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Sarah Alexander

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Sarah Alexander
Born
Sarah Smith

(1971-01-03) 3 January 1971 (age 53)
OccupationActress
Years active1989–present
SpousePeter Serafinowicz
Children2

Sarah Alexander (née Smith; 3 January 1971)[1][2] is an English actress. She has appeared in British series including Armstrong and Miller, Smack the Pony, Coupling, The Worst Week of My Life, Green Wing, Marley's Ghosts and Jonathan Creek.

Early life

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Alexander was born on 3 January 1971[3] in Hammersmith, London.[1] Her father, Frank Smith, was a television producer and director on factual shows such as Panorama; he died when she was still at school.[2][4][5] She attended Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith.[6] At the age of 19, she left home after her A-levels and travelled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to get a start in acting.[6] Her parents wanted her to continue to university, but she turned down a place at the University of Manchester to take her first professional acting job.[7]

Career

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In 1992, Alexander appeared in The Bill, as a witness to an attempted robbery.[citation needed] The following year she played Muriel in an episode of the BBC comedy-drama Lovejoy. In 1994, she played Nicky, Damien's risk-addicted weather reporter girlfriend in Drop the Dead Donkey. In 1996, she played Beatrice in the British première of Octavio Paz's only play, Rappaccini's Daughter, at the Gate Theatre Studio. She has appeared in other theatre productions, including The Vagina Monologues, Hand in Hand, The Secretary Bird, Northanger Abbey, and as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth.[8] In the mid-1990s, she met Ben Miller when they filmed an advertisement for disposable cameras together, and through him she met Alexander Armstrong.[9] Miller and Armstrong became friends and collaborators, and Alexander went on to appear on their Channel 4 sketch show Armstrong and Miller (1997–2001), usually in the regular "Nude Practice" segment.

Alexander moved into comedy acting, in which she has since specialised. Her other sketch show work included Smith and Jones (1997–1998) and Smack the Pony (1999–2003), also writing for the latter. In the science-fiction comedy series Red Dwarf, she played the Queen of Camelot in "Stoke Me a Clipper". She appeared in the Midsomer Murders episode "The Garden of Death", as Fliss Inkpen-Thomas. In 2000, she appeared in the comedy The Strangerers, as well as becoming co-host of the final series of the current-affairs satire The 11 O'Clock Show, alongside Jon Holmes. She made her debut as Susan Walker in the BBC sitcom Coupling, which ran for four series from 2000 to 2004. Other British TV roles included Mel in The Worst Week of My Life and Angela Hunter in the hospital comedy Green Wing.

Alexander appeared as Alice Fletcher in NBC's short-lived remake of the British comedy series Teachers, before roles in the films I Could Never Be Your Woman and Stardust (both released in 2007). Her previous film credits include Seaview Knights (1994) and Going Off Big Time (2000). She also starred in the 2008 BBC dramedy Mutual Friends,[9] and played Layla Barton in the BBC drama All The Small Things,[10] which debuted in 2009.

Since 2011, she has played Mimi in the BBC Radio 4 comedy series The Gobetweenies. The first series was broadcast in 2011 and two more followed in 2012 and 2013. She starred in the 2012 BBC series Me and Mrs Jones.[11] Since 2013, she has starred in the BBC One series Jonathan Creek as Polly Creek, wife of main character Jonathan, making her first appearance in the episode titled "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb" in 2013. She starred in the Dave comedy Undercover as DS Zoe Keller. From 2015 she has starred in the comedy series Marley's Ghosts on Gold. In 2019, Alexander appeared as Undine Thwaite in the Epix series Pennyworth.[12]

Other work

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Alexander has contributed to the BBC charity telethon Comic Relief, appearing in 2001 as a judge based on Nicki Chapman in a parody of Popstars, in 2003 as Liza Goddard in a spoof of Blankety Blank, and, in 2005, in a celebrity version of University Challenge. Since 2021, she has contributed to Mark Steel's podcast "What the F*** Is Going On?", appearing in sketches as "woman overheard in cafe", "tory MP Nadine Boris", and "phone-in show caller".

Personal life

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In 2001, at the age of 30, Alexander began a relationship with 70-year-old actor Gerald Harper.[13] The following year, she left him for actor Peter Serafinowicz, whom she later married.[13][14] They live in West London, and have a son and daughter together.[9] She appeared in both series of Look Around You, which Serafinowicz co-created and starred in, as well as O!News, his parody of E! News.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Film Role Notes
1993 Pretty Princess Ursula Original title: Piccolo Grande Amore
1994 Seaview Knights Jackie
1999 The New Adventures of Pinocchio Felinet Direct-to-Video
2000 Summer in the Suburbs Maisie TV film
Going Off Big Time Stacey Bannerman
2001 Bridget Jones's Diary Daniel Cleaver's Lover Uncredited
2004 Perfect Strangers Alix Mason TV film
2005 Harry Kay Short film
2007 I Could Never Be Your Woman Jeannie
Stardust Empusa
2011 Faculty Ellie Anderson TV film
2015 We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story Gilda Perry
2020 Sassy Justice Julie Andrews Video short
2022 The Silent Canary Jane Short film

Television

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Year Film Role Notes
1992 The Bill Lesley Anderson Episode: "Exit"
Kappatoo Melanie Series regular, 7 episodes
Natural Lies Anne-Marie 1 episode
Covington Cross Third Girl Episode: "The Hero"
1993 Lovejoy Muriel Episode: "Second Fiddle"
You, Me and It Emma 1 episode
Chris Cross Sam Episode: "Turf Wars"
1994 Anna Lee Mary Vincent Episode: "The Cook's Tale"
The Bill Madeline Dexter Episode: "Wild Justice"
Drop the Dead Donkey Nicky Episode: "Damien and the Weather Girl"
1997 Red Dwarf Queen Episode: "Stoke Me a Clipper"
1997-1998 Alas Smith and Jones Various roles Recurring role, 12 episodes
1998 Noel's House Party Girl at the Window Recurring role, 4 episodes
1999 Tilly Trotter Lady Agnes Myton Miniseries, 2 episodes
People Like Us Madeline Goddard Episode: "The Estate Agent"
1999-2003 Smack the Pony Various roles Series regular, 23 episodes
2000 The Strangerers Rina Series regular, 9 episodes
Midsomer Murders Fliss Inkpen-Thomas Episode: "Garden of Death"
2000-2004 Coupling Susan Walker Series regular, 28 episodes
2001 The Armstrong & Miller Show Various roles Recurring role, 7 episodes
Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible Beatrice Crown Episode: "Voodoo Feet of Death"
2002 Look Around You Scientist 2 episodes
2003 Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do 'Lovely' Liza Goddard TV special
2004-2006 Green Wing Dr. Angela Hunter Series regular, 13 episodes
2004-2007 The Worst Week of My Life Mel Cook Series regular, 17 episodes
2005 Look Around You Ros Lamb Episode: "Sport"
2006 Teachers. Alice Fletcher Series regular, 6 episodes
2007 The Peter Serafinowicz Show Various roles 2 episodes
2008 Mutual Friends Liz Series regular, 6 episodes
2009 All the Small Things Layla Series regular, 6 episodes
2010 Agatha Christie's Marple Lydia Harsnet Episode: "The Pale Horse"
2011 The Jury Theresa Vestry Series regular, 5 episodes
The Gobetweenies Mimi Recurring role, 4 episodes
2012 Me and Mrs Jones Gemma Jones Series regular, 6 episodes
2013-2016 Jonathan Creek Polly Creek Recurring role, 5 episodes
2015 Undercover Zoe Series regular, 6 episodes
2015-2016 Marley's Ghosts Marley Wise Series regular, 9 episodes
2016 Drunk History Elizabeth I Episode: "Battle of Trafalgar/The Virgin Queen"
2019 Pennyworth Undine Thwaite Series regular, 6 episodes
2024 Father Brown Harriet Sykes Episode: "The Last Supper"

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sarah Alexander - National Portrait Gallery". www.npg.org.uk.
  2. ^ a b "A modern Mrs Robinson with a passion for laughs". The Independent. 5 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Jan. 3 Celebrity Birthdays". Orange County Register. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Sarah Alexander: Blonde ambition". The Independent. 9 November 2005.
  5. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Coupling Sarah Alexander". www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ a b Jones, Alice (9 November 2005). "Sarah Alexander: Blonde ambition". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2008.[dead link]
  7. ^ How We Met: Sarah Alexander & Ben Miller The Independent on Sunday, 7 March 2004
  8. ^ The Worst Christmas Of My Life – a Christmas to remember for all the wrong reasons BBC Press Office. 6 December 2006
  9. ^ a b c Mutual Friends Press Pack BBC Press Office. 13 August 2008
  10. ^ "All-singing new drama series announced for BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Me and Mrs Jones". BBC. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  12. ^ Rayner, Daniel (25 August 2019). "'Pennyworth' Season 1, Episode 6 'Cilla Black' Review: Sorcery".
  13. ^ a b Scott, Peter (6 August 2002). "New Man For Coupling Star". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 31 May 2020 – via The Free Library.
  14. ^ Philby, Charlotte (30 August 2008). "My Secret Life: Peter Serafinowicz". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
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