as Lower Stansty, the term has fallen out of ...

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

, her second production at the venue, having directed ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' there in 2013. Jenkins played Phyllis Feld, mother of

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and poet. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex (band), T. Rex. Bolan strongly i ...

in the highly acclaimed UK national tour of ''

20th Century Boy "20th Century Boy" is a song by English rock band T. Rex, written by Marc Bolan, released as a stand-alone single on 2 March 1973. Although at first considered as its closing track, "20th Century Boy" was not featured on the album '' Tanx'' ...

'' until 19 July 2014. Jenkins has produced and directed five studio productions at The Lowry Theatre. She directed ''Build a Bonfire'' by Trevor Suthers and another Suthers' play, ''Toil and Trouble'', for JB Shorts in April 2016. In 2017 at

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

Arts Theatre, she directed ''From Heaven to Hell'' which tells the story of

Pals battalion The pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours an ...

which fought at the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

in WW1. Jenkins directed ''Virtuoso'' by Bill Humble at 3MT Theatre and produced and directed the award-winning ''Narcissist in the Mirror'' (written by and starring her daughter Rosie Fleeshman). She directed the production of ''Bette & Joan'' by Anton Burge at Hope Mill Theatre. She starred in Cuckoo by Michael Wynne at The Royal Court Theatre in London in 2023, which transferred to The Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. In November 2024, Jenkins directed a new production of ''Bette & Joan'' at Park Theatre, London, and received an Off West End nomination for Best Director. As of April 2024, Jenkins is currently shooting a new series for the BBC.

Personal life

Jenkins is married to the actor David Fleeshman and they have three children, actors Emily,

and Rosie. Jenkins and her elder daughter, Emily, are founders of The Actors' Lab Ltd, a drama academy in Manchester.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Sue 1958 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Liverpool English stage actresses English soap opera actresses English television actresses Show business families of the United Kingdom