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Theatre review: The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Vaudeville, London

Oct 20 2009

Early life

Sharp was born in Manchester, England to Elsie Makinson and Norman Patient, a married tram driver. She was adopted at six weeks old. Her adoptive father, Jack, was a tax inspector, and she grew up in Merseyside.¹

Sharp has stated that she started acting because, as a child, she felt "invisible" and did not "quite fit in".² She has said that her inspiration to act came from watching Dick Emery on television.³

Sharp attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the class of 1982.⁴

Career

Sharp's screen debut was in Alan Clarke's Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986),⁵ playing Bob's wife, Michelle. Further film appearances included supporting roles in The Rachel Papers (1989),⁶ and Stephen Poliakoff's Close My Eyes, with Clive Owen and Alan Rickman. Sharp starred in Mike Leigh's Naked (1993),⁷ and the Jimmy McGovern-penned Priest (1994). She made appearances in Prime Suspect 4: The Lost Child (1995), and The Full Monty (1997).⁸

She was offered lead roles in Common As Muck (1997), followed by Playing the Field (1998–2002),⁹ a drama about a female football team which ran for five series. Sharp had supporting parts in Great Expectations (1999),¹⁰ as Mrs Joe, and in Nature Boy (2000),¹¹ as Martha Tyler, before landing the role of Trudy Graham in Paul Abbott's BAFTA-award-winning Clocking Off (2000–2003),¹² Russell T. Davies then cast her opposite Alan Davies in Bob & Rose,¹³ which resulted in a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress nomination in 2002.¹⁴

Further film roles in From Hell, starring Johnny Depp, and Cheeky (1993), which was directed by Naked co-star David Thewlis, preceded another television drama written by Russell T. Davies. She starred in The Second Coming (2003).¹⁵

Sharp again worked with Mike Leigh in Vera Drake (2004),¹⁶ which was followed by the television drama Planespotting,¹⁷ The same year, she played the clairvoyant lead role of Alison Mundy opposite Andrew Lincoln's sceptical Robert Bridge in ITV's supernatural drama series Afterlife.¹⁸

After a ten-year break from stagework, in October 2005 Sharp returned to the theatre as Emma in Sam Shepard's The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse.¹⁹ In 2008, she starred in the three-part Lucy Gannon-penned drama The Children.²⁰ Later in 2008, she worked with Russell T. Davies for a third time when she played Sky Silvestry in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight".²¹ Davies later tipped Sharp to become the first woman to play the Doctor.²²

In early 2009 Sharp played Petronella van Daan in the BBC's new version of The Diary of Anne Frank.²³ She subsequently played Paddy Considine's wife in Channel 4's acclaimed drama series Red Riding.²⁴ Sharp starred in a 2009 revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre with Marc Warren and Diana Vickers,²⁵ which ran from October to the following January. Between 2011 and 2016, Sharp co-starred as Janet Scott in ITV1's crime drama series Scott & Bailey. In May 2012 she starred in the Sky1 comedy series Starlings as Jan Starling.²⁶

In 2015, Sharp played the part of Mary, the daughter of Petunia Howe, in the three-part BBC series Capital based on John Lanchester's novel of the same name.²⁷

She appeared in several episodes of the Netflix original Fate: The Winx Saga as Rosalind but was replaced in this role with Miranda Richardson after the first season.

In 2021 she took the lead role in Kae Tempest’s Philoctetes at the National Theatre.

In 2022 she narrated the police comedy This Cop Life.

Personal life

Sharp married Nicholas Gleaves in 1994,²⁸ and they have two children.²⁹

Filmography

Theatre

In October 2005, Sharp starred in her first theatre role for a decade in the play The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse, London.³⁰

In 2008, she played the lead character in the play Harper Regan at Royal National Theatre.³¹

In 2014, she played the character Helen in the play A Taste of Honey at Royal National Theatre.

Awards and nominations

References and notes

External links

• Lesley Sharp at the British Film Institute
• Lesley Sharp at IMDb

References

1. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

2. McLean, Gareth (10 September 2005). "A truly visible woman". theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/10/theatre1 ↩

3. Billen, Andrew; "Lesley Sharp shows she's married to the job in The Children" The Times, 30 August 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009) https://archive.today/20080917102948/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4625789.ece ↩

4. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821050544/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/acting_alumni_include/lesley_sharp/ ↩

5. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

6. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821050544/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/acting_alumni_include/lesley_sharp/ ↩

7. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

8. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

9. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821050544/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/acting_alumni_include/lesley_sharp/ ↩

10. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821050544/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/acting_alumni_include/lesley_sharp/ ↩

11. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821050544/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/acting_alumni_include/lesley_sharp/ ↩

12. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

13. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

14. "Television | Actress in 2002". BAFTA. Retrieved 8 November 2014. http://awards.bafta.org/award/2002/television/actress ↩

15. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

16. McLean, Gareth (10 September 2005). "A truly visible woman". theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/10/theatre1 ↩

17. McLean, Gareth (10 September 2005). "A truly visible woman". theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/10/theatre1 ↩

18. McLean, Gareth (10 September 2005). "A truly visible woman". theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/10/theatre1 ↩

19. McLean, Gareth (10 September 2005). "A truly visible woman". theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 July 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/10/theatre1 ↩

20. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821050544/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/acting_alumni_include/lesley_sharp/ ↩

21. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

22. Wallis, Sara; "Writer Russell T. Davies backs Lesley Sharp to be first female Doctor Who" Daily Record, 19 December 2008 (Retrieved: 21 July 2009) http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-film/tv-news/2008/12/19/writer-russell-t-davies-backs-lesley-sharp-to-be-first-female-doctor-who-86908-20981539/ ↩

23. "Lesley Sharp". Guildhall School. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821050544/http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/acting_alumni_include/lesley_sharp/ ↩

24. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

25. Michael Billington "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Vaudeville", The Guardian, 21 October 2009 https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/oct/21/michael-billington-review ↩

26. "A quick chat with Lesley Sharp". What's on TV. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012. http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/drama/scott-and-bailey/interviews/a-quick-chat-with-lesley-sharp/16285 ↩

27. "BBC One: Capital". BBC Online. Retrieved 24 November 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qrqlf ↩

28. "Lesley Sharp: "I didn't want to be classified as a northern actress"". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/lesley-sharp-both-men-and-women-must-work-for-a-civilised-society/ ↩

29. Peter Stanford (23 February 2014). "Lesley Sharp: 'Adoption gave me this sense I don't belong". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/10656867/Lesley-Sharp-Adoption-gave-me-this-sense-I-dont-belong.html ↩

30. Billington, Michael. "The God of Hell". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/oct/27/theatre.art1 ↩

31. Billington, Michael. "Harper Regan". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/apr/24/theatre ↩

32. "Television | Actress in 2002". BAFTA. Retrieved 8 November 2014. http://awards.bafta.org/award/2002/television/actress ↩