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Amanda Root

{{short description|British actress (born 1963)}}

{{for|the American social reformer|Amanda Lane Root}}

{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Amanda Root

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption = Root in rehearsal for The Chalk Garden

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1963}}

| birth_place = Chelmsford, Essex, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma mater = Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art

| occupation = Actress

| years_active = 1983–present

}}

Amanda Root (born 1963) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her starring role as Anne Elliot in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Persuasion. A familiar face on both stage and screen, she worked regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company during her early career, performing as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, among other roles. In 2009, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Sarah in Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests.

Her film roles include The Iron Lady (2011), Their Finest (2016), The Black Prince (2017) and Summerland (2020). Root is also known for her television roles, including Dolly in Anna Karenina (2000), Mrs Davilow in Daniel Deronda (2002), and Winifred Dartie in The Forsyte Saga (2002−2003). In 2018, she played Carol Finch in ITV crime drama Unforgotten (2018), and in 2023, she portrayed Sue Farquhar in BBC drama The Sixth Commandment (2023).

Life and career

Root was born in Chelmsford, Essex, to Ken and Maureen Root.{{Cite web |date=2009-05-07 |title=Colchester actress nominated for US showbiz award |url=https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/4347932.actress-amanda-root-up-for-a-tony-award/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Gazette |language=en}} Her father was an accountant, whilst her mother had performed in amateur dramatic productions as a child.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title='I'm so much happier now' |url=https://www.womanalive.co.uk/home/im-so-much-happier-now/4758.article |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Woman Alive |language=en}} Both were supportive of her ambitions to become an actor. She attended Philip Morant School in Colchester, studying drama at O Level; she joined the Essex Youth Theatre as a teenager. After graduating from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, she began her career at the Leeds Playhouse in 1983 when she played Essie in George Bernard Shaw's The Devil's Disciple.

She was a remarkably complete actress even in her early twenties, when physically she looked little more than a child. With her dark soulful eyes she could command a stage, and the Royal Shakespeare Company saw her talent very early on.{{cite book

| last =Trowbridge

| first =Simon

| title =Stratfordians, a dictionary of the RSC

| chapter= Amanda Root

| publisher = Editions Albert Creed

| location= Oxford, England

| year =2008

| pages=429–430

| isbn =978-0-9559830-1-6

}}

She worked regularly with the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon and London from 1983 to 1991, including playing the role of Juliet to Daniel Day-Lewis's Romeo; a very young Lady Macbeth; Cressida to Ralph Fiennes's Troilus, and Rosaline to his Berowne. She also appeared as Jessica opposite Ian McDiarmid's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice.

In 1985, Root made her television debut in the pilot episode of Ladies in Charge, as one of a trio of women setting up an agency to help others in postwar London. She then starred as the title character in Mary Rose, a television drama based on the play by J.M. Barrie. In 1988, she featured as the Storyteller in five episodes of children's series Jackanory, and the following year voiced Sophie in animated feature The BFG. The film was aired on ITV on Christmas Day. In 1991, she reprised her role as Adela in a Channel 4 adaptation of The House of Bernarda Alba alongside Glenda Jackson, having originally played the character in a 1986 stage production at the Lyric Hammersmith.{{Cite web |title=Production of The House of Bernarda Alba {{!}} Theatricalia |url=https://theatricalia.com/play/3ta/the-house-of-bernarda-alba/production/c2n |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=theatricalia.com}} She also starred as Nina in Chekhov's The Seagull at the Barbican Theatre. In 1993, Root played Hilda Maxwell in ITV period drama The Man Who Cried, opposite Ciarán Hinds.{{Citation |last=Whyte |first=Michael |title=The Man Who Cried |date=1993-01-03 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106060/ |type=Drama |access-date=2023-10-18 |others=Ciarán Hinds, Kate Buffery, Amanda Root |publisher=Festival Film & Television}} The series, adapted from the novel by Catherine Cookson, received positive reviews and was watched by 12.7 million viewers.

In 1994, she appeared in BBC comedy drama series Love on a Branch Line as Miss Mounsey. That same year, Root was sought by the actress Emma Thompson for the role of Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, based on the 1811 novel by Jane Austen. She participated in a read through in London with the cast but was unable to take on the role (it would later go to Kate Winslet) as she had already committed to star as Anne Elliot in another Austen adaptation, Persuasion.{{Cite web |title=Emma Thompson: Write for the Part |url=https://ew.com/article/1995/12/15/emma-thompson-write-part/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=EW.com |language=en}} The film, made by the BBC for drama anthology series Screen Two, reunited Root with Ciarán Hinds, who played Captain Wentworth. It was broadcast on BBC Two in April 1995, and later gained a limited cinematic release in the United States, grossing over five million dollars.{{Cite web |title=Persuasion |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0114117/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Box Office Mojo}} Well received by critics, it went on to win five TV BAFTAs, including for Best Single Drama.{{Cite web |title=BAFTA Awards |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1996/television/single-drama |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=awards.bafta.org}} In 1996, she played Patricia “Pat” Green in Breaking the Code. Root's character was inspired by Bletchley code-breaker Joan Clarke, and starred Derek Jacobi as Alan Turing.

In 1998, Root starred in BBC crime drama Mortimer's Law, as Rachel Mortimer, a barrister who relocates to rural Wales to take up a vacant coroner's post. The series ran for six episodes but was not recommissioned. In 2000, she played Dolly in Anna Karenina, and later appeared as Mrs. Davilow in Daniel Deronda. That same year, Root returned to the stage in Yasmina Reza's Conversations After a Burial at the Almeida Theatre. She also made guest appearances in various crime dramas, including A Touch of Frost, Foyle's War, Waking the Dead, Poirot and Midsomer Murders. In 2004, she appeared in ten episodes of period drama The Forsyte Saga as Winifred Dartie. The following year, she featured in the docudrama Julian Fellowes Investigates, playing murder victim Vera Sidney.{{cite web | url=https://www.truecrimelibrary.com/crimearticle/vera-sidney/ | title=Vera Sidney | True Crime Library | work=True Crime Library | Your Source for the World's Best True Crime Stories | date=20 October 2015 }} In 2006, she portrayed Alice Hoschede, wife of Impressionist painter Claude Monet, in the BBC miniseries The Impressionists. She also made her third appearance at the Almeida Theatre as Polina Bardin in Enemies by Maxim Gorky, in a new interpretation by David Hare.{{Cite web |last=Benedict |first=David |date=2006-05-28 |title=Enemies |url=https://variety.com/2006/legit/reviews/enemies-1200515872/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

In 2008, Root was cast as Sarah in Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests. It was first staged at the Old Vic Theatre in London, before making its Broadway transfer to the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York. The production, directed by Matthew Warchus, was positively received by critics, and gained seven Tony nominations, winning Best Revival. Root was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play; her performance was described as “remarkable” by The New York Times.{{Cite news |last=Wolf |first=Matt |date=2008-10-21 |title=At the Old Vic, a 'Norman Conquest' that's better for the retelling |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/arts/22iht-lon22.1.17129501.html |access-date=2023-10-18 |issn=0362-4331}} The cast were also nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Company Performance.

In 2011, she starred as Hester Collyer in a stage production of The Deep Blue Sea at the Chichester Festival Theatre.{{Cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |date=2011-07-26 |title=The Deep Blue Sea – review |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/jul/26/deep-blue-sea-review |access-date=2023-10-18 |issn=0261-3077}} She also played Amanda in Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady opposite Meryl Streep and continued to make further guest appearances in television crime dramas, such as DCI Banks, The Tunnel and Death in Paradise. In 2016, she appeared as Cecy in wartime comedy drama Their Finest. In 2017, Root featured in an episode of hit BBC drama Sherlock as Emma Welsborough. Later that same year, she starred as Queen Victoria in historical drama The Black Prince; the film explored the complex relationship between Victoria and Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire. In 2018, she played Carol Finch in six episodes of ITV drama Unforgotten, and Virginia Scott-Watson in Patrick Melrose. On stage, she played governess Miss Madrigal in a Chichester Festival Theatre production of The Chalk Garden. In 2020, she appeared on television in popular BBC drama Call the Midwife and ITV thriller miniseries The Sister, and on film in British drama Summerland as social worker Mrs Lawrence.

In 2021, she played Sister Brumfett in one episode of Dalgliesh. The following year, she played Cynthia in a film adaptation of Alan Bennett's 2018 play Allelujah!. She also appeared in BBC mystery thriller The Capture. In 2023, Root featured in two episodes of romantic comedy drama series You & Me. She also had a supporting role in true-life crime drama The Sixth Commandment, based on the murder of Peter Farquhar. Root played Farquhar's sister-in-law Sue Farquhar.{{Cite web |title=The Sixth Commandment cast: Who stars in the BBC drama? |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/sixth-commandment-cast-bbc/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}} In 2024, she featured in three episodes of black comedy drama Baby Reindeer. The series premiered on Netflix on 11 April to critical acclaim.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/apr/11/netflix-baby-reindeer-review-features-the-most-chilling-tv-episode-of-the-entire-year | title=Baby Reindeer review – features the most chilling TV episode of the entire year | newspaper=The Guardian | date=11 April 2024 | last1=Nicholson | first1=Rebecca }}{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2024/04/27/baby-reindeer-review-a-devastating-examination-of-trauma-and-abuse/ | title='Baby Reindeer' Review: A Devastating Examination of Trauma and Abuse | website=Forbes }}The series went on to win six Primetime Emmys and two Golden Globes.{{Cite web | title=Baby Reindeer, The Bear, Shogun and The Crown stars win at Emmys 2024 - BBC News | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98yyp9xyepo | access-date=2025-02-27 | website=www.bbc.co.uk| date=16 September 2024 }}{{Cite web | title=2025 Golden Globes: 'Baby Reindeer' Wins Best Limited Series | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2025-golden-globes-baby-reindeer-limited-series-1236100030/ | access-date=2025-02-27 | website=www.hollywoodreporter.com| date=6 January 2025 }} Later that year, she portrayed English abbess Elizabeth Zouche in four episodes of BBC historical drama series Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, based on the novel by Hilary Mantel.

In 2025, Root appeared in the penultimate episode of long-running ITV crime drama Vera as Deena Corbridge. She is set to feature in upcoming British crime thriller Lazarus for Amazon Prime; filming for the series began in February 2024.{{Cite web | title=Harlan Coben shares update about new Manchester-set show due 2025 | url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a63358433/harlan-coben-lazarus-new-show-2025/ | access-date=2025-02-27 | website=www.digitalspy.com| date=7 January 2025 }}

Philanthropy

In 2010, after hearing a talk by American attorney and former International Justice Mission president Gary Haugen, Root founded Talitha Arts,{{Cite web | title=Therapeutic Arts Workshops {{!}} Talitha Arts {{!}} England | url=https://www.talitha.org.uk/ | access-date=2025-02-27 | website=www.talitha.org.uk}} a non-profit organisation that uses the creative arts to provide therapeutic support for survivors of trafficking and domestic abuse throughout the UK and overseas.{{Cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://www.talitha.org.uk/who-we-are |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Talitha Arts |language=en}} The organisation gained charitable status in 2015,{{Cite web |title=TALITHA ARTS - Charity 1162475 |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_regId=1162475&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_subId=0 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk |language=en-GB}} and has since expanded to support children, refugees, ex-offenders, and people experiencing homelessness as well as those living with dementia.{{Cite web |last=Farrah |first=Sophie |date=2017-08-24 |title=The art of therapy |url=https://www.essentialsurrey.co.uk/api/content/19a69e90-8674-11e7-9cae-0a72cbefeab2/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Essential Surrey & SW London |language=en-gb}} In 2016, Root was awarded a Point of Light Award by Prime Minister Theresa May in recognition of her work.{{Cite web |last=McBride |first=Jake |date=2016-12-06 |title=Talitha |url=https://www.pointsoflight.gov.uk/talitha/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Points of Light |language=en-GB}} She was also shortlisted for Lorraine Kelly's Inspirational Woman of the Year Award; she was informed of her nomination in a surprise live announcement on the Lorraine programme.{{Citation |title=Inspirational Woman Of The Year Award - Surprising Amanda Root {{!}} Lorraine | date=13 February 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WKk3lDe41g |access-date=2023-10-18 |language=en}} In 2020, Root announced that she was stepping down as Artistic Director after ten years in the role.{{Cite web |last=Gaudet |first=Natalie |date=2020-07-10 |title=A Message From Founder Amanda Root |url=https://www.talitha.org.uk/post/a-message-from-founder-amanda-roots-jenna-thorne-to-be-new-artistic-director-of-talitha-arts |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Talitha Arts |language=en}}

Theatre

Her stage credits include:

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable"
Year

! Film

! Role

! Notes

1989

| The BFG

| Sophie (voice)

|

rowspan="2"| 1996

| Jane Eyre

| Miss Temple

|

Deep in the Heart

| Kate Markham

|

1999

| Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?

| Margaret Robinson

|

rowspan="2"| 2004

| Bloom

| Helen Chapman

| Short film

Girl Afraid

|

| Short film

2011

| The Iron Lady

| Amanda

|

2016

| Their Finest

| Cecy / Mrs. Brown

|

2017

| The Black Prince

| Queen Victoria

|

2020

| Summerland

| Mrs. Lawrence

|

2023

| Allelujah

| Cynthia

|

=Television=

class="wikitable"
Year

! Film

! Role

! Notes

rowspan="2"| 1985

| Storyboard

| Polly Swift

| Episode: "Ladies in Charge"

Time for Murder

| Sarah Penwarden

| Episode: "This Lightning Always Strikes Twice"

1986

| Worlds Beyond

| Julia

| Episode: "Guardian of the Past"

1987

| Mary Rose

| Mary Rose

| Television film

rowspan="2"| 1988

| The South Bank Show

| Claire Clairmont

| Episode: "Birth of Frankenstein and Dracula"

Jackanory

| Herself - Storyteller

| 5 episodes

1991

| The House of Bernarda Alba

| Adela

| Television film

rowspan="3"| 1993

| Casualty

| Joyce Paice

| Episode: "Wild Card"

The Man Who Cried

| Hilda Maxwell

| Television film

The Buddha of Suburbia

| First TV Producer

| Miniseries; 2 episodes

rowspan="3"| 1994

| Love on a Branch Line

| Miss Mounsey

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales

| Kate

| Episode: "The Taming of the Shrew"

Hildegard of Bingen

| Ricardis

| Television documentary film

1995

| Persuasion

| Anne Elliot

| Television film

1996

| Breaking the Code

| Patricia 'Pat' Green

| Television film

rowspan="5"| 1997

| Harry Enfield & Chums

| Miss Hetherington

| Episode #2.6

Turning World

| Evelyn Sharples

| 3 episodes

Original Sin

| Frances Peverell

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

Sunnyside Farm

| Dawn

| Episode: "A Rare Visitor"

Dangerfield

| Alice Stratton

| Episode: "Guilt"

rowspan="2"| 1998

| Mortimer's Law

| Rachel Mortimer

| 6 episodes

Big Cat

| Alice

| Television film

2000

| Anna Karenina

| Dolly

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

rowspan="2"| 2001

| Holby City

| Abbie Sawyer

| Episode: "Snakes and Ladders"

A Small Summer Party

| Karen

| Television film

rowspan="2"| 2002

| Waking the Dead

| Lorna Gyles

| 2 episodes: "Special Relationship: Parts 1 & 2"

Daniel Deronda

| Mrs. Davilow

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

2002−2003

| The Forsyte Saga

| Winifred Dartie née Forsyte

| 2 series; 10 episodes

rowspan="6"| 2003

| Midsomer Murders

| Ruth Scholey

| Episode: "A Talent for Life"

Love Again

| Maeve Brennan

| Television film

A Touch of Frost

| Dolores Delmonte

| Episode: "Another Life"

Little Britain

| Baby's Mother

| Episode: "Most People in a Mini"

Foyle's War

| Elizabeth Lewes

| Episode: "Fifty Ships"

