Holliday Grainger

Last updated

Holliday Grainger
Holliday Grainger, Tell It To Th Bees (cropped).jpg
Grainger in 2018
Born
Holliday Clark Grainger

(1988-03-27) 27 March 1988 (age 35)
Didsbury, Manchester, England
Other namesHolly Grainger
Alma mater University of Leeds and finally Open University
OccupationActress
Years active1994–present
Partner Harry Treadaway (2015–present)
Children2

Holliday Clark Grainger (born 27 March 1988), also credited as Holly Grainger, is an English screen and stage actress. Some of her prominent roles are Kate Beckett in the BAFTA award-winning children's series Roger and the Rottentrolls , Lucrezia Borgia in the Showtime series The Borgias , Robin Ellacott in the Strike series, DI Rachel Carey in the Peacock/BBC One crime drama The Capture and Estella in Mike Newell's adaptation of Great Expectations .

Contents

Early life

Grainger was born in Didsbury, Manchester. Her maternal grandfather was Italian. [1] [2] Her first experience of acting was at the age of five when she was scouted for a BBC TV series. She appeared in many TV shows and independent films as a child actor. [2]

Grainger attended Parrs Wood High School from 1999 to 2006, [3] and in 2007 began study for a degree in English literature at the University of Leeds. However, she eventually opted for the Open University. [2]

Career

Grainger's first acting role was at five years old in the BBC comedy drama series All Quiet on the Preston Front . [4] Roles followed in Casualty , Doctors and Dalziel and Pascoe . Grainger played Megan Boothe in Where the Heart Is , Stacey Appleyard in Waterloo Road and Sophia in Merlin .

In 2011, she appeared in the television series The Borgias , playing Lucrezia Borgia with Jeremy Irons in the role of Pope Alexander VI. The series, created by Neil Jordan and shot in Hungary, ran for three seasons. [5]

After her role as Emily in the film The Scouting Book for Boys (2009), [6] she played one of the Rivers sisters opposite Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender in Cary Fukunaga's 2011 retelling of Jane Eyre , and had a minor role in Bel Ami alongside Robert Pattinson and Uma Thurman.

In June 2011, she was cast in the leading role of Estella in Mike Newell's film adaptation of Great Expectations , opposite Jeremy Irvine and Helena Bonham Carter. [7] The movie, screened at Toronto International Film Festival 2012, had its European premiere as the closing night film of the BFI London Film Festival. [8] She had a minor role in the 2012 film Anna Karenina as Baroness Shilton.

On stage, in 2013 she played a role in Disassociation, a play by Luke Bailey, at The Lowry in Salford, [9] which received largely positive reviews [10] In the same year, she played Bonnie Parker in the 2013 TV mini-series Bonnie & Clyde . She was one of the female leads in the 2014 film The Riot Club , adapted from the play Posh , alongside Max Irons. In the same year, she appeared on stage in Anton Chekov's play Three Sisters at the Southwark Playhouse. [11]

Grainger played Cinderella's stepsister Anastasia Tremaine in Kenneth Branagh's 2015 film version of Cinderella . [12]

In 2016, Grainger starred in Disney's The Finest Hours . [13]

On 20 June 2016, World Refugee Day, Grainger, as well as Jack O'Connell, featured in a film from the United Nations' refugee agency UNHCR to help raise awareness of the global refugee crisis. [14] The film, titled Home , has a family take a reverse migration into the middle of a war zone. It is inspired by primary accounts of refugees, and is part of UNHCR's #WithRefugees campaign, which also includes a petition to governments to expand asylum to provide further shelter, integrating job opportunities, and education. [15] Home , written and directed by Daniel Mulloy, went on to win a BAFTA Award and a Gold Lion at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity among many other awards. [16]

In 2017, she appeared in a film adaptation of the novel Tulip Fever alongside Alicia Vikander. [17] From 2017, she plays Robin Ellacott in the TV series Strike (aired in the United States and Canada as C.B. Strike) based on the novels by J. K. Rowling. [18]

Grainger played one of the two lead female roles in the feature film Animals, along with Alia Shawkat. Based on the novel by Emma Jane Unsworth, who also wrote the script, the film was directed by Sophie Hyde and filmed in Dublin. [19]

