Tamzin Outhwaite

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Tamzin Outhwaite
Born	November 5, 1970 (1970-11-05) (age 38) Ilford, Greater London, England
Other name(s)	Tamsin Outhwaite
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993-present
Spouse(s)	Tom Ellis (2006-present) 2 children Florence Elsie Ellis (daughter) Nora (step-daughter)

Tamzin Outhwaite (pronounced /ˈaʊθweɪt/; born 5 November 1970) is an award-winning English actress.

She became known for her role as Melanie in the British drama EastEnders, which she portrayed from 1998 until 2002.

Contents 1 Early career 2 Mainstream success 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Early career

Outhwaite attended the Stagestruck Theatre Company as a teenager, taking part in several productions during the mid 1980s. On leaving school in 1987, she joined the London Studio Centre to study drama and dance, and where one of her friends was television presenter Lucy Alexander.^[1] She went on to many stage roles including Grease, Oliver! and work at the Stephen Joseph Theatre before landing bit parts in The Bill and Men Behaving Badly.

[edit] Mainstream success

Outhwaite found fame in 1998 when she was cast as Melanie Healy in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Her first appearance was aired in October 1998 and her final one was in March 2002. During nearly four years in Walford, Outhwaite's feisty character was central to many explosive storylines. Outhwaite left EastEnders in 2002, shortly after the departure from the soap of co-star Martin Kemp, who had played her on-screen husband Steve Owen. She stated in 2006 that she wouldn't rule out returning to EastEnders.^[2]

Since quitting the serial, Outhwaite has starred in leading roles in Out of Control, and the BBC army drama Red Cap, which she played until the series ended in 2004.

After this she went on to star in a number of television dramas, including Hustle, Final Demand and Frances Tuesday.

She fronted an advertising campaign as part of a one million pound contract with cosmetics company Avon; she also modelled the Spirit range at Debenhams in 2004.

In 2005 Outhwaite began edging into the Hollywood film industry, starring with Wesley Snipes in the unsuccessful direct-to-video film 7 Seconds. Also in 2005, she played a part in the ITV drama Walk Away and I Stumble, in which her character was seen dying of a brain tumour.

In 2006, Outhwaite starred in the ITV series Vital Signs (as a frustrated mother who decides to leave her dreary job at the supermarket and enrol in medical school) and in the BBC series Hotel Babylon as hotel manager Rebecca Mitchell. A second series aired in Spring 2007. Outhwaite will not appear in the third series of Hotel Babylon in order to focus on other products. In October 2006 she had a starring role in the movie thriller Backwaters, set in India.

On 12 January 2007, she guest hosted episode two of the fourth series of The Friday Night Project on Channel 4. She can also be seen in U2's music video for their song Mysterious Ways.

She recently appeared in a revival of Boeing Boeing at the Comedy Theatre, the film Cassandra's Dream^[3] and the ITV drama series, The Fixer, which was shown in March and April 2008.^[4]

Outhwaite and her husband were the winners of the ITV charity gameshow All Star Mr & Mrs Christmas Special on 20 December 2008.

In the award-winning feature film, Radio Cape Cod, she plays a radio interviewer who has a new love entering her life & whose daughter, played by Tamzin Merchant, is experiencing her first love.

In June 2009, Outhwaite begins filming a fantasy series for the BBC entitled Paradox.^[5]

[edit] Personal life

Outhwaite is from Ilford, Essex, and has a brother, Kes. Her mother is Italian.^[6]

She is married to EastEnders actor Tom Ellis. They have a home in North London with their daughter Florence Elsie Ellis born on 25 June 2008.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Tamzin Outhwaite at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC Drama Faces - Tamzin Outhwaite