The Adventure of English

| Anne Elliott

| Episode: "Speaking Proper"

rowspan="3"| 2004

| Peter Ackroyd's London

| Charlotte Brontë

| Television film

Rose and Maloney

| Marsha Campese

| 2 episodes: "Katie Phelan: Parts 1 & 2"

All About Me

| Miranda

| 8 episodes

rowspan="3"| 2005

| The Robinsons

| Maggie Robinson

| 6 episodes

Empire

| Noella

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder

| Vera Sidney

| Episode: "The Case of the Croydon Poisonings"

rowspan="3"| 2006

| The Afternoon Play

| Andrea

| Episode: "The Last Will and Testament of Billy Two-Sheds"

Brief Encounters

| June Makenzie

| Miniseries; episode: "Lost & Found"

The Impressionists

| Alice Hoschedé

| Miniseries; 2 episodes

2006−2011

| Star Trek: New Voyages

| Federation Ambassador / Extra

| 4 episodes

rowspan="3"| 2007

| The Robber Bride

| Tony Fremont

| Television film

Starship Farragut

| Lt. Allison Bell

| Episode: "The Captaincy"

Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall

| Mrs. Chant

| Television film

rowspan="2"| 2008

| Fiona's Story

| Julie

| Television film

Agatha Christie's Poirot

| Mrs. Rendell

| Episode: "Mrs McGinty's Dead"

rowspan="2"| 2010

| Law & Order: UK

| Patricia Smith

| Episode: "Defence"

Thorne: Sleepyhead

| Teresa Maxwell

| Television film

rowspan="1"| 2012

| DCI Banks

| Mary Rothwell

| 2 episodes: "Dry Bones That Dream: Parts 1 & 2"

rowspan="3"| 2013

| Casualty

| Evelyn Winnell

| Episode: "Punch Drunk Love"

Zou

| (voice)

| Episode: "Zou the Chef" (English version)

The Tunnel

| Doctor Cross

| Episode #1.8

rowspan="3"| 2015

| Count Arthur Strong

| Karen

| Episode: "The Heist"

Death in Paradise

| Teresa Gower

| Episode: "Damned If You Do..."

New Tricks

| Eleanor

| Episode: "Lottery Curse"

2017

| Sherlock

| Emma Welsborough

| Episode: "The Six Thatchers"

rowspan="4"| 2018

| Casualty

| Barb Edmonds

| Episode #32.24

The Other Side of the Coin

| Wife

| Television film

Unforgotten

| Carol Finch

| 6 episodes

Patrick Melrose

| Virginia Watson-Scott

| Miniseries; episode: "Some Hope"

rowspan="2"| 2019

| Silent Witness

| Olivia Walsh

| Episode: "Deathmaker: Part 1"

MotherFatherSon

| Interviewer

| Episode #1.6

rowspan="2"| 2020

| Call the Midwife

| Florrie Watkins

| Episode #9.2

The Sister

| June Fox

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

2021

| Dalgliesh

| Sister Brumfett

| 2 episodes: "Shroud for a Nightingale: Parts One & Two"

rowspan="3"| 2022

| Casualty

| Heather Croft

| Episode: "Never Alone"

The Capture

| Margaret

| Episode: "The Flip"

Safe Space

| (unknown)

| Television pilot

rowspan="2"| 2023

| You & Me

| Nurse Richards

| Miniseries; episodes: "How We Used to Be" and "Who's Emma?"

The Sixth Commandment

| Sue Farquhar

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

rowspan="2"| 2024

| Baby Reindeer

| Elle

| Miniseries; 3 episodes

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

| Abbess Zouche

| Miniseries; 4 episodes

rowspan="2"| 2025

| Vera

| Deena Corbridge

| Series 14; episode 1: "Inside"

Lazarus

| Margot MacIntyre

| TV series

References

{{Reflist}}

Citations

  • The Journal, "Dame 'Kate' Scores Double Triumph", 21 January 1993, Page 1.

External links

  • {{IMDb name|740500}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Root, Amanda}}

Category:1963 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century English actresses

Category:21st-century English actresses

Category:Actresses from Chelmsford

Category:Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art

Category:Audiobook narrators

Category:English film actresses

Category:English radio actresses

Category:English stage actresses

Category:English television actresses

Category:English voice actresses

Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members