Alison Steadman - Biography - IMDb Alison Steadman Jump to: Overview (2) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (10) | Personal Quotes (2) Overview (2) 5' 6½" (1.69 m) Mini Bio (1) Liverpool-born actress Alison Steadman was born in 1946, the daughter of George Percival Steadman and Marjorie Evans. Educated at Childwall Valley High School, she studied at the East-15 Acting School from 1966-1969, then toiled as a secretary at the Liverpool Probation Service before deciding on a full-time acting career. She made her professional stage debut in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" at the Theatre Royal in 1968, where she also played Ophelia in "Hamlet." Following repertory experience she met playwright Mike Leigh and appeared in his plays "The Jaws of Death" and "Wholesome Glory," the latter making her London debut in 1973.

She won the London Evening Standard Theatre Award in 1977 playing the lead role in "Abigail's Party" and appeared in a definitive TV version of the play directed by her husband that same year. Over the years Alison came to be known for her quirky roles and such dazzling stage work in "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" (winning an Olivier Award in 1992), The Memory of Water (1999), Joe Orton's "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" (2001) and "The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband" (2002), playing a wronged wife who does the unthinkable, only served to prove the extent of her versatility.

Although her film appearances have been spotty, she greatly enhanced the few she has done in support, including A Private Function (1984), Coming Through (1985), Clockwise (1986), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), and Shirley Valentine (1989), not to mention her director-husband's critically lauded pictures Life Is Sweet (1990), for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award, Secrets & Lies (1996), and Topsy-Turvy (1999). She and Leigh divorced in 2001. Alison has also entertained in many classy TV costumers, including The Singing Detective (1986), as the mother of Michael Gambon , and Pride and Prejudice (1995). - IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net Spouse (1) ( 15 August 1973 - 2001) (divorced) (2 children) Trivia (10) Elder son, Toby Leigh , is an illustrator and animator.

Younger son, Leo Leigh , is starting (as of December 2003) a career as a film-maker. She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's Millennium Honors List for her services to drama. She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1993 (1992 season) for Best Actress in "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice". She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "The Memory of Water" at the Vaudeville Theatre. She was awarded the 1986 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Kafka's Dick. Alison Steadman | Biography and Filmography | 1946 Cast as part of an ensemble in the UK comedy, "Confetti" 2004 Cast in the HBO movie "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" starring Geoffrey Rush 2001 Starred in London stage revival of Joe Orton's "Entertaining Mr.

Sloane" 1995 Played Mrs. Bennett in the highly-praised BBC adapation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" 1988 Played the wife of Michael Gambon in the acclaimed British TV series, "The Singing Detective", written by Dennis Potter 1983 Film debut, "Champions" 1977 Acclaimed for her performance in the British stage and TV productions of "Abigail's Party", written and directed by Mike Leigh 1973 London stage debut, "Wholesome Glory" 1973 British TV debut, "Hard Labour" 1968 Alison Steadman | Chickipedia Forgot password? Create account Alison Steadman Alison Steadman OBE is an award-winning English actress. Steadman was born 26th August 1946 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, the daughter of Marjorie (née Evans) and George Percival Steadman, who worked for an electronics firm as a production controller. DETAILS Add Alison Steadman OBE is an award-winning English actress.

Steadman was born 26th August 1946 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, the daughter of Marjorie (née Evans) and George Percival Steadman, who worked for an electronics firm as a production controller. As a child she attended a youth theatre and after leaving school at 16 she trained as a secretary and worked in a probation office as a clerical assistant. She moved to London and in her 20s enrolled in the East 15 Acting School, where she met Mike Leigh. They married in 1973 and had two sons, Toby in 1979 and Leo in 1981. They separated in 1995 and divorced in 2001. Her present partner is Michael Elwyn and she currently lives in Highgate, London. She created the role of the monstrous Beverly in Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party, which she reprised with the original cast on television.

