Anna Louise Friel is an English actress. Born in Rochdale, she has been acting since the age of 13, appearing in a number of British television programmes. She played Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap Brookside which had the first lesbian kiss in a British soap opera in Ja...
Crompton House Church of England School, Holy Cross College
Nationality
United Kingdom
Children
Gracie Ellen Mary Friel
Parents
Des Friel, Julie Friel
Siblings
Michael Friel
Partner
Rhys Ifans (2011–)
Nicknames
Anna Louise Friel
Awards
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, National Television Award for Most Popular Actress, Outer Critics Circle Special Award
Nominations
Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy, Czech Lion Award for Best Actress in Leading Role, Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress, Non-Resident Production, Gen...
Movies
Land of the Lost, Limitless, Goal!, The Look of Love, London Boulevard, Me Without You, Neverland, Goal II: Living the Dream, Bathory, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tribe, Rogue Trader, The War Bride, Timeline, The Land Girls, An Everlasting Piece, Niagara Motel, Treasure Guards, You Will Meet a Ta...
TV Shows
G.B.H., Brookside, The Jury, Pushing Daisies, The Street, Marcella, Public Enemies, Our Mutual Friend, Without You, 7 Days on the Breadline
Star Sign
Cancer
#
Quote
1
You can see when an actor gets bored: Their eyes go dead. I promised myself I'd never let that happen. If it does, I'll go and live on a desert island for a year.
2
As long as she is talented enough and passionate about doing it herself then I will be happy and support her. I think I will be sensible - my parents said I could only do it if I got my education and so I had something to fall back on.
3
We will spend more time in America, we're going to get a place in LA as hotels aren't great for the baby.
4
Onstage, there's no hiding; you either can or can't act. There's no second take.
5
It's really important to draw the line on what we do as actors.
6
I've been onstage once for one performance with four days' rehearsal.
7
Well it's hard to bracket it like that because everyone always thinks you either go to America and you come back, fail or succeed, but it doesn't work like that.
8
The doctors say it dates back to a film where I had these huge prosthetic breasts because my character was breast-feeding. The weight of them, and of the baby, did my back in.
9
Now learning a bit more about footballers I think what they need to do well, is someone who really wants to stay in the background and just be a strong support.
10
I want more children but for the next three years I want to act.
11
David is 13 years my senior and has much more experience.
12
For Closer, we've had five weeks. You go into every single word because it's very, very concentrated dialogue.
13
And the most important thing - apart from telling a good, believable story, and being a true character - is to be someone the audience will care about, even if you're playing a murderer or rapist.
14
I've always chosen incredibly different roles and things that are quite offbeat. That way you're not limited.
15
I look at being an actress as being like a mummy: You're bandaged up and preserved as soon as you start making other people money.
16
I have the most lovely, healthy bouncing baby, she was all very compact and the right size.
17
For me personally, everything is on a kiss.
18
Being a mother gives you an incredible feeling of empowerment, you think if I can go through such pain and that level of sleep and still operate and not be grumpy you can do anything. It can be quite scary, you can't function your brain, forget your vocabulary.
19
I play a character every day of my life, and I don't want to play a character as myself. They can judge me as an actress, not as a person. I'm not a spokeswoman for Anna.
20
People became more interested in my love life than in me, and that has a certain effect. You start to feel very empty and worth nothing, you start to become a piece in a board game you never wanted to play.
21
Some producer suddenly grabbed my doughnut out of my hand. Then he said, 'Anna, you really shouldn't be doing that'. He said, 'your tummy's not looking right on screen'. If it's just about that they should have hired a model. I mean, we're not talking about a big f**king tummy here!
#
Fact
1
Friel and her partner, David Thewlis, separated after nearly ten years together [December 2010].
2
Gave birth to daughter Gracie Ellen Mary Thewlis on July 9, 2005 at Portland Hospital in London.
3
Currently starring as Holly Golightly on the British stage adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's. [June 2009]
Gave birth to her daughter Gracie Ellen Mary Thewlis in London's Portland hospital, fathered by David Thewlis, having been in a relationship with him from 2001 until December 2010 (9 July 2005)
6
Was in a relationship with actor David Thewlis from 2001 - 2010. They have one daughter, Gracie Ellen Mary Friel, born on July 9, 2005.
7
Was one of People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in the world (2008).
8
Ranked #21 in Wizard magazine's Sexiest Women of TV list (March 2008).
9
Lobbied for the role of "Nymphadora Tonks" in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), after the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, revealed that "Tonks" was romantically involved with "Remus Lupin", who is played by her real-life boyfriend, David Thewlis.
10
Is of Irish descent.
11
Caused a major controversy with her Lesbian screen kiss with Nicola Stephenson on the set of Brookside (1982) in 1994.
12
She and ex-boyfriend David Thewlis became The Faces Of Mulberry for Spring 2002.
13
Made her American stage debut at New York City's Music Box in 1999 as Alice in Patrick Marber's "Closer".
14
Made her British stage debut in off-West End London production of "Lulu" by Frank Wedekind in 2001.
$10 Million
