Alex Kingston
 |
Alex Kingston | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexandra Elizabeth Kingston 11 March 1963 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) | Ralph Fiennes (1993–1997; divorced) Florian Haertel (1998–present; 1 child) |
Alexandra Elizabeth "Alex" Kingston[1] (born 11 March 1963)[1] is an English actress. She is most widely known for her roles as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the NBC medical drama ER and as River Song in Doctor Who.
Biography
Early life and education
Kingston was born and raised in Epsom, Surrey, England. She is the eldest of three daughters of a butcher, Anthony Kingston,[1] and her German mother. Kingston's uncle is actor Walter Renneisen, her mother's younger brother.[2]
Kingston was inspired to pursue acting by one of her teachers at her all-girls school Rosebery School for Girls. She later completed a three-year programme at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to join the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company.
Career
Kingston has appeared in a number of British-produced television dramas, including Grange Hill, Crocodile Shoes, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, The Knock and a guest role on The Bill.
Kingston's film credits include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), A Pin for the Butterfly (1994), Croupier (1998), Essex Boys (2000), Boudica (Warrior Queen in the USA) (2003) in which she played the eponymous Boudica, Sweet Land (2005), and Crashing (2007).
In September 1997, Kingston gained North American television fame after being cast on the long-running medical drama ER. Her first appearance was in the premiere of the fourth season in the award-winning live episode "Ambush". She portrayed Elizabeth Corday, a surgeon arriving from England. Kingston played this role for just over seven seasons until leaving in October 2004, in the fourth episode of the eleventh season called "Fear". In Spring 2009, Kingston returned to ER during its fifteenth and final season for two episodes: "Dream Runner" and the two-hour series finale "And in the End...".
In November 2005, Kingston guest-starred in the long-running mystery drama Without a Trace in season 4: episode 6 called "Viuda Negra" (Spanish for "black widow"). The episode was directed by Kingston's former ER cast mate Paul McCrane. She played Lucy Costin, one of two wealthy vacationers from the U.S. whose husband is kidnapped by a Mexican street gang on the last night of their honeymoon.
In 2006, Kingston revealed that she was turned down for a role on ABC's Desperate Housewives, as Lynette Scavo, for being too curvy.[3] In the same article, she admitted to considering and nearly attempting suicide after her separation from her ex-husband Ralph Fiennes.
In 2008 Kingston guest-starred in the fourth series of the long-running science fiction television programme Doctor Who in the two-part story "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" as River Song. She reprised the role in 2010, playing a younger version of River Song in the two-parter "The Time of Angels"/"Flesh and Stone", and again in the two-part series finale "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang". She returned for the two-part series 6 premiere "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon" and the mid series finale "A Good Man Goes to War" in 2011. When the series returned in Autumn she appeared in "Let's Kill Hitler", playing a River Song that had only just regenerated. In the end of "Closing Time", where she was put into the space suit ready to kill the Doctor, and finally in the series finale "The Wedding of River Song". Kingston says she thought her role was simply a one-off, but was delighted that she would be a returning character.[4]
In September 2008, Kingston took the part of Mrs. Bennet in ITV's acclaimed four-part production Lost in Austen which is based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In October that same year, Kingston appeared in the crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in season 9: episode 3 called "Art Imitates Life" where she portrayed Patricia Alwick, a psychiatrist and grief counsellor who helps the team cope with the recent death of CSI member Warrick Brown.
In February 2009, Kingston portrayed Miranda Pond, a defence attorney in two episodes of the legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This guest spot reunited Kingston with her former cast mate from ER, Mariska Hargitay. Hargitay had a recurring role during the fourth season of ER. In June, Kingston starred as the lead character Ellie Lagden, one of four former convicts in the BBC One drama series Hope Springs until its cancelation in July. In September that year, she had a recurring role in FlashForward, playing Inspector Fiona Banks.
In 2010, Kingston returned to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in season 12: episode 7 entitled "Trophy", which reunited Kingston with her former ER castmate Maria Bello.
In 2011, Kingston was a cast member on British supernatural series Marchlands. She played the character Helen Maynard. The series ended on March 3. She also guest-starred in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice as Marla Tompkins, a psychiatrist who writes book reviews for newspapers. Kingston is currently cast in Friedrich Schiller’s Luise Miller at the Donmar Warehouse in London.
