Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress, director, and film producer.

Early life and family

Styler was born in

Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about north-east of Worcester and south-west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 34,755 in at the 2021 census. It gives its name to the wider Bromsgrove District, of which it is ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was two years old, she was hit by a van. She received severe facial injuries that left her badly scarred and required several plastic surgery operations up until the age of 18. Her classmates nicknamed her "scarface", which caused her to feel for many years that she was "not a very attractive person". She attended North Bromsgrove High School, where one of her teachers was the singer-songwriter Clifford T. Ward.

Acting career

Styler trained at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS was an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance a ...

and went on to appear in various period

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 ...

productions. She joined 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 ...

, in which she played multiple major roles. Her theatre credits also include '' The Vagina Monologues'', ''Twin Spirits'', and ''The Seagull''. She has appeared in many British television series such as '' The Mayor of Casterbridge'' and '' The Scold's Bridle'', and in the United States television shows ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'', '' The Night Of'', ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'' (S8 Ep10), and '' Falling Water''. Styler's film work includes Lifetime Television's '' Living Proof'' and Paul Haggis' '' The Next Three Days''. She has also made seven mind-body fitness DVDs released by Gaia, Inc.

Film production

In the mid-1990s, Styler established Xingu Films, a production company dedicated to supporting new talent, such as

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films. Ritchie left school at the age of 15, and worked in e ...

, Dito Montiel and

Duncan Jones Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones (born 30 May 1971) is a British film director, film producer and screenwriter. He directed the films ''Moon'' (2009), ''Source Code'' (2011), '' Warcraft'' (2016), and '' Mute'' (2018). For ''Moon'', he won the BAFT ...

. In late July 2008 it was announced that Xingu had optioned ''American Reaper'', an upcoming

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

written by

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfath ...

, who would also write the screenplay. Styler has produced and co-directed several award-winning documentaries and feature films, including

's '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' and '' Snatch'';

' ''

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

''; and

Michael Apted Michael David Apted (10 February 1941 – 7 January 2021) was an English television and film director and producer. Apted began working in television and directed the ''Up (film series), Up'' documentary series from 1970 to 2019). He later di ...

's '' Moving the Mountain'', which won the 1994 International Independent Documentary Award. After moving to New York, Styler co-founded the production company Maven Pictures with Celine Rattray in 2011. Their first feature, ''

Girl Most Likely ''Girl Most Likely'' is a 2012 American comedy film directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. Based on a screenplay by Michelle Morgan, the film stars Kristen Wiig as a playwright who stages a suicide in an attempt to win back her e ...

'', starred Kristen Wiig; closely followed by '' Filth'', starring James McAvoy; '' Black Nativity'' starring

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

; '' Ten Thousand Saints'' starring

Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...

; and '' American Honey'' starring Shia LaBeouf, which won

Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival) The Jury Prize () is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. According to American film critic Dave Kehr, the award is "intended to recognize an original work that embodies t ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

in 2016. Styler's 2017 directorial debut, ''

Freak Show A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "Freak, freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual Human#Anatomy and physiology, humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, t ...

'', is based on the New York Times bestseller by James St. James, and stars AnnaSophia Robb, Alex Lawther, and

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

. ''Freak Show'' debuted at the 2017

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

Philanthropy

In 1989, Styler and her husband, Sting, cofounded the Rainforest Foundation Fund, an organisation devoted to protecting rainforests and their indigenous peoples. Since 1991, she has produced regular Rock for the Rainforest benefits at Carnegie Hall. As a

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Ambassador, Styler has also raised millions for their projects around the globe. In 2008, it was reported that Styler donated £10,000 into the charitable Ama Sumani cancer fund. Sumani was terminally ill with cancer and unable to afford treatment in her native Ghana, but had been deported from a Cardiff hospital after the expiry of her visa. Sumani died on 19 March 2008. Styler is also a patron of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Personal life

Styler married rock musician Sting at Camden Register Office on 20 August 1992, and the couple had their wedding blessed two days later in the twelfth-century parish church of St Andrew in Great Durnford,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, south-west England. In 1982, Sting separated from his first wife, actress Frances Tomelty, following an affair with Styler; Tomelty and Sting divorced in 1984. The split was controversial; as ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' reported in 2006, Tomelty "just happened to be Trudie's best friend (Sting and Frances lived next door to Trudie in Bayswater, west London, for several years before the two of them became lovers)". Sting and Styler have four children, three of whom were born before they married: Brigitte Michael (" Mickey", born 19 January 1984), Jake (24 May 1985), Eliot Paulina (nicknamed "Coco", 30 July 1990), and Giacomo Luke (17 December 1995). Coco is a singer who now goes by the name Eliot Sumner, and was the founder and lead singer of the group

I Blame Coco Eliot Paulina Sumner (born 30 July 1990) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. They are the child of musician Sting and actress Trudie Styler. They began their music career at a young age and signed a record deal with Island Records ...

