Amanda Holden
Amanda Holden | |
---|---|
Born | Amanda Louise Holden |
Occupation(s) | Actress, panelist |
Years active | 1991–present |
Spouse(s) | Les Dennis (m. 1995–2003) Chris Hughes (m. 2008–present) |
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress who is well known for her role as Sarah Trevanion on Wild at Heart and for being a judge on Britain's Got Talent.
Early life
Amanda Holden was born in Southsea in 1971. She was brought up in the village of Waltham Chase in Hampshire by her mother Judith Mary (Harrison) Collister and her stepfather Leslie Drew Collister, her father having left when she was five years old. She joined the Bishop's Waltham Little Theatre Company when she was nine and credits Angie Blackford as influential in her early stage career. At 16 the family moved to Bournemouth and ran a small guesthouse while Amanda studied drama and English literature A levels under Terry Clarke and Charles Lamb at the Jellicoe Theatre, part of Bournemouth University. She successfully auditioned for the independent drama school Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in the Wood Green area of North London when she was 18 and left in July 1992 with an agent.
TV career
She is best known for her role as the main character, Geraldine Titley in the British TV comedy The Grimleys. She is also known for starring in Wild at Heart, Kiss Me Kate and Hearts and Bones.
She made her television debut as an unsuccessful contestant on the long-running ITV series Blind Date.[1] Her first television role was in a drama with Edward Woodward. She also appeared in BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1994[1], but she is more well-known for playing Mia Bevan in the BAFTA Award-nominated drama series Cutting It from 2002-2004.
She has been a judge on the ITV show Britain's Got Talent for the first three series, alongside Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan.[2]. This is somewhat ironic, as many in Britain see her to have little talent.
Acting career
Amanda Holden has appeared in several stage musicals and in 2004 was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the West End production of Thoroughly Modern Millie[3].
Her most recent TV appearance was in the ITV1 drama Wild at Heart, alongside Stephen Tompkinson. The first series aired in 2006 and a second series followed in early 2007. Series 3 ran from January 20 to March 9, 2008.
Amanda's other TV credits include three series of the hit comedy Kiss Me Kate alongside Caroline Quentin, three series of the ITV comedy series The Grimleys, Celeb with Harry Enfield, the critically acclaimed BBC series Hearts and Bones alongside Damien Lewis and a Boxing Day special Marple alongside Geraldine McEwan and John Hannah. She also co-starred with Bill Nighy and Sir Tom Courtenay in Ready When You Are, Mr McGill, Jack Rosenthal's classic comedy drama.
Personal life
Holden married the comedian Les Dennis in 1995, though they separated in December 2002 and were divorced in 2003. She had an affair with Neil Morrissey in 2000 which contributed to the breakup of her marriage to Dennis. Piers Morgan, Holden's fellow judge on Britains Got Talent, was responsible for publicly exposing Holden's affair in one of his articles, causing a conflict between the two, although they reconciled after both of them were cast as judges for Britain's Got Talent.[4] On January 20, 2006, Holden gave birth to her first child, Alexa "Lexi" Louise Florence Hughes.[5] Amanda married Chris Hughes in December 2008 with former Formula 1 racing driver David Coulthard acting as the best man.
Amanda is an Everton FC supporter,[6] expressing her dismay in May 2007 on ITV's Parkinson to Everton's 4-2 loss to Manchester United after leading 2-0. She was the face of Everton's "Breast Cancer Campaign" in 2007.
Holden ran the London Marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes[7] on April 13, 2008, in name of the Born Free Foundation[8], having collected public and celebrity sponsors online.[8]
Filmography
- Big Top (TV Series) (2009)
- Britain's Got Talent (TV show) (2007-Present)
- Wild at Heart (2006 to 2008) (TV Series)
- Mad About Alice (2004) (TV Series)
- 4:50 From Paddington (2004) (TV Movie)
- Eternal Rectangle (2003) (TV Series)
- Ready When You Are, Mr McGill (2002) (Film)
- Cutting It (2002 to 2005) (TV Series)
- Celeb (2002) (TV series)
- Now You See Her (2001) (TV Movie)
- Happy Birthday Shakespeare (2000) (TV Movie)
- Hearts and Bones (2000) (TV Series)
- The Grimleys (1999 to 2002) (TV Series)
- Virtual Sexuality (1999) (Film)
- Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1998) (Film)
- Kiss Me Kate (1998 to 2001) (TV series)
- Jonathan Creek (1998) (TV Series)
- Goodness Gracious Me (1998) (TV Series)
- Intimate Relations (1996) (Film)
- EastEnders as Carmen (1994) (TV series)
References
- ^ a b Amanda Holden IMDB
- ^ http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ianwylie/2007/12/britains_got_talent_amanda_hol.html
- ^ Amanda Holden Celebopedia
- ^ "Amanda Holden: Affair with Neil Morrissey turned the public against me". Now Magazine. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ^ http://showbiz.sky.com/Amandas-Baby-Named-Already
- ^ http://www.bluekipper.com/toffee_celebs/1.htm
- ^ http://www.celebritygenius.com/Amanda-Holden/biography.html
- ^ a b http://www.justgiving.com/amandaholden