Eve Best - wikipedia Eve Best Eve Best Eve Best at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Benefit, 2009 Emily Best ( 1971 - 07 - 31 ) 31 July 1971 ( age 46 ) Ladbroke Grove, London Occupation Actress, director Years active 1995 -- present Emily `` Eve '' Best ( born 31 July 1971 ) is an English stage and screen actress and director, known for her television roles as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara in the Showtime series Nurse Jackie ( 2009 -- 13 ), First Lady Dolley Madison in the American Experience television special ( 2011 ), and Monica Chatwin in the BBC miniseries The Honourable Woman ( 2014 ). She also played Wallis Simpson in the 2010 film The King 's Speech. Best won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best Actress for playing the title role in Hedda Gabler. She made her Broadway debut in the 2007 revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten, winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play, and receiving the first of two nominations for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play ; the second was for the revival of The Homecoming in 2008. She returned to Broadway in the 2015 revival of Old Times. Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Film, TV, stage 4 Awards and nominations 5 References 6 External links Early Life and education Best grew up in Ladbroke Grove, London, daughter of a design journalist and an actress. She attended Wycombe Abbey Girls ' School before going on to Lincoln College, Oxford, where she read English. Some of her earliest public performances were with the W11 Opera children 's opera company in London at the age of nine. After graduating from Oxford where she had appeared in Oxford University Dramatic Society productions, and toured to the Edinburgh Festival, she made her professional debut as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing at the Southwark Playhouse. Career After a period working on the London fringe, Best trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ( RADA ) in London. After graduating in 1999 she appeared in a revival of ' Tis Pity She 's a Whore at the Young Vic for which she won both the Evening Standard and Critics ' Circle best newcomer awards ; she adopted her grandmother 's name as a stage name, as an Emily Best was already registered with British Actors ' Equity Association. Best won an Laurence Olivier Award for playing the title role in Hedda Gabler and was nominated for the same award the following year for her performance as Josie in Eugene O'Neill 's play A Moon For The Misbegotten at the Old Vic Theatre in London. In early 2007, she starred in a Sheffield Crucible production of As You Like It which played for a short time at the RSC 's Swan Theatre in Stratford as part of their Complete Works season. In the same year she performed in the Broadway transfer of A Moon For The Misbegotten for which she was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play. Best appeared in Harold Pinter 's The Homecoming at the Cort Theatre in New York, which co-starred Ian McShane, Raúl Esparza and Michael McKean. Daniel Sullivan directed the 20 - week limited engagement, which ran until 13 April 2008. She once again appeared as Beatrice in a critically acclaimed production of Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare 's Globe Theatre in 2011, playing opposite Charles Edwards as Benedick and starred in the Old Vic production of The Duchess of Malfi in 2012. She made her directorial debut with a production of Macbeth at Shakespeare 's Globe Theatre in 2013. Television appearances include Prime Suspect : The Final Act ( 2006 ), Waking the Dead ( 2004 ), Shackleton ( 2002 ), and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries ( 2005 ). She appears as Lucrece in the Naxos audiobook version of Shakespeare 's The Rape of Lucrece. She also starred in a 2000 BBC Radio 4 production of Emma. Best co-stars as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara in the Showtime dark comedy series Nurse Jackie, that premiered in June 2009. She played the Duchess of Windsor -- Wallis Simpson -- in The King 's Speech, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Best also co-stars as Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, alongside William Hurt in The Challenger, a British made for TV dramatization of the Rogers Commission set up to investigate