Anna Friel as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles

Belfast-born Anna Friel shot to fame at age 16 playing Beth Jordache, British television’s first lesbian character, on the serial “Brookside”. Between 1993 and 1995, her character proved a controversial yet extremely popular one in the UK, inspiring many “Free Beth Jordache” campaigns when she was on trial for patricide. Despite her status as a household name, Friel was dropped from the show in 1995 when Beth committed suicide offscreen. The petite beauty remained visible, frequently appearing in semi-nude or nude shots in British magazines, and continued acting in such ventures as an episode of HBO’s “Tales From the Crypt” in 1996 and portraying Bella Wilfer in the 1998 BBC adaptation of “Our Mutual Friend”. Friel continued to develop a sex symbol persona with her role in the BBC-2 movie “The Tribe” (1998), playing a seductive member of a cult-like Goth group, a role that required full frontal nudity. She segued to the big screen as the brazen flirt Prue in David Leland’s World War II drama “The Land Girls” (1998). A sprightly blonde, with mischievous eyes and a knowing smile, Friel brought a combination of innocence and vivacious charm to her portrayal of a working-class girl raising the character to something more than a simple tart. She continued to establish herself as a film actress as Ewan McGregor’s wife in “Rogue Trader” (also 1998), the biopic of Nick Leeson whose financial dealings brought about the collapse of Barings Bank, and joined a stellar cast, including Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale and Rupert Everett, in the remake of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1999).

• Also Credited As:Anna Lulu Friel
• Born: on 07/12/1976 in Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Job Titles:Actor

Significant Others

• Companion: Darren Day. dated c. 1995-96
• Companion: David Thewlis. living together as of 2001
• Companion: Robbie Williams. formerly with band Take That, later a successful solo artist; no longer together

Education

• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England

Milestones

• 1991 TV acting debut as Michael Palin’s daughter in an episode of the British series “GBH” (Channel 4)
• 1993 Played Beth Jordache, the first openly lesbian character on British TV, in the Channel 4 serial “Brookside”
• 1996 Appeared in an episode of HBO’s “Tales From the Crypt”
• 1998 Engendered controversy for her nude scenes in the BBC-2 movie “The Tribe”
• 1998 Feature acting debut, “The Land Girls”
• 1998 Had featured role of Bella Wilfer in BBC adaptation of “Our Mutual Friend”
• 1999 Broadway debut alongside Natasha Richardson, Rupert Graves and Ciaran Hinds in “Closer”
• 1999 Cast opposite Ewen McGregor in “Rogue Trader”, a biopic about Nick Leeson (premiered in USA on HBO)
• 1999 Played Hermia in the all-star remake of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
• 2001 Portrayed Lulu in Frank Wedekind’s plays at the Almeida Theater in London
• 2002 Appeared in the independent feature “Me Without You” alongside Michelle Williams
• 2003 Cast in Richard Donner’s “Timeline”
• 2006 Starred as the love interest of a professional soccer player in Danny Cannon’s “Goal! The Dream Begins”
• Had role in the second and third installments of “Cadfael” (shown in the USA on PBS’ “Mystery!”)
• Moved with family to Rochdale, Lancashire, England
• Raised in Donegal, Ireland

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