| Linda Bassett | |
| Birth Date: | 1950 2, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Pluckley, Kent, England |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Yearsactive: | 1979–present |
Linda Bassett (born 4 February 1950) is an English actress. Her television credits include Victoria Wood's dinnerladies (1999), Lark Rise to Candleford (2008–11), Grandma's House (2010–12) and Call the Midwife (2015–present).
She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1999 film East Is East and for the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for the 2013 revival of the play Roots at the Donmar Warehouse.
Bassett was born in Pluckley, Kent, England, to a typist mother and a police officer father.[1] Her roles include the award-winning part of Ella Khan in the 1999 British comedy film East is East. Other roles include Mrs. Jennings in the three-part BBC adaptation Sense and Sensibility, Queenie Turrill in Lark Rise to Candleford, Doll in the film Cass.
In film, she first gained notice when she was cast as Gertrude Stein opposite Linda Hunt as Alice B. Toklas in Waiting for the Moon in 1987. She also appeared as Julia Roberts' mother in Mary Reilly in 1996, Mrs. Brenner, the prison official in the 2008 film The Reader and as Cora in Calendar Girls (March).
More recently she played Grandma in the BBC Two comedy Grandma's House. Since 2015, she has portrayed Nurse Phyllis Crane on the BBC One drama series Call the Midwife.
Bassett's career began in the theatre. She initially worked as an usher at the Old Vic whilst a schoolgirl, before enrolling at The University of Leeds. Her first professional work was in community and educational theatre in the 1970s.[2]
Among her most notable stage roles were those in:
| Year | Film / TV | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Waiting for the Moon | Gertrude Stein | |
| 1988 | Dramarama | Meg Crawford | TV series (1 episode: "Making Waves") |
| Paris by Night | Janet Swanton | ||
| 1989 | Traffik | Rachel Lithgow | TV series (4 episodes) |
| Boon | Mrs. Sheridan | TV series (1 episode: "In It for the Monet") | |
| 1990 | Screen One | Virginia Lyddon | TV series (1 episode: "News Hound") |
| The Bill | Shena Jackson | TV series (2 episodes) | |
| 1991 | A Small Dance | Sandra Matkin | |
| 4 Play | Phyllis Twigg | TV series (1 episode: "Say Hello to the Real Dr. Snide") | |
| Let Him Have It | Mrs. Miles | ||
| 1994 | Love Hurts | Janice | TV series (1 episode: "Blue Heaven") |
| A Touch of Frost | Mrs. Cornish | TV series (1 episode: "Nothing to Hide") | |
| Screen Two | Mrs. Loveless/Susan | TV series (2 episodes) | |
| Frank Stubbs | Eileen | TV series (1 episode: "Babies") | |
| 1995 | A Village Affair | Gwen | TV film |
| The Bill | Chrissie Bates | TV series (1 episode: "Old Habitats") | |
| Bramwell | Maud | TV mini-series (1 episode: "Episode #1.7") | |
| Loved Up | Mother | TV film | |
| The Peter Principle | Iris Jennings | TV series (1 episode: "Pilot") | |
| Madam Brontski | |||
| EastEnders | Bridget Gilsenan | TV series (1 episode) | |
| 1996 | Mary Reilly | Mary's Mother | Film |
| Casualty | Olwyn Humphries | TV series (1 episode: "Asking for Miracles") | |
| No Bananas | Ellen Slater | TV mini-series (10 episodes) | |
| Indian Summer | Doctor | Film | |
| 1997 | Kavanagh QC | Miss Haddon QC | TV series (1 episode: "Mute of Malice") |
| Oscar and Lucinda | Betty Stratton | ||
| 1998 | Spoonface Steinberg | Mrs. Spud | TV film |
| The Life and Crimes of William Palmer | Mary Thornton | TV film | |
| Our Mutual Friend | Abby Potterson | TV mini-series (2 episodes) | |
| Far from the Madding Crowd | Maryann Money | TV film | |
| Out of Hours | Carol-Ann Kumar | TV mini-series | |
| 1999 | East is East | Ella Khan | Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role |
| Beautiful People | Sister | Film | |
| dinnerladies | Peggy | TV series (1 episode: "Trouble") | |
| 2000 | Lounge Act | Voice | Short |
| Don Quixote | Housekeeper | TV film | |
| Losing It | Tom's Mother | TV film | |
| 2001 | The Martins | Anthea | |
| 2002 | The Last Time | Evelyn | Short |
| The Hours | Nelly Boxall | ||
| 2003 | This Little Life | Nurse Nina | TV film |
| Calendar Girls | Cora | Film | |
| 2004 | Spivs | Auntie Vee | |
| The Brief | Maureen Tyler | TV series (8 episodes: 2004–2005) | |
| 2005 | Separate Lies | Maggie | |
| Colour Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story | Trolley Lady | ||
| Kinky Boots | Melanie | Film | |
| Heartbeat | Beryl Palmer | TV series (1 episode: "Burden of Proof") | |
| The English Harem | Monica Pringle | TV film | |
| 2007 | Midsomer Murders | Eileen Carnack | TV series (1 episode: "The Animal Within") |
| 2008 | Sense and Sensibility | Mrs. Jennings | TV mini-series (3 episodes) |
| Cass | Doll | Film | |
| The Reader | Ms. Brenner | ||
| Lark Rise to Candleford | Queenie Turrill | TV series (40 episodes: 2008–2011) | |
| 2010 | West Is West | Ella Khan | |
| Grandma's House | Grandma | TV series (12 episodes: 2010–2012) | |
| 2012 | Nick Nickleby | Mrs. Smike | TV series (4 episodes: 2012–present) |
| 2013 | Spies of Warsaw | Malka Rosen | BBC miniseries |
| 2015–2017 | Twirlywoos | Narrator | children's TV show |
| 2015– | Call the Midwife | Nurse Phyllis Crane | TV series |
| 2017 | Carnage | Dr Yasmine Vondenburg | Mockumentary |
| 2022 | Strike | Joan Nancarrow | TV series (Troubled Blood) |
Bassett lives in Kent, in a village close to her birthplace.