the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In summer 2014 Best played Cleopatra, the leading role in the Shakespeare 's Globe version of Antony and Cleopatra. She returned to Broadway in the 2015 revival of the Pinter play Old Times, opposite Clive Owen and Kelly Reilly. Film, TV, stage Best, after performing in A Moon for the Misbegotten in New York City, 27 May 2007 Films Year Title Role Notes 2001 Brilliant ! Nina ( short ) 2002 Shackleton Eleanor Shackleton TV Movie The Lodge Yuni ( short ) The King 's Speech Wallis Simpson 2014 Someone You Love Kate 2014 Unity Narrator Documentary Television Year Title Role Notes 2000 The Bill Anne Episode : Beasts 2000 Casualty Amber Hope Episode : Seize the Night 2001 The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells Ellen McGillvray TV mini-series Waking the Dead Natasha Bloom Episode : Shadowplay : Part 1 Lie With Me Roselyn Tyler TV mini-series 2005 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Amanda Gibson Episode : In Divine Proportion 2006 Prime Suspect : The Final Act Linda Philips 2006 Vital Signs Sarah Cartwright 6 episodes 2009 -- 2013, 2015 Nurse Jackie Dr. Eleanor O'Hara Main cast ( Recurring in Season 5 ) American Experience Dolley Madison Episode : Dolley Madison The Shadow Line Petra Mayler 3 episodes 2012 Up All Night Yvonne Encanto Episode : New Boss 2013 The Challenger Sally Ride 2014 New Worlds Angelica Fanshawe Episodes 1 -- 3 2014 The Honourable Woman Monica Chatwin Episodes 1 -- 8 2015 Life in Squares Vanessa Bell 2016 Stan Lee 's Lucky Man Anna Clayton Main cast Theatre Year Title Role Location 1995 Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice Southwark Playhouse, London Sisters, Brothers Gate Theatre, London 1999 ' Tis Pity She 's a Whore Annabella Young Vic, London 2000 The Heiress Catherine Royal National Theatre, London 2000 The Cherry Orchard Varya Royal National Theatre, London 2001 Macbeth Lady Macbeth Shakespeare 's Globe, London 2002 The Misanthrope Jennifer Chichester Festival Theatre 2002 The Coast of Utopia Liubov Bakunin Royal National Theatre, London 2003 Three Sisters Masha Royal National Theatre, London 2003 Mourning Becomes Electra Lavinia Mannon Royal National Theatre, London 2005 Hedda Gabler Hedda Almeida, London and Duke of York 's Theatre, London 2006 -- 07 A Moon for the Misbegotten Josie Old Vic, London and Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York 2007 As You Like It Rosalind Sheffield Crucible and Swan Theatre ( Stratford ) 2007 -- 08 The Homecoming Ruth Cort Theatre, New York 2011 Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice Shakespeare 's Globe, London 2012 The Duchess of Malfi The Duchess Old Vic, London 2013 Macbeth Director Shakespeare 's Globe, London 2014 Antony and Cleopatra Cleopatra Shakespeare 's Globe, London 2015 Old Times Anna American Airlines Theatre, Broadway Awards and nominations Year Award Work Result 1999 Evening Standard Award The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer ' Tis Pity She 's a Whore Won 1999 Critics ' Circle Theatre Award The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer ( other than a playwright ) ' Tis Pity She 's a Whore Won 2003 Critics ' Circle Theatre Award Best Actress Mourning Becomes Electra Won 2005 Critics ' Circle Theatre Award Best Actress Hedda Gabler Won 2006 Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress Hedda Gabler Won 2007 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play A Moon for the Misbegotten Won 2007 Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress A Moon for the Misbegotten Nominated 2007 Tony Award Best Actress A Moon for the Misbegotten Nominated 2008 Tony Award Best Actress The Homecoming Nominated References ^ Jump up to : Sercher, Benjamin ( 2013 - 06 - 19 ). `` Eve Best interview : on returning to the stage as a director ''. The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 15. ^ Jump up to : Old Times at the American Airlines Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company Jump up ^ Matt Trueman ( 2012 - 08 - 11 ). `` Forging a Direct Path to the Future : JMK Award ''. The Stage. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 18. Jump up ^ Paddock, Terri ( 18 August 2003 ). `` 20 Questions With... Eve Best ''. What 's On Stage. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ Henderson, Kathy. `` Fresh Face : Eve Best ''. Broadway.com. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Hedda Gabler ''. almeida.co.uk. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 10. Jump up ^ `` A Moon for the Misbegotten ''. The Old Vic. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 15. Jump up ^ Billington, Michael ( 2007 - 02 - 08 ). `` As You Like It ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 13. Jump up ^ `` As You Like It ''. The British Universities Film & Video Council. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 13. Jump up ^ Brantley, Ben ( 2007 - 04 - 10 ). `` A Moonlit Night on the Farm, Graveyard Ready ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 13. Jump up ^ Wolf, Matt ( 2007 - 05 - 16 ). `` We should cheer, and weep, at the Tony Awards nominations ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 13. Jump up ^ Brantley, Ben ( 2007 - 12 - 17 ). `` You Can Go Home Again, but You 'll Pay the Consequences ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Much Ado About Nothing ( 2011 ) ''. Shakespeare 's Globe. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 15. Jump up ^ `` ' Fair is foul, and foul is fair ' ''. Shakespeare 's Globe. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Nurse Jackie : Official Site ''. Sho.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2009. Jump up ^ Starr, Michael ( 30 June 2008 ). `` Nurse Edie : First Look at Sopranos Star 's Dark, New Hospital Comedy ''. New York Post. NYPost.com. Retrieved 8 March 2009. Jump up ^ `` Two lovers are blown apart by love and war ''. Shakespeare 's Globe. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Brilliant ! ''. British Council. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 16. Jump up ^ Lawson, Mark ( 2004 - 11 - 15 ). `` The cop stays in the picture ''. The Guardian. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 16. Jump up ^ `` ' Phoebe Fox, Lydia Leonard, Sam Hoare and James Norton to star in Life In Squares for BBC Two ' ''. BBC. 2014 - 08 - 18. Retrieved 2015 - 02 - 16. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eve Best. Eve Best on IMDb Eve Best at the Internet Broadway Database Interview with the Sunday Times W11 Opera Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play ( 2001 -- 2025 ) Mary - Louise Parker ( 2001 ) Lindsay Duncan ( 2002 ) Vanessa Redgrave ( 2003 ) Viola Davis / Phylicia Rashad ( 2004 ) Cherry Jones ( 2005 ) Lois Smith ( 2006 ) Eve Best ( 2007 ) Deanna Dunagan ( 2008 ) Janet McTeer ( 2009 ) Jan Maxwell ( 2010 ) Frances McDormand ( 2011 ) Tracie Bennett ( 2012 ) Cicely Tyson ( 2013 ) Audra McDonald ( 2014 ) Helen Mirren ( 2015 ) Jessica Lange ( 2016 ) Laura Linney ( 2017 ) Complete list ( 1975 -- 2000 ) ( 2001 -- 2025 ) Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress Yvonne Bryceland ( 1985 ) Lindsay Duncan ( 1986 ) Judi Dench ( 1987 ) Fiona Shaw ( 1989 / 1990 ) Kathryn Hunter ( 1991 ) Juliet Stevenson ( 1992 ) Alison Steadman ( 1993 ) Fiona Shaw ( 1994 ) Clare Higgins ( 1995 ) Judi Dench ( 1996 ) Janet McTeer ( 1997 ) Zoë Wanamaker ( 1998 ) Eileen Atkins ( 1999 ) Janie Dee ( 2000 ) Julie Walters ( 2001 ) Lindsay Duncan ( 2002 ) Clare Higgins ( 2003 ) Eileen Atkins ( 2004 ) Clare Higgins ( 2005 ) Eve Best ( 2006 ) Tamsin Greig ( 2007 ) Kristin Scott Thomas ( 2008 ) Margaret Tyzack ( 2009 ) Rachel Weisz ( 2010 ) Nancy Carroll ( 2011 ) Ruth Wilson ( 2012 ) Helen Mirren ( 2013 ) Lesley Manville ( 2014 ) Penelope Wilton ( 2015 ) Denise Gough ( 2016 ) Billie Piper ( 2017 ) VIAF : 95123305 LCCN : no2010039394 ISNI : 0000 0001 2031 0063 GND : 1018977473 SUDOC : 166223441 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eve_Best&oldid=802336780 '' Categories : Actresses from London Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Critics ' Circle Theatre Award winners Drama Desk Award winners English stage actresses English television actresses English radio actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners Living people English Shakespearean actresses People educated at Wycombe Abbey 1971 births Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from September 2012 Use British English from September 2012 Articles with hCards Articles with IBDb links Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano עברית Nederlands Português Русский Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 25 September 2017, at 14 : 52. 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Question: who played wallis simpson in the king's speech
Answer: Emily "Eve" Best