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Maev Alexander, also Maeve Alexander (born Maev Alexandra Reid McConnell^[1] on 3 February 1948) is a Scottish television and stage actress. Aside from her numerous stage appearances including Cleopatra and in The Mousetrap at the St Martin's Theatre in London, she is perhaps best known for playing the assistant Christine Russell in the early 1970s Scottish TV series Sutherland's Law, as Janet Campbell in the 18th century set The New Road, and as WPC Sandra Williams in the British police drama The Gentle Touch (1981-2). She is married to Simon Dunmore, a theatre director and author on acting.

Career

Television

Alexander was born in Glasgow in 1948. She began her television career in 1966, playing three roles in This Man Craig.^[2] She followed this with a role as Madge in an episode of the BBC production, The Revenue Men. In 1970, she starred in an episode of another BBC television production The Borderers opposite Michael Gambon and Iain Cuthbertson, set in a village on the Scottish-English border in the Tudor period.

In 1972 she made an appearance in the ITV legal drama The Main Chance,^[2] and began portraying the character of Christine Russell in the Scottish TV film production Sutherland's Law, and starred in nine episodes of the television series the following year opposite Don McKillop.^[3] Her performance was praised; The Spectator said "The only moment of pleasure in this long fifty minutes was the occasional sight of Maev Alexander as Sutherland's plump, pretty clerk, but there were long and arid intervals between her appearance."^[4] In 1973, Alexander also had a leading role as Janet Campbell in the 19th century set The New Road, opposite David Ashton and John Grieve.^[5]

In 1975 she appeared in Angels, a production which included actors such as Carol Holmes, Kathryn Apanowicz, Julia Williams, and Pauline Quirke. She appeared in The New Avengers in 1976, playing the character of Mrs Turner in the episode "The Tale of the Big Why".^[6] In 1977 she portrayed the wife of Fred in A Christmas Carol TV movie.^[7] In 1979 she played Claudine in an episode of the detective series, Hazell. In 1981 she joined the cast of the British police drama The Gentle Touch, playing the character of WPC Sandra Williams.^[2] From 1980 to 1982 she also played Jennifer Knowles-Ripley in the situation comedy, Holding the Fort.^[2]

In 1989, Alexander played Lady Cockpurse in Gavin Millar's TV movie Scoop. She featured alongside actors such as Denholm Elliott, Michael Hordern, Herbert Lom, Nicola Pagett and Donald Pleasence. In 2007 she had a small role as an autograph hound in Gillian Armstrong's supernatural romantic thriller Death Defying Acts, an Anglo-Australian production which starred Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. In 2010 she appeared in Doctors.

Stage

Alexander has appeared in many stage productions, and has worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company.^[8] In 1968 she starred in a theatrical production of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard under director Michael Blakemore.^[9] She has appeared in theatre in Ireland and at the Straydogs Theatre and has received critical acclaim for her stage work.^[10]^[11] At the Portable Theatre in 1971 she starred opposite Hugh Armstrong, Christopher Biggins and Christopher Ravenscroft in Malcolm Griffiths's production of Zonk.^[12] In 1973 or 1974 she starred in a Tom Gallagher stage production of The Only Street at the Dublin Festival, with John Hunt and Peggy Marshall.^[13] She portrayed Cleopatra opposite Conrad Asquith as Antony in one of her husband Simon Dunmore's theatrical productions and also starred in a production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap at the St Martin's Theatre in London, amongst many others.^[14]^[15]

Personal life

She is married to Simon Dunmore, a theatre director who has authored books on William Shakespeare and acting in general, and is a personal friend of E. M. Yearling.^[16]^[17] She once shared a flat with Sue Johnston and Denis Lawson in Chiswick.^[18]

Filmography

This Man Craig (TV series) (1966-1967) as Agnes Borland / Ally Ure / Moira
The Revenue Men (TV series) (1967) as Madge
The Borderers (TV series) (1970) as Jess Heriot
The Befrienders (TV series) (1972) as Judy
The Main Chance (TV series) (1972) as Mrs. Bush
Sutherland's Law (TV movie) (1972) as Christine Russell
The New Road (TV series) (1973) as Janet Campbell
Sutherland's Law (TV series) (1973) as Christine Russell
Angels (TV series) (1975) as Model Patient
Play for Today (TV series) (1976)
The New Avengers (TV series) (1976) as Mrs. Frank Turner
Leap in the Dark (TV series) (1977) as Constance Potter
A Christmas Carol (TV movie) (1977) as Fred's Wife
The Standard (TV series) (1978) as Morag
Hazell (TV series) (1979) as Claudine
Kids (TV series) (1979) as Liz
The Gentle Touch (TV series) (1981-1982) as WPC Sandra Williams
Holding the Fort (TV series) (1980-1982) as Jennifer Knowles-Ripley
By the Sword Divided (TV series) (1985) as Masked Woman
The Fools on the Hill (TV movie) (1986) as Jasmine Bligh
Scoop (TV movie) (1989) as Lady Cockpurse
Death Defying Acts (2007) as Autograph Hound
Doctors (TV series) (2010) as Jane Pennington

References

^ Room, Adrian (26 July 2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins. McFarland. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7864-4373-4. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ITV Books (4 November 1985). Who's who on television. ITV Books in association with M. Joseph. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-907965-31-2. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Vahimagi, Tise; Grade, Michael Ian (1996). British television: an illustrated guide. Oxford University Press. p. 214. ISBN 9780198159278. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ The Spectator. F.C. Westley. 1973. p. 756. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Baskin, Ellen (1996). Serials on British Television, 1950-1994. Scolar Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-85928-015-7. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Lentz, Harris M. (2001). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows. McFarland. p. 1988. ISBN 978-0-7864-0952-5. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Guida, Fred; Wagenknecht, Edward (1 August 2006). A Christmas Carol And Its Adaptations: A Critical Examination of Dickens's Story And Its Productions on Screen And Television. McFarland. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-7864-2840-3. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Spotlight. 1973. p. 2203. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ The Stage year book. Carson & Comerford Ltd. 1968. p. 48. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Theatre Ireland. Theatre Ireland. 1987. p. 51. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
^ Theatre record. I. Herbert. 1998. p. 1601. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ McMillan, Joyce (1 September 1988). The Traverse Theatre story 1963-1988. Methuen Drama. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-413-19250-9. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Guernsey, Otis L. (December 1974). The Best plays of 1973-1974. Dodd, Mead. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-396-07017-7. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ "A Selection of Simon Dunmore's Productions". BT Internet. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Plays and players. Hansom Books. 1993. p. 116. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Dunmore, Simon (16 January 1998). Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Men. Psychology Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-87830-075-4. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Shirley, James (1986). The Cardinal. Manchester University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7190-1625-7. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Johnston, Sue (15 September 2011). Things I Couldn't Tell My Mother: A Memoir. Ebury Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-09-193889-5. Retrieved 7 September 2012.