# Alison Steadman

Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1977 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for Abigail's Party, the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film Life Is Sweet and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the '50 Greatest Actors' voted for by other actors, she was ranked 42.
Steadman made her professional stage debut in 1968 and went on to establish her career in Mike Leigh's 1970s TV plays Nuts in May (1976) and Abigail's Party (1977). She received BAFTA TV Award nominations for the 1986 BBC serial The Singing Detective and in 2001 for the ITV drama series Fat Friends (2000–2005). Other television roles include Pride and Prejudice (1995), Gavin & Stacey (2007–2010, 2019, 2024) and Here We Go (2022–present). Her other film appearances include Clockwise (1986), Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), Confetti (2006), Burn Burn Burn (2015) and Better Man (2024).

## Early life and education

Steadman was born in Liverpool, the youngest of three sisters born to Marjorie (née Evans) (1912–1996) and George Percival Steadman (1912–1991), who worked as a production controller for Plessey, an electronics firm.
Steadman was educated at Childwall Valley High School for Girls, a state grammar school in the Liverpool suburb of Childwall, followed by East 15 Acting School, at which she secured a place in the autumn of 1966 and where she met Mike Leigh during her second year.

## Career
### Stage work

Having left the East 15 Acting School in Loughton, Essex, Steadman worked in various regional repertory theatres, starting at Lincoln in 1968, where her first role was the schoolgirl Sandy in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She created the role of the monstrous Beverly in Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party, which she reprised with the original cast on television. She won an Olivier Award for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and also appeared in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Hotel Paradiso, and others in locations as diverse as the Royal Court, the Theatre Royal, the Old Vic, the Hampstead Theatre, the Nottingham Playhouse, the Everyman Liverpool and the National Theatre. She starred as Elmire in the 1983 RSC production of Molière's Tartuffe, which was adapted for BBC television. 2002 saw her play the role of Hillary in Debbie Isitt's The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband at the West End's Ambassadors Theatre to widely positive reviews. In 2010 Steadman played Madame Arcati in a revival of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit. In 2014 Steadman appeared as Madame Raquin in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Emile Zola's Thérèse Raquin.

### Film

Steadman has appeared in many films, including P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang (1982), Champions (1983), A Private Function (1984), Number One (1984), Clockwise (1986), Stormy Monday (1988), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Shirley Valentine (1989), Wilt (1989), Life Is Sweet (1990), Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), Topsy-Turvy (1999), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Confetti (2006), Burn Burn Burn (2015), Dads Army (2016) and 23 Walks (2020),

### Television

Steadman is credited with sharing the first lesbian kiss on British television with Myra Frances. Broadcast on 25 February 1974, Girl is the story of the love affair of two WRAC soldiers. “When I was first offered the part I felt quite nervous,” she said and was relieved that her “mum said it was great and was very moved by it.”
An early television appearance came in 1976 which saw Steadman cast as Cheryl Baker in the Granada Television daytime series Crown Court. Her character was the secretary of a confidence trickster found guilty of fraud.
Other television work includes Fat Friends as Betty, Grumpy Old Women, Stressed Eric, Let Them Eat Cake, The Singing Detective, No Bananas, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years as Pauline Mole, opposite James Bolam in the television film The Missing Postman, and Pride and Prejudice as Mrs. Bennet. In 1991, she also appeared as Edda Göring in Selling Hitler and as Lauren Patterson in Gone to the Dogs, which was then followed up by Gone to Seed.
Television productions directed by Leigh in which she has appeared include Nuts in May, Hard Labour and Abigail's Party. She also appeared in the BBC comedy The Worst Week of My Life. In 2007 she featured in the BBC Wales programme Coming Home about her Welsh family history, with roots in Trefarclawdd and Ruabon.
In October 2007 Steadman appeared in Fanny Hill on BBC Four.
From May 2007 to January 2010 Steadman starred in the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey as Pam Shipman. She returned to the role for the Christmas specials in 2019 and 2024 respectively. She appeared in Lewis as the Reverend Martha Steadman in 'Intelligent Design' in 2013.
In 2014 Steadman starred as Joyce in the first series of the BBC comedy Boomers, followed by a Christmas special in 2015 and a second series in 2016. In 2016 she presented the three-part series Little British Islands with Alison Steadman on Channel 4. The series visited Gigha, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay in episode 1, Jersey, Alderney and Sark in episode 2 and the Isles of Scilly in episode 3. In 2016 she appeared as Abigail in the Midsomer Murders episode 'The incident at Cooper Hill'.
In 2018 Steadman made a return to BBC1 with John Cleese in Hold the Sunset. On 9 December 2018 Steadman appeared in the BBC1 Drama 'Care' in the role of Mary. Also in 2018 she featured in ITV1 mini series Butterfly where she played Maxine Duffy’s Grandmother

### Radio

On radio, Steadman's talent for mimicry and character voices was given full rein in the 1970s, mainly at BBC Manchester, in comedy sketch shows including Week Ending, Castle's on the Air and The Worst Show on the Wireless. In the second and third of these she played the over-protective mother to Eli Woods's long-suffering Bunty/Precious. From 1982 to 1984, also at BBC Manchester, she joined Eli Woods and Eddie Braben (Morecambe and Wise's scriptwriter) in 13 episodes of the radio comedy The Show with No Name, written by Braben, which can best be described as an updated version of the comedy sketch show Round the Horne. In the early to mid 1980s Steadman also had a spell in Roy Hudd's long-running comedy sketch series The News Huddlines. From 2002 she co-starred as Mrs Naughtie in the situation comedy series Hamish and Dougal. In December 2009 she starred in Mike Stott's My Mad Grandad on BBC Radio 4. From 2012 she played Ginny Fox, a parody of Virginia Woolf, in the sitcom Gloomsbury. In 2018 she made a guest appearance in Radio 4's The Archers as Olwen, a friend of Jill Archer.

## Personal life

In 1972 director Mike Leigh drove to Liverpool to see Ted Whitehead's play The Foursome, which featured Steadman. He asked her to be in his film Hard Labour, during which, both said, they "got together". They married in 1973 and had two sons. The couple lived with their sons in Wood Green, London. They separated in 1995 and divorced in 2001.
Steadman's partner is actor Michael Elwyn. The couple live in Highgate, London.
She is a birdwatcher and in November 2016 became an ambassador for London Wildlife Trust.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1975 | Nuts in May | Candice Marie | TV film |
| 1977 | Abigail's Party | Beverly | TV film |
| 1980 | Moving Pictures | Mrs. Arnolfini | TV film |
| 1982 | P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang | Miss Land | TV film |
| 1983 | Tartuffe, or the Impostor | Elmire | TV film |
| 1984 | Champions | Mary Hussey | |
| 1984 | A Private Function | Mrs. Allardyce | |
| 1984 | Number One | Doreen | TV film |
| 1985 | The Caucasian Chalk Circle | Kato / Natella / Aniko | TV film |
| 1985 | Coming Through | Kate | TV film |
| 1986 | Clockwise | Gwenda Stimpson | |
| 1987 | The Finding | Mum | TV film |
| 1987 | The Short & Curlies | Betty | TV short film |
| 1988 | Coming Through | Kate | TV film |
| 1988 | Stormy Monday | Mayor | |
| 1988 | The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | Daisy | |
| 1989 | Shirley Valentine | Jane | |
| 1989 | Wilt | Eva Wilt | |
| 1990 | Life Is Sweet | Wendy | |
| 1992 | Blame It on the Bellboy | Rosemary Horton | |
| 1994 | Degas and Pissaro Fall Out | Emma Dumay | Short film |
| 1996 | Secrets & Lies | Dog Owner | |
| 1996 | The Snow Queen's Revenge | Pearl | Voice role |
| 1997 | The Missing Postman | Christine Peacock | TV film |
| 1997 | The Ugly Duckling | The Hen | Voice role |
| 1998 | Queen's Park Story | The Squirrel | TV short film. Voice role |
| 1999 | Topsy-Turvy | Madame Leon | |
| 1999 | Santa's Last Christmas | The Sorceress | TV film. Voice role |
| 2001 | Chunky Monkey | Beryl | |
| 2001 | Happy Now? | Bronwyn Race |
| 2001 | Bob the Builder: A Christmas to Remember | Bunty Ferguson (The Mayoress) | Video. Voice role (UK dub) |
| 2001 | Ivor the Invisible | Auntie Barbara | TV film. Voice role |
| 2002 | D.I.Y. Hard | Woman | Short film |
| 2003 | Philip Larkin: Love and Death in Hull | Narrator | Voice role |
| 2003 | Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale | Mrs. Meisling | TV film |
| 2004 | Bosom Pals | Joan | TV film. Voice role |
| 2004 | The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | Casting Agent | |
| 2005 | Bob the Builder: Bob's Big Plan | Bunty Ferguson (The Mayoress) | TV film. Voice role (UK dub) |
| 2005 | The Housewife | Narration / The Housewife | Short film |
| 2006 | Confetti | Sam's Mum | |
| 2006 | Dead Rich | Maggie | Short film |
| 2006 | Loony in the Woods | Crazy Butcher | |
