Favourites from Midsomer Murders

1. Maureen Lipman

Dame Maureen Lipman was born on 10th May 1946 in Hull, Yorkshire, England. Her father was a Jewish tailor and she was pressed into acting by her mother Zelma, who used to take Maureen to the pantomime and push her onto the stage. She studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Since ...

2. Julia McKenzie

Actress | Notes on a Scandal

Julia McKenzie was born on February 17, 1941 in Enfield, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Notes on a Scandal (2006), Bright Young Things (2003) and Cranford (2007). She was previously married to Jerry Harte.

3. Honor Blackman

Actress | Goldfinger

One of four children, Blackman was born in London's East End, to Edith Eliza (Stokes), a homemaker, and Frederick Thomas Blackman, a statistician employed with the Civil Service. She received elocution lessons for her 16th birthday (at her own request), and later attended the Guildhall School of ...

4. Harriet Thorpe

Actress | Calendar Girls

Harriet Thorpe was born on June 8, 1957. She attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama before having success in television, playing the depressed and emotionally-unfit mother in The Brittas Empire (1991), and Fleur in Absolutely Fabulous (1992); the character first seen in Season One ...

5. Martine McCutcheon

Actress | Love Actually

Martine McCutcheon was born Martine Kimberley Sherri Ponting on the 14th of May 1976 in Hackney, East London, to Jenny Tomlin (née Jeanette Lilian Ponting) and Thomas Hemmings. She has a younger brother called L.J.

She studied at the renowned Italia Conti stage school in London from the age of 10. ...

6. Sarah Badel

Actress | Not Without My Daughter

Sarah Badel was born on March 30, 1943 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Not Without My Daughter (1991), Just Visiting (2001) and Mrs Dalloway (1997).

7. Suzanne Burden

Actress | Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Suzanne Burden was born in 1958. She is an actress, known for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018), Great Performances (1971) and Mark Gertler: Fragments of a Biography (1981).

8. Geoffrey Bayldon

Actor | Casino Royale

Born Leeds, England and trained at Old Vic Theatre School, 1947-1949. First stage appearance in "Tough at the Top" (C.B. Cochran's last musical) in 1949, followed by seasons at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon; Glasgow Citizen's and Birmingham Repertory Theatre. First in ...

9. Peter Davison

Actor | Doctor Who

Peter Davison was born as Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett on 13 April 1951 in Streatham, London. A decade later, he and his family - his parents, Sheila and Claude (an electrical engineer who hailed from British Guiana), and his sisters, Barbara, Pamela and Shirley, moved to Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, ...

10. Kathleen Byron

Actress | Black Narcissus

Kathleen Byron trained for the stage at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, beginning her work in the movies soon after she finished her training. Her early work with Michael Powell made her name in the UK. She went to Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s but found it difficult to break into the US ...

11. Freddie Jones

Actor | Dune

British character actor Freddie Jones came to the acting profession after ten years of working as a laboratory assistant and acting in amateur theater on the side. To kick off his mid-life career change, Jones attended Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Kent, England, on a scholarship. He ...

12. Kathryn Pogson

Actress | Brazil

Kathryn Pogson was born in 1954 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Brazil (1985), Breakfast on Pluto (2005) and The Company of Wolves (1984). She was previously married to Stuart Browne.

13. Caroline Harker

Actress | The Madness of King George

Caroline Harker was born in 1966 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Madness of King George (1994), Middlemarch (1994) and A Touch of Frost (1992). She is married to Anthony Calf. They have three children.

14. Serena Gordon

Actress | GoldenEye

She first became interested in acting while at Hurst Lodge School, primarily a ballet and drama school.in Sunningdale, and originally, she fancied being a ballet dancer. She then had a short period at Cobham Hall girls' school in Kent then 2 years at a boys' school in Bryanston, Dorset, which had a...

15. Camille Coduri

Actress | 4.3.2.1.

Camille Coduri was born on April 18, 1965 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for 4.3.2.1. (2010), A Prayer for the Dying (1987) and King Ralph (1991). She has been married to Christopher Fulford since April 1992. They have two children.

16. Jamie Blackley

Actor | If I Stay

Jamie Alexander Blackley is a British actor. He is known for his role as Adam Wilde in the film If I Stay. Blackley was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, and was raised in London, England, with his father Martin, mother Marina, and older sister Holly-Anna. His first major appearance was as Hanschen in ...

17. Paola Dionisotti

Actress | Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced

Paola Dionisotti was born in 1946 in Turin, Italy. She is an actress, known for Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985), Les Misérables (1998) and Florence Foster Jenkins (2016).

18. Susannah Harker

Actress | House of Cards

Susannah Harker was born on April 26, 1965 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for House of Cards (1990), Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men (2021) and A Dry White Season (1989). She was previously married to Iain Glen.

19. Gwen Taylor

Actress | Life of Brian

Gwen Taylor was born on February 19, 1939 in Derby, Derbyshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Life of Brian (1979), The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) and A Bit of a Do (1989). She has been married to Graham Reid since 1996. She was previously married to Frederick Blount.

20. Rupert Vansittart

Actor | Braveheart

Rupert Nicholas Vansittart is an English character actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, stage and radio, often playing comic characters. He is best known for his role as Lord Ashfordly in the ITV drama Heartbeat and for playing Lord Yohn Royce in the HBO series Game of ...

21. Simon Callow

Actor | Four Weddings and a Funeral

Simon Callow was born on June 13, 1949 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Shakespeare in Love (1998) and A Room with a View (1985). He has been married to Sebastian Fox since June 2016.

22. Stella Gonet

Actress | Nicholas Nickleby

Stella Gonet was born on May 8, 1960 in Greenock, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Spencer (2021) and How I Live Now (2013). She has been married to Nicholas Farrell since 2005. They have two children.

23. Mark Umbers

Actor | A Good Woman

"the beating, shattered heart of the show ... a startlingly sympathetic performance" (New York Times)

"Mark Umbers is simply extraordinary" (Boston Globe)

"raises everyone else's game" (Independent)

"impeccably played" (Guardian)

Raised in Yorkshire, England, Umbers studied Classics at Oxford. He spent...

24. John Hopkins

Actor | Midsomer Murders

John Hopkins was born in Luton and majored in English at the University of Leeds from 1993 to 1996. As an undergrad, he joined the university's drama group and appeared in several plays, ultimately winning the "Sunday Times" student-actor award for his performance in "A Short Play About Sex and ...

25. Laura Howard

Actress | Midsomer Murders

British actress Laura Howard has worked extensively on stage and screen since she was in her mid teens, most notably as the longstanding regular character Cully Barnaby in ITV's Midsomer Murders (1997). She has appeared in recurring roles in Soldier Soldier (1991) (Central Television) and Young ...

26. Rachel Bell

Actress | The Darling Buds of May

Rachel Bell was born in 1950 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Darling Buds of May (1991), Doctor Who (1963) and Dear John.... (1986). She was previously married to Mike O'Neill.

27. Damien Lyne

Actor | Neverwhere

Damien Lyne is known for Neverwhere (1996), Surprise (2019) and The Bill (1984).

28. Victoria Wicks

Actress | High-Rise

Born in Chippenham in Wiltshire in 1959, Victoria Wicks is the grand-daughter of writer H.E. Bates on her mother's side and, along with several other family members, she is a director of Evensford Productions, a company established to promote her grand-father's work. Having graduated from the Royal...

29. Leon Ockenden

Actor | The Lair

Leon Ockenden was born on August 16, 1978 in Cornwall, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for The Lair (2022), Mr Selfridge (2013) and Waterloo Road (2006). He has been married to Vanessa Hehir since October 24, 2010. They have one child.

30. Elizabeth Spriggs

Actress | Sense and Sensibility

Elizabeth Spriggs was born on September 18, 1929 in Buxton, Derbyshire, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Sense and Sensibility (1995), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and Paradise Road (1997). She was married to Murray Manson, Marshall Jones and Kenneth Spriggs. ...

31. Siân Phillips

Actress | Dune

Welsh-born stage veteran Dame Siân Phillips is forever identified on television as the tarantula mother/empress Livia in the classic BBC miniseries I, Claudius (1976) (for which she won a BAFTA-TV award), and as the Reverend Mother in the science fiction epic film Dune (1984). Her broad range of ...

32. Joe Absolom

Actor | I Spit on Your Grave 2

Born in 1978, Joe Absolom began acting in 1990 at age 11 in a peanut butter advertisement. After appearing in Screenplay: Antonia and Jane (1990) , he achieved fame as Matthew Rose in EastEnders (1985) in 1997 at age 18. After leaving EastEnders (1985) in 2000, he has appeared in Long Time Dead (...

33. Harriet Walter

Actress | Sense and Sensibility

Dame Harriet Mary Walter DBE is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) ...

34. Deborah Findlay

Actress | Vanity Fair

Deborah Findlay was born in Surrey and studied English at Leeds University. She worked in Leeds with a theatre group touring plays, music, community theatre and cabaret before coming to London to work at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. She was in the original production of 'Top Girls' by Caryl ...

