Alexandra Pigg (born Sandra McKibbin; 1962) is a British actor who first came to prominence as Petra Taylor in the TV soap opera '' Brookside''. Her best-known film appearances are as Elaine in '' Letter to Brezhnev'' (1985), for which she was nominated for a

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

, 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 area of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. Pigg attended the Holly Lodge Girls' Grammar School in Liverpool. 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 Petra Taylor, with her husband Gavin played by Danny Webb, in the series '' Brookside''. Following her role in the 1985 film '' Letter to Brezhnev'', 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. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

and Jeremy Irons, '' Strapless'' (1989) with Bridget Fonda, ''

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, ...

'' (1990) with

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 20 ...

and Emily Lloyd, '' Bullseye!'' (1990) starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

and

Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the actor to portray Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film series, playing the ...

, and ''

Immortal Beloved The Immortal Beloved (German "Unsterbliche Geliebte") is the addressee of a love letter which composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on 6 or 7 July 1812 in Teplitz (then in the Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic). The unsent letter is writ ...

'' (1994) with

Gary Oldman Sir Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Gary Oldman, various accolades, including an Academ ...

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

Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

'' 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. When Rose was developing '' Candyman'', Pigg was to play the lead character Helen, with their friend Virginia Madsen 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 two children. 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 a British television breakfast news programme, produced by BBC News and broadcast on BBC One every morning from 6:00am. It is also broadcast on the UK feed of BBC News channel on weekends. The simulcast is presented live, ...

'' 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