| 2007 | The Dinner Party | Juliet | TV film |
| 2007 | Who Gets the Dog? | Jenny Evans | TV film |
| 2009 | Second Chance | Billie Shackleton | Short film |
| 2010 | Come Rain Come Shine | Dora Mitchell | TV film |
| 2012 | A Civil Arrangement | Isobel | TV film |
| 2012 | The Day My Nan Died | Jean | Short film |
| 2012 | Notes | Allison | Short film |
| 2014 | Peterman | Auntie Jean | |
| 2015 | Burn Burn Burn | Diana | |
| 2016 | Dad's Army | Mrs. Fox | |
| 2017 | French Exchange | Mrs. Phillips | Short film |
| 2017 | We Can Be Heroes | Granny Evans | |
| 2017 | Yours Faithfully Edna Welthorpe (Mrs) | Edna Welthorpe | Short film |
| 2018 | Bertie | Ann | Short film |
| 2018 | Ghosted | Alison | Short film |
| 2018 | Care | Mary | TV film |
| 2018 | Three Sacks Full of Hats | Mum | Short film |
| 2019 | Off Grid | Grace Tanner | Short film |
| 2020 | 23 Walks | Fern | |
| 2020 | Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse | Dora | TV film |
| 2021 | The King's Man | Rita | |
| 2024 | Better Man | Betty | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | Bel Ami | Fencer | Episode: "Madeleine" |
| 1973 | Z-Cars | WPC Bayliss | 2 episodes: "Suspicion" and "Nuisance" |
| 1973–1974 | Frost's Weekly | Various roles | 7 episodes |
| 1973–1981 | Play for Today | Various roles | 9 episodes |
| 1974 | Crown Court | Mary Chatham | 3 episodes: "Good and Faithful Friends: Parts 1–3" |
| 1974 | Second City Firsts | Jackie | Episode: "Girl" |
| 1975 | Second City Firsts | Helen | Episode: "Early to Bed" |
| 1975 | Tarbuck and All That! | Various roles | Series regular |
| 1975 | Oil Strike North | Paula Webber | Episode: "First Lion" |
| 1975 | The Wackers | Bernadette Clarkson | 7 episodes |
| 1976 | Crown Court | Cheryl Baker | 3 episodes: "Scard: Parts 1–3" |
| 1976 | Red Letter Day | Margaret Hudson | Episode: "Bag of Yeast" |
| 1977 | Esther Waters | Sarah | 3 episodes |
| 1978 | ITV Playhouse | Norma Hardy | Episode: "Ten Days That Shook the Branch" |
| 1979 | Two's Company | Pamela | Episode: "The Silence" |
| 1985–1987 | Nature in Focus | Helen | 12 episodes |
| 1986 | The Singing Detective | Mrs. Lili Marlow | Mini-series, 5 episodes |
| 1986 | In Sickness and in Health | Mother | Episode: "Christmas Special" |
| 1989 | Screen Two | Brenda Ogdon | Episode: "Virtuoso" |
| 1989 | The Jim Henson Hour | Perriwinkle | Episode: "Monster Maker" |
| 1989 | Screenplay | Marjorie | Episode: "A Small Mourning" |
| 1990 | Screen One | Jackie Johns | Episode: "News Hounds" |
| 1991 | Selling Hitler | Edda Goering | Mini-series, 1 episode |
| 1991 | Gone to the Dogs | Lauren Patterson | Mini-series, 6 episodes |
| 1992 | Gone to Seed | Hilda | Series regular, 6 episodes |
| 1994 | The Wimbledon Poisoner | Elinor Farr | Mini-series, 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Kavanagh QC | Evelyn Marie Kendall | Episode: "Nothing But the Truth" |
| 1995 | Pride and Prejudice | Mrs. Bennet | Mini-series, 6 episodes |
| 1995 | Coogan's Run | Annette | Episode: "The Curator" |
| 1995–1998 | Crapston Villas | Marge Stenson | Series regular, 20 episodes |
| 1996 | Karaoke | Mrs. Haynes | Mini-series, 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Cold Lazarus | Mrs. Haynes | Mini-series, 1 episode |
| 1996 | No Bananas | Evelyn Hamilton | Series regular, 10 episodes |
| 1998–2000 | Stressed Eric | Mrs. Perfect | Series regular, voice role, 13 episodes |
| 1999 | Let Them Eat Cake | Madame de Plonge | 4 episodes |
| 2000–2005 | Fat Friends | Betty Simpson | Series regular, 23 episodes |
| 2001 | Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years | Pauline Mole | Series regular, 6 episodes |
| 2002 | Celeb | Grandma | Episode: "The Love Child" |
| 2003 | Lenny Henry in Pieces | Various roles | 4 episodes |
| 2003 | Comic Relief | Professor Minerva McGonagall | Sketch: "Harry Potter and the Chamberpot of Azerbaijan" |
| 2004 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Marion Mattis | Episode: "Soft Touch" |
| 2004–2005 | The Lenny Henry Show | Mrs. Twelvetrees | 2 episodes |
