BIOGRAPHY OF ALISON STEADMAN

Alison Steadman, OBE is an English actor. She is the recipient of the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for Mike Leigh’s film Life is Sweet. She also won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her role as Mari in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.

In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the “50 Greatest Actors” voted by other actors, she was ranked No. 42. Steadman made her professional stage debut in 1968. She later went on to establish her career in Mike Leigh’s 1970s television plays Nuts in May (1976) and Abigail’s Party (1977).

Having left East 15 Acting School in Loughton, Essex, Alison Steadman has worked in various regional repertory theatres. Her first role was as the seductive schoolgirl Sandy in Miss Jean Brodie’s Prime. She played the role of Elmire in the 1983 RSC production of Molière’s Tartuffe.

The production was adapted for BBC television. In 2010, Steadman was cast as Madame Arcati in a revival of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit. Steadman has appeared in numerous films. Among them; Champions, A Private Function, Number One, Clockwise, Life Is Sweet among others.

Her television work includes Fat Friends as Betty, Grumpy Old Women, Stressed Eric, Let Them Eat Cake, The Singing Detective, among others. In 1991 she also appeared as Edda Göring in Selling Hitler and as Lauren Patterson in Gone to the Dogs.

Photo by Alison Steadman

From May 2007 to January 2010, Alison Steadman starred in the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey as Pam Shipman. Steadman made a return to BBC1 in 2018 with John Cleese in Hold the Sunset. Towards the end of 2018, she appeared in the BBC1 drama “Care” and played the role of Mary.

On radio, Steadman’s talent for mimicry and character voice was fully harnessed on such shows as Week Ending, Castle’s on the Air and The Worst Show on the Wireless. From 2002, she starred as Mrs. Naughtie in the Hamish and Dougal series. Since 2012, she has played “Ginny Fox,” a parody of Virginia Woolf, on the sitcom Gloomsbury.

ALISON STEADMAN AGE

Alison Steadman was born in Liverpool, England in the UK. She was born on August 26, 1946. Her current age is 72 as of 2018.

ALISON STEADMAN NET WORTH | ALISON STEADMAN 2019

Alison Steadman has amassed a huge fortune through her acting career. Steadman had a role in the 1990 comedy-drama film, Life Is Sweet. The film has a very good IMDB rating of 7.5 out of 10. The film was a big blockbuster at the time which earned over $1.5 million at the box office.

From May 2007 to January 2010 Steadman starred in the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey as Pam Shipman. Steadman made a return to BBC1 in 2018 with John Cleese in Hold the Sunset. Towards the end of 2018, she appeared in the BBC1 drama “Care” and played the role of Mary.

On radio, Steadman’s talent for mimicry and character voice was fully harnessed on such shows as Week Ending, Castle’s on the Air and The Worst Show on the Wireless. She earns an amazing salary. Currently, in 2019, Alison Steadman’s net worth is estimated to be around $12 million.

ALISON STEADMAN MARRIED | SON OF ALISON STEADMAN

Alison Steadman is currently in a relationship with Welsh actor Michael Elwyn. It is unclear when the two started dating. She was, however, previously married. She was married to director Mike Leigh from 1973 until their divorce in 2001.

Alison and Leigh first met in Manchester in 1972. It was while the director, Mike, was looking for a perfect match in his TV movie Hard Labor. While preparing for the movie, Mike and Alison got together and eventually started dating.

Although they separated in 1995, their divorce was finalized in 2001. Before separating however, Alison Steadman and Leigh had two sons; Toby (born February 1978) and Leo (born August 1981).

ALISON STEADMAN TV SHOWS | ALISON STEADMAN GAVIN AND STACEY

• 2020 The King’s Man (post-production)
• 2007-2019 Gavin & Stacey (TV series)
• 2018-2019 Hold the Sunset (TV series)
• 2018 Care (TV movie)
• 2018 The Reluctant Landlord (TV series)
• 2017 Yours Edna Welthorpe, Mrs (Short film)
• 2015-2016 Orphan Black (TV Series)
• 2016 Midsomer Murders (TV series)
• 2014 The Great War: The People’s Story (miniseries TV documentary)
• 2013 Love & Marriage (TV series)
• 2012 A Civil Arrangement (TV movie)
• 2007 The Omid Djalili Show (TV Series)
• 2004-2005 The Lenny Henry Show (TV series)
• 2000-2005 Fat Friends (TV series)
• 2004 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
• 2003 Philip Larkin: Love and Death in Hull (TV movie documentary)
• 2001 Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (TV Series)
• 1986 In Sickness and in Health (TV Series)
• 1985 The Caucasian Chalk Circle (TV movie)

INTERVIEW WITH ALISON STEADMAN

Q: What inspired you to hold the sunset?

Alison Steadman: I love doing shows like this about the weird aspects of family life. When I heard John was doing it, I thought, “That will be great fun!” And I was not disappointed. You couldn’t get a better cast: Jason, Anne, Rosie and Joanna are all brilliant.

Alison Steadman: I also love Charles’ writing. I played opposite him in the film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which he also co-wrote. It’s great to see him again. He’s a really adorable guy. He is calm, modest and gentle, but also very talented.

Q: What are your memories of your first collaboration with John on the film Clockwise?

Alison Steadman: That movie was 32 years ago now, but we haven’t changed a bit! In this movie, I spent a lot of time driving around three older women in a car. I’m probably the same age as then!

Q: How is it to come back to work with John?

Alison Steadman: It was lovely. Working with an old friend is great because it gives you such freedom. It helps that we were able to jump straight in because we had played a married couple before. John is really fun and quirky.

Alison Steadman: You have to be disciplined on set. John is disciplined, but he’s not afraid to go the extra mile if it helps the comedy. I hope people will appreciate the chemistry between John and me. We have a very easy relationship. In addition, John adapts very well to the part; he told me that the more he plays Phil, the more he thinks it’s him!

Q: Can you describe your character?

Alison Steadman: Edith is a brilliant woman. She’s a typical middle-class mother. She is very concerned and very generous with her children – more than I ever would be! She truly forgives them. Like all mothers, when others criticize her children, she is always ready to defend herself and say, “It’s not their fault. It is because of this or that. ‘

Q: How would you characterize Edith’s relationship with her children?

Alison Steadman: She has a high-flying business girl called Sandra who is too busy for a man. She also has Roger, a completely rambling son. He stopped development. He’s the kind of guy who’s very hard to tolerate, but she always does. Roger and his wife Wendy are a great match. They are both off the wall! No matter how much you love your kids, you don’t want them to come home as adults, go back to childhood and play with stuffed crocodiles!

Alison Steadman: Edith supports a lot. She wants to build a life with Phil, but Roger keeps getting in the way. If she could just sort Roger out, everything would be fine. But it’s never that simple, and in a sitcom it would be boring if it was! Roger constantly upsets her and he gets worse all the time. He irritates the hell out of Phil. Sandra always says to Edith, “He makes you do his laundry now? For the love of God, tell him where to go! But that’s exactly what we do as moms!

Q: Would you like to do another series of Hold the Sunset?

Alison Steadman: Absolutely. Nothing is resolved in this family at the end of the first series. Roger and Sandra still suffer from neck pain. So this one could run and run!