Kara Tointon on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
In September 2010, Tointon was a contestant on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' Series 8, partnered with Artem Chigvintsev. The pair achieved good scores in the first five weeks of 30, 32, 31, 32 and 37. In week 5, Tointon was awarded the first 10 of the series by Alesha Dixon for her
Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Dawn Swann in the
soap opera '' EastEnders''. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', and in 2015, she appeared as Maria in the ITV live production of '' The Sound of Music Live''.
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Early life
Tointon was born to parents Ken (b. 1948) and Carol Tointon (1957–2019). Together with her actress sister, Hannah (born 1987), Tointon was brought up inLeigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509.
Geography
Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...
. Both sisters attended St Michael's School, Leigh, and St Hilda's School, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. Tointon was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven. She had speech and drama lessons. Tointon's debut in acting was when she played Brigitta in the local amateur dramatic society's version of ''The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...
'' at the Cliffs Pavilion
Cliffs Pavilion is a theatre and concert venue on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a town within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety acts.
Building
Work began on the original Cliff ...
, Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 ...
.
Career
Tointon's was a paid professional child dancer at age 11 for Snow White pantomime at the Cliffs Pavilion. Her first appearance on television was as a school friend of Sonia Fowler in '' EastEnders'' in 1994. She played the part of student Pauline Young in 2001's first series of ''Teachers
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. wh ...
'' on Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
. She also starred in BBC's ''Curriculum Bites'' as a presenter in 2002.
In 2005, Tointon joined the cast of the BBC soap '' EastEnders'' as Dawn Swann, a role she played for 4 years until being written out, along with co-star Ricky Groves
Richard Groves (born 23 April 1968) is an English actor best known for playing Garry Hobbs in ''EastEnders'' from 2000–09. Before his role in ''EastEnders'' he appeared in the series '' Burnside'', a spin-off from ''The Bill''. He trained a ...
, in August 2009.
In July 2010, she recorded a documentary for BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...
called ''Kara Tointon: Don't Call Me Stupid''. The programme examined the impact dyslexia can have on people's lives and the difference different learning styles can have on dyslexic people. Tointon revealed that she struggles as a dyslexic person, and had a reading age of 12. During the programme, Tointon visited Shapwick School in Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
, which specialises in the education of dyslexic pupils, and talked with the pupils about their experiences.
''Strictly Come Dancing''
Sport Relief Edition
In 2008, Tointon won the Sport Relief special edition of '' Strictly Come Dancing'' withMark Ramprakash
Mark Ravin Ramprakash (born 5 September 1969) is an English former cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he initially made his name playing for Middlesex, and was selected for England aged 21. A gifted, and one of the heaviest-scoring, English b ...
. Her samba was enough to get her the Glitterball Trophy.
Series 8
In September 2010, Tointon was a contestant on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' Series 8, partnered with Artem Chigvintsev. The pair achieved good scores in the first five weeks of 30, 32, 31, 32 and 37. In week 5, Tointon was awarded the first 10 of the series by Alesha Dixon for her Pasodoble
Pasodoble ( Spanish: ''double step'') is a fast-paced Spanish military march used by infantry troops. Its speed allowed troops to give 120 steps per minute (double the average of a regular unit, hence its name). This military march gave rise ...
. In week 6 she was top of the leaderboard with her Salsa. She also had good scores for the next five weeks of 36, 38, 35, 34 and 38. In week 11, she got her highest score of 39 for the Viennese Waltz
Viennese waltz (german: Wiener Walzer) is a genre of ballroom dance. At least four different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in b ...
and Rumba
The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. ...
and got the maximum 5/5 for the swing-a-thon. Tointon made it to the final along with Matt Baker
Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's ''Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wit ...
and Pamela Stephenson
Pamela Helen Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, and performer who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and co ...
, where she made it to the final two, then went on to win and be crowned champion.
West End theatre
From May to September 2011, Tointon playedEliza Doolittle
Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''.
Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Prof ...
in the West End production of '' Pygmalion'' at the Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...
, opposite Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett (; born 29 May 1959) is an English actor, director and producer. Everett first came to public attention in 1981 when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film '' Another Country'' (1984) as a gay pupi ...
as Professor Higgins. In 2012, Tointon was cast as Evelyn in Alan Ayckbourn's revival of the 1974 play '' Absent Friends'', alongside Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of '' The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he l ...
at the Harold Pinter Theatre
The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,
' She followed this by playing Giny in Ayckbourn's '' Relatively Speaking'', with Felicity Kendal
Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, but the role that brought attention to her ...
, Jonathan Coy
Jonathan Coy (born 24 April 1953, in Hammersmith, London) is a British actor. He has worked since 1975 largely in television, notably as Henry in the long-running legal series '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' and as Bracegirdle in the television ser ...
, and Max Bennett at the Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...
in 2013.
Other work
In August 2009, she was unveiled as the new face of Michelle for George underwear atAsda
Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...
.
In February 2011, Tointon took part in the BT Red Nose Desert Trek for Comic Relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
2011. In September, it was announced that Kara would play a lead role in the new film '' Last Passenger'', opposite Dougray Scott
Stephen Dougray Scott (born 25 November 1965) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared in the films ''Ever After'' (1998), '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000), ''Enigma'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''My Week with Marilyn'' (2011).
Early life
Sc ...
and directed by Omid Nooshin.
In 2015 and 2016, Tointon played Rosalie Selfridge in the television drama series '' Mr Selfridge'', the semi-fictional story based on the life of Harry Selfridge. Tointon played the part of Maria in '' The Sound of Music Live'' in the UK, broadcast on 20 December.
In January 2017, Tointon appeared in the ITV period drama ''The Halcyon
''The Halcyon'' is a British television period drama broadcast on ITV which began airing on 2 January 2017. It was created and written by Charlotte Jones. The series focused on examining World War II London from 'a new perspective', and was s ...
'', which was set in 1940 at a five-star hotel “at the centre of London Society and a world at war”. From November, Tointon played the role of Olivia in The Royal Shakespeare Company production of ''Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...
''.
In 2018, Tointon joined 26 other celebrities at Metropolis Studios, to perform an original Christmas song called Rock With Rudolph
The Celebs are a celebrity supergroup created by Grahame and Jack Corbyn with the intention of raising money for charity. The group was formed in 2018 and consists of a changing mix of TV presenters, musicians, radio DJs, actors and sports pers ...
, written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was released in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospit ...
and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment
Saga Entertainment is an independent record label, based in London, founded in 2017 by music producers Grahame and Jack Corbyn. Artists on the label include Sam Bailey, Bargain Hunt, Shona McGarty and the Celebs, a supergroup of celebritie ...
on 30 November 2018 under the artist name The Celebs
The Celebs are a celebrity supergroup created by Grahame and Jack Corbyn with the intention of raising money for charity. The group was formed in 2018 and consists of a changing mix of TV presenters, musicians, radio DJs, actors and sports pers ...
. The music video debuted exclusively with The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.
Selected stage credits
* ''Pygmalion'', Garrick Theatre, London, 2011 * ''Absent Friends'', Harold Pinter Theatre, London, 2012 * ''Relatively Speaking'', Wyndhams Theatre, London, 2013 * ''Gaslight
Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either direct ...
'', Touring Production - various cities in England, 2017
* ''Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...
'', Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2017–18
*''The Man in the White Suit
''The Man in the White Suit'' is a 1951 British satirical science fiction comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The film was nominated for an A ...
'', Theatre Royal Bath and Wyndham's Theatre, London, 2019
Personal life
In September 2014, Tointon took part in theGreat North Run
The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South ...
to raise money for Share A Star, a charity set up to help severely unwell children and teenagers.
In November 2018, Tointon gave birth to her first child, a boy, with her then fiancé Marius Jensen. In January 2021, their second son was born.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tointon, Kara 1983 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actors with dyslexia Actresses from Essex English child actresses English film actresses English stage actresses English soap opera actresses English television actresses People from Southend-on-Sea Strictly Come Dancing winners