. Giacomo Luke is the inspiration behind the name of

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

-winning horse Giacomo. She is also step-mother of two kids, daughter Fuschia and son Joe, whom Sting shares with his ex-wife Frances Tomelty.

Filmography

Producer

* ''Boys from Brazil'' (1993) * '' Moving the Mountain'' (1994) * '' The Grotesque'' (1995) a.k.a. ''Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets'' (USA) a.k.a. ''Grave Indiscretion'' * '' Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' (1998) a.k.a. ''Two Smoking Barrels'' (USA) * '' Snatch'' (2000) * '' Greenfingers'' (2000) a.k.a. ''Jailbuds'' * '' The Sweatbox'' (2002; also director) * '' Cheeky'' (2003) * '' A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints'' (2006) * ''

Alpha Male In the zoological field of ethology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social animal, social groups interact, creating a ranking system. Dif ...

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2009) * ''Wake Up'' (2010) * '' The Son of No One'' (2011) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Filth'' (2013) * '' Black Nativity'' (2013) * '' Still Alice'' (2014) * '' Ten Thousand Saints'' (2015) * '' Miss You Already'' (2015) * '' American Honey'' (2016) * ''For Grace'' (2016) * '' Anatomy of Violence'' (2016) * ''

Novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

'' (2017) * ''

'' (2017) * '' Kings'' (2017) * '' The Kindergarten Teacher'' (2018) * '' Wildling'' (2018) * ''

Boarding School A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

'' (2018) * ''

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

'' (2018, short) * ''

'' (2018) * ''

Driveways A driveway (also called ''drive'' in UK English) is a private road for local access to one or a small group of structures owned and maintained by an individual or group. Driveways rarely have traffic lights, but some may if they handle heavy ...

'' (2019) * ''

Human Capital Human capital or human assets is a concept used by economists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a subs ...

'' (2019) * '' With/In: Volume 1'' (2021) * '' With/In: Volume 2'' (2021) * ''

Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...

'' (2021) * '' A Mouthful of Air'' (2021) * '' Infinite Storm'' (2022) * '' Inland'' (2022) * ''

Unicorns The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

'' (2023) * '' The Burial'' (2023) * '' Eleanor the Great'' (2025)

Actor (selected)

*'' Poldark'' (1977, 5 episodes) *'' The Mayor of Casterbridge'' (1978, episode: #1.7) *''

The Gentle Touch ''The Gentle Touch'' is a British police procedural drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which began on 11 April 1980 and ran until 24 November 1984. The series is notable for being the first British series to feature a fema ...

'' (1980, episode: "Shock") * '' Funny Man'' (1981, 11 episodes) * '' The Bell'' (1982, 4 episodes) * '' Cockles'' (1984, episode: "Mermaids") *'' Miss Marple: The Body in the Library'' (1984) *'' The American Bride'' (1986) *'' Fair Game'' (1988) *'' The Grotesque'' (1995) *'' The Scold's Bridle'' (1998, 2 episodes) *''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'' (1999, episode: "Strangler's Wood") *'' Me Without You'' (2001) *''

'' (2001, episode: " The One with Monica's Boots") *'' Bug'' (2002) *''

'' (2005, 3 episodes) *'' Love Soup'' (2005, 5 episodes) *''

'' (2006) *'' The Vicar of Dibley'' (2007,

Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

special: "Wife Swap") *'' Living Proof'' (2008) *'' Paris Connections'' (2010) *'' The Next Three Days '' (2010) *''A Dish of Tea with Dr. Johnson'' ( West End, Edinburgh, 2011 tour) *'' Filth'' (2013) *'' Zoolander 2'' (2016) *'' Maniac'' (2018, 4 episodes) *'' Pose'' (2019, 4 episodes) *'' With/In: Volume 2'' (2021) *''

'' (2021) *'' Search Party'' (2022, 2 episodes)

Director

* " My Funny Friend and Me" (2000, music video; co-directed with John-Paul Davidson) * '' The Sweatbox'' (2002; co-directed with John-Paul Davidson) * ''Wait'' (2005, short) * ''

'' (2016) * ''Spark Hunter'' (2022, podcast series) * ''Posso entrare? An ode to Naples'' (2023; also writer)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Styler, Trudie 1954 births Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School English women activists English television actresses Living people People from Bromsgrove Sting (musician) 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses English film actresses Actresses from Worcestershire British HIV/AIDS activists English women film directors Sumner musical family Actors from Bromsgrove District