Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer.

Imogen Stubbs
Born (1961-02-20) 20 February 1961 (age 63)
EducationSt Paul's Girls' School
Westminster School
Exeter College, Oxford
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active1982–present
Spouse
(m. 1994; sep. 2011)
Children2

Her first leading part was in Privileged (1982), followed by A Summer Story (1988).

Her first play, We Happy Few, was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined Reader's Digest as a contributing editor and writer of fiction.

Early life

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Imogen Stubbs was born in Rothbury,[1] Northumberland, lived briefly in Portsmouth, Hampshire, where her father was a naval officer, and then moved with her parents to London, where they lived on a vintage river barge on the Thames. She was educated at Cavendish Primary School, then at two independent schools: St Paul's Girls' School and Westminster School, and then Exeter College, Oxford,[2] gaining a First Class degree.[3]

Her acting career started at Oxford, where she played Irina in a student production of Three Sisters at the Oxford Playhouse. After graduating, she enrolled at RADA, and while there had her first professional work, playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich.[4] In 1982 she also appeared in her first film, Privileged.

Stubbs graduated from RADA in the same class as Jane Horrocks[5] and Iain Glen, and later became an Associate Member of RADA.

Career

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In the 1980s Stubbs achieved success on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, notably as Desdemona in Othello, which was directed by Trevor Nunn. Other stage work includes Saint Joan at the Strand Theatre and Heartbreak House at the Haymarket, and in 1997 she played in a London production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

In 1988, Stubbs was a notable Ursula Brangwen in a BBC serialization of The Rainbow, and in 1993 and 1994 had the title role in Anna Lee. She played Lucy Steele in Sense and Sensibility (1995).

In July 2004, Stubbs's play We Happy Few, directed by Trevor Nunn and starring Juliet Stevenson and Marcia Warren, opened at the Gielgud Theatre, London, after a try-out in Malvern.[6] In September 2008 Reader's Digest announced that she had joined the magazine as a contributing editor and writer of adventure stories.[7]

Personal life

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In 1994, Stubbs married Trevor Nunn.[8] The couple have two children:[9] a son and a daughter, Ellie Nunn, who is also an actress.[10] In April 2011, Stubbs announced that she and her husband were separating.[11] Her partner is Jonathan Guy Lewis.[2][3]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Privileged Imogen
1986 Nanou Nanou
1988 A Summer Story Megan David
1989 Erik the Viking Princess Aud
1991 True Colors Diana Stiles
1991 The Wanderer Narrator Voice
1994 A Pin for the Butterfly Mother
1995 Jack and Sarah Sarah
1995 Sense & Sensibility Lucy Steele
1996 Twelfth Night Viola
2003 Collusion Mary Dolphin
2004 Dead Cool Henny
2011 Babysitting Mrs. Wollenberg Short
2014 Insomniacs Alice Short
2016 Stake Out Sally Short
2017 Kew Gardens Isabella Short, post-production
2018 London Unplugged Isabella Anthology film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Browning Version Mrs. Gilbert TV film
1988 The Rainbow Ursula Brangwen TV miniseries
1988 Deadline Lady Romy Burton TV film
1990 Fellow Traveller Sarah Atchison In the Screen Two series
1990 Relatively Speaking Ginny Whittaker TV film
1990 Pasternak Lara / Olga (voice) TV film
1990 Theatre Night Desdemona "Othello"
1992 Sandra, c'est la vie Marie TV film
1992 Performance Helen Banner "After the Dance"
1993 Anna Lee: Headcase Anna Lee TV film
1994 Anna Lee Anna Lee Main role
1996 1914–1918 (voice) "Total War"
1997 Screen Two Suzie "Mothertime"
2000 Blind Ambition Annie Thomas TV film
2000 Big Kids Sarah Spiller Main role
2001 Lee Evans: So What Now? Chloe "Sofa So Good"
2002 Township Opera Narrator TV film
2005 Casualty Chloe Greer "Running out of Kisses"
2006 Agatha Christie's Marple Mona Symmington "The Moving Finger"
2006 Brief Encounters Sonia "Semi-Detached"
2009 New Tricks Lotte Davenport "Shadow Show"
2010 The Adventures of Daniel Mrs. Wallace TV film
2011 Injustice Gemma Lawrence "1.4", "1.5"
2012 Doctors Miranda Payne "High-Flyer"
2012 Parents Isabelle Hopkins "1.3"
2012 Switch Esme "1.6"
2017 Holby City Evelyn Chapman "It Has to be Now"
2018 Death in Paradise Valerie O'Toole "7.3"
2021 Midsomer Murders Tamara Deddington "21.3 – The Sting of Death"
2023 The Crown Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner Season 6, episode 8: "Ritz"

