Wendi Peters
| Wendi Peters | |
|---|---|
 Actress Wendi Peters on This Morning 2011 |
|
| Born | 29 February 1968 Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996 2001-present |
| Spouse | Kenny Linden (1993-present) |
| Children | Gracie Linden (b.2000) |
Wendi Louise Peters (born 29 February 1968 in Blackburn, Lancashire) is an English television and theatre character actress. Peters is married to Kenny Linden and they have one daughter together called Gracie who was born in 2000.
Contents |
[edit] Film
In 1996 Peters appeared as Emily Rahn in the film In Love and War, starring Sandra Bullock and Chris O'Donnell. [1]
[edit] Television
In 2003 Peters became a household name playing the infamous Cilla Battersby-Brown in the hit ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The actress also played 'Podger' Pam Jolly in the hit ITV series Bad Girls.
[edit] Coronation Street
On 18 January 2007 it was confirmed that Peters would be leaving 'Coronation Street' after 4 successful years of playing Cilla Battersby-Brown. In the programme, Cilla left her son Chesney to go to Las Vegas. On Children in Need she jokingly explained that she was returning from Las Vegas to give Chesney more money as he was 'down to his last tenner'. In November 2008 Cilla returned in a DVD special called Out of Africa which saw her reunited with Chesney, Fiz and Kirk.[2]
[edit] Stage career
Peters' varied stage career began in 1987 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. In 2010 Peters took the lead in Northern Broadsides production of The Game by Harold Brighouse. The play had not been performed in 100 years, the play was directed by and also starred Barrie Rutter the Artistic Director and founder of Northern Broadsides. Peters played the protagonist of the piece, Mrs Metheral. She was garnered with high critical acclaim, being dubbed "simply magnificent" by Michael Billington of The Gaurdian and "an instant comic classic" by The Observer.
Dominic Cavendish of The Daily Telegraph said "Ma was played with hilarious gruffness and rolling pin obduracy by Wendi Peters. Her performance alone is worth the price of admission".[3][4] Peters went on to receive multipul praise for her performance.[5]
In 2011, she returned to Hull Truck theatre company to play Bet in John Godbers two hander play, April In Paris. The production was also directed my Godber. Peters again revieved high praise from the press in this successful revival.[6] Venues included The West Yorkshire Playhouse. In 2009 she toured Ireland with a one woman play Mrs Whippy, written by Cecelia Ahern whose novel Ps I love You was a number one bestseller all over Europe and was made into a film starring Hilary Swank.[7] Peters received rave notices throughout the tour.[8]
Peters also toured the UK with Jenny Eclair and Susie Blake in Grumpy Old Women Live 2 - Chin Up Britain showing her comedic skills once again. This production returned for a season at the Novello Theatre in London's West End in 2010.
Peters other theatre roles have included Bedroom Farce (1996), Noises Off (1997) Stephen Sondheim's 'Into The Woods'(1992), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1991), Follies in Concert, London Palladium (2007) and Guys and Dolls (1991) which was reviewed by Michael Schmidt who said "Among the hot box girls, one in particular kept catching my eye: Wendi Peters as the grumpy chorus girl is a delightfully outsize killjoy whose brilliant comic dancing should have earned her a curtain call all of her own"
[edit] Self
In 2009 the actress was a finalist on BBC1's Celebrity Masterchef with John Torode commenting on her version of Sticky Toffee Pudding being a "seriously sexy pudding". Her love of baking and cooking has led her to appearances on many cookery programmes including Market Kitchen, Christmas Cooks, This Morning and with Gordon Ramsey on The F Word in 2008. She appeared on Adrenaline Junkie with Jack Osborne in 2008, jumping out of a helicopter at 9,000 feet over Table Mountain. She sang on ITV's Soapstar Superstar raising £35,000 for her chosen charities. In 2006 she finished runner up to Paul Ross in a celebrity edition of BBC's Mastermind and appeared on the celebrity version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with Jamie Theakston. In December that year she spent a week alongside resident lexicographer, Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner on Countdown.
[edit] Radio
Peters has appeared twice as a solo guest singer on BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0676727/
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0676727/
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/regional-shows/8055597/The-Game-Salisbury-Playhouse-The-Misanthrope-Bristol-Old-Vic.html
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/sep/26/the-game-review
- ^ http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/northeast/E8831287917911/The+Game+(Northern+Broadsides).html
- ^ http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/northeast/E8831302865882/April+in+Paris+%28Leeds%29.html
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0431308/fullcredits
- ^ http://www.cecelia-ahern.com/novella/
