Emily Bruni (born 5 April 1975 in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

) is an English

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. Bruni has worked extensively in theatre, TV and film playing leading roles across all genres. Bruni’s recent credits include playing the sniper Shooter in

Martin Campbell Martin Campbell (born 24 October 1943) is a New Zealand film and television director and producer. He is best known for his works in the Action film, action and thriller film genres, including the James Bond in film, James Bond films ''GoldenE ...

’s action picture ''Dirty Angels'', ''

Slow Horses ''Slow Horses'' is a British spy thriller television series based on the '' Slough House'' series of novels by Mick Herron, created by Will Smith. It follows an MI5 unit where disgraced or failed agents are consigned, under the supervision of J ...

'' for Apple, and the one-woman play
Psychodrama
'.

Personal life

Born to an English mother and Italian father Bruni was raised in the UK but spent part of her childhood living in Italy. She is bilingual. Bruni lives in London and is married to the British playwright and director Matt Wilkinson. They have one son. Bruni is a long term meditator and yoga practitioner and has taught both practices under the monike
Emily Valente
Her other passions include food, dance and travel.

Education

Bruni attended St Peter's High School, Exeter, Exeter Sixth Form College, National Youth Theatre and the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

Career

In theatre, Bruni spent three years at the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, at which roles included Esmeralda in '' Camino Real'', directed by

Steven Pimlott Steven Charles Pimlott (18 April 1953 – 14 February 2007) was an English opera and theatre director, whose obituary in ''The Times'' hailed him as "one of the most versatile and inventive theatre directors of his generation". His output ran t ...

. Bruni starred as

Jean Rhys Jean Rhys, ( ; born Ella Gwendoline Rees Williams; 24 August 1890 – 14 May 1979) was a novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she resided mainly in England, where she was sent for her educa ...

in The Shared Experience production ''After Mrs Rochester'', which opened the New Sydney Theatre. She played Lady India in ''

Ring Round The Moon ''Ring Round the Moon'' is a 1950 adaptation by the English dramatist Christopher Fry of Jean Anouilh's '' Invitation to the Castle'' (1947). Peter Brook commissioned Fry to adapt the play and the first production of ''Ring Round the Moon'' was ...

'' (Playhouse Theatre), choreographed by

Wayne McGregor Sir Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a British choreographer and director who has won multiple awards. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Comma ...

. In 2013 she played Claire in ''Yes, Prime Minister'' (

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...

) written and directed by

Jonathan Lynn Jonathan Adam Lynn (born 3 April 1943) is an English film director, screenwriter, and actor. He directed the comedy films '' Clue'', '' Nuns on the Run'', '' My Cousin Vinny'', and '' The Whole Nine Yards''. He also co-created and co-wrote the ...

. In 2015, Bruni appeared in ''Donkey Heart'' and the one-woman play ''Before You Were Born'', both by Moses Raine and both directed by

Nina Raine Nina Raine is an English theatre director and playwright, the only daughter of Craig Raine and Ann Pasternak Slater, and a grand niece of the Russian novelist Boris Pasternak. She graduated from Christ Church, Oxford in 1998 with a First in E ...

at the Trafalgar Studios. In 2016, she starred in the

Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style known as "Be ...

double bill ''Lunch'' and ''The Bow of Ulysses'' (Trafalgar Studios), directed by

Nigel Harman Nigel Derek Harman (born 11 August 1973) is an English actor. Beginning his career as a child actor, he has played various roles across theatre, stage and television, including as Sky Masterson in Michael Grandage's revival o ...

. in 2016 Bruni played

Goneril Goneril is a character in William Shakespeare's tragic play ''King Lear'' (1605). She is the eldest of Leir of Britain, King Lear's three daughters. Along with her sister Regan (King Lear), Regan, Goneril is considered a villain, obsessed with p ...

in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (Globe) directed by Nancy Meckler. Bruni played the iconic role of Debbie / Deborah in Laurence Boswell's production of the

Donald Margulies Donald Margulies (born September 2, 1954) is an American playwright and academic. In 2000, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Dinner with Friends''. Background and education Margulies attended John Dewey High School in Brookly ...

play ''The Model Apartment'' at the Bath Ustinov theatre. In 2021 Bruni played Actress in
Psychodrama
', a one-woman play about an actress under investigation for the murder of an auteur theatre director, while rehearsing a production of

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's '' Psycho''. Staged in a found space in London, it transferred in 2022 to 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. The play was written and directed by Matt Wilkinson and produced by

Pádraig Cusack Pádraig Cusack (; born 16 March 1962) is an Irish theatre producer who has worked with the National Theatre of Great Britain, the Abbey Theatre Dublin, the NCPA Mumbai and numerous international festivals. Personal life The youngest son of th ...

. Bruni was nominated for an Offie award for Best Actress. On film, Bruni played Tanya in the ITV drama ''Metropolis'' by

Peter Morgan Peter Julian Robin Morgan (born 10 April 1963) is a British screenwriter and playwright. He has written for theatre, films and television, often writing about historical events or figures such as Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II, whom he has ...

. She starred alongside

Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (; 7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Adrian Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative come ...

in the sitcom '' Believe Nothing'' as Dr. Hannah Awkward (a professor of pedantics). The series was written by

Maurice Gran Maurice Bernard Gran (born 26 October 1949 in London, England) is an English writer and one half of scriptwriting duo Marks and Gran. He co-wrote the sitcoms '' The New Statesman'', '' Birds of a Feather'' and '' Goodnight Sweetheart'' with La ...

and Laurence Marks. In 2002 she appeared alongside

Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work in numerous stage, television and film productions, he has received several awards including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award, and ...

in the return of ''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site ...

''. In 2004 she played Alice in '' Passer By'' by Tony Marchant, directed by

David Morrissey David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He had numerous small roles in films and television series throughout the 1990s before achieving wider recognition for playing Gordon Brown in '' The Deal'' (2003 ...

. Bruni portrayed the Empress

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

in the 2005

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

drama ''Catherine the Great''. From 2009 to 2012 she played Gail, the girlfriend of Jeremy's love interest, in Series 6, 7 and 8 of Channel 4's hit comedy ''

Peep Show A peep show, peepshow, or, a peep booth is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the devel ...

''. The film ''Psychodrama'' is currently in development with writer and director Matt Wilkinson and producers Ben Pullen and Pádraig Cusack. Bruni is a regular contributor to Radio 4 Drama.

References

External links

* 1975 births Living people English people of Italian descent Actresses from Exeter Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama English television actresses People educated at Hele's School, Exeter {{England-actor-stub