Maria Friedman ( Freedman; born 19 March 1960) is a British actress and director of stage and screen, best known for her work in musical theatre. She is an eight-time Olivier Award nominee, winning three. Her first win was for her 1994 one-woman show, ''By Special Arrangement''. She has also twice won Best Actress in a Musical for the original London productions of '' Passion'' and ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

''. She is more recently known for her role as

Elaine Peacock The following are characters who first appeared, or returned, in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2014 listed by order of first appearance. All new characters in 2014 were introduced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, executive producer. N ...

in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''. She made an appearance as the narrator in the 1999 straight to video version of ''

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. ...

.''

Early years

Maria Freedman was born in Switzerland, the daughter of Clair Llewelyn (née Sims), a concert pianist, and Leonard Friedman ( Freedman), a violinist for the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

. Her younger sister is the theatre producer Sonia Friedman."About Maria"
aboutmaria.com (official site) Her father is from a

Russian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

immigrant family, whereas her mother is

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. She began her education in Germany (where her family moved), and by the age of five moved with her family to England after the divorce of her parents.

Career

In 1989 she appeared in the lead female role of Hayyah in the play ''

Ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...

'' by

Joshua Sobol Joshua Sobol ( he, יהושע סובול; born 24 August 1939), is an Israeli playwright, writer, and theatre director. Biography Joshua Sobol was born in Tel Mond. His mother's family fled the pogroms in Europe in 1922 and his father's family im ...

at the Olivier Theatre in London. In the following year she appeared in another

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

production as Dot in ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande J ...

'' by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

. She won an Olivier Award for her one-woman cabaret, ''Maria Friedman By Special Arrangement'' and another Olivier Award (Best Actress in a Musical) in 1997, starring in Sondheim's '' Passion''. She appeared in ''Passion'' in the West End at the Queen's Theatre in 1996 as Fosca. She starred in ''

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'' in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre as Roxie starting in 1998. In the

1999 film File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shooti ...

of Lloyd Webber's ''

'', she played the narrator. She played the role of Mother in the West End production of ''

'' at the Piccadilly Theatre starting in March 2003, winning the 2004 Olivier Award, Best Actress in a Musical. In 2004 she originated the role of Marian Halcombe in

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

's musical '' The Woman in White'' in the West End and on Broadway in 2005. As previews for '' The Woman in White ''started for the Broadway production, she was diagnosed with stage 1

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

and left the show to have surgery to have the lump removed. Less than a week after the surgery she returned to the stage for the previews and performed on the official opening night. She said she would begin radiation treatment for the cancer in December 2005. The Broadway production closed after only 109 performances on 22 February 2006, in part due to her and co-star Michael Ball's frequent absences due to illness. (Friedman had planned a six-week absence for further treatment, with Judy Kuhn to be her replacement, but remained for the duration of the run once the closing was announced.) As well as other musical shows, Maria participated in '' Hey, Mr. Producer!'', the concert celebrating the works of Sir Cameron Mackintosh, in which she sang "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "Broadway Baby," and "How Many Tears?" Similarly, she participated in ''Sondheim Tonight'' live at London's

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...

, singing "Losing My Mind" (from ''Follies'') and "More" (from the film ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (character), Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''De ...

''). She has also had several one woman shows: ''Maria Friedman – By Special Arrangement'' and ''Maria Friedman – By Extra Special Arrangement'' and has performed these in several top cabaret venues in both the UK (most recently at Trafalgar Studios) and New York City, including several engagements at the Café Carlyle. She can be heard on many cast recordings; and has released several solo albums including ''Maria Friedman'', ''Maria Friedman Live'', ''Now and Then'', and ''Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook''. Friedman has won three

Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

and been nominated for seven. In 2010, Friedman appeared as a soloist in the BBC Proms tribute to

at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

, London. She sang the role of Mrs. Lovett in '' Sweeney Todd'' opposite Bryn Terfel. In October 2014, Friedman joined the cast of ''

'' as

, the mother of established character Linda Carter ( Kellie Bright). She has since appeared in December 2014 and February to March 2015 to date, before returning for a three-month stint in September 2015. Friedman has directed several musicals. In 2012 she directed a revival of Sondheim's '' Merrily We Roll Along'', which started at the

Menier Chocolate Factory The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat off-West End theatre, which comprises a restaurant, bar and rehearsal rooms. It is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate Company factory at 53 Southwark Street, a major street in the London Borou ...

and transferred to the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre in April to July 2013. This production ran at the Huntington Theatre Company, Boston, Massachusetts starting in September 2017, directed by Friedman. In 2015, she directed a revival of '' High Society'' at

The Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

. The production was played in the round. She directed a revival of '' Stepping Out'' in the West End Vaudeville Theatre in 2017.

Personal life

Friedman has two sons: Toby Sams-Friedman (b. 1994) with director and writer Jeremy Sams; and Alfie Friedman (b. 2002) with cameraman Oleg Poupko. She was married to dancer Roland Brine; her boyfriend is Adrian Der Gregorian.

Stage productions

* '' Fiddler on the Roof'' (Golde) (2019) * '' The Woman in White'' (Marian) * ''

'' (Mother) (2003) ( Olivier Award – Best Actress in a Musical) * ''By Extra Special Arrangement'' * ''

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'' (Roxie Hart) (1998) * ''

The Witches of Eastwick ''The Witches of Eastwick'' is a 1984 novel by American writer John Updike. A sequel, '' The Widows of Eastwick'', was published in 2008. Plot The story, set in the fictional Rhode Island town of Eastwick in the early 1970s, follows the witc ...

'' (Sukie) * '' Blues in the Night'' * ''By Special Arrangement'' (Olivier Award Best Entertainment) * '' Passion'' (Fosca) (1996) (Olivier Award Best Actress in a Musical) * '' Lady in the Dark'' (Liza Elliot) * '' April in Paris'' * ''

'' (Hayyah) (1989) * ''

'' (Dot) (1990) * '' Merrily We Roll Along'' ( Haymarket Theatre, Leicester) (1992) * ''The Break of Day'' (Royal Court, 1995)Taylor, Paul
"Theatre / The Break of Day Royal Court, London"
''The Independent'', 30 November 1995 * ''Square Rounds'' * ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...

'' (

)

Filmography

* ''

Heil Honey I'm Home! ''Heil Honey I'm Home!'' is a British sitcom, written by Geoff Atkinson and produced in 1990, which was cancelled after one episode. It centres on Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, who live next door to a Jewish couple, Arny and Rosa Goldenstein. Th ...

'' (unaired episodes) * ''

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. ...

'' * '' Casualty'' * ''Hey Mr. Producer!'' * ''

'' (The Narrator) *''

'' -

(2014–2017) *'' The Sound of Music Live'' - Mother Abbess - UK version of '' The Sound of Music Live!'' broadcast 20 December 2015

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
About MariaShow Music Magazine article featuring an interview with Maria FriedmanLondon's Broadway Baby Photo Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Maria 1960 births Living people People educated at the Arts Educational Schools English women singers English people of Russian-Jewish descent English television actresses English stage actresses English soap opera actresses English sopranos Laurence Olivier Award winners 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Women theatre directors Theatre World Award winners