35. Fenella Woolgar

Actress | The Reckoning

Fenella Woolgar was born in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Reckoning (2023), The Buccaneers (2023) and Call the Midwife (2012). She has been married to Robert Harland since 2006. They have three children.

36. Daniel Weyman

Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Daniel Weyman was born in 1977 in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), Gentleman Jack (2019) and Silent Witness (1996).

37. Nicholas Woodeson

Actor | Skyfall

Nicholas - or Nick - Woodeson, born in 1949 in Port Sudan, Sudan to British parents - spent his early childhood in Haifa, Israel, in line with his parents' diplomatic postings. He recalls that his first taste of thespian glory was reciting A.A. Milne poems to family friends at the age of six. ...

38. Rebecca Front

Actress | The Thick of It

Rebecca Front was born on May 16, 1964 in Stoke Newington, London, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for The Thick of It (2005), The Day Today (1994) and Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021). She has been married to Phil Clymer since March 1998. They have two children.

39. Anne Reid

Actress | Hot Fuzz

Anne was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne but the family moved to Redcar when the WWII started. She was educated at White House School where she acted in a school play of Romeo and Juliet with June Laverick, who when older would also take to the stage. When Anne got older she was sent to a boarding ...

40. Pam Ferris

Actress | Matilda

Pam Ferris was born on May 11, 1948 in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany. She is an actress, known for Matilda (1996), Children of Men (2006) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). She has been married to Roger Frost since August 1986.

41. Kacey Ainsworth

Actress | EastEnders

Kacey Ainsworth has been working in the entertainment industry since 1978. Originally starring in the West End cast of Annie. Reprising her role for a further 3 years. She then went on to study at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama gaining a BA (Bachelor of Arts for Drama). After ...

42. Geraldine James

Actress | Calendar Girls

Geraldine James, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) was born on July 6, 1950 in Maidenhead, Berkshire. She was educated at Downe House, a girls' independent school in Newbury, Berkshire, and later, at Drama Centre London. Geraldine has made several film and television appearances, she ...

43. Annette Crosbie

Actress | The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella

Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actress. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens. Her big break came in 1970 when she was cast as Catherine of Aragon in the BBC television ...

44. Ann Beach

Actress | Notting Hill

Ann Beach was born on June 7, 1938 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Notting Hill (1999), The City of the Dead (1960) and Under Milk Wood (1971). She was married to Francis Coleman. She died on March 9, 2017 in the UK.

45. Pooky Quesnel

Actress | Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pooky Quesnel was born in 1966 in Eccles, Salford, Greater Manchester, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016), Doctors (2000) and Great Expectations (2012).

46. Jemma Redgrave

Actress | The Beekeeper

Jemma Redgrave was born on January 14, 1965 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Beekeeper (2024), Howards End (1992) and Love & Friendship (2016). She was previously married to Timothy W. Owen.

47. Rachael Stirling

Actress | Snow White and the Huntsman

Rachael Stirling was born on May 30, 1977 in St Marylebone, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), The Young Victoria (2009) and Tipping the Velvet (2002). She has been married to Guy Garvey since June 3, 2016. They have one child.

48. Ed White

Actor | Tár

Ed White is known for Tár (2022), Maryland (2023) and Repair (2023).

49. Greg Lockett

Actor | The Flash

Greg Lockett is known for The Flash (2023), Horizon Forbidden West (2022) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021).

50. Caroline Quentin

Actress | Life Begins

Caroline Quentin was born on July 11, 1960 in Reigate, Surrey, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for Life Begins (2004), British Men Behaving Badly (1992) and Blue Murder (2003). She has been married to Sam Farmer since September 8, 2006. They have two children. She was previously ...

51. Paul Bazely

Actor | Black Mirror

Paul Bazely was born in London in 1968.

His parents are from Chennai, India. He attended a state school in South East London then trained at Manchester Poly School of Theatre (Manchester Met). His first TV role was as Heathcliff in an adaptation of Wuthering Heights. His first regular role was in ...

52. Hannah Waddingham

Actress | Ted Lasso

Hannah Waddingham was born in 1974, in Wandsworth, London. Her family was involved in performing arts as her mother, Melodie Kelly, and both her maternal grandparents were opera singers.

She is best known for her contribution to West End musical theatre, particularly her performances in the original...

53. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd

Actor | Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd was born on January 18, 1988 in Hillingdon, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019), Crooked House (2017) and See How They Run (2022).

