Brenda Anne Blethyn, OBE (née Brenda Anne Bottle; 20 February 1946) is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film, best known for her role in Mike Leigh's 1996 drama Secrets & Lies.Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one. In addition, she has won a BAFTA, an Empire Award and a Golden Lion and has earned a Theatre World Award and both a Critics' Circle Theatre Award and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for her theatrical work.Born into a working class home, Blethyn pursued an administrative career until her early 30s before enrolling in the Guildford School of Acting after the dissolution of her marriage in 1973. She subsequently joined the Royal National Theatre and received credits for her performances in Troilus and Cressida (1976) and Mysteries (1979). In 1981, Blethyn earned her first critical acclaim for Steaming.In 1980, Blethyn made her television debut in Mike Leigh's film Grown-Ups. After a modest number of guest spots in several productions, in the mid-1980s she garnered leading roles in the short-run sitcoms Chance in a Million and The Labours of Erica. Having followed her big screen debut with smaller supporting roles in films such as The Witches (1990) and A River Runs Through It (1992), she made a major cinema breakthrough with her role in the 1996 dramedy Secrets & Lies, for which she received rave reviews.Blethyn has since appeared in an eclectic range of films, including independent comedies such as Saving Grace (2000), Plots with a View (2002) and Clubland (2007), music-themed films like Little Voice (1998) and Beyond the Sea (2004) and big-budget dramas such as Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007), the latter of which rank among the biggest commercial successes of her career. In addition, Blethyn has appeared in television productions including The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001), Belonging (2004) and War and Peace (2007). Her most recent leading role in TV drama is the title role in Vera (2011), playing Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope.
Full Name
Brenda Blethyn
Net Worth
$5 Million
Date Of Birth
February 20, 1946
Place Of Birth
Ramsgate, Kent, England, UK
Height
5' 2" (1.57 m)
Profession
Actress, Soundtrack, Writer
Education
Guildford School of Acting
Nationality
British
Spouse
Michael Mayhew
Parents
Louisa Kathleen Bottle, William Charles Bottle
Siblings
Brian Bottle, Martin Bottle, Ted Bottle, Terry Bottle, Pam Bottle, Bill Bottle, Bernard Bottle, Jeannie Bottle
Twitter
IMDB
Awards
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Drama, Cannes Best Actress Award, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, British Comedy Award for the Best TV Comedy Actress
Nominations
Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, ...
Movies
Pride & Prejudice, Secrets & Lies, Little Voice, Saving Grace, Atonement, A River Runs Through It, London River, The Witches, Plots with a View, Clubland, On a Clear Day, The Sleeping Dictionary, Two Men in Town, Lovely and Amazing, Beyond the Sea, Mary and Martha, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, Dead Man R...
TV Shows
Chance in a Million, The Labours of Erica, The Buddha of Suburbia, Outside Edge, Anne Frank: The Whole Story, Between the Sheets, Vera, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Playhouse Presents, War and Peace
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Quote
1
[on not having children]: It just didn't happen. I don't know if it's selfishness. It's the most natural thing in the world, what we're here to do, but I just wasn't brave enough to make that decision. Sometimes I wonder..."
2
I was a novice as far as film was concerned. I'd been working for 20 years at the time, then all that happened. [In reference to Secrets & Lies (1996) and her Academy Award nomination.]
Appearing opposite Edie Falco in Marsha Norman 's play, "Night Mother" in New York City, NY. [November 2004]
4
Watched footage of Cheryl in order to perfect a Geordie accent for her role as Vera Stanhope in Vera (2011).
5
Married Michael Mayhew after a 35-year engagement in a small, private ceremony held in a Peckham registry office.
6
Presented the award for Best Group to Lau at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. (4th February 2008).
7
Nominated for the 1984 Laurence Olivier Award for her work in "Benefactors" (Actress of the Year in a New Play).
8
Graduated from technical college and worked as a stenographer and bookkeeper until her late twenties.
9
Wears a size 3 shoe.
10
Is the youngest of nine children. Her father was an engineer.
11
She was awarded the 1981 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Awards) for Best Supporting Actress of 1980 for her performance in Steaming.
12
Was born with an extra finger.
13
She was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's New Year's Honours List for her services to drama.
