# Sara Kestelman

Sara Kestelman (born 12 May 1944) is an English actress, who is known for her role as Lady Frances Brandon, Lady Jane Grey's mother, in the 1986 film Lady Jane, as well as for providing the voice of Kreia in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

## Life and career

Kestelman was born in London, the daughter of Dorothy Mary (née Creagh), a dress designer, and Morris Kestelman, an artist. Her father was Jewish, from a family from Russia.
In 1994, she won a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for her performance as Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret in the London revival of the show. She has performed with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Kestelman joined the latter in 1968 but left in 1973 when she had her first film role in Zardoz. In 1982, she played Lady Macbeth.
Kestelman wrote a book of poetry, A Two Hander, with Susan Penhaligon. It was published by The Do-Not Press in 1996.
She voiced the character Kreia in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1974 | Zardoz | May |
| 1975 | Lisztomania | Princess Carolyn |
| 1976 | Break of Day | Alice |
| 1986 | Lady Jane | Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk |
| 1997 | Love Story: Berlin 1942 | Narrator |
| 2006 | Ex Memoria (short) | Eva |

### TV

| Year | Series | Episode | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Dixon of Dock Green | "The Executioners" (No. 13.4) 22 October 1966 | Sonia Watts | |
| 1971 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | "The Mystery of the Amber Beads" (No. 2.13) 16 April 1973 | Hagar | |
| 1975 | BBC2 Playhouse | "Mrs Ackland's Ghosts" | Mrs Ackland |
| 1975 | Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration | | Ruth | |
| 1975 | Under Western Eyes | | | |
| 1976 | The New Avengers | "Sleeper" (No. 1.10) 19 December 1976 | Tina | |
| 1976-1984 | Crown Court | eight episodes | Ann Merritt |
| 1978 | Kean | | Elena, Countess de Koefeld | |
| 1981 | Nationwide | (No. 13.129) 16 July 1981 | | |
| 1981 | Bergerac | "See You in Moscow" (No. 1.5) 15 November 1981 | Margaret Semple | credited as Sarah Kestelman |
| 1985 | Lady Windermere's Fan | | Duchess of Berwick | |
| 1989 | Somewhere to Run | | Magistrate | |
| 1991 | The War That Never Ends | | Presenter (voice) | |
| 1991 | The Last Romantics | | Queenie Leavis | |
| 1991 | Van der Valk | "Doctor Hoffmann's Children" (No. 4.1) 16 January 1991 | Monika Hendricks | |
| 1993 | Cabaret | | Fräulein Schneider | |
| 1996 | Brazen Hussies | | Madame Zarene | |
| 1997 | Kavanagh QC | "Ancient History" (No. 3.3) 17 March 1997 | Halina Birnbaum | |
| 1997 | The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling | | Mrs. Wilkins | miniseries |
| 1998 | Invasion: Earth | | Group Capt. Susan Preston | miniseries |
| 1998 | The Going Wrong | | Tessa Mandeville | |
| 2000 | Relic Hunter | "Memories of Montmartre" (No. 1.22) 22 May 2000 | Simone DeGuerre | |
| 2000 | Anna Karenina | | Countess Vronskaya | miniseries |
| 2001 | Mind Games | | Dr. Davina Ward | |
| 2001 | Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause | | Narrator | |
| 2003 | Ultimate Force | Series 2, episode 2 'Mad Dogs' | Lady Lee | |
| 2003 | Trial & Retribution VII | | Judge Emily Hilliard | |
| 2004 | Casualty | "Finding Faith" (No. 18.29) 13 March 2004 | Mary Wynne | |
| 2005 | Midsomer Murders | "Hidden Depths" (No. 9.1) | Bernie | |
| 2011 | Holby City | "Old Habits" (No. 13.42) 8 February 2011 | Clarice Parker | |
| 2020 | Inside No 9 | "Thinking Out Loud" (No. 5.5) 2 March 2020 | Therapist |
| 2022 | This Is Going to Hurt | Episode 2 Episode 3 | Magda Winnicka |

### Documentaries

* Reputations – Wiesenthal and Lord Kitchener
* Horizon – Beyond a Joke

### Theatre

* The Importance of Being Earnest ~ (Library Theatre, Manchester, England)
* The Crucible ~ (Library Theatre, Manchester, England)
* The Physicists ~ (Library Theatre, Manchester, England)
* A Midsummer Night's Dream ~ 1970 – Titania (Royal Shakespeare Theatre)
* Enemies ~ 1971 – (Aldwych Theatre, London, England)
* Macbeth ~ 1972 – Lady Macbeth (Birmingham Rep. England)
* Marquise of Keith ~ 1974 – Mona/Anna (Aldwych Theatre, London, England)
* Bedroom Farce ~ 1977 – (National Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
* State of Revolution ~ 1977 – Kollontai (Repertory Theatre, Birmingham/The Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
* Twelve Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1978 – (National Theatre, London, England)
* The Double Dealer ~ 1978/9 – (Olivier Theatre, London, England)
* As You Like It ~ 1979 – Rosalind (National Theatre, London, England)
* Undiscovered Country ~ 1979 – (Olivier Theatre, London, England)
* The Fruits of Enlightenment ~ 1979 – Lady with the Monocle (Royal National Theatre, London, England)
* Eleven Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1979 –
* Nine Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1980 – (National Theatre, London, England)
* Childe Byron ~ 1981 – (Young Vic, London, England)
* Macbeth ~ 1982 – (Royal Shakespeare Company, England)
* Love for Love ~ 1985 – (Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
* Repertoire Leaflet ~ 1985/6 – (National Theatre, London, England)
* The Threepenny Opera ~ 1986 – (Olivier Theater, London, England)
* Four Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1986 – (Royal National Theatre, London, England)
* The American Clock ~ 1986 – (Royal National Theatre, London, England)
* Dalliance ~ 1986 – (Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
* Lettice and Lovage ~ 1988 – (West End, London, England)
* Point Valaine ~ 1991 – Linda Valaine (Minerva Studio, Chichester, UK) (see Actor Connections – Theatre)
* Cabaret ~ 1993 – Fraulein Schneider (Donmar Warehouse, London, England)
* Fiddler on the Roof ~ 1994 – (London Palladium,London, England)
* Three Tall Women ~ 1995 – (Wyndham's Theatre, London, England)
* Nine ~ 1996 – (Donmar Warehouse, London, England)
* Copenhagen ~ 1998 – Margrethe Bohr (The Duchess Theatre, ; West End, London, England)
* Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn and Victorian Music Hall ~ 1999 – Dame Marten (Britten Theatre, London, England)
* All About Me ~ 2001 – one woman show (Royal National Theatre, the Firebird Cafe in New York, the Royal Academy of Art)
* Hamlet ~ 2001 – Queen Gertrude (Wilbur Theatre, Boston, MA, US)
* Bitter Fruits of Palestine ~ 2002 – (Barons Court Theatre, London, England)
* The Shape of Metal ~ 2003 – Nell Jeffrey (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Ireland)
* Girl with a Pearl Earring ~ 2008 (Cambridge Arts Theatre; West End, London, England)
* Torch Song Trilogy ~ 2012 – Mrs Backoff (Menier Chocolate Factory, London)
* The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures – 2016 – Clio – (Hampstead Theatre)
* The Lady in the Van - 2017 - Margaret Fairchild/Miss Shepherd - (Theatre Royal, Bath)

### Audio books

* King Lear ~ 2002 – Regan
* Mill on the Floss
* Proto Zoe
* Quarantine
* The Siege
* When I Lived in Modern Times
* Full House

### Radio

* Full House (read and adapted)
* Baldi

### Video games

* Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords ~ 2004 – voice of Kreia
* Shattered Union ~ 2005 – Narrator (voice)

## Awards, honours and nominations

* Australian Film Institute
* Nom 1977 Best Actress in a Lead Role for Break of Day
* Clarence Derwent Award
* Rec'd 1994 Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Cabaret
* Irish Times ESB Awards
* Nom 2004 for The Shape of Metal
* Laurence Olivier Theatre Award
* Rec'd 1994 Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Cabaret