In 2019, Grainger starred in the BBC conspiracy thriller The Capture. [20]

Personal life

In May 2021, she had twin children with her partner Harry Treadaway, himself a twin (brother of Luke Treadaway). [21]

Filmography

Audio

YearTitleRoleNotes
2022-presentImpact WinterDarcy

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 The Missing Postman Harriet
2002 Sparkhouse Older Lisa Bolton
2003 The Illustrated Mum Star Westwood
2005Magnificent 7Louise Jackson
2006 Johnny and the Bomb Rose Bushell
2007 The Bad Mother's Handbook Charlotte Cooper
2008 Dis/Connected Jenny
2009 Awaydays Molly Carty
The Scouting Book for Boys Emily
2011 Jane Eyre Diana Rivers
2012 Bel Ami Suzanne Rousset
Anna Karenina Baroness
Great Expectations Estella Havisham
2014 The Riot Club Lauren
2015 Cinderella Anastasia Tremaine
2016 The Finest Hours Miriam
2017 My Cousin Rachel Louise
Tulip Fever Maria
Home Holly Short film
2018 Tell It to the Bees Lydia Weekes
2019 Animals Laura
2024Halo of StarsEmmPost production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994 All Quiet on the Preston Front Kirsty4 episodes
1996 Roger and the Rottentrolls Kate BeckettLead role: Series 3&4
2000Comin' Atcha!PaulineEpisode: "The Day Off"
Casualty Katie StoppardEpisode: "Seize the Night"
2001 Dalziel and Pascoe Nichola CrowleyEpisode: "Walls of Silence"
Doctors Nita HarmerEpisode: "Writing to Charlie"
2003 The Royal Carole GreenEpisode: "Coffin Fit"
2003–2005 Where the Heart Is Megan BootheMain role (series 7–9)
2005 No Angels SimoneEpisode: "2.5"
Doctors Holly LeavisEpisode: "Indestructible"
2006 New Street Law Katie LewisEpisode: "1.1"
2007 Waterloo Road Stacey Appleyard4 episodes
2008 M.I. High Leah RetsamEpisode: "It's a Kind of Magic"
The Royal Today AbigailEpisode: "1.3"
Fairy Tales Leeza GruffEpisode: "Billy Goat"
Waking the Dead Nicola Bennet2 episodes: "Duty and Honour"
Merlin Sophia Episode: "The Gates of Avalon"
2009 Demons RubyMiniseries
Robin Hood MegEpisode: "A Dangerous Deal"
Blue Murder Jess BurgessEpisode: "Having It All"
2010 Above Suspicion 2: The Red Dahlia Sharon Bilkin3 episodes
Five Daughters AliceEpisodes: "1.2", "1.3"
Stanley Park Dirty DebbiePilot
Any Human Heart Tess Scabius2 episodes
2011–2013 The Borgias Lucrezia Borgia Main role
2013 Bonnie & Clyde Bonnie Parker Miniseries
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries
2015 Lady Chatterley's Lover Lady ChatterleyTelevision film
2017–present Strike Robin Ellacott15 episodes
2017 Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams HonorEpisode: "The Hood Maker"
2018 Patrick Melrose Bridget Watson ScottMiniseries
2019present The Capture Rachel Carey12 episodes
2024 Playdate 5 episodes, post-production

Theatre

YearTitleRoleVenue
2009DimetosLydia Donmar Warehouse, London
2014Three SistersIrina Southwark Playhouse, London

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucrezia Borgia</span> Spanish-Italian duchess-consort of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio (1480–1519)

Lucrezia Borgia was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the governor of Spoleto, a position usually held by cardinals, in her own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alia Shawkat</span> American actress (born 1989)

Alia Martine Shawkat is an American actress. She is known for her performances as Maeby Fünke in the Fox/Netflix television sitcom Arrested Development, Dory Sief in the TBS and HBO Max dark comedy series Search Party (2016–2022), and Gertie Michaels in the 2015 horror-comedy film The Final Girls, as well as her roles in State of Grace and The Old Man. She has also guest starred as historical figures Frances Cleveland, Virginia Hall, and Alexander Hamilton on Comedy Central's Drunk History.

