Gillian Louise KearneyBirth Registration Details
''Ancestry.co.uk'' (Retrieved 16 July 2009) (born 9 May 1972) is an English actress best known for her early role as Debbie McGrath in

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's Liverpool-based

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'' Brookside'' and the spin-off

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Damon and Debbie'', and for playing Jessica Harrison in the long-running

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television medical drama series ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', as well as Emma Barton in the

ITV Yorkshire ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

-based

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 ...

''. The role of Emma gained her recognition because of character's involvement in ''Emmerdale’s'' most high-profile storylines during her three-year stint.

Early life

One of four children born to Gerard and Barbara (''née'' Allerston) Kearney, Kearney has three brothers, including Tom, a professional footballer. Her father is a retired civil engineer, and her mother a school care worker. Growing up in Aigburth, she attended St. John Almond RC High School, Garston, where she gained nine

GCSEs The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

and four

A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

. She later trained at the Rose Bruford College.

Career

Her interest in acting began at secondary school. After repeatedly being overlooked for the lead roles in school productions, she decided to join the

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actre ...

Youth Theatre, where she featured in plays including '' All Flesh is Grass'' (as Ema),Jones, Catherine
"We've got talent! £25m Culture project launched"
, '' LiverpoolEcho.co.uk'', 23 September 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2009 '' Katie Crackernuts'' and ''Yer Dancin'?'' It was there, in 1986, that she was spotted by members of the Mersey Television production team; this resulted in her being asked to audition for a role in Channel 4's soap opera '' Brookside''. Kearney landed the role of Debbie McGrath, the girlfriend of Damon Grant, played by Simon O'Brien. When O'Brien decided to leave ''Brookside'', he requested that his character be killed off so he wouldn't be tempted to return to the show. Because Damon was so popular, particularly with younger viewers, it was decided to create a "soap bubble" in which the character would meet his demise: the result, '' Damon and Debbie'', became Britain's first mini-series spin-off from a soap opera.Williams, Steve; Jones, Ian; Kibble-White, Jack
"Channel 4 at 25: 1987"
''OffTheTelly.co.uk'', November 2002. Retrieved 16 July 2009 A year after filming her final scenes, Kearney was asked to return for a few episodes. Christmas 1988 saw Debbie McGrath make an unexpected return to visit

Sheila Grant Sheila Corkhill (also Grant) is a fictional character from British soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside'', played by Sue Johnston. Sheila appeared in Brookside from the first episode in 1982 until the character's departure in 1990. Her ...

, Damon's mother; she arrived with her baby, Simon – Damon's son. Kearney played the young Shirley in the award-winning 1989 film '' Shirley Valentine''. She also had the lead female part as Ellie Brookes in ''Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll'', a six-part television mini-series written and created by Debbie Horsfield and directed by John Woods. It was produced by Wall to Wall for

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

originally airing in 1999 before being adapted into a successful stage musical. In 2002, Kearney landed the role of June Forsyte in the ITV1 adaptation of

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He is best known for his trilogy of novels collectively called '' The Forsyte Saga'', and two later trilogies, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of th ...

's classic novel ''

The Forsyte Saga ''The Forsyte Saga'', first published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by the English author John Galsworthy, who won the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature. They chronicle th ...

''. She later reprised the role for the second series. Following the success of ''The Forsyte Saga'', Kearney's next role brought her back onto the ITV screen in its newest medical drama, '' Sweet Medicine''. Kearney was cast as Dr Deborah "Deb" Sweet, and starred alongside Jason Merrells, who played her husband, and

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 ...

as her formidable mother-in-law. The show was intended to take up the mantle of the popular rural drama '' Peak Practice'', which had recently ended, but low viewing figures saw ''Sweet Medicine'' axed after just one series. In 2005, Kearney landed a role in Channel 4's hit series '' Shameless'', playing the role of Marty Fisher's (

Jack Deam Jack Deam (born Ian Deam; 29 June 1972) is an English actor. He used his grandfather's name for his stage name. His most notable performances have been as Marty Fisher in Channel 4 dramedy '' Shameless'', DC Ken Blackstone in the ITV crime ...

) girlfriend, Sue Garland. She left the show along with her on-screen partner in 2007."Gillian Kearney as Sue"
''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'', January 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2009 She had a number of television roles following her departure before landing the role of Jessica Harrison in ''Casualty'', in January 2008. Kearney left ''Casualty'' in February 2010, but returned briefly to tie up the loose ends of her character's storyline in May 2010. As of 2 January 2015, Kearney began appearing in the ITV

'', in the role of Emma Barton, the estranged wife of James Barton ( Bill Ward) and mother of their three sons Pete ( Anthony Quinlan), Ross (

Michael Parr Michael Parr (born 6 August 1986) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the part of Ross Barton in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', and originally Billy Parker in the Channel 4 soap opera, ''Hollyoaks''. Early life and educati ...

