Anna Friel, best known for her groundbreaking role in the soap opera Brookside, has enjoyed a successful career spanning television and Hollywood. The 49-year-old actress, originally from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, recently starred in the BBC drama 'Unforgivable', written by Jimmy McGovern. The series explores the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on a family, with Friel playing the sister of an abuser.
Friel began her professional acting career at age 13 in the miniseries 'GBH', written by Alan Bleasdale. She later appeared in minor roles on 'Coronation Street' and 'Emmerdale' before landing her breakout role as Beth Jordache on Brookside in 1993. Her character was involved in the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television, alongside Nicola Stephenson's Margaret Clemence.
The kiss, watched by six million viewers, made Friel an LGBT+ icon. She insisted that her character's sexuality was not a result of her traumatic past, stating in a Radio Times interview: 'I am proud that we got it in the contract that Beth would always stay gay. It wasn't because of her sexual abuse.' Fan mail increased from 20 to 100 letters per week, many from gay viewers who found comfort in the storyline.
After Brookside, Friel went on to earn a Golden Globe nomination for the TV series 'Pushing Daisies' and has appeared in numerous films and television shows. She has one sibling, Michael, and her parents are Julie Bamford Friel, a special needs teacher, and Desmond Friel, a former teacher and web designer.
