Lindsay Duncan: biography, films, personal life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Lindsay Duncan is a famous Scottish film and theater actress. She has been working as an actress for over 40 years and is known to the audience for the series "Poirot", "Wallander", "Merlin", "Sherlock" and many others.

Early years

The future actress was born on 1950-07-11 in the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. Her parents were simple workers. My father served in the army for twenty-one years, and after that he became an official. The family moved to Leeds and then to Birmingham. Here Lindsey studied at the Edward VI School for Girls. The girl was good at English. She spoke it without a Scottish accent at all. It helped her a lot in her acting career.

Duncan's father died when she was only fifteen. Mother suffered from Alzheimer's disease for many years.

Even at school, Lindsey became interested in theater. She willingly took part in school productions.

Career in theater

At the age of 21, the girl entered the London School of Speech and Dramatic Art. After graduating, she began working in a summer theater in the city of Southwold.

In 1976, Lindsey Duncan took the stage with a smallrole in the production of "Don Giovanni" by Moliere. When the opportunity presented itself, Duncan moved to Manchester and took a job with the local troupe at the Royal Theatre. In 1978, the actress finally managed to return to London and get a job at the National Theatre.

At the same time, Lindsey makes her first television appearance. She starred in the television series "The New Avengers", "The End of Pompeii!" and in an advertisement for the famous Head & Shoulders shampoo.

An important milestone in Lindsey's career was the role in the production of "High-Ranking Girls" by Keryl Churchill. Duncan got the role of the Japanese lady Niyo, who lived in the 13th century. The role earned her an American Obie Award. The play was shown in New York. After that, the actress was actively invited to act in films.

Movies

Lindsey's first major film role was as Sally in Richard Eyre's melodramatic comedy "Sloppy Liaisons" in 1985. The plot is based on the trip of a non-smoking vegetarian Sally to the congress of the feminist society in Germany. She is looking for a woman who shares her views in order to go there together. Fate sends her a man with completely different views as a traveling companion - he smokes, eats meat and does not know a word of German.

Lindsay Duncan, whose filmography currently has eighty-eight films and series, did not devote her further career only to cinema, she joined the Royal Theater Company and simultaneously starred in films and played in the theater. Since the theater took away fromactress for a long time, in the movies she preferred small and episodic roles. One of these is Lady Templin in the famous TV series "Poirot" with David Suchet.

In 1989, Lindsey played one of the main roles in the mini-series "Traffic" directed by Alastair Reid.

In 1991, the movie Body Dismembered was released, in which Duncan played the role of Dr. Agatha Webb.

In 1993, Lindsey starred in the drama mini-series "A Year in Provence" directed by David Tucker.

The actress prefers to play in dramatic films and theatrical productions. In them, her talent is revealed to the fullest. This does not add to her popularity among the mass audience, but brings the respect of film critics and serious drama directors. Nevertheless, Duncan can sometimes be seen in big-budget films. For example, in the film Star Wars Episode I by George Lucas, Lindsay voiced the robot TS-14, and in the television series Doctor Who, Adelaide Brooke played.

The actress is good at roles in historical films and productions. In the television series "Merlin" Lindsay acted as Queen Anne, in the film "Pearl of the Queen of Sheba" - Audrey Pretty.

Painting "Birdman"

In 2014, Duncan appeared on television in the film "Birdman" by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The black comedy about actor Riggan Thomson participated in the competitive programs of many prestigious film awards and was awarded the Oscar,Golden Eagle, Critics' Choice, Satellite, Golden Globe and more.

Lindsay played the role of Tabitha Dickinson in the film. In addition to her, Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough and other actors starred in the film.

The picture received the most rave reviews from film critics and grossed $103 million at the box office.

One of Duncan's last known roles was in the fantasy adventure "Through the Looking Glass" in 2016.

Film "Alice Through the Looking Glass"

Lindsay Duncan in this fantastic story based on the works of Lewis Carroll got the role of Helen Kingsley - Alice's mother. The film was directed by James Bobin and produced by Tim Burton. The script of the film differs significantly from the work of Carroll. In addition to Duncan, the roles in "Through the Looking Glass" were played by Johnny Depp, Anne Hattway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas and others.

Despite negative reviews from film critics, the film grossed almost three hundred million dollars at the box office.

Private life

Lindsay is married to her longtime friend from the Shakespeare Royal Company, Scottish actor Hilton McRae. In 1991, the couple had a child - a son named Cal.