Georgina "Gina" McKee (born 14 April 1964) is an English actress. She won the 1997 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for '' Our Friends in the North'' (1996), and earned subsequent nominations for '' The Lost Prince'' (2003) and '' The Street'' (2007). She also starred on television in '' The Forsyte Saga'' (2002) and as

Caterina Sforza Caterina Sforza (1463 – 28 May 1509) was an Italian noblewoman, the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola, firstly with her husband Girolamo Riario, and after his death as a regent of her son Ottaviano. Caterina was a noblewoman who lived a l ...

in '' The Borgias'' (2011). Her film appearances include '' Notting Hill'' (1999), ''

Phantom Thread ''Phantom Thread'' is a 2017 American historical drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville. Set in 1950s London, it stars Day-Lewis as an haute couture dressmaker ...

'' (2017), and '' My Policeman'' (2022).

Early life

McKee was born in Peterlee,

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, the daughter of a coal miner,Lane, Harriet
"'I had nothing to lose'"
''Guardian.co.uk'', 30 November 2008 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009) and grew up there and in nearby Easington and

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

. Her first experience of acting occurred in her final year at primary school where her teacher finished the school week off with improvisations. Seeing a poster in a shoe-shop window for a new youth drama group, McKee and her friends decided to attend, initially not seriously but later becoming enthusiastic. It led to McKee's first professional appearance, working on Tyne Tees children's series, ''Quest of Eagles''. From the age of 15, McKee spent three summers in London with the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth the ...

. After completing her A-Levels at East Durham College, she decided, with her parents' blessing, to apply to drama schools rather than art colleges. However, she was rejected by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School,

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. LAMDA's Principal is ...

and the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

McKee began her career in TV with several background roles including a part on '' The Lenny Henry Show''. She made her film debut in 1988 when she had a small role in ''

The Lair of the White Worm ''The Lair of the White Worm'' is a horror novel by the Irish writer Bram Stoker. It was first published by Rider and Son of London in 1911 – the year before Stoker's death – with colour illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. The story is ba ...

''. In 1996, she played Mary in the BBC drama '' Our Friends in the North'', a role for which she won three Best Actress awards in 1997: the

British Academy Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

, the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

Award and the Broadcasting Press Guild Award.Jones, Alice
"Who's that girl?"
''Independent.co.uk'', 16 September 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009. McKee appeared in several episodes of the Chris Morris spoof current affairs show, '' Brass Eye'' (1997, 2001), as reporter Libby Shuss. McKee's theatre credits include

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

's '' The Lover'' and '' The Collection'' at the Comedy Theatre in London. In 2008, she appeared in the BBC drama ''Fiona's Story'' and a West End revival of Chekhov's ''

Ivanov Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, bg, Иванов, russian: ИвановSometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, bg, Иванов ...

''.Taylor, Paul
"First_Night:_Ivanov,_Wyndham's_Theatre
,_London".html" ;"title="Wyndham's Theatre">"First Night: Ivanov, Wyndham's Theatre
, London"">Wyndham's Theatre">"First Night: Ivanov, Wyndham's Theatre
, London" Independent.co.uk, 18 September 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009. In 2010, she appeared as Goneril in the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

revival of ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'', directed by Michael Grandage and starring Derek Jacobi. She received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. She played the mother of a deaf teenager in BBC TV's thriller, '' The Silence'', opposite

Genevieve Barr Genevieve Barr (born 12 December 1985)Dehn, Georgia ', 24 June 2010, www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2010. is an English actor and writer of stage and screen. She played the lead role in the BBC award-winning series '' The Silence''. Havin ...

. In 2018, she appeared in the highly successful BBC/Netflix drama series ''

Bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, ...

'' as Commander Anne Sampson.

Personal life

McKee has been married to Kez Cary since 1989; they live in

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

, England. She has been a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

since 1982.Norman, Neil
"My favourite table: Actress Gina McKee at Rasa, London"
''Guardian.co.uk'', 25 March 2007 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009) In 2002, McKee was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the

University of Sunderland , mottoeng = Sweetly absorbing knowledge , established = 1901 - Sunderland Technical College1969 - Sunderland Polytechnic1992 - University of Sunderland (gained university status) , staff = , chancellor = Emel ...

."Football veteran receives honorary degree"
TheNorthernEcho.co.uk, 15 July 2002. Retrieved 1 August 2009.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

*''

'' ... Goneril;

, London (director: Michael Grandage) *''

'' ... Anna Petrovna;

, London (director: Michael Grandage) *''The Lover and the Collection'' ... Comedy Theatre, London (director: Jamie Lloyd) *'' The Exonerated'' ... Sunny Jacobs;

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment ...

, London (director: Bob Balaban) *''Aristocrats'' ... Judith; National Theatre, London (director: Tom Cairns) *''Old TImes'' ... Kate;

, London (director: Roger Michell) *''

Five Kinds of Silence ''Five Kinds of Silence'' is an in-yer-face theatre play by the playwright Shelagh Stephenson, first published in 1997. It tells the story of a family living under the power of the vicious Billy, who physically, emotionally, and sexually abuses hi ...

'' ... Lyric Hammersmith, London (director: Ian Brown) *''Uganda'' ... National Theatre (Studio), London (director: Polly Teale ) *''Hammett’s Apprentice'' ... Royal Court Theatre (Upstairs), London (director: James McDonald) *''Fighting for the Dunghill'' ... Warehouse Theatre,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

(director: Richard Osborne) *'' Separate Tables'' ... Chichester Festival Theatre,

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ...

(director:

Philip Franks Philip Franks (born 2 February 1956) is an English actor and director, known to the public chiefly for his roles in English television series, such as '' The Darling Buds of May'' and '' Heartbeat''. Early life Franks was born on 2 February 19 ...

) *''Boudicca'' ... Shakespeare's Globe, London

References

External links

*
Gina McKee Biography
FilmReference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:McKee, Gina 1964 births Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners English film actresses English television actresses English stage actresses English radio actresses Living people People from Peterlee People from Sunderland Actresses from Tyne and Wear People from Crouch End National Youth Theatre members Actors from County Durham 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses English child actresses