Steadman also appeared in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, 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 also starred as Elmire in the 1983 RSC production of Molière's Tartuffe, which was adapted for BBC television. She has appeared in many films, including Shirley Valentine, Confetti, Clockwise, Wilt and A Private Function, although she is perhaps most noted for her work in films directed by Leigh such as Life Is Sweet. She appeared opposite James Bolam in the TV-Film The Missing Postman. Her television work include Fat Friends as Betty, Grumpy Old Women, Selling Hitler, Let Them Eat Cake, The Singing Detective, No Bananas The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Pride and Prejudice as Mrs. Bennet. She also provides a voice over in the children's TV show Bob the Builder.

Television productions directed by Leigh in which she has appeared include Nuts in May, and most famously Abigail's Party. She also appeared in the BBC comedy The Worst Week of My Life. In 2007 she has been seen in the BBC Three comedy Gavin & Stacey as Gavin's proud mother Pamela, and in Fanny Hill on BBC Four. 2007 BBC Play The Dinner Party An update of Mike Leigh’s 1977 classic Abigail’s Party, with Lee Evans She appeared in Girl, a 1974 BBC play, which had the first lesbian kiss on British television which Alison performed with Myra Frances. On radio, Alison's talent for mimicry and 'character voices' was given full rein in shows such as Week Ending, Castle's on the Air and The Worst Show on the Wireless, in both the latter of which she played the over-protective mother to Eli Woods' long-suffering Bunty/Precious.

From 1982 to 1984 she joined Eli Woods and Eddie Braben (Morecambe and Wise's scriptwriter) in the UK radio show The Show with No Name for the 13 episodes, in what can be described as an updated version of 'Round the Horne' comedy sketch show. More recently, since 2002, she has starred as Mrs Naughtie in the series Hamish and Dougal . Actress Alison Steadman, age 69, and partner Michael Elwyn finally getting married? Actress Alison Steadman, age 69, and partner Michael Elwyn finally getting married? 11 months AGO , In Entertainment It looks like actress Alison Steadman has finally made up her mind to get married to her long term partner Michael Elwyn. The couple has been together for almost twenty years, but never had they talked about exchanging wedding vows. But now, after almost two decades of staying together as a couple, the actress has finally shown desire to get married with Elwyn, a source claimed.

The English actress, who is best known for her National Society of Film Critics Award winning role as Wendy in the movie Life is Sweet, has been together with her partner since she separated from her former husband, director Mike Leigh. But the couple was happy to be together without marrying each other. However, now, according to the aforementioned insider, the much in love couple is planning on tying the knot. “Alison and Michael were never serious about getting married. They were/are happy living together as each other’s partners. But now, it seems they have finally shown the desire for marriage,” said the source. The informant further added, “Alison was married to Mike Leigh for almost twenty two years and two decades is not a short period of time. She and Mike gave birth to their two children and they were happy. They were a great couple with two adorable sons. But things did not work out as it should have and Alison and Mike separated. “Alison has had her share of happiness and bitterness in marriage. She has a good experience of what marriage is like. She was a good wife and a caring mother, but she had had enough with family life. So, she never wanted to get married ever again in her life.

Alison wanted to enjoy her life with her partner away from all the troubles of a married life and family. “Michael has never been married before and he is already 73 years old. However, he has always been quite eager to get hitched to his lady love. But he never dared propose to her, not because he was scared of her, but because he loved her and respected her wish to stay unmarried,” revealed the source. The gossip monger further spilled the beans claiming that the wedding was Steadman’s idea. “It is Alison’s idea, you know, getting married and all. She now thinks that it is high time for both of them to settle down with each other. Now that the couple is in their 70s, Alison has decided to take this brave step,” stated the tale bearer. So, if Steadman and Elwyn do ring the wedding bells, then everybody will surely be more than happy for the couple. Talking about Steadman’s former marriage, she started dating Leigh after meeting on the sets of the television film Hard Labour. They got married in 1973. The couple has two sons, Toby and Leo.

