Who is Anna Friel? Anna Friel is an English actor. Anna Louise Friel was born on 12th July 1976, in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, to Julie and Desmond “Des” Friel. She has a brother named Michael.
Friel was in her teens when she made her first screen appearance as ‘Susan Nelson,’ Michael Palin’s (as ‘Jim Nelson’) onscreen daughter in the ‘BAFTA’-nominated miniseries ‘G.B.H.’ She subsequently made brief appearances in two ‘ITV’ dramas, as ‘Belinda Johnson’ in ‘Coronation Street’ (1991) and as ‘Poppy Bruce’ in ‘Emmerdale’ (1992).
She is best recognized for her performance as ‘Beth Jordache’ in the series ‘Brookside’ (1993–1995). Her performance in ‘Brookside’ earned her a ‘National Television Award’ and a ‘TVTimes’ award, both in 1995.
Upon leaving the show, Friel made her TV film debut with ‘The Tribe’ (1998), which again had a controversial “ménage à trios” sex scene that included her character, ‘Lizzie,’ and those of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jeremy Northam. Apart from her performance in the series, her lesbian kiss in it brought her prominence.
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Friel eventually appeared in a few more controversial projects that had elements of nudity and adult content. Patrick Marber’s play ‘Closer’ marked Friel’s first ‘Broadway’ performance. It ran for a long time at the ‘Music Box Theatre’ in New York. Friel’s performance as ‘Alice’ was appreciated by critics and earned her a ‘Drama Desk Award.’
Friel made her ‘West End’ stage debut in 2001, with the adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s play ‘Lulu.’ She simultaneously made starring appearances in films such as ‘An Everlasting Piece’ (2000), ‘Sunset Strip’ (2000), ‘Me Without You’ (2001), and ‘Timeline’ (2003).
Friel won a ‘Genie Award’ nomination for her performance as ‘Lily’ in the Canadian film ‘The War Bride’ (2001). She had a starring role as ‘Claire Ryan’ in the TV film ‘Watermelon’ (2003).
Friel made her transition to American TV in 2004 when she was cast as attorney ‘Megan Delaney’ in the ‘Fox’ legal drama ‘The Jury.’ That year, she played ‘Susie Wilding,’ opposite Rob Lowe (as ‘Lloyd Rockwell’), in the British romantic comedy ‘Perfect Strangers.’
She has several projects from the British entertainment industry to her name but earned international fame with the portrayal of ‘Charlotte “Chuck” Charles’ in ‘Pushing Daisies’ (2007–2009). She made a controversial but acclaimed appearance as ‘Holly Golightly’ in a theater adaptation of Truman Capote’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (2008).
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Staged at the ‘Theatre Royal Haymarket,’ the ‘West End’ project grabbed attention for its nudity. The photos of the preview performance, showing a naked Friel, led to increased security at the theater. In November 2009, Friel got an ‘RTS Award’ for her performance as ‘Dee Purnell,’ a struggling single mother, in the ‘BBC’ drama ‘The Street.’
The following year, she was featured as a chess player in the music video for ‘(It’s Not War) Just the End of Love’ by the ‘Manic Street Preachers.’ In a 2011 episode of the mockumentary ‘Come Fly with Me,’ Friel portrayed a fictionalized version of herself.
She later earned critical acclaim for her performance as ‘Ellie’ in the ‘ITV’ miniseries ‘Without You.’ Her performance as ‘Yelena’ in the ‘West End’ adaptation of Chekhov’s ‘Uncle Vanya,’ too, earned strong reviews.
Friel has proved her brilliance not only on screen but on stage, too, and has received several commendations, including an ‘International Emmy Award,’ a ‘BAFTA Award’ nomination, a ‘Drama Desk Award,’ a ‘Golden Globe Award’ nomination, a ‘Genie Award’ nomination, a ‘National Television Award,’ and an ‘RTS Award.’