About
| Birth Name: | Eileen June Atkins |
| Birth Notes: | 16 June 1934, Clapton, London, England, UK |
| Height: | 5' 6 1/2" |
| Family: | * Julian Glover (1957 - 1966) (divorced) * Bill Shepherd (2 February 1978 - present) |
| Biography: | Eileen Atkins was born in a Salvation Army Women's Hostel in north London. Her father was a gas meter reader; her mother, a seamstress and barmaid. A drama teacher taught her how to drop her Cockney accent, and she studied Shakespeare and Greek tragedies. Her breakthrough role in "The Killing of Sister George" took her to Broadway. |
Filmography
| Ask the Dust (2006) as Mrs. Hargraves |
| Cold Mountain (2003) as Maddy |
| Equus (1977) as Hesther Saloman |
| Evening (2007) as The Night Nurse |
| Gosford Park (2001) as Mrs. Croft |
| I Don't Want to Be Born (1975) as Sister Albana |
| Last Chance Harvey (2008) as Maggie Walker |
| Let Him Have It (1991) as Lilian Bentley |
| Robin Hood (2010) as Eleanor of Aquitaine |
| Scenes of a Sexual Nature (2006) as Iris |
| The Avengers (1998) as Alice |
| The Hours (2002) as Barbara in Flower Shop |
| Vanity Fair (2004) as Miss Matilda Crawley |
| Wild Target (2010) as Mother |
| Egy hét Pesten és Budán (2003) as Amanda |
| In with the Outlaws (2011) |
| Inadmissible Evidence (1968) as Shirley |
| Jack & Sarah (1995) as Phil |
| La fiesta del chivo (2005) as Aunt Adelina |
| Modus Operandi (2010) as Irene Quirey |
| Mrs. Darwin (2009) as Emma Darwin |
| Nelly's Version (1983) as Nelly |
| Raku Fire (1977) |
| The Dresser (1983) as Madge |
| The Girl in Melanie Klein (2010) |
| The Queen of Sheba's Pearls (2004) as School matron |
| What a Girl Wants (2003) as Jocelyn Dashwood |
| Wolf (1994) as Mary |
| Women Talking Dirty (1999) as Emily Boyle |
Trivia
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* She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1990 Queen's Honours List and awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama. * Co-creator (with actress Jean Marsh) of the classic British drama series "Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971) - making her wonderful presence in the Altman upstairs-downstairs movie Gosford Park (2001) particularly resonant. * She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1989 (1988 season) for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for "Cymbeline and Mountain Language". * She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1999 (1998 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "The Unexpected Man". * She was awarded the 2004 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress of the 2003 season for her performance in "Honour" at the Royal National Theatre: Cottesloe Stage. * She was awarded the 1992 London Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Night of the Iguana. * She was awarded the 1997 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in A Delicate Balance. * She was nominated for a 2003 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in Honour at the Royal National Theatre: Cottesloe. * She was nominated for a 1997 (1996) Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress in a play for her performance in "John Gabriel Borkman". * 2004 Tony Award nominee for Best Actress in a Play for "The Retreat from Moscow." * Won the Best Actress Award for "Honour" at the 2004 Laurence Olivier Awards. * Has been nominated for four Tony Awards: as Best Actress (Dramatic), in 1967 for "The Killing of Sister George" and in 1972 for "Vivat! Vivat Regina!; and as Best Actress (Play), in 1995 for "Indiscretions" and in 2004 for "The Retreat from Moscow." * Is a breast cancer survivor. * She has no children. She claimed in an interview with the Radio Times that she has never had any maternal instinct and put that down to the fact that she did not get on with her mother * She claims to be high-maintenance |
Quotes
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* In England, as here, there are always two kinds of audiences: the Royal Shakespeare and the West End. In the last 10 years, audiences have been changed by television. One can tell: people don't concentrate and they expect lighter fare - and I do hate disappointing the audiences. One lady came up to me afterwards here, very complimentary, and then she said 'Well, this is terrible heavy.' And I thought 'Oh dear, you think this is heavy? Because it isn't, it's just serious. * There's no such thing as a legend. Nearly everyone has forgotten Laurence Olivier. What's that dreadful word - dynasty', as in the Redgraves and Foxes? Acting is not in the blood - otherwise what are 'Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and I doing here? I'm the least well known, for a very good reason. Judi's an incredible actress who wouldn't be so popular if she hadn't been in "As Time Goes By" (1992). Maggie has always done movies, and won Oscars. I plough away at the classics. |
Photos
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