<i>The Silkworm</i> 2014 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling

The Silkworm is a 2014 crime fiction novel written by J. K. Rowling, and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It is the second novel in the Cormoran Strike series of detective novels and was followed by Career of Evil in 2015, Lethal White in 2018,Troubled Blood in 2020 and The Ink Black Heart in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Burke (actor)</span> English actor

Tom Burke is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Athos in the 2014–2016 BBC TV series The Musketeers, Dolokhov in the 2016 BBC literary-adaptation miniseries War & Peace, the eponymous character Cormoran Strike in the BBC series Strike and Orson Welles in the 2020 film Mank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Treadaway</span> British actor

Harry John Newman Treadaway is a British actor. His credits include Control (2007), Fish Tank (2009), Pelican Blood (2010), Flight of the Storks (2012), Mr. Mercedes (2017-2018), The Crown (2019), Star Trek: Picard (2020), Deceit (2021), and The Chemistry of Death (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack O'Connell (actor)</span> English/Irish actor

Jack O'Connell is an English actor. He first gained recognition for playing James Cook in the British television series Skins. He is also known for his roles in This Is England (2006), the slasher film Eden Lake (2009), the television dramas Dive (2010) and United (2011), and the Netflix wild west miniseries Godless (2017), for which he received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noma Dumezweni</span> British actress

Noma Dumezweni is a South African-British actress. In 2006, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for her performance as Ruth Younger in A Raisin in the Sun at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. In 2017, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Hermione Granger in the original West End run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; she reprised the role for the show's original Broadway run and, in 2018, was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

<i>The Borgias</i> (2011 TV series) Television series

The Borgias is a historical drama television series created by Neil Jordan; it debuted in 2011 and was canceled in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theo James</span> English actor and producer

Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis, known professionally as Theo James, is an English actor. He gained recognition for playing Tobias Eaton in The Divergent Series film trilogy (2014–2016). He has starred in the horror films Underworld: Awakening (2012) and Underworld: Blood Wars (2016) and the science fiction film Archive (2020). In television, he appeared in the crime drama series Golden Boy (2012), the romance series The Time Traveler's Wife (2022), and the dark comedy series The White Lotus (2022), which earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

<i>Great Expectations</i> (2012 film) 2012 British film

Great Expectations is a 2012 British-American film adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1861 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Mike Newell, with the adapted screenplay by David Nicholls, and stars Jeremy Irvine, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane. It was distributed by Lionsgate.

Helena Josephine Barlow is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress, playing Rose Granger-Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). The following year, she starred as young Estella in Mike Newell's Great Expectations.

"The Confession" is the final episode of the second season of Showtime-Bravo! historical drama The Borgias. It was written by Guy Burt and directed by David Leland. It originally aired on June 17, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fra Fee</span> Northern Irish actor and singer

Fra Fee is an Irish actor and singer known for his role as Kazi in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He portrayed Courfeyrac in Tom Hooper's 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables. Fee also played the role of Michael Carney in Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman at the Royal Court Theatre, West End, and Broadway, directed by Sam Mendes. For his performance, he won the 2018 WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play.

<i>The Cuckoos Calling</i> 2013 detective novel by J. K. Rowling

The Cuckoo's Calling is a 2013 crime fiction novel written by J. K. Rowling, and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It is the first novel in the Cormoran Strike series of detective novels and was followed by The Silkworm in 2014, Career of Evil in 2015, Lethal White in 2018, Troubled Blood in 2020 and The Ink Black Heart in 2022. A seventh book The Running Grave was released on 26 September 2023.

Cormoran Strike is a series of crime fiction novels written by British author J. K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The story chronicles the cases of the fictional British private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott. Seven novels in the series have so far been published. Rowling said after the third novel that she had plans for at least another ten. The seventh novel, titled The Running Grave, was released on 26 September 2023. As of February 2024, the series has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and been published in more than 50 countries across the globe, being translated into 43 languages.

