Alexandra Pigg (born Sandra McKibbin; 1962) is a British

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a 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 term is (), li ...

who first came to prominence as

Petra Taylor Petra Taylor is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'', played by Alexandra Pigg. One of the show's original characters, Petra debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 23 November 1982. ''Brookside'' ...

in the TV

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

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 * Br ...

''. Her best-known film appearances are as Elaine in ''

Letter to Brezhnev ''Letter to Brezhnev'' is a 1985 British romantic comedy film about working-class life in Liverpool, written by Frank Clarke and directed by Chris Bernard. It starred Alexandra Pigg, Margi Clarke, Alfred Molina, Peter Firth and Tracy Marshak ...

'' (1985), for which she was nominated for a

BAFTA award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

, and as Bridget Baines in '' A Chorus of Disapproval'' (1988).

Early life

Pigg was born as Sandra McKibbin but later changed her name to Alexandra Pigg for her acting career. She is from the

Knotty Ash Knotty Ash is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Historically in Lancashire, the population at the 2001 Census was 13,200, increasing to 13,312 at the 2011 Census. Knotty Ash is well known as the home o ...

area of

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

. Pigg attended the Holly Lodge Girls' Grammar School in Liverpool, now the

Holly Lodge Girls' College Holly Lodge Girls' College is a secondary school and sixth form for girls located in West Derby, Liverpool, England. History Grammar school It was built as Holly Lodge Girls' High School on Queens Drive. Comprehensive In the early 1970s, the ...

. To finance and gain a union card to enable her acting career, Pigg became a nightclub dancer. She would dance alongside her pet snake, named Emma.

Career

In 1982, she portrayed

, with her husband Gavin played by Danny Webb, in the series ''

''. Following her role in the 1985 film ''

'', she starred in the BBC film '' Smart Money'' (1986), '' A Chorus of Disapproval'' (1988) with

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

and

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

, ''

Strapless ''Strapless'' is a 1989 film written and directed by David Hare. Plot summary An expatriate American doctor in London allows herself to lighten up when her freewheeling younger sister and a mysterious man enter her life. Her inhibitions relea ...

'' (1989) with

Bridget Fonda Bridget Jane Fonda (born January 27, 1964) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in ''The Godfather Part III'' (1990), '' Single White Female'' (1992), ''Singles'' (1992), ''Point of No Return'' (1993), '' It Could Happen to You'' ...

, ''

Chicago Joe and the Showgirl ''Chicago Joe and the Showgirl'' is a 1990 British crime drama film directed by Bernard Rose and written by David Yallop, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Emily Lloyd. The film was inspired by the real-life Hulten/Jones murder case of 1944, ot ...

'' (1990) with

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a British-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 2014), for which he won an Emmy Award ...

and

Emily Lloyd Emily Alice Lloyd-Pack (born 29 September 1970), known as Emily Lloyd, is an English actress. At the age of 16, she starred in her debut and breakthrough role in the 1987 film ''Wish You Were Here'', for which she received critical acclaim an ...

, '' Bullseye!'' (1990) starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

and

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, playing the character in seven feature films between 1 ...

, and ''

Immortal Beloved The Immortal Beloved (German "Unsterbliche Geliebte") is the addressee of a love letter which composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on 6–7 July 1812 in Teplitz. The unsent letter is written in pencil on 10 small pages. It was found in the comp ...

'' (1994) with

Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy F ...

. She was originally cast in the role of Kochanski in the pilot episode of ''

Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. ...

'' but was unavailable for new recording dates following an electricians' strike, so the part then went to Clare Grogan.

Personal life

Pigg has been married three times, first to film director Bernard Rose with whom she has a daughter, Ruby Rose. When Rose was developing '' Candyman'', Pigg was to play the lead character Helen, with their friend

Virginia Madsen Virginia Gayle Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in ''Class'' (1983), which was filmed in her native Chicago. After she moved to Los Angeles, director David Lynch cast her as Pr ...

to play to role of Helen's friend, Bernie. The choice was then made to make the character of Bernie African American so Madsen lost the part. As shooting was about to commence, Pigg discovered that she was pregnant so the role of Helen was offered to Madsen. Pigg was then married to producer Tarquin Gotch with whom she has a daughter, Lucia and a son, Roman Gotch. She was interviewed with her ''Letter to Brezhnev'' co-star

Peter Firth Peter Macintosh Firth (born 27 October 1953) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC One programme '' Spooks''; he is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the programme's ten-series lif ...

on ''

BBC Breakfast ''BBC Breakfast'' is the BBC television breakfast news programme. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. The simulcast is presented live, originally from the BBC Television Centre, London before ...

'' in April 2017, during which Firth explained that they dated briefly after making the film and that they have been in a relationship since 2010. They married in London on Christmas Eve 2017.

References

External links

* Living people Actresses from Liverpool People from Knotty Ash 1962 births {{england-actor-stub