Katherine Kelly (actress)

Katherine Kelly was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.{{cite web|url=http://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/biog_katherine_kelly.html |title=Katherine Kelly aka Becky MacDonald from Coronation Street|publisher=Unit One Entertainment |access-date=28 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313141547/http://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/biog_katherine_kelly.html |archive-date=13 March 2012}} She grew up in both South Yorkshire and the United States. She has strong links with The Lamproom Theatre in Barnsley, established in 1998 by her father John (who is originally from Castleisland, County Kerry, Ireland), and has regularly supported fund-raising events held there.{{cite web |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/arts-and-culture/theatre-and-stage/big-interview-katherine-kelly-1859668|title=The Big Interview: Katherine Kelly|work=Yorkshire Post|last=Penfold|first=Phil|date=19 August 2013|access-date=6 October 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/feb/17/katherine-kelly-interview-rada-rovers|title=Katherine Kelly: from Rada to the Rovers – and back to the stage|work=The Guardian|last=Ellen|first=Barbara|date=17 February 2012|access-date=22 October 2013}}

She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art with fellow students Meredith MacNeill,{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/katherine-kelly-role-surprise-store-1872203|title=Katherine Kelly: A role with surprise in store|work=Yorkshire Post|last=Penfold|first=Phil|date=6 February 2013|access-date=6 October 2021}} Leo Bill,{{Cite web|last=Fabrique|title=Student & graduate profiles — RADA |url=https://www.rada.ac.uk/profiles/?q=2001|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.rada.ac.uk|language=en-gb}} Elliot Cowan, Laurence Fox, and actor and novelist Anna Hope, graduating in 2001.

Kelly starred in ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Becky McDonald from 2006 until 2012.Bramford, Matt (9 March 2015). [https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/eastenders-main/eastenders-news/soap-stars-in-tv-adverts-76014/ "Soap Stars in TV Adverts!"]. What's on TV. TI Media. Retrieved 13 March 2019.

File:080804 24A Katherine Kelly.jpg

Kelly appeared on the 2010 album, Coronation Street: Rogues, Angels, Heroes & Fools. Kelly, in character as Becky McDonald, sang the lead single from the album, If It's Too Late, which was remixed by former PWL and Stock Aitken Waterman "Mixmaster", Pete Hammond.{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/04/20/corrie-s-katherine-kelly-to-hit-charts-115875-23073328/|title=Corrie's Katherine Kelly to hit charts|author=Sarah Tetteh|date=20 April 2011|publisher=Mirror|access-date=28 January 2012}}

After she left Coronation Street, she starred as Miss Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre from 24 January 2012.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-16635319|title=Katherine Kelly: Coronation Street star back on stage|publisher=BBC News|date=23 January 2012|first=Tim|last=Masters|access-date=6 October 2021}}

Kelly's first television role after leaving Coronation Street was in the 90-minute BBC Four biopic The Best Possible Taste, in which she played Lee Middleton, wife of Kenny Everett.{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a374594/katherine-kelly-in-kenny-everett-biopic-first-picture/|title=Katherine Kelly in Kenny Everett biopic: First picture|website=Digital Spy|last=Fletcher|first=Alex|date=3 April 2012|access-date=10 June 2020}} In early 2013 she played socialite Lady Loxley in the ten part ITV drama series Mr Selfridge,{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a373801/jeremy-piven-katherine-kelly-to-star-in-itvs-mr-selfridge/|title=Jeremy Piven, Katherine Kelly to star in ITV's 'Mr Selfridge'|website=Digital Spy|last=Jeffrey|first=Morgan|date=29 March 2012|access-date=3 April 2012}} later signing on to appear in the second series of the show in 2014{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-04-25/new-plot-details-for-series-two-of-mr-selfridge|title=New plot details for series two of Mr Selfridge|work=Radio Times|last=Lazarus|first=Susanna|date=25 April 2013|access-date=5 May 2013}} and its final series in 2016.{{cite news|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/katherine-kelly-on-her-return-to-mr-selfridge/|title=Katherine Kelly on her return to Mr Selfridge|work=Radio Times|date=8 January 2016|access-date=6 October 2021}}

Later in 2013 she joined the lead cast of The Field of Blood, based on the novel by Denise Mina. Kelly played Maloney, an ambitious woman in the "ferociously male-dominated world of 1980s newspaper journalism".{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/field-of-blood-casting.html|title=Katherine Kelly to star in BBC Scotland drama, Field Of Blood: The Dead Hour|publisher=BBC|date=29 November 2011|access-date=15 April 2013}} Also that year she starred in the three part ITV thriller, The Guilty, as Claire Reid, mother to a missing five-year-old child.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/leisure/showbiz/10336788.Katherine_Kelly_for_new_crime_drama/|title=Katherine Kelly for new crime drama|newspaper=Daily Echo|date=5 April 2013|access-date=3 May 2013}}

File:Antony Cotton and Katherine Kelly.jpg in 2009, alongside co-star Antony Cotton]]

In 2014 she played Alaura Kingsley in the critically acclaimed production of City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Josie Rourke.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30512290|title=City of Angels musical returns to London|publisher=BBC News|first=Lorna|last=Blount|date=17 December 2014|access-date=6 October 2021}}

