# Lorraine Stanley

Lorraine Marie Stanley (born 28 June 1976) is a British actress from Portsmouth, England, known for playing Kelly in the 2006 film London to Brighton and Karen Taylor in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2017–2024).

## Early life

Lorraine Marie Stanley was born on 28 June 1976 in Portsmouth, the daughter of June (née Almy), and David Stanley. She was brought up in Portsmouth by her parents, who divorced when she was ten years old. She has Scottish, English and Polish ancestry from her father and mother respectively. She then trained at London's Arts Educational Schools.

## Career

Stanley made her acting debut in 2000, when she appeared in the crime drama film Gangster No. 1 in a minor role as the attacker's friend. She also appeared in episodes of The Bill and London's Burning.
In 2006, Stanley took the lead role in the neo-noir crime film London to Brighton. She portrayed Kelly, a prostitute who is coerced into procuring an 11-year-old girl for a paedophile.
In 2014, Stanley was cast to play the role of Simone in Spencer Hawken's 2016 film No Reasons.

### EastEnders

In 2004, Stanley appeared as a young Mo Harris in the EastEnders spin off Pat and Mo which aired in April 2004 and revealed what caused the feud between Mo and sister-in-law Pat Butcher, who was played by Emma Cooke.
In 2016, Stanley appeared in EastEnders as Thelma Bragg, the mother of Linzi Bragg who enters an illegal relationship with Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). She appeared in eight episodes.
A year later, Stanley returned to EastEnders, this time on a permanent basis portraying Karen Taylor, the head of the newly introduced Taylor family, who arrived in June 2017. In July 2023, it was announced that Stanley had been "written out" of the show after six years, and Stanley's final scenes aired on 8 December 2023. She returned to the series for two guest stints in 2024.

## Personal life

Stanley and her partner Mark Perez have been together since 2014, and have a daughter, named Nancy, born in 2015.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Gangster No. 1 | Attacker's Friend | |
| 2001 | Royalty | Kelly | Short film |
| 2006 | London to Brighton | Kelly | Lead role Nominated—2006 London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year |
| 2008 | Eden Lake | Nat | |
| 2008 | Cass | Linda | |
| 2009 | Three Moments in Heaven | Woman | Short film |
| 2009 | In Passing | Maureen | Short film |
| 2010 | Rough Cut | Prison councillor | Short film |
| 2010 | Dead Cert | Chelle | |
| 2010 | Made in Dagenham | Monica | |
| 2011 | Big Fat Gypsy Gangster | Flossy | Straight-to-DVD film |
| 2012 | The Devil's Dosh | Gertrude | Short film |
| 2013 | The Gift | Cyclist | Short film |
| 2014 | He Who Dares | Marie | |
| 2014 | Top Dog | Julie | |
| 2014 | The Hooligan Factory | Sharon | |
| 2014 | The Guvnors | Cheryl | |
| 2014 | The Hooligan Wars | Cookie | |
| 2014 | Essex Boys Retribution | Regina | |
| 2015 | Riot | Drake's mother | |
| 2015 | Suffragette | Mrs. Coleman | |
| 2015 | Legend | Blind Beggar Barmaid | |
| 2016 | Wee King of Nowhere | Mum | Short film |
| 2016 | 100 Streets | Tina | |
| 2016 | The Receptionist | Helen | |
| 2016 | No Reasons | Simone | |
| 2018 | Trigger Finger! | Tanya | Short film |
| 2019 | Break Clause | Christy | |
Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Maid | Television film |
| 2001 | The Bill | Michelle Piper | Episode: "Happy and Glorious" |
| 2001 | Anybody's Nightmare | Prison Officer 2, Holloway | Television film |
| 2002 | London's Burning | Fran | Season 14, Episode 8 |
| 2003 | Rehab | Sonya | Television film |
| 2004 | EastEnders: Pat and Mo | Young Mo Harris | TV special EastEnders spin-off |
| 2004 | Making Waves | Wessex Sailor | Season 1, Episode 1 |
| 2007 | Casualty | Linda Grogan | Episode: "No Return" |
| 2007 | A Class Apart | Mandy | Television film |
| 2007 | The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle | Unnamed | Season 1, Episode 4 |
| 2007 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Maggie | Episode: "Know Thine Enemy" |
| 2008 | Trial & Retribution | Sarah Randal | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | He Kills Coppers | Stan's wife | Television film |
| 2008 | Waking the Dead | Susan Carlyle | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | The Bill | Kim Yates | Episode: "Lifesaver" |
| 2010 | Casualty | Izzy McQueen | Episode: "Last Roll of the Dice" |
| 2010 | Law & Order: UK | Julie Reid | Episode: "Broken" |
| 2011 | Coming Up | Mary | Episode: "Home" |
| 2012 | Call the Midwife | Pearl Winston | Season 1, Episode 1 |
| 2012 | Casualty | Janel Abel | Episode: "The Blame Game" |
| 2013 | Way to Go | Betty with Dog | Episode: "The Bitter End" |
| 2013 | Mayday | Angie | TV mini-series; 3 episodes |
| 2013 | The Tunnel | Dean Atkinson's mother | Season 1, Episode 6 |
| 2014 | Doctors | Liz McWhinnie | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Chasing Shadows | Kay Amos | TV mini-series; 2 episodes |
| 2014 | Babylon | Sandy | Season 1, Episode 3 |
| 2015 | Holby City | Casey Williams | Episode: "Infallible" |
| 2015 | Cradle to Grave | Jean | Season 1, Episode 6 |
| 2016 | EastEnders | Thelma Bragg | 8 episodes |
| 2017–2024 | EastEnders | Karen Taylor | Series regular 2018 British Soap Award for Best Newcomer 2019 Inside Soap Award for Funniest Female 2020 Inside Soap Award for Funniest Performance Shortlisted—2018 Inside Soap Award for Funniest Female Shortlisted—2019 British Soap Award for Best Actress Shortlisted—2019 TV Choice Award for Best Soap Actress Longlisted—2019 Inside Soap Award for Best Actress |
| 2020 | EastEnders: Secrets from the Square | Herself | Episodes: "Tiffany, Keegan and Karen" and "Karen, Chantelle and Gray" |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Widowers' Houses | | National Theatre, UK tour |
| 2004 | To Kill A Mockingbird | Scout | Mercury Theatre, Colchester |
| 2008 | Days of Significance | | Tricycle Theatre |
| 2008 | The Frontline | Val | Shakespeare's Globe |
| 2008 | Mine | | Shared Experience |
| 2014 | Wildefire | Gail Wilde | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2024 | Dick Whittington – Pompey Panto | | Portsmouth Kings Theatre |