Lucy Ann Cohu (born 2 October 1970) is an English stage and film actress, known for portraying

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

in '' The Queen's Sister'', Evelyn Brogan in ''

Cape Wrath Cape Wrath ( gd, Am Parbh, known as ' in Lewis) is a cape in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It is the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain. The cape is separated from the rest of the ma ...

'' and Alice Carter in ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'': ''

Children of Earth ''Children of Earth'' is the banner title of the third and penultimate series of the British television science fiction programme ''Torchwood'', which broadcast for five episodes on BBC One from 6 to 10 July 2009. The series had new producer ...

''.

Background

Lucy Ann Cohu was born in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

in 1970. She attended a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

, Stamford High School, as a child, and went on to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Cohu said that, despite her family's strong military background, her parents were entirely supportive of her desire to be an actress. Cohu lives in

Kensal Green Kensal Green is an area in north-west London. It lies mainly in the London Borough of Brent, with a small part to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about miles from Charing Cross. To the w ...

in Brent, London.

Personal life

Cohu was married to the actor Corey Johnson, but later divorced.

Television and film work

Before she made a living from acting she used to perform for children's parties. She has been quoted as saying that had she not found success as an actress she would have gone into children's nursing. Cohu's first acting job after graduating from drama school was at the

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

in Manchester, in a production of

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

's ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

''. She made her television debut in an episode of '' Casualty''. She went on to work extensively in television, including playing the role Major Jessica Bailey in the popular ITV show Soldier Soldier followed by many parts in British television. In 2005 she portrayed

in the semi-fictional version of her life, '' The Queen's Sister'', for

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 ...

, for which she was nominated for

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and BAFTA awards. She was widely praised for the role; for example, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' disliked the "somewhat tawdry biopic", but said that "Cohu makes it all worth watching". Cohu herself said she played Margaret like a proper woman with an insatiable and tremendous energy for life: previous images in her mind had been of a bloated and sick elderly princess confined to a wheelchair. She hoped the production hadn't offended anyone as she really liked the Queen. Cohu has also appeared in ''

'', '' Ballet Shoes'', as Theo Danes,All-star cast dance onto BBC One in Ballet Shoes
BBC Press Office. 2007-08-11, and ''

'': ''

'', as Alice Carter, the daughter of Captain Jack Harkness. Cohu has also appeared in several films, including '' Gosford Park'' and ''

Becoming Jane ''Becoming Jane'' is a 2007 biographical romantic drama film directed by Julian Jarrold. It depicts the early life of the British author Jane Austen and her lasting love for Thomas Langlois Lefroy. American actress Anne Hathaway stars as the ...

''. She plays Madame Maigret in the ITV television series '' Maigret'' starring

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms '' Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series ''Johnny English'' (2003–20 ...

Theatre work

After an eight-year hiatus from the stage, Cohu starred in a revival of ''Speaking in Tongues'' at the Duke of York's Theatre, opposite John Simm, Ian Hart and Kerry Fox. Cohu received positive reviews for this performance. In February 2010 she began a five-week run in a production of ''

An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende''), an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, followed his previous play, '' Ghosts'', which criticized the hypocrisy of his society's moral code. That response in ...

'' at the Crucible Theatre, starring alongside Sir

Antony Sher Sir Antony Sher (14 June 1949 – 2 December 2021) was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner and a four-time nominee, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 a ...

as Katrina Stockmann, and later appeared in

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are ''All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's '' Broken Glass'' at the Tricycle Theatre. She is due to appear in Dawn King’s play ‘The Trials’ at the Donmar Warehouse in London from the 12th August 2022 to the 27th August.

Awards

In November 2008 Cohu won an

international Emmy The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...

award for Best Actress for her role in the true-life drama ''Forgiven''.

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohu, Lucy 1968 births Living people English film actresses English television actresses English stage actresses Actresses from Wiltshire Actors from Swindon Actresses from London People educated at Stamford High School, Lincolnshire Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama International Emmy Award for Best Actress winners 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses