Geraldine James

Geraldine James OBE (born 6 July 1950) is an award-winning English actress. Theatre director Peter Hall has said that Geraldine James ranks among the great English classical actresses.^[1]

James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire to a cardiologist father.^[2] She was educated at Downe House, a girls' independent school in Newbury, Berkshire, and at Drama Centre London.

Desert Island Discs

On 30 May 2004 Geraldine James was a guest on the BBC radio programme Desert Island Discs. She chose the following music to take with her if she was ever stranded on a desert island

• "Adagio from Concerto opus 9 No.2" by Tomaso Albinoni
• "Goodness Gracious Me" performed by Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren
• "Love Me or Leave Me" performed by Nina Simone
• "Man in a Shed" performed by Nick Drake
• "The Times They are a Changin'" performed by Bob Dylan
• "Nana" performed by Pablo Casals (cello) and Eugene Istomin (piano)
• "By your Side" performed by Sade
• "In tears of grief, Dear Lord, we leave thee" by from St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) by Johann Sebastian Bach

Television appearances

• Played Shirley Glass in The Sweeney: Pay Off (1976) - TV debut
• Played Barbara Kirk in The History Man. (1980)
• Played Emma Hamilton in I Remember Nelson. (1981)
• Played Sarah Layton in The Jewel in the Crown (1984)
• Played Lady Maud Lynchwood in Blott on the Landscape (1985)
• Played Rose the prostitute in Band of Gold
• Played Beatrice in Rebecca (1997)
• Supporting actress in Moll Flanders
• Has a cameo role in Little Britain as the mother of Harvey Pincher
• Guest starred as Lillith Hughes in 1 episode of Hex (2004).
• Former Lib Dem turned "Purple Alliance" Home Secretary in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard.

• Played Helen Field in "Inspector Morse, Who Killed Harry Field"
• Played Barbara Turney in The Last Enemy
• Played Joanna the Concubine in Heist

Theatre appearances

• Played Portia opposite Dustin Hoffman in the London and Broadway productions of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

Radio appearances

• Guest appearance in the BBC Radio 4 series Baldi.

Movie appearances

• Alice in Wonderland (3-D ing)
• Agatha Christie Poirot - After the Funeral, 2005 - Helen Abernethie
• Calendar Girls
• Gandhi
• The Tall Guy
• The Bridge
• If Looks Could Kill - Teen Agent, 1991 - Vendetta Galante
• An Angel for May
• Mrs Brisket in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Awards

• Best actress at the Venice Biennale for her work in the film She's Been Away

References

External links

• Geraldine James at the Internet Movie Database
• The Jewel That is James - Interview by Jeremy Taylor for bmi Voyager October 2007