Katherine Kelly Biography

Katherine Kelly (born 19 November 1979) is an English actress. A 2001 graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she played Becky McDonald in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2006 to 2012, for which she won Best Actress at the 2009 British Soap Awards and Best Serial Drama Performance at the 2012 National Television Awards. Since 2013, she has starred as Lady Mae Loxley in the ITV drama series Mr Selfridge.

Kelly's theatre roles include playing Bianca in a 2002 production of Othello at the Royal Exchange Theatre, and Kate Hardcastle in the 2012 National Theatre revival of She Stoops to Conquer. In 2012, she also starred in the BBC Four Kenny Everett biopic Best Possible Taste. Her other television credits include The Guilty (2013), The Field of Blood (2013), Happy Valley (2016) and The Night Manager (2016).

Early life and career

Kelly was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire and grew up in both Barnsley and Wakefield, West Yorkshire. She attended Wakefield Girls' High School. 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. Kelly said in a 2012 interview: "My parents are still massively involved, and so am I. We even did a Family Fortunes to raise money because we needed a new roof. It's so special to me."

She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London, with fellow students Meredith MacNeill and Laurence Fox, graduating in 2001. She worked at Chichester Festival Theatre in The Accrington Pals with actress Amy Robbins and at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester in Othello with Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne. Since then, she has worked in TV, film, radio and voice-over. She was a leading lady at the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2004-2005, performing in both Stratford-Upon-Avon and the West End.

After she left Coronation Street in 2011, she starred as Miss Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre from 24 January 2012. Kelly appeared on ITV's This Morning to discuss her departure from Coronation Street and she said "I decided to leave Coronation Street for a change". She also talked about her role in She Stoops To Conquer and said that "you've got to be careful what you wish for because this couldn't be more different, really!"

Kelly's first television role after leaving Coronation Street was in the 90-minute BBC4 biopic The Best Possible Taste, in which she played Lee Middleton, wife of Kenny Everett. In early 2013 she played socialite Lady Mae in the ten part ITV1 drama series Mr Selfridge, later signing on to appear in the second series of the show in 2014 and it's final series in 2016.

Later in 2013 year 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". Also that year she starred in The Last Witch - a supernatural drama written by BAFTA nominated writer Sally Wainwright, as part of Sky Living's "Reckless" series. and the three part ITV thriller, The Guilty, as Claire Reid, mother to a missing five-year-old child.

In August 2015 it was announced that Kelly would join the cast of Happy Valley, which aired the following year. In the series Kelly portrays DI Jodie Shackleton, a part that 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. Also in 2016 she appeared as the Permanent Secretary in four episodes of The Night Manager.

On 4 April 2016, it was announced that Kelly would star in the upcoming BBC Three Doctor Who spin-off series Class.

Music

Kelly appeared on the 2010 album, Coronation Street: Rogues, Angels, Heroes & Fools. The album was produced as part of the Coronation Street 50th anniversary celebration. Kelly, in character as Becky McDonald, sang the lead single from the album, If It's Too Late written by Trisha Ward. If It's Too Late was remixed by former PWL and Stock Aitken Waterman "Mixmaster", Pete Hammond as a "surprise present" for Kelly after she announced she was leaving Coronation Street. It was released in the U.S. under the title "Angel K".

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Last of the Summer Wine	Sharlene	Episode: "Ancient Eastern Wisdom "? An Introduction"
	Silent Witness	Tina Allen	Episode: "Running on Empty"
2004	The Royal	Tina Binnington	Episode: "Holding on Tight"
2005	Bodies	Sally Campbell	Series 2: Episode 7
2006	No Angels	Annie	Series 3: Episode 2
2006-2012	Coronation Street	Becky Granger / McDonald	Guest character (2006); Main cast regular (2006-2012) British Soap Award for Best Actress (2009) British Soap Award for Best Exit (2012) National Television Award for Best Serial Drama Performance (2012)
2007	Life on Mars	Auntie Heather	Series 2: Episode 4
	New Street Law	Rebecca	Series 2: Episode 3
	The Visit	Julie	Episode One
2012	The Best Possible Taste	Lee Middleton	Ninety minute biopic
2013-2014, 2016	Mr Selfridge	Lady Mae Loxley	Series one; series two; series four
2013	The Field of Blood	Maloney	TV Series, 2 episodes
2013	The Guilty	Claire Reid	Three part series
2015	The Sound of Music Live!	Baroness Elsa Schraeder	UK version of The Sound of Music Live! broadcast 20 December 2015
2016	Happy Valley	DI Jodie Shackleton	Series two "? Regular
2016	The Night Manager	The Permanent Secretary	TV mini-series
2016	Class	TBA	Series for BBC Three

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Sons and Lovers	Emily / Suffragette
2006	Mischief Night	Junkie Jane
2008	Coronation Street: Out of Africa	Becky Granger	Third Coronation Street direct to video movie, Cameo
2009	Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday	Becky McDonald	Fourth Coronation Street direct to video movie, Principal character

Awards & nominations

National Television Awards

• Best Serial Drama Performance 2008 - nominated
• Best Serial Drama Performance 2010 - nominated
• Best Serial Drama Performance 2011 - nominated
• Best Serial Drama Performance - 2012 - won

British Soap Awards

• Best Actress 2008 - nominated
• Best Comedy Performance 2008 - nominated
• Best On-Screen Partnership 2008 (shared with David Neilson) - nominated
• Best Actress 2009 - won
• Best On-Screen Partnership 2009 (shared with Simon Gregson) - nominated
• Sexiest Female 2009 - nominated
• Best Actress 2010 - nominated
• Best On-Screen Partnership 2010 (shared with Simon Gregson) - nominated
• Best Actress 2011 - nominated
• Best On-Screen Partnership 2011 (shared with Simon Gregson) - nominated
• Best Exit 2012 - won

Other

• Royal Television Society North West Awards 2008 - 'Best Performance in a Continuing Drama' - nominated
• TV Times Awards 2008 - 'Editors Choice' - won
• TRIC Awards 2009 - 'Best Soap Personality' - won
• TV Now Awards 2009 - 'Favourite Soap Female' - won
• TV Now Awards 2009 - 'Favourite Soap Couple' - (shared with Simon Gregson) - won
• TV Quick & TV Choice Awards 2009 - 'Best Soap Actress' - won
• TV Times Awards 2009 - 'Favourite Soap Star' - nominated
• Royal Television Society North West Awards 2009 - 'Best Performance in a Continuing Drama' - nominated
• TV Times Awards 2009 - 'Favourite Double Act' - (shared with Simon Gregson) - nominated
• All About Soap Bubble Awards 2010 - 'Bride and Doom' (shared with Simon Gregson) - won
• All About Soap Bubble Awards 2010 - 'Celeb Style' - nominated
• TV Now Awards 2010 - 'Favourite Soap Female' - won
• TV Quick Awards 2010 - 'Best Soap Actress' - shortlisted
• TV Times Awards 2010 - 'Favourite Soap Star' - nominated
• Inside Soap Awards 2010 - 'Best Actress' - shortlisted
• Inside Soap Awards 2010 - 'Best Wedding' (shared with Simon Gregson) - shortlisted
• All About Soap Bubble Awards 2011 - 'Best Actress' - nominated
• TV Quick Awards 2011 - 'Best Soap Actress' - shortlisted
• Inside Soap Awards 2011 - 'Best Actress' - shortlisted
• Inside Soap Awards 2011 - 'Best Dramatic Performance' - nominated
• Inside Soap Awards 2011 - 'Best Wedding' (shared with Simon Gregson) - nominated
• Shorty Awards 2012 - 'Best Actress' - nominated