Born:
May 28, 1935
in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Best Known For:
Coronation Street and dinnerladies.
Early-life:
Born May 28, 1935, in Newcastle. The majority of her family worked in the newspaper industry, including her father, grandfather and uncle; her three brothers followed in their footsteps. When her father was made the Daily Telegraph's special correspondent for the Middle East, she was sent to boarding school in Wales and only saw her parents during the summer holidays. It was while at school that her acting talent was spotted and she was encouraged to audition for Rada.
Career:
Reid started out as a stage manager, then worked in rep. Her first TV work came alongside Benny Hill, but it was playing Ken Barlow's tragic wife Valerie in Coronation Street for 10 years that turned her into a household name - more than 18 million viewers tuned in to see her character die in 1971. She later took a break from acting to raise a family, but returned in the 1980s, cropping up in several popular TV shows before showing her comedy prowess in dinnerladies in 1999. In the years since, Reid has landed some fantastic roles that have enabled her to show off her range as an actress. She was particularly daring in 2003's The Mother, in which her character had an affair with Daniel Craig. She's since appeared in Upstairs, Downstairs, Five Days, New Tricks, Doctor Who, Marchlands, In Love with Barbara, Moving On, Song for Marion and Last Tango in Halifax.
Quote:
On nudity: "I looked in the mirror and said: 'You can't show this to the British public - it's going to put everyone off their tea'."
Trivia:
Reid was awarded an MBE in 2010.