Amanda Mealing
Encyclopedia
Amanda Jane Mealing is a British
actress best known for playing Connie Beauchamp
in the BBC One
medical drama series Holby City
.
The only adopted member of her family, Mealing was the youngest of four children, with two sisters and an elder brother. She grew up in Dulwich
, South London
, with her adoption never being a secret. Although very much part of a strong and loving family, she was always aware that she looked nothing like her siblings and was left feeling that she didn't quite fit in. Despite a yearning to know more about her biological parents, Mealing was concerned that looking for them would upset her family.
When she was 18, Mealing's brother died after experimenting with heroin. Although Stephen was 14 years her senior, they were very close and it affected her deeply. Realising that "life can be short… there’s no point sitting around", she was influenced to "go out and live each day.”
special on BBC
television at the age of six. She then started Saturday classes at the Italia Conti Academy
, before enrolling full-time at the age of nine. Parts in Just William
, The Morecambe & Wise Show and Premiere followed, before she was cast as comprehensive-school pupil Tracy Edwards in Phil Redmond
's long-running BBC1 children's drama series Grange Hill
.
Mealing appeared in The Darling Buds of May
, Four Weddings and a Funeral
, In Deep, Capital City, The Bill
, Midsomer Murders
, and Delise in the 1990 mini series The Gravy Train. She played Ruth Manning in the first series of Russell T Davies' 1920s period drama series The Grand
in 1997, and JoJo in Jimmy McGovern
's The Lakes
in 1999. Alan Bleasdale wrote the part of Katie in "Jake's Progress" for Amanda after working with her on GBH.
Mealing has appeared as Cardiothoracic
Consultant Connie Beauchamp
in BBC One
's BAFTA award winning medical drama series Holby City
since 1 June 2004, having previously made a guest appearance as a different character in 2001.
On the 16th July 2010, Mealing appeared on ITV's The Five O'Clock Show with Jason Donovan
& Corrine Bailey Rae.
On October 8, 2010 Amanda shot her final scene for Holby City, after nearly seven years. The final episode aired at 8.00pm on 28 December 2010, with Connie resigning from her position at the hospital.
In 2011 Mealing appeared in the Sky1 TV Series Strike Back: Project Dawn
as Colonel Eleanor Grant.
Richard Sainsbury since 1998, they have two sons — Milo James (born 1999) and Otis Joe (born 2002) — and live on a farm
in Lincolnshire
. Paul O'Grady
and Charlie Condou
are close friends of Mealing and are godfathers to her sons. She has appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
on several occasions, sometimes with Milo and Otis.
After the birth of her first son, the desire to find out more about her background became "hard to ignore"; she also wanted Milo to "know his heritage". Investigations took Mealing to New York
, where she eventually found her birth mother, a model for Biba
in London during the swinging sixties. She discovered that her biological father was a half-Sierra Leonean poet and activist. She gets on well with her mother and takes the children to visit her in New York but, sadly, her father died some years earlier. However, she learnt that she has a sister, a year younger, also adopted in Britain. Her sister didn't know of the relationship until she was 16, but had watched Mealing in Grange Hill
, with people saying 'you look like that girl on TV'. Now close, when they first met their similarities were unbelievable — "we talk the same, walk the same, even our actions are the same".
With a desire to reconnect with her roots and acknowledge her father, and as an ambassador, Mealing has worked with Save the Children
in Sierra Leone
. She filmed a documentary
about Kroo Bay
— a slum built on the rubbish discarded by Freetown
— saying: "It’s the worst place in the world you could grow up as child. One child in four will die before they reach five years old." Further field trips included Bangladesh, looking at climate change, which is where Amanda met up with (then Secretary of State for climate) Ed Miliband. Furious at the conditions, she called Ed and asked for a meeting. That took place in the gardens of the British High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following a successful discussion Amanda was invited to speak at the Labour Party Conference, 2009, on behalf of Save the Children with David Miliband.
The day after giving birth to her second son, Mealing was diagnosed with breast cancer
. She has since made a full recovery.
Amanda was asked to be an ambassador for Breast Cancer Care in early 2010. A charity she has a close bond with. "When I was diagnosed the first leaflet I received was from Breast Cancer Care. They have been there for me ever since. I am deeply honoured to be given a chance to give something back to them. After losing a close friend to breast cancer early the same year Amanda decided to dedicate a justgiving site to raising money in memory of her friend. She is currently in training for the 2012 London Marathon.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actress best known for playing Connie Beauchamp
Connie Beauchamp
Constance "Connie" Beauchamp is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Amanda Mealing. She first appeared in the series six episode "In at the Deep End", broadcast on 1 June 2004, and remained in the programme until its thirteenth series, departing in the...
in the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
medical drama series Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
.
Early life
The only adopted member of her family, Mealing was the youngest of four children, with two sisters and an elder brother. She grew up in Dulwich
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, with her adoption never being a secret. Although very much part of a strong and loving family, she was always aware that she looked nothing like her siblings and was left feeling that she didn't quite fit in. Despite a yearning to know more about her biological parents, Mealing was concerned that looking for them would upset her family.
When she was 18, Mealing's brother died after experimenting with heroin. Although Stephen was 14 years her senior, they were very close and it affected her deeply. Realising that "life can be short… there’s no point sitting around", she was influenced to "go out and live each day.”
Career
Originally known as Mandy Mealing, her first professional performance was in a Julie AndrewsJulie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
special on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television at the age of six. She then started Saturday classes at the Italia Conti Academy
Italia Conti Academy
The Italia Conti Academy is a theatre arts training school based in London. It was founded in 1911 by actress Italia Conti...
, before enrolling full-time at the age of nine. Parts in Just William
Just William (1970s TV series)
Just William was an ITV television series based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series.-Cast:-Series One:# William and the Begging Letter# William the Great Actor# The Outlaws and the Tramp...
, The Morecambe & Wise Show and Premiere followed, before she was cast as comprehensive-school pupil Tracy Edwards in Phil Redmond
Phil Redmond
Phil Redmond CBE is an English television producer and screenwriter.He is well-known for creating several popular television series such as Grange Hill , Brookside and Hollyoaks...
's long-running BBC1 children's drama series Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
.
Mealing appeared in The Darling Buds of May
The Darling Buds of May
The Darling Buds of May is a British comedy drama which was first broadcast between 1991 and 1993 produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV Network. It is set in an idyllic rural 1950s Kent, among a large, boisterous family. The three series were based on the novels by H. E. Bates. Originally...
, Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It was the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant...
, In Deep, Capital City, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
, and Delise in the 1990 mini series The Gravy Train. She played Ruth Manning in the first series of Russell T Davies' 1920s period drama series The Grand
The Grand (TV series)
The Grand was a British television drama series first broadcast on ITV in 1997-1998. It was written by Russell T Davies and set in a hotel in Manchester in the 1920s....
in 1997, and JoJo in Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern
Jimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
's The Lakes
The Lakes (TV series)
The Lakes is the title of a television drama series in the United Kingdom, made by the BBC and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. The Lakes brought writer Jimmy McGovern and actor John Simm a great deal of critical praise in 1997...
in 1999. Alan Bleasdale wrote the part of Katie in "Jake's Progress" for Amanda after working with her on GBH.
Mealing has appeared as Cardiothoracic
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax —generally treatment of conditions of the heart and lungs .-Cardiac / Thoracic:...
Consultant Connie Beauchamp
Connie Beauchamp
Constance "Connie" Beauchamp is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Amanda Mealing. She first appeared in the series six episode "In at the Deep End", broadcast on 1 June 2004, and remained in the programme until its thirteenth series, departing in the...
in BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's BAFTA award winning medical drama series Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
since 1 June 2004, having previously made a guest appearance as a different character in 2001.
On the 16th July 2010, Mealing appeared on ITV's The Five O'Clock Show with Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
& Corrine Bailey Rae.
On October 8, 2010 Amanda shot her final scene for Holby City, after nearly seven years. The final episode aired at 8.00pm on 28 December 2010, with Connie resigning from her position at the hospital.
In 2011 Mealing appeared in the Sky1 TV Series Strike Back: Project Dawn
Strike Back: Project Dawn
Strike Back: Project Dawn, as it is known in the United Kingdom is a ten-part British-American action television serial, and is the second series of Strike Back. However the only cast member to return from the original series was Richard Armitage in the first episode...
as Colonel Eleanor Grant.
Personal life
Previously romantically linked to both Eric Clapton and Robbie Williams, Amanda has been married to screenwriterScreenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Richard Sainsbury since 1998, they have two sons — Milo James (born 1999) and Otis Joe (born 2002) — and live on a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. Paul O'Grady
Paul O'Grady
Paul James Michael O'Grady MBE is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio DJ. He is best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and, more recently, Paul O'Grady Live, as well as his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage, as...
and Charlie Condou
Charlie Condou
Charlie Lomax David Condou is an English actor and Guardian columnist who is best known for his role as Marcus Dent in the British soap opera, Coronation Street....
are close friends of Mealing and are godfathers to her sons. She has appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
on several occasions, sometimes with Milo and Otis.
After the birth of her first son, the desire to find out more about her background became "hard to ignore"; she also wanted Milo to "know his heritage". Investigations took Mealing to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she eventually found her birth mother, a model for Biba
Biba
Biba was an iconic and popular London fashion store of the 1960s and 1970s. It was started and primarily run by the Polish-born Barbara Hulanicki with help of her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon.-Early years:...
in London during the swinging sixties. She discovered that her biological father was a half-Sierra Leonean poet and activist. She gets on well with her mother and takes the children to visit her in New York but, sadly, her father died some years earlier. However, she learnt that she has a sister, a year younger, also adopted in Britain. Her sister didn't know of the relationship until she was 16, but had watched Mealing in Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
, with people saying 'you look like that girl on TV'. Now close, when they first met their similarities were unbelievable — "we talk the same, walk the same, even our actions are the same".
With a desire to reconnect with her roots and acknowledge her father, and as an ambassador, Mealing has worked with Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. She filmed a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Kroo Bay
Kroo Bay
Kroo Bay is an informal housing settlement located on the coastline in central Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. It has an estimated population of 5,500 people. Residents of Kroo Bay lack adequate access to sanitation and health services...
— a slum built on the rubbish discarded by Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
— saying: "It’s the worst place in the world you could grow up as child. One child in four will die before they reach five years old." Further field trips included Bangladesh, looking at climate change, which is where Amanda met up with (then Secretary of State for climate) Ed Miliband. Furious at the conditions, she called Ed and asked for a meeting. That took place in the gardens of the British High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following a successful discussion Amanda was invited to speak at the Labour Party Conference, 2009, on behalf of Save the Children with David Miliband.
The day after giving birth to her second son, Mealing was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. She has since made a full recovery.
Amanda was asked to be an ambassador for Breast Cancer Care in early 2010. A charity she has a close bond with. "When I was diagnosed the first leaflet I received was from Breast Cancer Care. They have been there for me ever since. I am deeply honoured to be given a chance to give something back to them. After losing a close friend to breast cancer early the same year Amanda decided to dedicate a justgiving site to raising money in memory of her friend. She is currently in training for the 2012 London Marathon.
External links
- Talent agency CurtisBrown.co.uk
- Voice agency AnotherTongue.com
- Spotlight casting directory Spotlight.com
- 'Official' website AmandaMealing.co.uk