Eileen Atkins Biography (1934-)

Born June 16, 1934, in London, England; daughter of Arthur Thomas and Annie Ellen (maiden name, Elkins) Atkins; married Julian Glover (an actor; divorced); married Bill Shepherd (a television producer), 1977. Education: Attended Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Addresses: Agent-- Jonathan Altaras Associates, 2 Goodwin's Ct., London WC2N 4LL, England. Career: Actress and writer. Awards, Honors: Evening Standard Award, best actress, 1965; Antoinette Perry Award nomination and EveningStandard Award, best actress, both 1967, for The Killing of Sister George; Drama Desk Award, outstanding performance, Antoinette Perry Award nomination, and Variety Award, all 1972, for Vivat! Vivat Regina!; Drama Desk Award, best featured actress in a play, 1978, for The Night of theTribades; British Academy Award nomination, best supporting actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1983, for The Dresser; British Academy Award, 1985; Olivier Award, Society of West End Theatre, 1988, forCymbeline; named Commander, Order of the British Empire, 1990; Drama Desk Award, best solo performance, 1991, for A Room of One's Own; Evening Standard British Film Award, best screenplay, 1997, for Mrs.Dalloway. Addresses: Agent: Jonathan Altaras Associates, 2 Goodwin's Ct., London WC2N 4LL, England.

Nationality: English
Gender: Female
Occupation: Actress, writer
Birth Details: June 16, 1934; London, England

Famous Works

CREDITS
Television Appearances
Series
Mrs. Pankhurst, In My Defence,1990
Miniseries
Madame Ostrakova, Smiley's People, syndicated, 1982
Reader, The Modern World: Ten Great Writers,1988
Narrator, China Rising: The Epic History of Twentieth Century China,1992
Dr. Emily Brightman, A Dance to the Music of Time,1997
Celia, "The Hand of God," Talking Heads 2, BBC, 1998
Movies
The Big Man Coughed and ...(also known as The Wednesday Play: The Big Man Coughed and ...), BBC, 1966
Mrs. Mann, Oliver Twist, CBS, 1982
Countess, Roman Holiday, NBC, 1987
Martha, A Hazard of Hearts, CBS, 1987
Judith Starkadder, Cold Comfort Farm, BBC, 1995
Specials
Maggie, Hilda Lessways, BBC, 1959
An Age of Kings, BBC, 1960
Olga, The Three Sisters(also known as Play of the Month: The Three Sisters), BBC, 1969
Titania, A Midsummer Night's Dream(also known as Play of the Month: A Midsummer Night's Dream), BBC, 1971
Jennete Jourdemayne, The Lady's Not for Burning, PBS, 1974
The Lady from the Sea,1974
Electra,1974
"She Fell among Thieves," Play of the Week, BBC-2, 1978
Queen Tamora, Titus Andronicus(also known as BBC Television Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus), BBC-2, 1985
Narrator, The Madonna of Medjugorje, PBS, 1988
A Room of One's Own,1990
Rose Benjamin, "The Lost Language of Cranes," Great Performances,PBS, 1992
Marie Louise, Madame Bovary, PBS, 2000
Episodic
Appeared in Tales(also known as Patricia Highsmith's Tales and Cadavres exquis), Antenne 6.
Other Television Appearances
Kitty Higdon, The Burston Rebellion, BBC, 1985
The Stuff of Madness, Harlech Television, 1990
The Maitlands,1993
Jane Murdstone, David Copperfield,2000
Also appeared in Breaking Up and Shades of Darkness.
Television Work
Series
Creator (with Jean Marsh), Upstairs, Downstairs, London Weekend Television, 1971-75 broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1974-77
Creator (with Marsh), The House of Elliott, BBC, 1991-94 Arts andEntertainment, 1992 BBC, 1994
Film Appearances
Shirley, Inadmissible Evidence, Paramount, 1968
Sister Albana, The Devil within Her(also known as The Baby, I Don't Want to Be Born, It's Growing inside Her, The Monster, and Sharon's Baby), American International Pictures, 1975
Hester Solomon, Equus, United Artists, 1977

Raku Fire,[Canada], 1977
Madge, The Dresser, Columbia, 1983
Nelly, Nelly's Version, Channel 4 Films, 1983
The Vision,[Great Britain], 1987
Lilian Bentley, Let Him Have It, Fine Line Features, 1991
Mary, Wolf, Columbia, 1994
Judith Starkadder, Cold Comfort Farm(theatrical release of the BBCtelevision movie), Gramercy Pictures, 1995
Phil, Jack and Sarah, Gramercy Pictures, 1995
Alice, The Avengers, Warner Bros., 1998
Women Talking Dirty,1999
Stage Appearances
Nurse, Harvey, Repertory Theatre, Bangor, Ireland, 1952
Jacquenetta, Love's Labour's Lost, Open Air Theatre, London, England, 1953
Beattie, Roots, Old Vic Theatre, London, 1960
The girl, The Square, Bromley Theatre, London, 1961
Viola, Twelfth Night, Old Vic Company, 1962
Lady Anne, Richard III, Old Vic Company, 1962
Miranda, The Tempest, Old Vic Company, 1962
Eileen Midway, Semi-Detached, Saville Theatre, London, 1962
Lady Brute, The Provok'd Wife, Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1963
Juliette, Exit the King, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland,then Royal Court Theatre, London, 1963
Viola, Twelfth Night, Ravinia Festival, 1964
Ophelia, Hamlet, Ravinia Festival, 1964
Alice "Childie" McNaught, The Killing of Sister George, Old Vic Theatre, then Duke of York's Theatre, London, 1965 later Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1966
Joan Middleton, The Restoration of Arnold Middleton, Royal Court Theatre, 1966
Lika, The Promise, Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City, 1967
Celia Coplestone, The Cocktail Party, Chichester Festival, Chichester, England, then Wyndham's Theatre, later Haymarket Theatre, both London, 1968
Joan Shannon, The Sleeper's Den, Royal Court Theatre, 1969
Elizabeth I, Vivat! Vivat Regina! Chichester Festival, then Picadilly Theatre, London, 1970 later Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1972
Title role, Suzanna Andler, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1973
Rosalind, As You Like It, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1973
Hesione Hushabye, Heartbreak House, National Theatre Company, OldVic Theatre, 1975
Joan of Arc (title role), Saint Joan, Old Vic Theatre, 1977
Marie Caroline David, The Night of the Tribades, Helen Hayes Theatre, New York City, 1977
Viola, Twelfth Night, Old Vic Theatre, 1978
Jennet Jourdemayne, The Lady's Not for Burning, Old Vic Theatre, 1978
Title role, Mary Barnes, Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1980
Nell, Passion Play, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1981
Mrs. Hitchcock, Sergeant Musgrave's Dance, Old Vic Theatre, 1984
Title role, Medea, Young Vic Theatre, London, 1986
Let Us Go Then, You and I: The Life and Poetry of T.S. Eliot, Lyric Theatre, London, 1986
Eileen O'Shaugnessy, Tuesday's Child, Stratford East Theatre, London, 1986
Marie, Thursday's Ladies, Apollo Theatre, London, 1987
Paulina, The Winter's Tale, National Theatre Company, Cottesloe Theatre, then Olivier Theatre, both London, 1988
Queen, Cymbeline, National Theatre Company, Cottesloe Theatre, then Olivier Theatre, both 1988
Elderly woman, Mountain Language, Lyttelton Theatre, London, 1988
Sally Kershaw, Exclusive, Strand Theatre, London, 1989
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own, Hampstead Theatre, then Playhouse Theatre, both London, 1989
Title role, Prin, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City, 1990
The Night of the Iguana, National Theatre Company, 1992
Virginia Woolf, Vita and Virginia, Ambassadors' Theatre, London, 1993 then Union Square Theatre, New York City, 1994-95
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own, Arena Stage, Washington,DC, 1993-94
Gypsy of the Year, St. James Theatre, New York City, 1994
Leonie (Leo), Indiscretions (Les parents terribles), Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1995
John Gabriel Borkman, National Theatre Company, 1996
Agnes, A Delicate Balance, Theatre Royale, London, 1997
Also appeared in productions with Memorial Theatre Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1957-59.
RECORDINGS
Taped Readings
Constance, King John, Arkangel, 1998
Romeo and Juliet,1998
Videotapes
Virginia Woolf: A Room of One's Own(solo reading), Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 1997
WRITINGS
Stage Plays
Vita and Virginia(based on correspondence between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf), Ambassadors' Theatre, 1993 then Union Square Theatre, 1994-95
Screenplays
Mrs. Dalloway(also known as Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway; based on the novel by Virginia Woolf), First Look Pictures, 1997

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