Elizabeth Estensen (born 10 August 1949) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Diane Sugden on the ITV soap opera ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

'' from 1999 to 2021, with a guest stint in 2022. She has also made appearances in various British television series, including ''

The Liver Birds ''The Liver Birds'' is a British sitcom, set in Liverpool, North West England, which aired on BBC1 from April 1969 to December 1978, and again in 1996. The show was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpudlian housewives had me ...

'', '' T-Bag'' and ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

''.

Early and personal life

Estensen was born on 10 August 1949 and had a Norwegian grandfather, from whom she inherited her surname. She grew up in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

. Her mother was a primary school teacher, and her father was a merchant seaman and solicitor's clerk. Estensen considered becoming a speech therapist, but signed up for a Drama and English teaching course at

Manchester Polytechnic Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

instead. Estensen has been married to husband Philip Allen since May 1983, and the pair have a son together, James Otto Allen.

Career

Following graduation from Manchester Polytechnic, she moved to

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 ...

and joined the Everyman repertory company. While appearing in a production of '' John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert'', she was noticed by actress

Nerys Hughes Nerys Hughes (born 8 November 1941) is a Welsh actress and narrator, known primarily for her television roles, including her parts in the BBC TV series '' The Liver Birds'' (1971-1978) and '' The District Nurse'' (1984-1987). Early life and e ...

, who was looking for a replacement for Polly James in her sitcom, ''

''. Estensen was cast as Carol Boswell, her debut television role, in 1975. After ''The Liver Birds'' concluded in 1979, Estensen made appearances in films and series including '' T-Bag'' and '' Far from the Madding Crowd''. Between 1996 and 1998, she appeared in the ITV soap opera ''

'' as Pam Middleton. Then in 1999, she was cast in the ITV soap opera ''

'' as series regular Diane Sugden, a role she has portrayed since. In 2007, she won a shared award at the

British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV (TV network), ITV. The trophies given to the winners are made from metal a ...

for Spectacular Scene of the Year, which saw a house collapse that her character was involved in. In September 2021, Estensen confirmed that she had filmed her final scenes as Diane in ''Emmerdale''. Her final episode was broadcast on 29 October. However, Estensen agreed to return to the soap in October 2022 for a guest stint, for the show's 50th anniversary.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estensen, Elizabeth 1949 births Living people English soap opera actresses English television actresses English people of Norwegian descent Actresses from County Durham Actors from Stockton-on-Tees