Maggie Steed
Maggie Steed | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margaret Baker 1 December 1946 |
Maggie Steed (born Margaret Baker, 1 December 1946) is an English actress and comedienne.
Youth
After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, she left the theatre for several years.
Actresses in those days had to be "dolly birds" and I was just Margaret Baker from Plymouth, tall with very gappy teeth, so I became a secretary instead. It was only years later, when I'd grown up politically and become interested in theatre, that I started again and ended up at the Coventry Belgrade Theatre with Clive Russell and Sue Johnston.[1]
Career
Maggie Steed works regularly on the stage and has performed with the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. She has also performed as a stand-up comedienne. Her first major television role was playing Rita Moon in the series Shine on Harvey Moon. She is also known for long running roles playing Margaret Crabbe in Pie in the Sky and Phyllis Woolf in Born and Bred. Her recent prominent television credits include appearances on Minder, Sensitive Skin and Jam and Jerusalem
In 2008 Steed appeared on tour in Michael Frayn's hit comedy Noises Off as Mrs. Clackett, produced by the Ambassador Theatre Group, most notably at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking. Playing opposite Ben Hull and Jamie Hogarth, the cast also included Laura Matthews, Sophie Bould, Richard Hope, Colin Baker and Jonathan Coy. In 2010 she appeared in the multi-award winning short film, The Miserables and the following year returned to the stage in the off West End production of The Belle's Stratagem in a comedy duo role with the actress Jackie Clune.
Political activism
She was a member of The Campaign Against Racism in the Media, appearing in an edition of the BBC's Open Door series on 1 March 1979 (with Stuart Hall), to criticise British TV representations of immigration and racial stereotypes. Steed helped write and perform in the comedy benefit concert, An Evening for Nicaragua, at the Shaftesbury Theatre, which aired on British television in 1983.
The cast included Ben Elton, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Emma Thompson and Rik Mayall. Maggie Steed also visited Nicaragua in 1982 with Andy de la Tour.
Filmography
- Babylon (1980) .... Woman At Lockup
- The History Man (1981) .... Myra Beamish
- Intimate Contact (1987) .... Becca Crichton
- Blood Rights (1990) .... Tess Barker
- Clothes in the Wardrobe (1992) .... Mrs. Raffald
- Growing Rich (1992) .... Raelene
- Olly's Prison (1993) .... Ellen
- Simon Magus (1999) .... Muttchen
- Stardom (2000) .... British Fashion Reporter
- The Painted Veil (2006) .... Mrs Garstin
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) .... Louis Vuitton Woman
- The Miserables (2010) .... Evelyn Pickleton
- A Promise (2013)
Television credits
- Coronation Street – as Ellen Smith (1970)
- Shine on Harvey Moon – as Rita Moon (1982)
- Minder – "Broken Arrow" episode as Sherry (1982)
- The Young Ones – "Demolition" (1982) and "Sick" (1984)
- Victoria Wood As Seen On TV – "The Making of Acorn Antiques" as Marion Clune (Producer) (1985)
- Intimate Contact - Becca Crichton (1987)
- Lovejoy – "One Born Every Minute" episode as Joanna (1991)
- Red Dwarf – "Quarantine" episode as Dr. Hildegarde Lanstrom (1992)
- Lipstick on Your Collar – as Aunt Vickie (1993)
- Martin Chuzzlewit – as Mrs. Todgers (1994)
- Pie in the Sky – as Margaret Crabbe (1994–97)
- Inspector Morse – "Death Is Now My Neighbour" episode as Angela Storrs (1997)
- Let Them Eat Cake – as Madame Vigée-Lebrun (1999)
- Midsomer Murders – "Judgement Day" episode as Rosemary Furman (2000)
- Foyle's War – "The White Feather" episode as Margaret Ellis (2002)
- French and Saunders – several episodes (1998 and 2004)
- Born and Bred – Phyllis Woolf (2002–05)
- Jam and Jerusalem (2006–09) – Eileen
- New Tricks – "Dockers" episode as Rose Dyer (2006)
- Sensitive Skin as Veronica
- Midsomer Murders – "Left For Dead" episode as Lynne Fox (2008)
- My Family as Mrs Philbin (2008)
- Lark Rise to Candleford (2009)
- Whites (2010)
- 32 Brinkburn Street (2011) - Elizabeth
- Stella (2012) - Meg
- Midsomer Murders – "Schooled in Murder" episode as Sylvia Mountford (2013)
Theatre performances
- The Heiress – as Aunt Lavinia (National Theatre) (2000)
- The Importance of Being Earnest – as Lady Bracknell (2005)
- Relative Values – as the Countess of Marshwood (Salisbury Playhouse production) (2005)
- The History Boys – replaced Frances de la Tour as Mrs. Lintott (National Theatre) (2006)
- Noises Off – as Dotty Otley (UK Touring Production) (2008)
- Hay Fever – as Judith Bliss (West Yorkshire Playhouse) (2010)
Radio
She played the role of Connie Sachs in the BBC dramatisation of the John le Carre novel The Honourable Schoolboy.[2]
References
- ^ The Independent, 22 March 2000
- ^ "The Complete Smiley - The Karla Trilogy, Book 2: The Honourable Schoolboy". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
External links
- Maggie Steed at IMDb
- "The Miserables", at IMDb
- "Theatre: Debut - Maggie Steed" Interview by David Benedict in The Independent (London), Mar 22, 2000
- An Evening For Nicaragua, at bbc.co.uk Guide to Comedy
- Maggie Steed in Born and Bred at bbc.co.uk
- The History Boys on Broadway
- "Review: Relative Values" at bbc.co.uk