<i>Cinderella</i> (2015 American film) Disneys live-action film

Cinderella is a 2015 American romantic fantasy film directed by Kenneth Branagh from a screenplay by Chris Weitz. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Kinberg Genre, Allison Shearmur Productions, and Beagle Pug Films, the film is based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale "Cinderella" and also serves as a live-action adaptation of Walt Disney's 1950 animated film. Lily James stars as the title character, with Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Derek Jacobi, and Helena Bonham Carter in supporting roles.

<i>Tulip Fever</i> 2017 film by Justin Chadwick

Tulip Fever is a 2017 historical romantic drama film directed by Justin Chadwick and written by Deborah Moggach and Tom Stoppard, adapted from Moggach's 1999 novel of the same name. It stars an ensemble cast featuring Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Jack O'Connell, Holliday Grainger, Tom Hollander, Matthew Morrison, Kevin McKidd, Douglas Hodge, Joanna Scanlan, Zach Galifianakis, Judi Dench, and Christoph Waltz. The plot follows a 17th-century "Tulip mania" painter in Amsterdam who falls in love with a married woman whose portrait he has been commissioned to paint.

<i>Strike</i> (TV series) 2017 British crime drama series

Strike is a British crime drama television programme based on the book series Cormoran Strike by J. K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The programme was first broadcast on BBC One on 27 August 2017, after receiving an advance premiere at the British Film Institute on 10 August 2017.

<i>Lethal White</i> 2018 detective novel by J. K. Rowling

Lethal White is the fourth novel in the Cormoran Strike series, written by J. K. Rowling and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The novel was released on 18 September 2018.

<i>Animals</i> (2019 film) 2019 film

Animals is a 2019 comedy-drama film directed by Sophie Hyde, starring Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat. It was screened in the Premieres category at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. An adaptation of Emma Jane Unsworth's 2014 novel of the same name, the film follows best friends Laura and Tyler whose lifestyle comes under scrutiny just as Laura becomes engaged to a teetotaller.

References

  1. "Holliday Grainger Interview THE BORGIAS; Updates on BEL AMI and JANE EYRE". Collider . 30 January 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Holliday Grainger Interview". 1883 Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  3. "Parrs Wood Alumni". parrswood.manchester.sch.uk. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  4. The Guardian
  5. Harnick, Chris (4 May 2012). "The Borgias renewed season 3". huffingtonpost. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  6. The Guardian
  7. Ge, Linda (17 June 2011). "Holliday Grainger cast as Estella in "Great Expectations" opposite Jeremy Irvine". Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  8. "Great Expectations to close BFI London Film Festival". number9films. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  9. Eden, Richard (13 January 2013). "Downton Abbey star Jim Carter enjoys 'bamboo massage'". The Telegraph.
  10. Sykes, Iain (29 January 2013). "Dissociation – The Lowry, Salford".
  11. 'Three Sisters, Southwark Playhouse, review' Retrieved 30 September 2014
  12. 'The Borgias' Star Holliday Grainger Joins Disney's 'Cinderella' (Exclusive) Retrieved 11 June 2013
  13. Schager, Nick (26 January 2016). "Review: 'The Finest Hours' Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Eric Bana, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, And More | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  14. "Jack O'Connell, Holliday Grainger refugee drama 'Home' sets release" . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  15. "What They Took With Them - #WithRefugees". Unhcr. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  16. "BAFTABritish Short Film and Short Animation". 18 January 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  17. Jagernauth, Kevin (8 July 2013). "Alicia Vikander To Star In Long-Developing 'Tulip Fever,' Matthias Schoenaerts Sought For Role". indiewire.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  18. "Holliday Grainger to Star in J.K. Rowling's 'Cormoran Strike'". Variety. 1 November 2016.
  19. Animals interview: Alia Shawkat, Holliday Grainger, Sophie Hyde, Emma Jane Unsworth - 8 Feb 2019 on YouTube
  20. "Meet the cast of BBC conspiracy thriller 'The Capture'". Radio Times. 8 October 2019.
  21. "Actress Holliday Grainger gives birth to newborn twins with beau Harry Treadaway". Daily Mirror . 29 May 2021.