Sharon Patricia Maughan (born 22 June 1950) is a British actress.
Early life
Sharon Mughan grew up in
Kirkby
Kirkby ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. The town, historically in Lancashire, has a size of is north of Huyton and north-east of Liverpool. The population in 2016 was 41,495 making it the larges ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
, with her four siblings. She later changed her surname to "Maughan".
Career
Upon graduating from
RADA
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...
, Maughan gained her
Equity Card while playing Ophelia in an
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a British Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's underg ...
tour of ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...
''. She then did rep at 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 ...
and
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, and won her first television opportunity in Philip Mackie's ''The Organisation'', starring
Peter Egan. This led to episodes of ''The Last of the Baskets'' with
Patricia Hayes
Patricia Lawlor Hayes (22 December 1909 – 19 September 1998) was an English character actress.
Early life
Patricia Hayes OBE was born in Streatham,Dennis Barker, "Hayes, Patricia Lawlor (1909–1998)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biog ...
, then Justice with
Margaret Lockwood
Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included '' The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), ''Night Train to Munic ...
. In 1973, Maughan was chosen for the role of Rachel Rosing in a
Granada Television
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...
serialisation of
Howard Spring's novel, ''
Shabby Tiger''.
Maughan immediately went on to work with
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films ...
, playing the title role in ''If You Knew Susie'', which was part of the TV series ''
Dial M For Murder
''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it wa ...
''. This led to
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...
asking her to appear alongside him at the
Lyric Theatre in his original production of ''Habeas Corpus'', playing "Felicity Rumpers". She next worked with
John Stride in the final series of
Yorkshire Television
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 network. Until 1974, this was prima ...
's ''
The Main Chance'', playing the Nordic "Inge Lindstrom". David Mercer's controversial Huggy Bear with the infamous 'chocasms' scene was her next television venture.
In 1977, Maughan joined the cast of
Franco Zeffirelli
Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
's ''Filumena'', starring
Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Ton ...
and
Colin Blakely
Colin George Blakely (23 September 1930 – 7 May 1987) was a Northern Irish actor. He had roles in the films '' A Man for All Seasons'' (1966), '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970), ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974), and ''E ...
in London's West End, where she met her future husband, actor
Trevor Eve
Trevor John Eve (born 1 July 1951) is an English film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series '' Shoestring'' and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC tele ...
.
[Wintle, Angela (2010]
Interview with Sharon Maughan
''Sussex Life'', 5 January 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2014. Maughan then went on to star in such series as ''
The Enigma Files
''The Enigma Files'' is a British television police procedural that ran for one series of fifteen episodes in 1980.
Plot summary
The series was a police procedural, written by Derek Ingrey, about a police officer who has been sidelined from reg ...
'',
''
The Flame Trees of Thika
''The Flame Trees of Thika'' is a British television serial of seven 50-minute episodes made by Euston Films for Thames Television in 1981. It was adapted by John Hawkesworth from the 1959 book of the same title by Elspeth Huxley, and is set i ...
'',
''
Dombey and Son
''Dombey and Son'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens. It follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps; he initially rejects his daughter's love before eventual ...
'', and ''
By the Sword Divided
''By the Sword Divided'' is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985.
The series, created by John Hawkesworth, was a historical drama set during the mid-17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil War ...
''. As a result of the success of ''The Flame Trees of Thika'' in America, Maughan was invited to do an episode of ''
MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both po ...
''. From 1987 to 1998, while running the internationally successful "
Gold Blend couple
The Gold Blend couple was a British television advertising campaign for Nescafé "Gold Blend" instant coffee, developed by McCann Erickson and which ran from 1987 to 1993.
Background
The original campaign ran for twelve 45-second instalments betwe ...
" television advertisements for Nescafé (Taster's Choice in the United States) alongside actor
Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, ...
,
she starred in episodes of ''
Inspector Morse
Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...
'', ''
Hannay'', and ''
Murder, She Wrote
''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The ser ...
''. Onstage, she played Billie Dawn in ''
Born Yesterday'', Anne Daviot in ''Adam Was a Gardener'', Nora in ''
A Doll's House
''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...
'' at Chichester Festival Theatre,
and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
Anna Howard Shaw
Anna Howard Shaw (February 14, 1847 – July 2, 1919) was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and one of the first ordained female Methodist ministers in the United States.
Early life
Sh ...
in Paula Wagner's production of ''Out of Our Father's House'' at Hollywood's Fountainhead Theatre.
In 1993, she received excellent reviews for her debut directorial production of ''Widowers' Houses'' in London. In 1997, she and her husband, Trevor Eve, founded Projector Productions with Charles Haswell. With Trevor as producer, she went on to executive produce and star in ''Cinderella'' alongside
Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards.
Turner became widely k ...
, and executive produce ''
Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...
'', starring
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...
. That same year, Maughan co-starred in ''Another Stakeout'' with
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including '' American Graffiti'' (1973), '' Jaws'' (1975), '' Close Encounters of th ...
.
Upon finishing the "Gold Blend couple" television campaign in 1998, she went back to the theatre to do ''And All the Children Cried'', playing
Myra Hindley
The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...
,
which was immediately followed by Maughan joining the cast of the BBC One medical drama television series ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...
'', which she left in late 2006 to appear in Roger Donaldson's ''The Bank Job''. This was quickly followed by guest leads in the BBC's ''Waking the Dead'', starring Eve as Superintendent Peter Boyd, and ''Kidnap and Ransom'', also starring Eve.
After premiering the new play Cradle Me, co-starring Luke Treadaway, Maughan went on to appear in the 2010 US film ''She's Out of My League'', in the role of Molly's mother – the lead female character played by her real life daughter Alice. Nathan's husband, Trevor Eve, played Molly's father. With
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anne Chodzko (born 26 September 1963), known professionally as Lysette Anthony, is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles in the film '' Husbands and Wives'' (1992), as Princess Lysssa in the 1983 fantasy epic '' Krul ...
, Maughan was also part of the cast for the 15-minute short film, ''A Study After Cruel Intentions''.
In the 2011 series of
Celebrity MasterChef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...
, an ill-prepared Maughan was shocked and delighted to make it to the semi-final. This was followed by a film made each year from 2012 to 2014: ''The Babymakers'', directed by Jay Chandrasekhar; ''Flying Home'' directed by Dominique Derudiere, and ''Time Lapse'', directed by Bradley King; and finally ''
The Atticus Institute'', directed by Chris Sparling – all shot in the USA.
On 19 February 2014, she was part of the invited audience at
Buckingham Palace to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She and Trevor were then asked to perform in front of the Queen in the Investiture Room, along with
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in a ...
, Sir
Tom Courtenay
Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including '' The Loneliness of ...
and Dame
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdo ...
.
Maughan appeared in her son Jack Eve's debut feature film as writer/director, ''Death of a Farmer'', which having had a screening at the
Dinard
Dinard (; br, Dinarzh, ; Gallo: ''Dinard'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department, Brittany, northwestern France.
Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a holiday destination, and th ...
Film Festival, had its UK Premiere at the Borderlines Film Festival on 5 March 2014.
In September 2014, Maughan starred in the British premiere of
Neil LaBute
Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, '' In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance F ...
's well received play ''Autobahn'' at the King's Head Theatre in Islington. She finished the play with a 30-minute monologue. She later appeared in the film ''Untitled'' playing the drug dealing mastermind controller of a struggling filmmaker.
In November 2015 she joined the programme ''
Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' as a guest panellist.
Personal life
In 1977, she met actor
Trevor Eve
Trevor John Eve (born 1 July 1951) is an English film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series '' Shoestring'' and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC tele ...
, and they were married in 1980. In 1982, Maughan gave birth to their first child,
Alice, now an actress. They have two other children.
[Sharon Maughan]
, '' Woman & Home''. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maughan, Sharon
1950 births
Actors from Kirkby
Actresses from Liverpool
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English people of Irish descent
English film actresses
English soap opera actresses
English television actresses
Living people