) and Finn (

Joe Gill Joseph P. Gill (July 13, 1919 – December 17, 2006)Social Security Death Inde ...

). Kearney has received critical acclaim for her performance, particularly when it came to the "No Return" week which saw the character hold James hostage and cause a huge crash that endangered the lives of seven Emmerdale residents; after Emma accidentally pushed James off the bridge, he later died. Kearney was nominated for Best Serial Drama Performance at the 2016

National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...

. In 2019, Kearney directed the

5Star 5Star (stylized as 5STAR) is a British free-to-air television channel owned by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global, which is grouped under Paramount Networks UK & Australia division. It originally laun ...

woman's prison drama ''

Clink Clink may refer to: * The Clink, a historic prison in Southwark, England * The Clink (restaurant), British restaurants employing prisoners for rehabilitation * Prison, in general * CLINK, an algorithm for hierarchical clustering * Channel Link ...

''.

Personal life

Kearney lived in Crouch End,

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, from July 2000, and then rented a property in Clifton,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, during her time appearing in ''Casualty''. She returned to live in Liverpool after the birth of her son; she also rented a home in Yorkshire where she filmed ''Emmerdale'', and a holiday home on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast of

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In April 2009 Kearney mentioned, during a '' This Morning'' television interview, that she was seeing a final-year medical student called Eddie, whom she had met whilst in

. Early in 2010, Kearney announced her engagement to Eddie Foo and their intention to marry later that year in Ireland, but the plans were soon put on hold when she discovered that she was expecting their first child. Kearney gave birth to an 8 lb 3 oz (3.7 kg) baby boy on 26 August 2010.Miles, Tina
"Casualty star Gillian Kearney on becoming a mum and her recent Clapperboard role at Liverpool's FACT"
'' The Liverpool Echo'', 25 September 2010

Credits

Film

Television

Theatre

* ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' ... Lady Macduff,

Witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

; Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 6 May – 11 June 2011 * ''Strangers, Babies'' ... May; Traverse Theatre,

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 ...

; 23 February – 17 March 2007Fisher, Mark
"Theatre; Strangers, Babies"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 2 March 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2009 * '' The Flint Street Nativity'' ... Mary;

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

, Liverpool; 7 December 2006 – 20 January 2007 * ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage.Meyer, Michael Lever ...

'' ... Hedda Gabler ** Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool; 23 March – 15 April 2006Butler, Billy
"Gillian Kearney Interview"
BBC (Radio Merseyside), 5 April 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2009 ** West Yorkshire Playhouse ( Quarry Theatre),

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

; 17 February – 11 March 2006 * ''A Man of Principle'' ... Ruth; Colin's Bridewell, Liverpool; 26 October 2004 * ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' ... Hermia;

Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to: Given name * Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator Surname * A. S. Albery, British politician * Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario * Do ...

, London; 16 March – 12 May 2001 * ''

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 ...

'' ... Cordelia; Royal Exchange Theatre,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

; 9 September – 23 October 1999 * '' The School for Wives'' ... Agnès ** Comedy Theatre, London; 6 May – 2 August 1997 ** Piccadilly Theatre, London; 11 February – 26 April 1997 ** Theatre Royal,

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

; 9–14 December 1996 ** Festival Theatre,

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

; 26–30 November 1996 ** Tyne Theatre and Opera House,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

; 18–23 November 1996 ** Richmond Theatre,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

; 11–16 November 1996 ** King's Theatre, Edinburgh; 5–9 November 1996 ** Thorndike Theatre,

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon ...

; 8–26 October 1996 * ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 List of Maverick ...

'' ... Lucy; Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 8 February – 23 March 1996 * '' When We Are Married'' ... Nancy Holmes; Festival Theatre, Chichester; 24 July – 17 August 1996 * '' The School for Scandal'' ... Maria; Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1992 * ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' ...

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venice, Italy, Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello (char ...

; Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1992 * ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' ...

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

; Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1991 * '' The White Devil'' ... Giovanni; Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1991 * ''Your Home in the West'' ... Sharon; Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 28 March – 13 April 1991

Radio

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Gillian 1972 births Living people Actresses from Liverpool Alumni of Rose Bruford College English child actresses English television actresses English soap opera actresses English stage actresses English film actresses English radio actresses English Shakespearean actresses English people of Irish descent 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses People from Aigburth