Theatre

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Year Title Role Company
1985 Cabaret Sally Bowles Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
1985 The Boyfriend Polly Browne Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
1986 The Rover Helena Swan Theatre, Stratford
1986 Two Noble Kinsmen Gaoler's daughter The Other Place, Stratford
1987 Richard II Queen Isabel Swan Theatre, Stratford
1989 Othello Desdemona The Other Place, Stratford[12]
1992 Heartbreak House Ellie Theatre Royal, Haymarket
1994 Saint Joan Joan Strand Theatre
1994 Uncle Vanya Yelena Chichester Festival
1996 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Theatre Royal, Haymarket
1998 Closer Anna Lyric Theatre, London
1998 Betrayal Emma National Theatre
2001 The Relapse Amanda National Theatre
2002 Three Sisters Masha Theatre Royal, Bath (and tour)
2003 Mum's the Word Linda Albery Theatre
2004 Hamlet Gertrude The Old Vic
2006 Duchess of Malfi Duchess West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
2008 Scenes from a Marriage Marianne Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
2009 Alphabetical Order Lucy Hampstead Theatre
2010 The Glass Menagerie Amanda Shared Experience
2011 Private Lives Amanda Manchester Royal Exchange
2011 Little Eyolf Rita Jermyn Street Theatre, London
2011 Salt, Root and Roe Menna Trafalgar Studios, London[13][14][15][16]
2012 Orpheus Descending Lady Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester[17][18]
2013 Third Finger, Left Hand Niamh Trafalgar Studios, London
2013 Strangers on a Train Elsie Gielgud Theatre, London[19]
2014 Little Revolution Sarah / various Almeida Theatre, London[20]
2014 The Hypochondriac Beline Touring,[21]
2015 Communicating Doors Ruella Menier Theatre, London[22]
2016 Things I Know to be True Fran Price Frantic Assembly
2018 The Be All and End All Charlotte York Theatre Royal[2]
2022 Clybourne Park Bev/Kathy Park Theatre
2023 The Children Rose Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds[3]
2023 Three Acts of Love Dr Fiona McGill Live Theatre, Newcastle[23]

Other projects and contributions

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References

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  1. ^ Edmonds, Mark (31 March 2013), "The world's fastest interview", The Sunday Times Magazine, p. 7
  2. ^ a b c Weale, Sally (20 April 2018). "Imogen Stubbs laments 'awful treadmill' of UK education system". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b c Harvey, Chris; Stubbs, Imogen (25 February 2023). "'It's become less and less acceptable to age' – The Saturday Interview: The actress tells Chris Harvey about her bohemian childhood on a boat, marriage to her former husband director Trevor Nunn and her distaste for plastic surgery". Daily Telegraph.
  4. ^ Barnett, Laura (9 March 2010). "Imogen Stubbs, actor". The Guardian. London. p. G2-23.
  5. ^ Pelley, Rich (30 November 2023). "Jane Horrocks: 'I'd love to be a baddie in a Tarantino movie'". The Guardian.
  6. ^ Taylor, Paul (6 July 2004). "We Happy Few". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 September 2008.[dead link]
  7. ^ Carter, Meg (15 September 2008). "Digest revamped". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  8. ^ Montague-Smith, Patrick (1970). Debrett's Correct Form. Headline. pp. 76–77. ISBN 0-7472-0658-9.
  9. ^ "Nunn, Sir Trevor (Robert)". Who's Who. Oxford, England: A & C Black. 2011.
  10. ^ Taylor, Interviews by Jeremy (10 January 2018). "Relative Values: the actress Imogen Stubbs, and her daughter, Ellie Nunn". The Times. London. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Imogen Stubbs and Sir Trevor Nunn separate after 21 years". The Daily Telegraph. London. 25 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  12. ^ Dickson, Andrew (11 July 2016). "Willard White on playing Othello: 'I broke down – I considered walking away'". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Stubbs, Imogen Mary, (Lady Nunn)". Who's Who. Oxford, England: A & C Black. 2011.
  14. ^ Trowbridge, Simon (2008). "Imogen Stubbs". Stratfordians: a biographical dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Oxford, England: Editions Albert Creed. p. 475. ISBN 978-0-9559830-1-6.
  15. ^ Gardner, Lynn (8 March 2011). "Private Lives – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  16. ^ Coveney, Michael (9 May 2011). "Little Eyolf, Jermyn Street Theatre, London". The Independent. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  17. ^ "The Stage / Listings / Orpheus Descending". Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  18. ^ "Autumn – the Royal Exchange Theatre". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  19. ^ "Strangers on a Train, Based on Novel, to Star Laurence Fox and Jack Huston at London's Gielgud Theatre". playbill.com. Playbill. 20 September 2013. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Cast, Little Revolution, Almeida Theatre". Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  21. ^ "Theatre Royal Bath – What's On". Theatre Royal Bath. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  22. ^ Lawrence, Ben. "Communicating Doors, Menier Chocolate Factory". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  23. ^ Fisher, Mark (8 December 2023). "Three Acts of Love review – pain and pleasure in a trio straight from the heart". The Guardian.
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