After separating in 1995, the couple divorced in 2001. The actress, who is known for her short haircut, has kept her net worth undisclosed. You May Like Alison Steadman : definition of Alison Steadman and synonyms of Alison Steadman (English) 7 External links Early life Steadman was born in Liverpool , Merseyside , England , the youngest of three sisters, the daughter of Marjorie (née Evans), who died of cancer , [2] and George Percival Steadman, [3] who worked for Plessey , an electronics firm, as a production controller. Education 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 , to which she secured a place in the autumn of 1966, where she first met Mike Leigh , during her second year.

[4] Life and career Stage work Having left the East 15 Acting School in Loughton , Steadman worked in various regional repertory theatres, starting at Lincoln , where her first role was that of the seductive 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. Steadman also appeared in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice , Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , Entertaining Mr Sloane , Hotel Paradiso, and others in locations as diverse as the Royal Court , the Theatre Royal ,[ disambiguation needed ] 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.[ citation needed ] In 2010, Steadman was cast as Madame Arcati in a revival of Noël Coward 's Blithe Spirit , which was scheduled for a national tour from November 2010 to March 2011.

[5] Film Steadman has appeared in many films, including Shirley Valentine , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , Confetti , Clockwise , P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang , Wilt , A Private Function , Life Is Sweet and Topsy Turvy . Television 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 . From 2007 to 2010 she appeared in the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey as Pamela. She was also in Fanny Hill on BBC Four in 2007. Steadman starred with Myra Frances in Girl, a 1974 BBC play, containing the first lesbian kiss on British television. [6] Radio On radio, Steadman's talent for mimicry and character voices was given full rein in shows such as Week Ending , Castle's on the Air and The Worst Show on the Wireless, in both the latter of which she played the over-protective mother to Eli Woods ' long-suffering Bunty/Precious.

From 1982 to 1984 she joined Eli Woods and Eddie Braben ( Morecambe and Wise 's scriptwriter) in the UK radio show The Show with No Name for the 13 episodes, in what can be described as an updated version of Round the Horne comedy sketch show. More recently, since 2002, she has starred as Mrs Naughtie in the series Hamish and Dougal . In December 2009, she starred in the late Mike Stott's 'My Mad Grandad' on BBC Radio 4 . [7] Personal life In 1972, and in Manchester to shoot his television film Hard Labour , director Mike Leigh drove over to Liverpool to see Ted Whitehead's play The Foursome, (Steadman was in the Liverpool Everyman cast), and asked Steadman to be in his film. "During the preparation of the film, Mike and Alison, as they both say, 'got together.' " [8] They married in 1973 and had two sons, Toby in February 1978 and Leo in August 1981.

[9] They separated in 1995 and divorced in 2001. Steadman's present partner is Michael Elwyn [10] and she lives in Highgate , London. [11] Awards and recognition Alison Steadman: 10 Things to Know About the ‘Orphan Black’ Star (Spoilers) | Anglophenia | BBC America Alison Steadman: 10 Things to Know About the ‘Orphan Black’ Star (Spoilers) Alison Steadman on 'Orphan Black' (Photo: BBC AMERICA) Copy the link below By Kevin Wicks | 2 years ago Alison Steadman on ‘Orphan Black’ (Photo: BBC AMERICA) The penultimate episode of Orphan Black ‘s third season revealed a pivotal character played by a very familiar face from British television and film. Yes, that was Alison Steadman you saw facing off with Tatiana Maslany as Kendall Malone, “the original” for both Projects Leda and Castor. If you missed it, here’s the clip: This is just her latest role in a nearly 50-year career.

