Michele Austin is a British actress. She best known for her role as

Yvonne Hemmingway ''The Bill'' is a long-running British television police procedural television series which ran from 16 August 1983 to the show’s cancellation on 31 August 2010, named after a slang term for the police. The characters are all police officers ...

on ITV's ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'', for which she won the Screen Nation Award for Best Television Actress, and for her portrayal of Chantelle in '' Hard Truths'', for which she won the

National Society of Film Critics The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2024, ...

award for Best Supporting Actress.

Career

Austin studied acting at Rose Bruford College in

Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley and Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich. It was ...

. As well as her role as PC Hemmingway in the ITV series ''

'', she played the character Marsha Harris twice in 2001. Austin had roles in

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin In ...

's films '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996) and '' Another Year'' (2010). She also has a small role in ITV's 2008 teen drama ''

Britannia High ''Britannia High'' is a British musical drama television series co-produced by Granada Television and Globe Productions for the ITV network. The series focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their mentors at a fictional London theatr ...

'' as Mrs Doris Troy, the landlady of the main characters, in the comedy ''

Never Better ''Never Better'' is a British television sitcom which started on BBC Two from 10 January to 14 February 2008. It stars Stephen Mangan as recovering Alcoholism, alcoholic Keith Merchant and Kate Ashfield as his suffering wife Anita. The series is ...

'' and as a nurse in BBC's '' Outnumbered'' that aired on 30 August 2009. In December 2010, Austin appeared in the British

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 ...

soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' as Gloria MacDonald, a role which she reprised in February 2016. Prior to this she played Miss Meg Tyler in 1993. On 12 February 2013 she played the part of Estelle in an episode of '' Death in Paradise'' on BBC1. In 2016, Austin appeared in the BBC series ''

The Coroner ''The Coroner'' is a BBC Birmingham drama series starring Claire Goose as Jane Kennedy, a coroner based in a fictional South Devon coastal town. Matt Bardock stars as Detective Sergeant Davey Higgins. On 2 March 2017, the BBC announced that ...

''. In 2020, she appeared in the British comedy TV series '' Meet the Richardsons''. In 2022, she played senior midwife Tracy in the BBC screen adaptation of Adam Kay's book based on his experiences as a junior doctor, '' This Is Going To Hurt''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

External links

* Alumni of Rose Bruford College British actresses Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Black British actresses English people of Jamaican descent {{UK-tv-actor-stub