Georgina McKee is an English actress. She won the 1997 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for Our Friends in the North, and earned subsequent nominations for The Lost Prince and The Street. She also starred on television in The Forsyte Saga and as Caterina Sforza in The Borgias. Her film appearances include Notting Hill, In the Loop and Phantom Thread.
Early life
McKee was born in Peterlee, County Durham, the daughter of a coal miner, and grew up there and in nearby Easington and Sunderland. Her first experience of acting occurred in her final year at primary school where her teacher finished the school week off with improvisations. Seeing a poster in a shoeshop window for a new youth drama group, McKee and her friends decided to attend, initially not seriously but later becoming enthusiastic. It led to McKee's first professional appearance, working on Tyne Tees children's series, Quest of Eagles. From the age of 15, McKee spent three summers in London with the National Youth Theatre. After completing her A-Levels at East Durham College, she decided, with her parents' blessing, to apply to drama schools rather than art colleges. However, she was rejected by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Career
McKee began her career in TV with several small background roles including a part on the Lenny Henry Show. She made her film debut in 1988 when she had a small role in the Ken Russell film The Lair of the White Worm which co-starred Hugh Grant. In 1996, she played Mary in the BBC drama Our Friends in the North, a role for which she won three Best Actress awards in 1997: the British Academy Television Award, the Royal Television Society Award and the Broadcasting Press Guild Award. McKee appeared in several episodes of the Chris Morris spoof current affairs show, Brass Eye, as reporter Libby Shuss. McKee's theatre credits include Harold Pinter's The Lover and The Collection at the Comedy Theatre in London. In 2008 she appeared in the BBC drama Fiona's Story and a West End revival of Chekhov's Ivanov. In 2010, she appeared as Goneril in the Donmar Warehouse revival of King Lear, directed by Michael Grandage and starring Derek Jacobi. She received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. She also played the mother of a deaf teenager in BBC TV's thriller, The Silence, opposite Genevieve Barr. In 2018, she appeared in the highly successful BBC/Netflix drama series Bodyguard, playing the character of Commander Anne Sampson to critical acclaim.
Personal life
McKee has been married to Kez Cary since 1989; they live in East Sussex, England. She has been a vegetarian since 1982. In 2002, McKee was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland, receiving the honour alongside footballer Niall Quinn.
