Alexandra Roach
Alexandra Roach | |
---|---|
Born | Alexandra Elizabeth Roach 20 August 1987 Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2003–present |
Spouse |
Jack Scales
(m. 2018) |
Alexandra Elizabeth Roach (born 20 August 1987)[1] is a Welsh actress.
Life and career
Roach was born in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales. A number of her relatives, including her father Jeff (who went on to work for the Welsh Rugby Union), her brother and her sister, have been part of the police force at one point.[2] A fluent Welsh speaker, Roach appeared in long-running television soap Pobol Y Cwm in her early teens and won Best Juvenile Actor in a Soap at the Children in Entertainment Awards.[3] After leaving the series in 2005, she spent time with the National Youth Theatre of Wales before going on to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating with a B.A. in acting in 2010.
She has described how her Welsh accent counted against her in an early audition for a television role. "This old guy was the director and he was so well spoken, and he asked me where I was from, and I told him: ‘Wales, Swansea,’ and he just blanked me and turned to the casting director and said, ‘oh no, she’s not right’” ... So I said, ‘I’m not going to do it in this voice, I’m going to do it with an English accent,’ and he was like, ‘no, honestly, there’s no point’. He just wouldn’t look at me, he wasn’t listening to me."[4]
In May 2010 Roach appeared in The Door Never Closes by Rex Obano at The Almeida Theatre.[5] A number of high-profile roles followed, including Sasha in Being Human, Beth Partridge in Candy Cabs, and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (in which she played notorious child murderer Constance Kent).
Roach starred as a young Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.[6] She appeared as Helene in Sky Comedy's Hunderby in autumn 2012,[7] and was cast as Molly in the film adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 2003 novel Private Peaceful.[8] She was included on the Screen International "Stars of Tomorrow" list in 2011.[9] In 2013, she starred in the British TV series Utopia.
On 3 June 2013, Roach appeared in the fifth episode of the ITV comedy Vicious, as Ash's vegan girlfriend Chloe. She returned to the role for one episode in June 2015. On 8 August 2014, she appeared in the inaugural episode of the BBC comedy Walter, in which she played a Welsh-speaking detective.[10] In 2015 she starred in the TV series No Offence as DS Joy Freers.
In 2016 she became engaged to club promoter Jack Scales,[2] whom she later married.[11]
Roach was a presenter at the 2017 BAFTA Cymru Awards ceremony.[12]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | The Iron Lady | Young Margaret Thatcher | |
2012 | Trap for Cinderella | Do | |
2012 | Private Peaceful | Molly Monks | |
2012 | Anna Karenina | Countess Nordston | |
2012 | Girls' Night Out | Princess Elizabeth | |
2013 | One Chance | Julie-Ann Cooper | |
2014 | Cuban Fury | Helen | |
2014 | Testament of Youth | Winifred Holtby | |
2016 | The Huntsman: Winter's War | Doreena | |
2019 | The Kid Who Would Be King | Ms. Foster | |
2019 | A Guide to Second Date Sex | Laura |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001–2005 | Pobol Y Cwm | Elin | |
2010 | The IT Crowd | Stenographer | Episode: "Reynholm vs Reynholm" |
2011 | Being Human | Sasha | Episode: "Type 4" |
Candy Cabs | Beth Partridge | 3 episodes | |
New Tricks | Nina Ward | Episode: "Moving Target" | |
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher | Constance Kent | Television film | |
2012 | Hunderby | Helene | |
Loserville | Kathryn | Television film | |
2013, 2015 | Vicious | Chloe | Episodes: "Dinner Party" (2013), "Stag Do" (2015) |
2013–2014 | Utopia | Becky | Lead role |
2013 | The Thirteenth Tale | Hester Barrow | Television film |
2014 | Walter | Detective Constable Annie Hopkins | Episode: "Pilot" |
2015–2018 | No Offence | DS Joy Freers | Main cast |
2017 | Inside No. 9 | Nina/Charlotte | Episode: "The Riddle of the Sphinx" |
Black Mirror | Carrie | Episode: "Black Museum" | |
2019 | Sticks and Stones | Jess | 3 episodes[13] |
2020 | Death in Paradise | Bethan Miller | Episode 9.6 |
Killing Eve | Rhian | Episodes: "Beautiful Monster",[14] "Are You Leading or Am I?" | |
Zog and the Flying Doctors | Sunburnt Mermaid | Short film | |
2021 | Viewpoint | Zoe Sterling | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
Video games
- Du Lac & Fey: Dance of Death (2019), as Mary Jane Kelly (voice role)
References
- ^ Alexandra Roach [@alexandraroach1] (20 August 2014). "Getting spoilt at work this morning for my birthday... Thanks to the best ADs @likeasalmon, @LucyGoughJones" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Curtis, Nick (21 April 2016). "Alexandra Roach: 'I'm not a movie star. Yet'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- ^ "Young actress wins soap award". BBC News. 18 February 2003. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ Liz Skone James (January 2020). "Interview: Alexandra Roach". Fabric Magazine. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "The Door Never Closes".
- ^ Grice, Natalie (27 December 2011). "Mining town actor's Thatcher role". Retrieved 7 August 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Comedy's A-List Join Julia Davis' Hunderby". Sky.com. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Cooper, Sarah (19 August 2011). "Screen Star Alexandra Roach joins all British cast of Private Peaceful". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Screen unveils 2011 Stars of Tomorrow". Screendaily.com. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Cymeriad sy'n siarad Cymraeg ar BBC 1 heno". Golwg360 (in Welsh). 8 August 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Nathan Bevan (28 May 2020). "Who is Killing Eve's new villain Rhian? Everything about Welsh actress Alexandra Roach". WalesOnline. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ "Cyhoeddi'r Enillwyr: Gwobrau'r Academi Brydeinig yng Nghymru 2017". BAFTA (in Welsh). 8 October 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
- ^ Sticks and Stones (TV Mini-Series 2019) - IMDb, retrieved 17 May 2021
- ^ ""Killing Eve" Beautiful Monster (TV Episode 2020) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
External links
- Use dmy dates from February 2013
- 1987 births
- Living people
- Welsh-speaking actors
- Welsh film actresses
- Welsh soap opera actresses
- People from Carmarthenshire
- British film actresses
- British soap opera actresses
- British television actresses
- 21st-century Welsh actresses
- People from Ammanford
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art