54. Lizzy McInnerny

Actress | Remando al viento

Lizzy McInnerny was born in 1960 in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Rowing with the Wind (1988), The Crown (2016) and Nearly Famous (2007).

55. Georgine Anderson

Actress | The Woman in White

Georgine Anderson was born on February 8, 1928 in the UK. She was an actress, known for The Woman in White (1982), Persuasion (1971) and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978). She died on February 15, 2024 in the UK.

56. Les Dennis

Actor | Coronation Street

Les Dennis was born on October 12, 1954 in Liverpool, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), Family Fortunes (1980) and Extras (2005). He has been married to Claire Nicholson since November 23, 2009. They have one child. He was previously married to Amanda Holden and Lynne...

57. Michael Maloney

Actor | The Young Victoria

Michael Maloney was born on June 19, 1957 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Young Victoria (2009), Henry V (1989) and Notes on a Scandal (2006).

58. Amit Shah

Actor | The Hundred-Foot Journey

Amit Shah was born in North London in 1981. His parents were originally from Kenya and grandparents from Gujarat in India. His father is an accountant and mother a health-food shop manageress.

He had never acted until he was cast as the lead in his school play at the age of 16.

Amit went on to ...

59. James Wilby

Actor | Maurice

James Wilby was born on February 20, 1958 in Rangoon, Burma [now Yangon, Myanmar]. He is an actor, known for Maurice (1987), Gosford Park (2001) and A Handful of Dust (1988). He has been married to Shana Louise Magraw since June 25, 1988. They have four children.

60. Julian Ovenden

Actor | Bridgerton

Julian Ovenden was born on November 29, 1976 in Sheffield, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Bridgerton (2020), Downton Abbey (2010) and Adult Material (2020). He has been married to Kate Royal since December 20, 2010. They have two children.

61. Richard Todd

Actor | The Hasty Heart

British leading man who achieved some success in American films, as well. Born in Ireland as the son of a British officer, Todd grew up in Devon and (for a brief time) in India and attended Shrewsbury Public School. His interest in theatre led him to small roles in stock in England and Scotland and...

62. Shaun Dingwall

Actor | Night at the Crossroads

Shaun Dingwall was born in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Maigret: Maigret: Night at the Crossroads (2017), The Driver (2014) and Doctor Who (2005).

63. Lucy Cohu

Actress | Becoming Jane

Lucy Cohu was born on October 2, 1968 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Becoming Jane (2007), Gosford Park (2001) and The Queen's Sister (2005). She was previously married to Corey Johnson.

64. Nicholas Gleaves

Actor | Spider-Man: Far from Home

Nicholas Gleaves was born in 1969 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019), Half Light (2006) and Playing the Field (1998). He has been married to Lesley Sharp since February 1994. They have two children.

65. Oliver Kieran-Jones

Actor | Episodes

Oliver Kieran-Jones is known for Episodes (2011), Glee (2009) and Midsomer Murders (1997).

66. Amanda Mealing

Actress | Four Weddings and a Funeral

Amanda Mealing was born on April 22, 1967 in Dulwich, London, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Casualty (1986) and Holby City (1999). She has been married to Richard Sainsbury since July 2, 1998. They have two children.

67. Carmen Du Sautoy

Actress | The Man with the Golden Gun

Carmen Du Sautoy was born on February 26, 1950 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Line of Beauty (2006) and The Citadel (1983).

68. Ian Thompson

Actor | The Big Spender

Ian Thompson was born on August 11, 1939 in Chester, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Big Spender (1965), Poirot (1989) and Kidnapped (1956). He died on July 16, 2022 in England.

69. June Watson

Actress | The Death of Stalin

June Watson was born in 1935 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for The Death of Stalin (2017), 102 Dalmatians (2000) and William and Mary (2003). She has been married to Christopher Dunham since 1962. They have one child.

70. Sylvestra Le Touzel

Actress | Happy-Go-Lucky

Le Touzel was born in London to a prominent family from Jersey, Channel Islands. She showed an interest in acting at an early age, enrolling at a Stage School. Subsequent television roles followed, including as Fanny Price in a 1983 adaptation of Mansfield Park (1983), though, in cult television ...

71. Holly Aird

Actress | Waking the Dead

Holly Aird was born in Aldershot, Hampshire on the 18th May, 1969. She showed a huge interest in ballet so she started to attend a local dance school. At the age of nine, young Holly was picked out by a casting director to star in The History of Mr. Polly (1980).

Her first acting appearance went ...