Here are 10 things you should know about the veteran star: She was married to Mike Leigh for more than 20 years She was one half of one of independent film’s most enduring romantic and professional partnerships through her marriage to director Mike Leigh, whom she married in 1973. Steadman starred in several of Leigh’s highly improvisational projects, including 1973’s Hard Labour, 1976’s Nuts in May, 1977’s Abigail’s Party, 1990’s Life is Sweet, 1996’s Secrets and Lies, and 1999’s Topsy Turvy. The couple split up in 1995, officially divorcing in 2001. Here’s the trailer for Life is Sweet, which was Leigh and Steadman’s international breakthrough film: <noscript><iframe width="500" height="375" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> She’s Gavin’s mum from Gavin and Stacey She played the smothering mother Pam Shipman in the BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey from 2007 to 2010.

In the series, she still treats her twentysomething son as a little boy, and her neurotic moments provide much of the series’ comedy: <noscript><iframe width="500" height="281" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> She’s Liz Bennet’s mum from the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice Steadman showed another side of meddling motherhood back in 1995, portraying the comically over-the-top matriarch Mrs. Bennet in the now-classic Jane Austen adaptation starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. <noscript><iframe width="500" height="375" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> She came to fame in Britain with 1977’s Abigail’s Party She played Beverly, a former department store makeup artist who has her neighbors over for an awkward drinks party in Mike Leigh’s play recorded for television. “That character was devised by me and Mike Leigh,” Steadman told The Big Issue . “We started with a blank sheet of paper and we improvised and we ended up with Abigail. I feel very proud of that.

I was four months pregnant when we filmed it for TV. And 36 years later people still stop me in the street to talk about it.” <noscript><iframe width="500" height="375" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> She has two sons, both of whom went into the arts Steadman has two sons, Leo Leigh, 34, filmmaker, and Toby Leigh, 38, illustrator, with ex-husband Mike Leigh. You can find samples of Toby’s artwork at his website Tobatron.com . Here’s a peek at the trailer for Leo’s documentary Sci Fi Love: Klingon Banquet. <noscript><iframe src="" width="610" height="344" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></noscript> She appreciates poetry The actress contributed to the “Words for You” recording , consisting of actors reading poetry, set to classical music. The CD contains readings by 12 actors including Joanna Lumley, Anthony Head, and Ben Whishaw, with a portion of the proceeds going to the I CAN charity. Steadman performs Elizabeth Jennings‘ “Friendship” in the below clip.

<noscript><iframe width="500" height="281" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> She’s as respected on stage as she is on the screen Steadman won an Olivier, Britain’s answer to the Tony award, for her role as Mari in the Sam Mendes-directed play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice opposite Jane Horrocks. (She defeated Judi Dench, Stockard Channing, and Horrocks in her category in 1993. Horrocks went on to star in the movie version, with Brenda Blethyn taking on the role of Mari.) Steadman would be Olivier-nominated again in 2000 for her role as Teresa in the West End production of The Memory of Water. She chooses to age gracefully Steadman, at the age of 67 (now 68), talked about aging as an actress in an interview last year, telling the U.K.’s Daily Mail , “Who doesn’t want to be 21? Come on! But we have got to accept we all age.” She adds that she has no plans of indulging in cosmetic surgery, as she hates needles and hospitals.

Alison Steadman in 1974 (left) and 2011. (Getty Images) She’s never been interested in Hollywood “I’ve never been asked to go there and I’ve never been interested, either,” she told The Daily Telegraph in 2014. “The people I’ve known who went there all experienced the same thing: if you’re a woman, it doesn’t matter what age you are, they say ‘Lose a stone’ as a matter of course, do this, do that, have your eyes done, they’re told what to eat. Anyway, Americans can play Americans better than me. I play British people, I know British people, I observe them, I listen.” Here’s a clip of her playing British so well in 1992’s Gone to Seed opposite Jim Broadbent and Rufus Sewell. <noscript><iframe width="500" height="375" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></noscript> But she has been interested in The Beatles Steadman met Paul McCartney and John Lennon of the Beatles when she was 16 years old, growing up in Liverpool, England, during the 1960s.

Sure, it’s a great story for a dinner party, but Steadman went one step further and wrote a short about her experience for the series Little Crackers. Steadman portrays the mother of her younger self in the The Autograph. Alison Steadman got John Lennon’s autograph, seen above, after a show in 1962. (YouTube) Are you excited to see Alison Steadman on Orphan Black? See More: Who is Alison Steadman dating? Alison Steadman boyfriend, husband Year(s) Active 1971–present, 1968–present Alison Steadman, OBE (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She won 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 No. 42.

More about Alison Steadman Learn and talk about Alison Steadman, 20th-century English actresses, 21st-century English actresses, Actresses from Liverpool, Alumni of the University of Essex 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). [2] She received BAFTA TV Award nominations for the 1986 BBC serial The Singing Detective , and in 2001 for the ITV drama series Fat Friends (2000–05). Other television roles include Pride and Prejudice (1995), Gavin & Stacey (2007–10) and Orphan Black (2015–16). Her other film appearances include A Private Function (1984), Clockwise (1986) Shirley Valentine (1989), Topsy Turvy (1999) and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004).

Contents Early life[ edit ] Steadman was born in Liverpool , the youngest of three sisters born to Marjorie (née Evans) and George Percival Steadman, [3] who worked as a production controller for Plessey , an electronics firm. Education[ edit ] 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 , to which she secured a place in the autumn of 1966 and where she met Mike Leigh during her second year. [4] Life and career[ edit ] Stage work[ edit ] 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 that of the seductive 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.[ citation needed ] In 2010, Steadman was cast as Madame Arcati in a revival of Noël Coward 's Blithe Spirit , which was scheduled for a national tour from November 2010 to March 2011. [5] In 2014, Steadman appeared as Madame Raquin in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Emile Zola's Therese Raquin . [6] [7] From 2007 to 2009, she appeared in the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey as Pam Shipman . She was also in Fanny Hill on BBC Four in 2007.

Steadman starred with Myra Frances in Girl, a 1974 BBC play in the Second City Firsts series, performing the first lesbian kiss on British television. [8] Radio[ edit ] On radio, Steadman's talent for mimicry and character voices was given full rein in shows such as Week Ending , Castle's on the Air and The Worst Show on the Wireless, in both the latter of which she played the over-protective mother to Eli Woods ' long-suffering Bunty/Precious. From 1982 to 1984, she joined Eli Woods and Eddie Braben ( Morecambe and Wise 's scriptwriter) in the UK radio show The Show with No Name for thirteen episodes, in what can be described as an updated version of Round the Horne comedy sketch show. More recently, since 2002, she has starred as Mrs Naughtie in the series Hamish and Dougal . In December 2009, she starred in the late Mike Stott's 'My Mad Grandad' on BBC Radio 4 .

[9] Personal life[ edit ] In Manchester in 1972, shooting his television film Hard Labour , director Mike Leigh drove over to Liverpool to see Ted Whitehead's play The Foursome, (Steadman was in the Liverpool Everyman cast). He asked Steadman to be in his film. "During the preparation of the film, Mike and Alison, as they both say, 'got together.' " [10] They married in 1973 and had two sons, Toby (born February 1978) and Leo (born August 1981). [11] The couple separated in 1995 and divorced in 2001. Steadman's present partner is Michael Elwyn [12] and the couple live in Highgate , London. [13] Steadman and other celebrities, including Tom Hiddleston , Jo Brand , E. L. James and Rachel Riley , designed and signed cards for the UK-based charity Thomas Coram Foundation for Children . The campaign was launched by crafting company Stampin’ Up! UK and the cards were auctioned off on eBay during May 2014.

[14] Awards and recognition[ edit ] Original courtesy of Wikipedia: — Please support Wikipedia. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia . A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. We're sorry, but there's no news about "Alison Steadman" right now. Limit to books that you can completely read online Include partial books (book previews) Oops, we seem to be having trouble contacting Twitter Support Wikipedia A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. Please add your support for Wikipedia! Searchlight Group Digplanet also receives support from Searchlight Group. Visit Searchlight Copyright © 2009-2016 Digparty. All rights reserved. Alison Steadman: We've all got a bit of Beverly in us - Telegraph Culture Alison Steadman: We've all got a bit of Beverly in us The role that made Alison Steadman a star 35 years ago was the talk of the nation - and we’re still quoting lines at her in the street, she tells Roya Nikkhah. Photo: GEOFF PUGH Follow An audience with Alison Steadman OBE does not disappoint.

Often described as Britain’s best-loved comedic actress, Steadman moves between pitch-perfect accents – from Cockney to Essex twang to LA drawl – as she dips in and out of anecdotes from a four-decade career. Currently preparing for her latest incarnation as Pat, a lonely sixtysomething widow in Michael Frayn’s comedy Here, Steadman is bracing herself for the inevitable stage fright. “It’s scary,” she says, laughing with mock wide-eyed fear. “And it gets scarier as you get older.” Now 65, and still undeniably attractive with a feathered haircut and cheekbones that actresses 40 years her junior would be grateful for, rehearsals at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, where we meet, have given Steadman pause for thought. “Pat is the classic case of a woman at a very difficult time in her life,” she says. “She’s alone, winding down. She’s very reflective of her life, she’s like me, looking back. I think this part has made me more reflective than I was about life.

It happens to a lot of women, even if they have people around them, they get to an age, and I think I’m going through a bit of it now. “When you’re young, you bowl through life, you don’t think about life – you’re just living it. Then you get to about my age – and of course I’m still living life and enjoying it – but I’m more reflective and I’m looking back rather than looking forward. With my career, I’m constantly looking back at what I did.” Related Articles Mike Leigh's 12 best films 08 Feb 2015 For old times’ sake, she is rewatching The Singing Detective, the 1986 BBC mini-series written by Dennis Potter in which she starred and was nominated for a Bafta. Looking back, is she pleased with what she sees? “Not all of it – some of it I’m really embarrassed about,” she says laughing, head in hands. “I sometimes think I might just take it easy and go bird-watching or walking.

Sometimes I think, actually, I’d be just as happy going to a nature reserve, and if I could see a lesser-spotted woodpecker, that would be as big a thrill as being offered a nice part.” Steadman can perhaps say such things having played so many memorable roles. They include Pamela, the endearingly neurotic Essex mother in the BBC’s hit sitcom Gavin and Stacey; Jane, Shirley Valentine’s flamboyant friend in the 1989 film adaptation of Willy Russell’s play; the comically vulgar Mrs Bennet in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice; and the earnest Candice Marie in Nuts in May, the 1976 film written and directed by Mike Leigh, Steadman’s former husband. The couple met in 1966 during Steadman’s second year at drama school in Essex. They married in 1973 and have two sons, but split after 22 years when Steadman left Leigh for the actor Michael Elwyn, her long-term partner with whom she shares a home in Highgate.

She has said of Leigh: “We had a long marriage but things change and sometimes there’s not much you can do about it. That doesn’t mean to say there has to be animosity. We grew apart.” They may yet collaborate again, something Steadman has not ruled out. “Never say never,” she tells me, in a tone that signals it is time to move off the subject. Steadman’s breakthrough role was Beverly, the overbearing, aspirational beautician in Abigail’s Party, originally devised by Leigh for the Hampstead Theatre and later televised on the BBC and watched by more than 18 million viewers. Drunk, materialistic, comically and tragically grotesque, Beverly struck a chord with the nation and 35 years later, Steadman says people still approach her on the street and quote some of Beverly’s most outrageous lines. A revival of the play at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London is currently enjoying a sell-out run. “Overnight, that piece was incredibly powerful,” she says. “They were very strong, identifiable characters.

We laugh at them because we say, 'Oh my God, I know that person, thank goodness I’m not like that,’ and you cringe, but you know they’re true. We can safely sit in the comfort of our living rooms or theatre seats and laugh our heads off. But we’ve perhaps all got a bit of Beverly in us.” Leigh’s work was a comic study of class, and I wonder whether Steadman, who was born in Liverpool to working-class parents, thinks we have become more or less class-conscious since Abigail’s Party was first performed? “Probably less, I would say.” The play made Steadman a household name, and offers rolled in for the young rising star. But instead of accepting everything that came her way, the following year she had her first son, Toby. She took nearly a year off to be with him, and did the same in 1981 when her second son, Leo, was born, a move almost unheard of these days when many actresses appear to shed their baby weight instantly and are back on stage or in front of a camera within weeks of giving birth. “A lot of actresses struggle with it,” she concedes.

“I just thought, I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking the only thing I remember about my mother was her walking out the door and coming back at 11 at night, and that’s true for a lot of actors’ kids. “The first time I went back to work when my son was 10 months old, I sat in the car and sobbed, so I knew then that I had to find a balance. Listen, it wasn’t perfect, but on the whole I hope when they look back they’ll say, yes she worked but she did spend a lot of time with us and made us birthday cakes. I feel sorry for a lot of mothers now because they do feel an obligation as soon as the kid is three weeks old to stick it in a nursery or get a nanny and go back to work.” Steadman has consciously steered clear of Hollywood, and acts out a sketch, in a perfect American accent, of a disastrous visit there with an agent in the 1980s, to justify her decision. “It was one of the worst experiences of my life. He was like, Hey, Aaaalison, I watched your movie last night, I fell asleep, not because it was boring.

Hey John come over here. You see that movie Shirley Valentine? No? But Aaaalison, let’s get you back out here to meet some people… I thought, no, no, no. I just want to go home where I’m known and loved – hopefully – and people know my work. I’m not touting myself round here. I play British people because I know British people.” She is also scathing of Hollywood’s obsession with slimness. “A wonderful young actress I worked with went to America and they said, 'First thing you gotta do, lose a stone’. She came back a shadow of her former self; she looked awful. I just think it’s so wrong. No wonder all these people are getting anorexia. We’re ending up where all these young ones look like bloody clones of each other.” Still very much in demand, Steadman concedes she is an exception to the rule and bemoans the dearth of good roles for older actresses. “Drama is all about love and sex, and everything is geared towards young people.

It’s like you stop living after the age of 35 – you’re not interesting any more because you’re not having these amazing sexual encounters, falling in and out of love. But of course [older] viewers are still there, life is still there, and interesting and dramatic things are still happening.” Not that she finds current television dramas all that appealing. “Everything in television is cutting, cutting, cutting – they think people haven’t got the concentration to watch a scene that lasts for 10 minutes, so it’s cut back to this, cut back to that,” she says, clicking her fingers for effect. “And now there are adverts cutting in all the time – so when a writer is writing, they have to write a cliffhanger before every break. They’re forcing it. It’s there in all the ITV dramas. Oh dear, I sound like such a whinger.” When not working, Steadman loves nothing more than epic table-tennis matches with whoever will take her on – she recently bought a ping pong table for her flat, and says it keeps her spritely, as do country walks.

“Though I don’t walk as far as I used to!” Back in reflective mood, she muses: “The great thing about this profession is that you never know what’s round the corner. There may be bugger all, but there may be something lovely. And I’ve been lucky, I can put a crust on the table without having to panic.” On cue, she pulls out her very own crust, a loaf of brown bread discreetly hidden in her bag, and with that, Steadman is off to feed the swans. 'Here’ is at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, from April 19 to May 12. Visit or call 08444 821 556

Question: British actress Alison Steadman married which film director/writer in 1973?
Answer: Mike Leigh