Lia Williams
| Lia Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Lia Williams 26 November 1964 Birkenhead, Cheshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor, director |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse(s) | Guy Hibbert |
Lia Williams (born 26 November 1964) is an English actress, notable for many stage, film, and television appearances. She is possibly best known for her role in the motion picture, Dirty Weekend (1993). Williams received a Tony Award nomination for her lead performance in the 1996 production of Skylight. She has also worked as a director.
Life and early career
Williams trained at the Arts Educational School in Hertfordshire and then the London Studio Centre. She gained early experience in amateur theatre at The Nomads in East Horsley Surrey, where she met her first husband, Brandon. After graduating, she worked a season at Paco Borau's Benidorm Palace as a show-girl, in order to gain her Equity Membership. She made her stage debut understudying in the comedy Daisy Pulls it Off at Southampton's Nuffield Theatre, which moved to London's Gielgud Theatre in 1983 where she graduated to a leading role.
Career
Theatre
An accomplished stage actress, Williams’s breakthrough performance came in 1991 when she was awarded the London Critics Circle Most Promising Newcomer Award for her performance in The Revengers' Comedies. In 1993, she created the role of Carol in the London production of David Mamet's Oleanna. In 1997, Williams appeared in London's West End and on Broadway in David Hare's Skylight. Her performance earned her a Best Actress Tony Award nomination. In 2001, Williams appeared again in the West End and on Broadway in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming.
Other theatre performances include Mappa Mundi for the National Theatre (2002), Rosalind in As You Like It for the RSC (2005), The Hothouse for the English National Theatre (2007), Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular (2007), the role of Ellida Wangel in Henryk Ibsen's The Lady from the Sea (2008), and alternating in the roles of Anna and Kate in Pinter's Old Times opposite Kristin Scott Thomas (2013).
Williams appeared at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in the summer of 2013 as Blanche du Bois in a highly acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. It was directed by Ethan McSweeny and also starred Garrett Lombard as Stanley, Catherine Walker as Stella and Denis Conway as Mitch.
Film and television
In 1993, Williams made her film debut in Michael Winner's Dirty Weekend, playing the lead role of Bella, a mild-mannered secretary who murders a peeping tom with a hammer. Winner chose her after seeing her in an Alan Ayckbourn play.[1] Subsequent film appearances have included supporting roles in Firelight (1997), Shot Through the Heart (1998), The King Is Alive (2000), Girl from Rio (2001), and The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (2007).
In 2001, Williams appeared opposite Sheila Hancock in the TV serial The Russian Bride, a modern day reimagining of Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin. Williams was awarded the Best Actress Golden FIPA award for her performance. In 2004, Williams received a Best Actress BAFTA nomination for her performance in the BBC drama May 33rd, in which she portrayed a young woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The role also earned her a Royal Television Society Best Actress nomination.
Other recent television appearances include supporting roles in the Agatha Christie adaptations Sparkling Cyanide (2003) and By the Pricking of My Thumbs (2006), and guest roles in series such as Silent Witness (2002), Heartbeat (2002), The Last Detective (2005), A Touch of Frost (2005), and Midsomer Murders (2015).
In September 2009, Williams joined the cast of the ITV comedy drama series Doc Martin. Williams plays Edith Montgomery, an old flame of the eponymous Dr Martin Ellingham, who is played by Martin Clunes.
Director
Williams has been directing short films since 2002, her debut being Feathers (2002), which was based on a short story by Raymond Carver. In 2008, her short film The Stronger (2007) was nominated for the Best Short Film Award at the BAFTA Film Awards. In 2009, Williams directed Dog Alone, a dialogue-free short film which was broadcast as part of British Sky Broadcasting's Ten Minute Tales season.
Personal life
Williams lives in West Hampstead with her second husband, writer/producer Guy Hibbert, and her son from a former marriage, Josh. She and her husband also run their own production company, Tilting Ground Productions.
Work
Selected Stage Credits
| Year | Play | Role | Awards and Nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Revengers' Comedies | Karen | Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer |
| 1993 | Oleanna | Carol | |
| 1996 | Skylight[2] | Kyra Hollis | Theatre World Special Award for Best Ensemble Performance (shared with Michael Gambon and Christian Camargo) Nominated - Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Nominated - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress Nominated - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play |
| 2001 | The Homecoming | Ruth | |
| 2005 | As You Like It | Rosalind | |
| 2007 | Absurd Person Singular | Eva | |
| 2008 | The Lady from the Sea | Ellida Wangel | |
| 2009 | God of Carnage | Véronique | |
| 2010 | Earthquakes in London | Sarah | |
| 2013 | Old Times | Kate/Anna | |
| 2015 | Oresteia | Clytemnestra | |
Selected Television Credits
| Year | Title | Role | Awards and Nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Mr Wroe's Virgins | Joanna | |
| 1994 | Seaforth | Paula Longman | |
| 1997 | The Uninvited | Melissa Gates | |
| 2001 | The Russian Bride | Natasha Cherniavskaya | Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels Award for Best Actress |
| 2003 | Sparkling Cyanide | Ruth Lessing | |
| 2004 | May 33rd | Ella Wilson | Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Actress Nominated - Royal Television Society Award for Best Actress |
| 2006 | Marple: By the Pricking of My Thumbs | Nellie Bligh | |
| 2009 | Doc Martin | Edith Montgomery | Series Regular, Season 4 |
| 2012 | Secret State | Laura Duchenne | |
| 2013 | Lewis | Emma Barnes | Guest Star, 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Midsomer Murders | Maggie Markham | Guest Star, 1 episode |
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Dirty Weekend | Bella |
| 1996 | Different for Girls | Defence Solicitor |
| 1997 | The Fifth Province | Diana de Brie |
| Firelight | Constance | |
| 1998 | Shot Through the Heart | Maida |
| 2000 | The King is Alive | Amanda |
| 2001 | Chica de Rio | Cathy |
| 2007 | Blanche-Neige, la suite | Sleeping Beauty |
| The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey | Joan Tyler | |
References
- ↑ Winner Takes All: A Life of Sorts by Michael Winner, p.269.
- ↑ "Skylight". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 7 August 2011.