In August 2015 it was announced that Kelly would join the cast of Happy Valley, which aired the following year.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/08/happy-valley-season-2-cast-lee-hupfield-cats-on-the-roof-1201504501/|title='Happy Valley' Adds Cast For Season 2; Lee Hupfield Inks Deal With Cats On The Roof Media – Global Briefs|date=24 August 2015|access-date=6 April 2016|work=Deadline|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy}} In the series Kelly portrays DI Jodie Shackleton, a part that was written for her by series creator Sally Wainwright. Kelly enjoyed the opportunity to play a character in her native Yorkshire accent, and prepared for the role by shadowing police detectives in Halifax.{{cite web|url=https://www.whattowatch.com/mr-selfridge/katherine-kelly-its-nice-to-play-someone-in-my-own-accent-in-happy-valley-i-never-get-to-do-that-199207|title=Katherine Kelly: 'It's nice to play someone in my own accent in Happy Valley – I never get to do that!'|date=9 February 2016|access-date=25 March 2022|first=Robert|last=Hiley|work=What's on TV}} Also in 2016 she appeared as the Permanent Secretary in four episodes of The Night Manager.{{cite web |last1=Lazarus |first1=Susanna |title=Tom Hiddleston is up to his neck in first trailer for The Night Manager |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/tom-hiddleston-is-up-to-his-neck-in-first-trailer-for-the-night-manager/ |website=Radio Times |access-date=20 March 2022 |date=23 January 2016}}

On 4 April 2016, it was announced that Kelly would appear in the BBC Three Doctor Who spin-off series Class written by Patrick Ness, airing from October 2016.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-04-04/who-are-the-stars-of-new-doctor-who-spin-off-class|first=James |last=Gill|title=Who are the stars of new Doctor Who spin-off Class?|magazine=Radio Times|date=4 April 2016}} In October 2016, Kelly appeared as Hannah in ITV drama Him.

In 2018, Kelly made her first film appearance since 2009 in Dirty God,{{Cite web|url=http://thefancarpet.com/movie_news/modern-films-announce-the-uk-and-irish-release-date-of-june-7-for-sacha-polaks-english-language-debut-dirty-god/|title=Modern Films announce the UK and Irish release date of June 7 for Sacha Polak's English-language debut DIRTY GOD|website=The Fan Carpet|access-date=22 March 2019}} playing Lisa, the protagonist Jade's mother. The following year, Kelly appeared in the feature film Official Secrets, based on the real life events of intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun (portrayed by Keira Knightley). In the film, Kelly plays Jacqueline Jones, an MI6 agent who tacitly confirms the legitimacy of Gun's leaked memo to a journalist contact at The Observer.

The same year, Kelly appeared in an episode of Flack, as Brooke.{{Cite web|url=https://hiddenremote.com/2019/03/14/flack-s1e4-recap/|title=Flack: 5 fast facts from Season 1, Episode 4|date=14 March 2019|website=Hidden Remote|language=en-US|access-date=22 March 2019}} Later that year, Kelly portrayed Leah in four part ITV drama Cheat.{{Cite web|url=http://tv.bt.com/tv/tv-from-bt/7-questions-with-cheats-katherine-kelly-i-completely-relished-how-complicated-my-character-was-11364341823981|title=7 Questions With… Cheat's Katherine Kelly|website=BT.com|access-date=22 March 2019}} She plays DI Karen Renton in the second series of Liar for ITV/Two Brothers Pictures. In September, 2019, Netflix released its mini-series Criminal: UK with Kelly in the role of the lead investigator.{{cite journal |last1=Sutton |first1=Megan |title=Katherine Kelly and the 'Criminal' cast reveal why it's a police drama with a difference |journal=Good Housekeeping |date=9 September 2019 |url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/a28940720/criminal-netflix-katherine-kelly-season-2/ |access-date=16 October 2019}}

Kelly joined the cast of Liar for its second series in 2020, playing Detective Karen Renton. A character bio for Renton describes her as an “unconventional” officer, whose “bluntness” often ruffles feathers. Of her role, Kelly stated “It's my belief that Karen Renton is that way because she has to be that, and if she wasn't that, I wouldn't believe that out of all the detectives that they could send from the Met to solve this front-page news story, why would they pick her if she wasn't excellent at her job?" she said. “I think she would have been chosen because she can act very quickly and very swiftly, and she has great instincts."{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/liar-season-two-katherine-kelly-karen-renton-a4376391.html|title=Who is DI Karen Renton in Liar season 2? Katherine Kelly's character explained|first=George|last=Fenwick|date=2 March 2020|newspaper=Evening Standard|access-date=6 October 2021}}

In September 2023, Kelly appeared as Emily Jackson in the ITV1 drama series The Long Shadow.{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/who-is-katherine-kelly-long-shadow-peter-sutcliffe-b1110376.html|title=Who is Katherine Kelly, the star of true crime show The Long Shadow?|website=Evening Standard|last=Jessop|first=Vicky|date=2 October 2023|access-date=7 October 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/sep/25/tv-tonight-katherine-kelly-stars-in-poignant-drama-about-peter-sutcliffes-victims|title=The Guardian|date=25 September 2023|access-date=7 October 2023}}

Kelly married Ryan Clark in 2013 in Las Vegas. They have two daughters. In August 2020, the couple announced their separation when Kelly relocated from her home in North London to her home town of Barnsley.{{Cite web|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Katie|date=2020-08-15|title=Coronation Street star Katherine Kelly has split from her husband|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/coronation-street-star-katherine-kelly-18776166|access-date=2020-12-08|website=Manchester Evening News}}

In November 2022 Kelly was dating actor Tony Pitts.{{cite web |title=Katherine Kelly 'dating Tony Pitts' |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/katherine-kelly-dating-tony-pitts-100000160.html#:~:text=Katherine%20Kelly%20is%20dating%20%27Line,dating%20%22for%20some%20time%22. |website=Yahoo! News |access-date=30 November 2022|date=30 November 2022}}

{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Katherine Kelly}}

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Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Category:British Soap Award for Best Actress winners

Category:English soap opera actresses

Category:English television actresses

Category:English film actresses

Category:English people of Irish descent

Category:Living people

Category:Actresses from Barnsley

Category:21st-century English actresses