| 2004–2006 | The Worst Week of My Life | Angela Cook | Series regular, 17 episodes |
| 2005 | Twisted Tales | Margery Faversham | Episode: "Fruitcake of the Living Dead" |
| 2005 | Bob the Builder | Bunty Ferguson (The Mayoress) | Voice role (UK dub). Episode: "Bob's Big Plan" |
| 2007 | The Last Detective | Karen Horner | Episode: "The Man from Montevideo" |
| 2007 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Kirsten Lindstrom | Episode: "Ordeal by Innocence" |
| 2007 | Fanny Hill | Mrs. Brown / Madam | 2 episodes: "#1.1" and "#1.2" |
| 2007 | The Omid Djalili Show | Mrs. Dashett | Episode: "#1.2" |
| 2007–2010, 2019, 2024 | Gavin & Stacey | Pam Shipman | Main role; 22 episodes |
| 2012 | Playhouse Presents | Tina | Episode: "King of the Teds" |
| 2012 | Inspector George Gently | Esther Dunwoody | Episode: "The Lost Child" |
| 2012 | Little Crackers | Alison's Mum Mrs. O'Grady | Episode: "Alison Steadmans Little Cracker: The Autograph" Episode: "Paul O'Grady's Little Cracker: Boo! A Ghost Story" |
| 2013 | Lewis | Rev. Martha Seager | 2 episodes: "Intelligent Design: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 2013 | The Syndicate | Rose Wilson | Series regular, 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Love and Marriage | Pauline Paradise | Series regular, 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Comedy Blaps | Mum | Episode: "A Liam Williams 'Blap': Episode 3 – Home" |
| 2014 | The Great War: The People's Story | Hallie Miles | Mini-series, 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Secrets | Angela | Episode: "The Dilemma" |
| 2014–2016 | Boomers | Joyce | Series regular, 13 episodes |
| 2015 | Inside No. 9 | 'Madam Talbot' / Anne | Episode: "Séance Time" |
| 2015–2016 | Orphan Black | Kendall Malone | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Midsomer Murders | Abigail Tonev | Episode: "The Incident at Cooper Hill" |
| 2016 | Yonderland | Barbara Maddox | Episode: "It's the Thought That Counts" |
| 2016 | Comedy Playhouse | Brenda | Episode: "Broken Biscuits" |
| 2017 | Comedy Playhouse | Cath | Episode: "Static" |
| 2017 | We Have Been Watching | Narrator | Series regular |
| 2018 | Butterfly | Barbara | Mini-series, 3 episodes |
| 2018 | The Reluctant Landlord | Debbie | Episode: "Mama's Boy" |
| 2018 | The Crystal Maze | Fairy God Mumsie | Episode: "Celebrity Christmas Special" |
| 2018–2019 | Hold the Sunset | Edith | Series regular, 13 episodes |
| 2019 | Moominvalley | Emma the Stage Rat | Voice role, 2 episodes: "Little My Moves In" and "Moominsummer Madness" |
| 2020 | Unprecedented | Liz's Mum | Episode: "#1.3" |
| 2020 | Housebound | Jane | Episode: "#1.12" |
| 2020 | Life | Gail Reynolds | Mini-series, 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Pandemonium | Sue Jessop | BBC One comedy (pilot episode of Here We Go) |
| 2022 | Rules of the Game | Anita Jenkins | Mini-series, 4 episodes |
| 2022–present | Here We Go | Sue Jessop | 8 episodes (including pilot and 2023 Christmas Special) |
| 2023 | Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry | Herself | Gold celebrity travel show |

## Awards and nominations

* 2000: Invested as Officer of the Order of the British Empire
| Year | Work | Awards | Category | Result |
| 1987 | The Singing Detective | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 1991 | Life Is Sweet | Taormina International Film Festival Awards | Golden Mask | Won |
| 1992 | Life Is Sweet | National Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Won |
| 1993 | The Rise and Fall of Little Voice | Olivier Awards | Best Actress | Won |
| 1996 | Pride and Prejudice | CableACE Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 1998 | The Memory of Water | Olivier Awards | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2001 | Fat Friends | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2016 | N/A | British Independent Film Awards | Richard Harris Award | Won |
| 2025 | Better Man | AACTA International Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |