Saskia Reeves (born 16 August 1961) is an English actress, known for her roles Eastenders (14 episodes, 1998-1999 ) films including Close My Eyes (1991) , I.D. (1995), and Our Kind of Traitor (2016), in the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune, and in TV series, including as a series regular in Luther (2010), Shetland (2016), and Slow Horses (2022–present).

Saskia Reeves
Born (1961-08-16) 16 August 1961 (age 63)
Paddington, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1984–present
Children2

Early life and education

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Saskia Reeves was born on 16 August 1961[1][2] of a Dutch mother and English father, and brought up in Twickenham and Paddington, London.[citation needed] Reeves attended the Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton.[citation needed]

According to Reeves, her father was an actor, writer and singer. As a teenager, while her parents did not encourage her, she and her sister attended weekend acting workshops "for a laugh". Reeves was faring poorly in high school, missing classes and not doing homework, and didn't take her university-qualifying A-level exams. She discovered "drama school" as an alternative to university that didn't require A-levels; it sounded like "brilliant fun" and would give her three years to figure out her future.[3] She attended London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[4] She then worked for a year and a half as a waitress before getting a "decent job in a theatre in Wales", followed by other jobs, until she concluded, "I could earn a living at this".[3]

Career

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Early in her career Reeves performed in puppet shows[5] and in satirical revues at the Covent Garden Community Theatre.[6] Her stage work includes productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at London's Royal National Theatre.[7] She was a member of the Cheek by Jowl international theatre company.[6] In 2008, she starred in the English Touring Theatre revival of Athol Fugard's Hello and Goodbye at the Trafalgar Studios in London.[8]

Reeves work in film includes: Close My Eyes (1991); I.D. (1995); Butterfly Kiss (1995) co-starring with Amanda Plummer – described in the New York Times as "a disturbing road movie that suggests a twisted British answer to 'Thelma and Louise' spiced with dashes of 'Heavenly Creatures' and 'Natural Born Killers'";[9] and Our Kind of Traitor (2016).

Reeves' numerous television credits include Spooks, The Commander, and the Bodies finale. In 1997, Portlands, a six-part BBC One miniseries about the creation of the suburbs in the 1920s, was her first major TV series role.[10] In 2010, she starred as Anne Darwin, the wife of John Darwin, in BBC Four's Canoe Man, a dramatization of the John Darwin disappearance case,[11] and co-starred as DSU Rose Teller in the first season of the BBC One series Luther.[12] In 2011, Reeves played the matriarch, Anna Brangwen, in the first part of William Ivory's two-part adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's novels The Rainbow and Women in Love, first shown on BBC Four.[13] She co-stars with Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas in the Apple TV series Slow Horses (2022–present).

Reeves has also done voice work, including commercials, narration, and book readings.[14]

Personal life

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Reeves has two children.[7]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1990 Antonia and Jane Antonia McGill
1991 December Bride Sarah Gilmartin
1991 Close My Eyes Natalie / Sister
1991 The Bridge Isobel Heatherington
1994 Traps Louise Duffield
1995 Butterfly Kiss Miriam
1995 I.D. Lynda
1996 Different for Girls Jean
1998 L.A. Without a Map Joy
1999 Heart Maria Ann McCardle
2003 The Tesseract Rosa
2008 Me and Orson Welles Barbara Luddy
2013 Anna (originally Mindscape) Michelle Greene
2013 Nyphomaniac: Vol. 1 Nurse
2015 The Program Conference doctor
2016 Our Kind of Traitor Tamara
2016 The Prime Minister US President
2020 Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes Maddalena Fagandini / Jen / Actor / Mary Wollstonecraft
2020 Shadows Mother
2021 Creation Stories Helen
2024 The Outrun Annie

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1984 Last Day of Summer Linda TV movie
1985 A Woman of Substance Edwina Episode: #1.3
1985 Lytton's Diary Pretty Girl Episode 1.2: "Daddy's Girls"
1989 Theatre Night Greta Samsa Episode: "Metamorphosis"
1990 Screen Two Rosie Episode: "Children Crossing"
1991 Screenplay Antonia McGill Episode: "Antonia and Jane"
1991 4 Play Helen Episode: "In the Border Country"
1994 Citizen Locke Lady Marsham TV movie
1994 Performance Irina Shestova Episode: "Summer Day's Dream"
1995 The Perfect Match Bridget TV movie
1995 Cruel Train Selina Roberts TV movie
1997 Plotlands Chloe Marsh
1999 A Christmas Carol Mrs. Cratchit TV movie
2000 Dune Lady Jessica Atreides Episodes 1.2-3
2003 Suspicion Julie Hopcroft Episodes: 1.1-3
2003 Waking the Dead Dr. Laurie Poole Episodes 3.5-6: "Breaking Glass: Part 1 & 2"
2004 A Line in the Sand Meryl Rodgers TV mini-series
2004 Island at War Cassie Mahy
2005 The Commander Eileen Judd Episode: #2.1-2: "Virus (Part One & Two)"
2005 If... Mary Alton Episode 2.4: "If... TV Goes Down the Tube"
2005 The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle Louise Doyle TV movie
2005 Afterlife Sheila Rabey
2006 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Eileen Edwards Episode 5.1: "Natural Causes"
2006 MI-5 Sally / Sally Bernard Episodes 5.6-7: "Hostage Takers: Part 1 & 2"
2006 Bodies Mary Dodd Episode 2.11: "The Finale"
2007 The Last Days of the Raj Lady Mountbatten TV movie
2007 Silent Witness DS Maureen Steele
2008 The Fixer Andrea Greene Episode 1.4
2009 Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 Mandy Wymer TV movie
2010 Canoe Man Anne Darwin TV movie
2010 Luther DSU Rose Teller Season 1
2010–12 Wallander Vanja Andersson Episodes 2.3 "The Fifth Woman" (2010), 3.1 "An Event in Autumn" (2012)
2010–2016 Midsomer Murders Marcia Macintyre, Summer Pitt Episodes 13.2: "The Sword of Guillaume" (2010), 18.4: "A Dying Art" (2016)
2011 Lewis Alison McLennan Episode 5.1: "Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things"
2011 Women in Love Anna Brangwen TV mini-series
2011 Page Eight Anthea Catcheside TV movie
2012 One Night Sally TV mini-series
2012 Playhouse Presents Teddy Brookman Episode 1.1 "The Minor Character"
2013 Vera Laura Marsden Episode 3.2 "Poster Child"
2013 NTSF:SD:SUV P.M.O.T.R.N. Episode 3.10 "U-KO'ed"
2014 Salting the Battlefield Anthea Catcheside TV movie
2014 From There to Here Claire TV mini-series. Episodes 1.1-3
2015 Wolf Hall Johane Williamson TV mini-series. Episodes 1.1 "Three Card Trick", 1.2 "Entirely Beloved", 1.3 "Anna Regina", 1.4 "The Devil's Spit", 1.6 "Master of Phantoms"
2016 Shetland Freya Galdie Series 3 (5 episodes)
2017 Silent Witness DS Maureen Steele Episodes 20.3 "Discovery: Part 1", 20.4 "Discovery: Part 2)"
2017 Redemption Road Mrs. Hales TV movie
2017 The Child in Time Thelma TV movie
2018 Collateral Deborah Clifford TV mini-series. Episodes 1.1, 1.4
2019 Death in Paradise Frances Compton Episode: "Beyond the Shining Sea: Part Two"
2020 Belgravia Ellis TV mini-series
2020 Us Connie Petersen TV mini-series
2020 Roadkill Helen Laurence Episodes 1.2-4
2022–present Slow Horses Catherine Standish Main role
2024 Secrets & Spies: A Nuclear Game Herself (Narrator) 3 Episodes (BBC)

Shorts

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Year Title Role Notes
1999 TIcks
2001 Bubbles Annie
2004 The Knickerman Mum
2006 Fast Learners Lynda
2013 Unoriginal Beatrice
2015 Be Now Karen
2015 Out for a Walk Mother

Stage

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 National Theatre Live: A Disappearing Number Ruth Minnen
2017 King Lear: Live from Shakespeare's Globe Kent
2019 The Tragedy of King Richard the Second Bushy / Green / Duchess of York National Theatre Live

Audio

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Year Title Role Notes
2019 Dr. Who: The Monthly Adventures Carmen Rega (voice)

References

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  1. ^ "Saskia Reeves". ElCinema.com. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Miss Saskia Reeves". Company Check. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b Turitz, Neil (21 June 2024). "Saskia Reeves Reveals Her Acting Origin Story, Developing Her Character in Apple TV+'s 'Slow Horses'". Casting Networks. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  4. ^ Barnett, Laura (20 October 2008). "Portrait of the artist: Saskia Reeves, actor". the Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  5. ^ Gilbey, Ryan (16 August 1995). "She's just a girl who can say no. After years of doing the right thing, Saskia Reeves is holding out for the right parts". The Independent. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Saskia Reeves". Apple TV+. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b Christie, Janet (10 October 2020). "Saskia Reeves interview: why the star of BBC One's Us feels lucky despite lockdown". The Scotsman. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  8. ^ Spencer, Charles (28 April 2008). "Hello and Goodbye: powerful performances make a flawed play special". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  9. ^ Holden, Stephen (3 May 1996). "Butterfly Kiss". New York Times.
  10. ^ Rampton, James (16 May 1997). "Finding a Happy Medium". The Independent. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Canoe Man". BBC. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  12. ^ "DSU Rose Teller". BBC One. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Women in Love, BBC Four, preview". The Telegraph. 24 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Saskia Reeves". VocalPoint.net. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
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