Personal life
Kingston met English actor Ralph Fiennes while they were both students at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. They were together for ten years before marrying on 28 October 1993. They divorced in December 1997.
In 1998, Kingston married her second husband, German writer and freelance journalist Florian Haertel. They met the previous year on a blind date arranged by friends.[5] They have a daughter together, Salome Violetta Haertel, born on 28 March 2001. As of 2011, Kingston continues to reside in the US.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Wildcats of St. Trinian's | Uncredited | |
| Grange Hill | Jill Harcourt | TV series (3 episodes) | |
| 1987 | A Killing on the Exchange | Ellen | TV mini-series (2 episodes) |
| 1988 | The Bill | Various | TV series (4 episodes: 1988-1995) |
| 1989 | Hannay | Kirsten Larssen | TV series (1 episode: "The Terrors of the Earth") |
| The Play on One | Daniella | TV series (1 episode: "These Foolish Things") | |
| The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover | Adela | ||
| 1992 | Covington Cross | Helen | TV series (1 episode: "Cedric Hits the Road") |
| 1993 | Foreign Affairs | Actress | TV movie |
| Soldier Soldier | Ursula Kröhling | TV series (1 episode: "Camouflage") | |
| 1994 | Woman of the Wolf | Woman | Voice only, TV movie |
| A Pin for the Butterfly | |||
| Crocodile Shoes | Caroline Carrison | TV series (5 episodes) | |
| 1995 | Carrington | Frances Partidge | |
| The Infiltrator | Anna | ||
| 1996 | The Knock | Katherine Roberts | TV series (13 episodes) |
| The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders | Moll Flanders | TV movie | |
| Saint-Ex | Chic Party Guest | ||
| 1997 | Weapons of Mass Distraction | Verity Graham | TV movie |
| ER | Dr. Elizabeth Corday | TV series (Series regular: 160 episodes: 1997-2004, 2009) | |
| 1998 | Croupier | Jani de Villiers | |
| 1999 | This Space Between Us | Peternelle | |
| 2000 | Essex Boys | Lisa Locke | |
| 2003 | Boudica | Boudica | Warrior Queen in the U.S.A. |
| 2005 | The Poseidon Adventure | Suzanne Harrison | TV movie |
| Sweet Land | Brownie | ||
| Without a Trace | Lucy Costin | TV series (1 episode: "Viuda Negra") | |
| 2006 | Alpha Dog | Tiffany Hartunian | |
| 2007 | Crashing | Diane Freed | |
| 2008 | Freezing | Serena Wilson | TV series (1 episode: "Episode #1.3") |
| Lost in Austen | Mrs. Bennett | TV mini-series (4 episodes) | |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dr. Patricia Alwick | TV series (1 episode: "Art Imitates Life") | |
| Doctor Who | River Song | Appeared in a total of twelve episodes:
| |
| 2009 | Sordid Things | Eve Manchester | |
| Hope Springs | Ellie Lagden | TV series: Lead role (8 episodes) | |
| FlashForward | Inspector Fiona Banks | TV series (3 episodes) | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Miranda Pond | TV series (4 episodes) | |
| 2010 | Ben Hur | Ruth | TV series (2 episodes) |
| Callers | Sheila | Post-production | |
| 2011 | Like Crazy | Jackie | (completed) |
| Private Practice | Marla Tompkins | TV series | |
| Marchlands | Helen Maynard | TV series (5 episodes) |
References
- ^ a b c "Person Page 18418". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ "(article in German)" (in German). Echo-online.de. Retrieved 2010-04-10.[dead link]
- ^ 2:45 a.m. ET (2006-05-31). "Dissing the desperately skinny 'Housewives – Gossip Archive – MSNBC.com". MSNBC. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Andrew Duncan (2011-08-27). "Doctor Who: Alex Kingston interviewed". Radio Times. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
- ^ Hilary Freeman (2004-06-22). "'At my age, if we want to have another child, this is the time to do it' | Society". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
- ^ Kingston, Alex (2011-01-06). (Interview). Interviewed by Craig Ferguson.
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External links
- 1963 births
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- English people of German descent
- English film actors
- English stage actors
- English television actors
- Shakespearean actors
- Royal Shakespeare Company members
- Living people
- People from Epsom
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners