Elaine Constance Smith (born 2 August 1958) is a Scottish actress and comedian. She is known for her roles in the

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

sitcoms A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home ...

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American synchronized sound film, sound romance film, romantic comedy drama, comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a ...

'' (1984–1991), ''

Rab C. Nesbitt ''Rab C. Nesbitt'' is a Scottish comedy television series that originally aired between 1988 and 1999. The show returned for a one–off special in 2008, before being re-commissioned in 2010. Its second run was broadcast from 2010 to 2014. The ...

'' (1988–2014), and '' Two Doors Down'' (2013–present), winning a

BAFTA Scotland BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...

award for the latter. In 2012, Smith co-wrote and starred in ''

I Dreamed a Dream "I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical ''Les Misérables''. It is a solo that is sung by Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyrics are by Herbe ...

'', a stage production about the life and career of Scottish singer

Susan Boyle Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 after appearing as a contestant on the third series of '' Britain's Got Talent'', singing " I Dreamed a Dream" from '. As of 2021, Boyle has sold 25 ...

. She has campaigned for

Scottish independence Scottish independence (; ) is the idea of Scotland regaining its independence and once again becoming a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. The term Scottish independence refers to the political movement that is campaignin ...

and continues to be a supporter.

Education and early career

Smith attended the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama () is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and film in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools. Founde ...

and then completed a teacher training course at the Moray House of Education in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, where she then worked as a drama teacher at

Firrhill High School Firrhill High School is a secondary school located in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The school was established in 1960, and was officially opened by the city's lord provost. The school has around 1123 pupils and a teaching staff roll ...

for three years. In 2002 she gained a BA Acting degree from Edinburgh's

Queen Margaret University Queen Margaret University is a public university located wholly within the county of East Lothian on the outskirts of Musselburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Scottish Queen Saint Margaret (1045–1093). The university can trace its ...

School of Drama & Creative Industries.

Career

Television

In 1984, she made her TV debut on the

comedy '' Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee''; however, her first major television appearance came in 1986 as a star of the

sketch show Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

Naked Video ''Naked Video'' is a BBC Scotland sketch show that was aired on BBC2 from 12 May 1986 to 18 November 1991. The show was created by Colin Gilbert who had previously created ''A Kick Up the Eighties'' and ''Naked Radio'' (the latter being a radi ...

''. Made by

, it was shown throughout the UK on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

. In between seasons of ''Naked Video'', Smith also starred in the Scottish

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'', which ran for seven years on the BBC. Smith is best known for her role as Mary 'Mary Doll' Nesbitt in the BBC sitcom ''

'', a series based on characters in a ''Naked Video'' sketch. Launched in 1990 and set in Glasgow, the show ran for nine years on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

. It was revived for a Christmas special in 2008, two new series in 2010 and 2011, and a New Year special in 2014. From 1997 to 2001, Smith starred as Rosa in the BBC children's television show, ''

Hububb Hububb is a Children's Television programme broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom, it was named after Les Bubb who also played the title character with the same name. The show ran from 1997 until 2001. Five series of the show were made. It ...

''. Smith has appeared in the BBC dramas ''

Two Thousand Acres of Sky ''Two Thousand Acres of Sky '' is a British television drama series which aired on BBC One from 2001 to 2003. It was created and written by Timothy Prager. The Executive Producer was Adrian Bate. The show takes place on the fictional island of ...

'' and ''

55 Degrees North ''55 Degrees North'' is a BBC television drama series starring Don Gilet as DS Nicky Cole, a London detective relocated to Newcastle upon Tyne after exposing police corruption. Dervla Kirwan co-stars as Claire Maxwell, an ambitious solicitor. ...

'', performed alongside

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, List of awards and nominations received by Helena Bonham Carter ...

in the British film ''

Women Talking Dirty ''Women Talking Dirty'' is a 1999 British comedy film directed by Coky Giedroyc and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Gina McKee and James Nesbitt. It is an adaptation of the novel ''Women Talking Dirty'' written by Isla Dewar, who also wrote the ...

'', and toured Scotland with her stand-up comedy show. In October 2007, she appeared in an episode of the

Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School ...

sitcom ''

The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle ''The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle'' is a British sitcom that was originally aired on BBC Two in 2007. The programme was written and created by Jennifer Saunders and Tanya Byron. The show stars Saunders as the title character of the talk show ...

''. In 2010 she took part in an STV tribute to Scottish actor

Gerard Kelly Gerard Kelly (born Paul Kelly; 27 May 1959 – 28 October 2010) was a Scottish actor who appeared in many comedies, including ''City Lights'', ''Rab C Nesbitt'', '' Scotch and Wry'' and '' Extras''. He had more serious roles as well, including ...

. In January 2011, she appeared on ''

Celebrity Mastermind ''Celebrity Mastermind'' is a celebrity version of ''Mastermind'', a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. ''Celebrity Mastermind'' began in 2002 as a one-off special hosted by Magnus Magnusson, the original host of the main ...

'' with singer-songwriter

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

as her specialist subject. She finished second on the programme. Since 2015, Smith has presented a documentary-style show entitled ''Burdz Eye View'', broadcast by STV, in which she tours Scotland with her comedy act and talks about Scottish life and culture. For her work on the series, Smith was awarded a

Royal Television Society Award 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 ...

. A special episode, '' Burdz Eye View of Hogmanay'' was broadcast in 2015, welcoming viewers into the New Year. In 2015, Smith had a part in the third series of

Kay Mellor Kay Mellor (née Daniel; 11 May 1951 – 15 May 2022) was an English actress, scriptwriter, producer and director. She was known for creating television series such as '' Band of Gold'' (ITV, 1995–97), '' Fat Friends'' (ITV, 2000–05), and ...

's BBC drama ''

The Syndicate ''The Syndicate'' is a British television drama series. It was written by Kay Mellor and is broadcast on BBC One. It sees five members of a betting syndicate win the lottery. Each series follows a different syndicate. The first series is se ...

''. In 2016, she began starring in the BBC Scotland sitcom '' Two Doors Down''. In 2018 she won the

award for ''Best Actress – Television'' for her performance.

Theatre

For many years Smith was a regular in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

at the Kings' Theatre,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, starring alongside

in performances such as ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

'', ''

Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...

'' and ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

''. More recently, she has appeared in her own seasonal show, ''12 Nights of Christmas'' at the

Òran Mór Òran Mór (Scottish Gaelic: "great melody of life" or "big song") is a theatre, restaurant, entertainment and music venue in Glasgow. From 1862 until 1978 the building was the Kelvinside Parish Church (Botanic Gardens) before becoming redunda ...

, Glasgow. She has also toured Scotland in straight plays, notably with Andy Gray, in ''The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband'', ''Two'' and ''

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice ''The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'' is a 1992 play written by English dramatist Jim Cartwright. Production history Sam Mendes directed the first production at the Royal National Theatre that transferred to the Aldwych Theatre in London's ...

''. Other Scottish theatre roles include ''

The Steamie ''The Steamie'' is a comedy-drama stage play, written by Tony Roper. It is set on Hogmanay 1950 and provides a window on the lives and aspirations of a group of Glasgow women washing their clothes in a public washhouse (steamie). It was commis ...

'', ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'' and ''

Shirley Valentine ''Shirley Valentine'' is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad. Plot Wondering what ha ...

''. She has also performed in new works at the

Tron Theatre The Tron Theatre is located in Glasgow, Scotland. The theatre was formerly known as the Tron Kirk. It began as the Collegiate Church of Our Lady and St. Anne. The Tron Theatre building is home to the Tron Theatre Company and serves as a prod ...

, Glasgow and the

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded as The Traverse Theatre Club in 1962 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes, Richard Demarco, Terry Lane, Andrew Muir, John Martin and Sheila Colvin. The Traverse Th ...

, Edinburgh. In September 2008 she began touring the UK in a stage version of the hit British film ''

Calendar Girls ''Calendar Girls'' is a 2003 British comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Harbour Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi, based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produced a ...

'', along with

Lynda Bellingham Lynda Bellingham ( ; 31 May 194819 October 2014) was an English actress, broadcaster and author. She acted in television series such as ''All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series), All Creatures Great and Small'', ''Doctor Who'', ''Second Tho ...

Patricia Hodge Patricia Ann Hodge (born 29 September 1946) is an English actress. She is known on-screen for playing Phyllida Erskine-Brown in '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1978–1992), Jemima Shore in '' Jemima Shore Investigates'' (1983), Penny in '' Miranda ...

