Born:
March 12, 1956
in
Brighton
Best Known For:
Her work with director Mike Leigh.
Early-life:
Lesley was born in Brighton on March 12, 1956. She trained as a soprano singer from the age of eight and went on to secure a place at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. She made her professional stage debut in the 1972 West End musical I and Albert and had a recurring role on Emmerdale Farm in the mid-1970s, playing Rosemary Kendall.
Career:
A frequent collaborator with Mike Leigh, Manville has appeared in a number of his films, including Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999), All or Nothing (2002), Vera Drake (2004), Another Year (2010) and Mr Turner (2014). In 2011, she starred in Mike Leigh's play Grief at the National Theatre. Her other stage roles include His Dark Materials, The Alchemist, All About My Mother, Her Naked Skin, Six Degrees of Separation, and Ghosts, for which she won an Olivier Award. On the small screen, Manville has starred in David Copperfield, The Cazalets, North & South, and Cranford. More recently, she has appeared in Mayday, Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond, and River.
Quote:
"I think that distributors and marketing companies realise that there are a huge number of women over 40 who want to go the cinema and see films about themselves."
Trivia:
Manville received an OBE in the 2015 Birthday Honours.