Lisa McGrillis
Lisa McGrillis | |
|---|---|
 McGrillis in 2013 | |
| Born | (1982-09-03) 3 September 1982 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England |
| Education | Northumbria University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Lisa McGrillis (born 3 September 1982) is a British actress. Her credits include Hebburn (2012–2013), The Pass (2016), Inspector George Gently (2014-2017), Mum (2016-2019), No Offence (2015–2018), Death in Paradise (2019), Deadwater Fell (2020), Last Night in Soho (2021), Avoidance (2022), Maternal (2023), Sex Education (2023), and Rivals (2024).
Early life and education
McGrillis was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, but at age 5,[1] moved to and grew up in Scotby, near Carlisle in Cumbria,[2] with her mother, a special needs teacher, and her father, an accountant. She attended Trinity School, Carlisle,[2] before going on to study performing arts at Northumbria University.[1]
Career
McGrillis had a role in The Pitmen Painters, by Lee Hall, in 2007. It transferred to London's National Theatre and then to Broadway.[1]
McGrillis was in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe in 2011 as Margaret the maid.[3] When Eve Best, the star of the show, fell ill, director Jeremy Herrin asked McGrillis to step up to play Beatrice. She then appeared in The Pass with Russell Tovey at the Royal Court Theatre in 2014.[4][5]
After appearing in Hebburn,[6] McGrillis was the regular character DS Rachel Coles in Inspector George Gently with Martin Shaw.[7][8]
McGrillis starred opposite Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville in the BBCsitcomMum (2018) as Kelly, the girlfriend of Manville's son, Jason.[9][10] In February 2019, she played Hannah Wilde in episode eight of the eighth season of Death in Paradise.[11] She later played a grass-roots Manchester politician in the third series of Channel 4Paul Abbott police drama No Offence and, in 2020, appeared as 'Mad Kay' in BBC sitcom King Gary, written by Tom Davis[12] and as Sandra in the Channel 4 drama Deadwater Fell.[13]
On 17 January 2022, it was announced that McGrillis would star as Courtney in BBC comedy Avoidance (2022), alongside show creator Romesh Ranganathan and Jessica Knappett.[14][15] In 2023, she played the main role of Helen Cavendish in the ITV drama Maternal (2023).[16]
In 2024, she appeared alongside David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson in the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rivals (2024).[17]
Personal life
Her husband, Stuart Martin, is also an actor; they met at a Christmas party in the National Theatre bar.[18] They have two children.[19] McGrillis is an ambassador for children's charity PIPA.[20]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Other Possibility | Angalina | |
| 2016 | The Pass | Lyndsey | |
| 2018 | Wild Geese | Polly | Short film |
| Only You | Carly | ||
| 2021 | Last Night in Soho | Female Detective |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Spit Game | Receptionist | Television film |
| 2012–2013 | Hebburn | Vicki Pearson | Main role |
| 2014–2017 | Inspector George Gently | Sergeant Rachel Coles | Main role; Series 6—8 |
| 2015 | Fungus the Bogeyman | Saliva | 2 episodes; TV mini-series |
| 2015–2018 | No Offence | Caroline McCoy | Recurring role; Series 3 |
| 2016–2019 | Mum | Kelly | Main role |
| 2019 | Death in Paradise | Hannah Wilde | Season 8, Episode 8 |
| 2020 | Deadwater Fell | Sandra McKay | 4 episodes |
| Bumps | Joanne | Television film | |
| 2020-2021 | King Gary | Kay / Mad Kay | Recurring role |
| 2022 | Somewhere Boy | Sue | Main role |
| 2022–present | Avoidance | Courtney | Main role |
| 2023 | Maternal | Helen Cavendish | Main role; ITV[16] |
| Best Interests | Brenda | 4 episodes | |
| Sex Education | Joanna Franklin | Recurring role | |
| 2024 - present | Rivals | Valerie Jones | Main role [17] |
| 2024 | Krapopolis | Kayleigh (voice) | Recurring role |
| 2025 | Film Club | Steph | Recurring role |
References
- ^ abcBWW News Desk. "Introducing the Pitmen Painters:: Lisa McGrillis".
- ^ ab"Cumbrian actress back on TV in acclaimed BBC sitcom". newsandstar.co.uk. 24 May 2016.
- ^"Shakespeare's Globe". www.shakespearesglobe.com.
- ^"Lisa McGrillis - Royal Court".
- ^Billington, Michael (19 January 2014). "The Pass – review". the Guardian.
- ^"Martin Shaw and Hebburn's Lisa McGrillis on set as Inspector George Gently films in Newcastle". 17 November 2014.
- ^"Lisa McGrillis: 'Mum gives you your money's worth from your TV licence!'". www.whatsontv.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
- ^Lorraine (11 May 2017). "Lisa McGrillis Praises Her Shows 'Inspector George Gently' and 'Mum' - Lorraine" – via YouTube.
- ^Ward, Rachel (20 February 2018). "Lisa McGrillis: the star of Mum on Lesley Manville's work ethic and why Kelly isn't as stupid as she looks". The Telegraph.
- ^"One of BBC's most underrated sit-coms returns on Tuesday and you should be excited". Buzz.ie. 2018. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- ^Debnath, Neela (28 February 2019). "Death in Paradise cast 2019: Who plays Gerald Baynes? Who is Daniel Ryan?". Daily Express. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^"Lisa McGrillis plays Caroline McCoy - Channel 4 - Info". www.channel4.com.
- ^"Deadwater Fell: Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^"Romesh Ranganathan creates, writes and stars in new comedy series Avoidance for BBC One and BBC iPlayer". BBC. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^White, James (18 January 2022). "Romesh Ranganathan Co-Creating And Starring In New BBC Comedy Series Avoidance". Empire. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ ab"ITV commissions six part medical drama, Maternal". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ ab"Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner star in adaptation of racy anime Jilly Cooper novel". Independent.ie. 21 March 2023.
- ^Murray Scougall (21 June 2022). "Sitcom star Lisa McGrillis on how being a working mum of two is no laughing matter". www.sundaypost.com.
- ^Jones, Alice (6 February 2018). "Lisa McGrillis, aka Kelly in Mum: 'I remember thinking, oh god, is this my life? Is this what acting is? I'm not sure I want to do this'". I News. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^"Welcome New PIPA Ambassador: Lisa McGrillis - Parents In Performing Arts". 14 February 2018.
External links