Siân Phillips Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Wales. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in Ibsen's '' ...

Gaynor Faye Gaynor Kay Mellor (born 26 August 1971), known professionally as Gaynor Faye, is an English actress and writer. She played Judy Mallett in television soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1995 until 1999 and Megan Macey in ''Emmerdale'' fro ...

and

Brigit Forsyth Brigit Dorothea Mills (28 July 1940 – 1 December 2023), better known by her stage name Brigit Forsyth, was a British actress from Malton, England, best known for her roles as Thelma Ferris in the BBC sitcom ''Whatever Happened to the Likely L ...

. The show opened in

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which ma ...

at the

Noël Coward Theatre The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre in St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster, London. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's ...

in April 2009. The original cast left the show at the end of July 2009, but Smith returned in a different role as part of a national tour in 2010. From 2009 to 2016, Smith starred in Christmas pantomime at

His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1,400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906. ...

. In 2017 she returned to pantomimes at the

King's Theatre, Glasgow The King's Theatre is located in Glasgow, Scotland. It was built for Howard & Wyndham Ltd under its chairman Baillie Michael Simons as a sister theatre of their Theatre Royal in the city and was designed by Frank Matcham, opening in 1904. The ...

. In 2012, she played Scottish singer

in the touring musical ''

'' (which she co-wrote with

Alan McHugh Alan McHugh is a Scottish actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his roles in television shows such as ''Taggart'' (as Assistant Chief Constable Strathairn), ''Take the High Road'', ''Limmy's Show'', and ''Rab C. Nesbitt''. He co-wrot ...

), based on Boyle's life and rise to fame. There were plans to tour the show in Australia in 2013 but these were cancelled. In 2016, Smith toured Scotland as Miss Hannigan in the musical '' Annie''. In 2017, she toured Scotland in a musical version of

's ''

Fat Friends ''Fat Friends'' is a British drama that aired on ITV from 12 October 2000 to 24 March 2005, consisting of 25 episodes over four series. Set in Leeds, the series explores the lives of several slimming club members, with a focus on the various ...

''.

Personal life and honours

Smith lives in

. In August 2007 she was appointed to the

Scottish Broadcasting Commission The Scottish Broadcasting Commission (, ) was established by the Scottish Government in August 2007. Its purpose is to conduct an independent investigation into television production and broadcasting in Scotland, and to define a strategic way forw ...

established by the

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

. Until 2009 Smith wrote a weekly column in the '' Sunday Mail'' newspaper. In late 2009 her autobiography ''Nothing Like a Dame'' was published. She was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of the University by the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

in 2008. In October 2024, it was confirmed by

Glasgow City Council Glasgow City Council (Scottish Gaelic: ''Comhairle Baile Ghlaschu'') is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for Glasgow, Glasgow City council area, Scotland. In its modern form it was created in 1996. Glasgow was former ...

that Smith would receive the Freedom of Glasgow in 2025 as part of the city's 850th birthday celebrations, making Smith the first female recipient of the honour since Anna Maxwell in 1969. She said she "was honoured" to have been granted the title.

Activism

In May 2007, Smith declared her support for

by aligning herself with the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...

. She had previously been a member of the Labour Party but left due to its failure to publicly back the 1984–85 miners' strike. She is a supporter of numerous charities, including Zero Tolerance and Relationships Scotland. She is the patron of the Women and Girls' Programme at

Celtic FC The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a professional football club in Glasgow, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpos ...

. In 2021 she became patron of the 1896

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

'' Glenlee'' on its 125th birthday. The ship's figurehead had been named ''Mary Doll'' after Smith's character Mary Doll Nesbitt.

Filmography

Television

Film

Publications

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Elaine C. 1958 births Living people Actresses from Glasgow Alumni of Queen Margaret University Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland People educated at Braidhurst High School People from Baillieston People from Newarthill 21st-century Scottish autobiographers Scottish columnists Scottish film actresses Scottish musical theatre actresses Scottish nationalists Scottish stage actresses Scottish stand-up comedians Scottish television actresses Scottish television personalities Scottish women comedians Scottish women columnists Scottish republicans Scottish women autobiographers Actresses from North Lanarkshire