Linda Bassett
Linda Bassett is an English actress. Her television credits include Victoria Wood's Dinnerladies, Lark Rise to Candleford, Grandma's House and Call the Midwife.
She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1999 film East Is East and for the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for the 2013 revival of the play Roots at the Donmar Warehouse.
Biography
Bassett was born in Pluckley, Kent, England, to a typist mother and a police officer father. Her roles include the award-winning part of Ella Khan in the 1999 British comedy film East is East. Other roles include Mrs. Jennings in the three-part BBC adaptation Sense and Sensibility, Queenie Turrill in Lark Rise to Candleford, Doll in the film Cass.In film, she first gained notice when she was cast as Gertrude Stein opposite Linda Hunt as Alice B. Toklas in Waiting for the Moon in 1987. She also appeared as Julia Roberts' mother in Mary Reilly in 1996, Mrs. Brenner, the prison official in the 2008 film The Reader and as Cora in Calendar Girls. She was March.
More recently she played Grandma in the BBC Two comedy Grandma's House. Since 2015, she plays Nurse Phyllis Crane on the BBC One drama series Call the Midwife.
Theatre
- In Basildon – Royal Court Theatre London
- Love and Information – National Theatre London
- People – Royal National Theatre London
- Roots – Donmar Warehouse London
- Visitors – Arcola Theatre London and Bush Theatre London
- Escaped Alone – Royal Court Theatre London, Brooklyn Academy of Music New York and BBC Radio
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | Waiting for the Moon | Gertrude Stein | |
| 1988 | Dramarama | Meg Crawford | TV series |
| 1988 | Paris by Night | Janet Swanton | |
| 1989 | Traffik | Rachel Lithgow | TV series |
| 1989 | Boon | Mrs. Sheridan | TV series |
| 1990 | Screen One | Virginia Lyddon | TV series |
| 1990 | The Bill | Shena Jackson | TV series |
| 1991 | A Small Dance | Sandra Matkin | |
| 1991 | 4 Play | Phyllis Twigg | TV series |
| 1991 | Let Him Have It | Mrs. Miles | |
| 1994 | Love Hurts | Janice | TV series |
| 1994 | A Touch of Frost | Mrs. Cornish | TV series |
| 1994 | Screen Two | Mrs. Loveless/Susan | TV series |
| 1994 | Frank Stubbs | Eileen | TV series |
| 1995 | A Village Affair | Gwen | TV film |
| 1995 | The Bill | Chrissie Bates | TV series |
| 1995 | Bramwell | Maud | TV mini-series |
| 1995 | Loved Up | Mother | TV film |
| 1995 | The Peter Principle | Iris Jennings | TV series |
| 1995 | Haunted | Madam Brontski | - |
| EastEnders | Bridget Gilsenan | TV series | |
| 1996 | Mary Reilly | Mary's Mother | - |
| 1996 | No Bananas | Ellen Slater | TV mini-series |
| 1996 | Indian Summer | Doctor | - |
| 1997 | Kavanagh QC | Miss Haddon QC | TV series |
| 1997 | Oscar and Lucinda | Betty Stratton | |
| 1998 | Spoonface Steinberg | Mrs. Spud | TV film |
| 1998 | The Life and Crimes of William Palmer | Mary Thornton | TV film |
| 1998 | Our Mutual Friend | Abby Potterson | TV mini-series |
| 1998 | Far from the Madding Crowd | Maryann Money | TV film |
| 1998 | Out of Hours | Carol-Ann Kumar | TV mini-series |
| 1999 | East is East | Ella Khan | Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role |
| 1999 | Beautiful People | Sister | |
| 1999 | Dinnerladies | Peggy | TV series |
| 2000 | Lounge Act | Voice | Short |
| 2000 | Don Quixote | Housekeeper | TV film |
| 2000 | Losing It | Tom's Mother | TV film |
| 2001 | The Martins | Anthea | |
| 2002 | The Last Time | Evelyn | Short |
| 2002 | The Hours | Nelly Boxall | |
| 2003 | This Little Life | Nurse Nina | TV film |
| 2003 | Calendar Girls | Cora | |
| 2004 | Spivs | Auntie Vee | |
| 2004 | The Brief | Maureen Tyler | TV series |
| 2005 | Separate Lies | Maggie | |
| 2005 | Colour Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story | Trolley Lady | |
| 2005 | Kinky Boots | Melanie | |
| 2005 | Heartbeat | Beryl Palmer | TV series |
| 2005 | The English Harem | Monica Pringle | TV film |
| 2007 | Midsomer Murders | Eileen Carnack | TV series |
| 2008 | Sense and Sensibility | Mrs. Jennings | TV mini-series |
| 2008 | Cass | Doll | |
| 2008 | The Reader | Ms. Brenner | |
| 2008 | Lark Rise to Candleford | Queenie Turrill | TV series |
| 2010 | West Is West | Ella Khan | |
| 2010 | Grandma's House | Grandma | TV series |
| 2012 | Nick Nickleby | Mrs. Smike | TV series |
| 2013 | Spies of Warsaw | Malka Rosen | BBC miniseries |
| 2015– | Twirlywoos | Narrator | children's TV show |
| 2015– | Call the Midwife | Nurse Phyllis Crane | TV series |
| 2017 | Carnage | Dr Yasmine Vondenburg | Mockumentary |