Jan Graveson
Encyclopedia
Janice Margaret "Jan" Graveson (born in Easington
, County Durham
) is a British
actress and singer.
Childhood: Horden & Peterlee, County Durham
Durham New College: Drama & Theatre Arts / Art A level, Music A level.
Born into a mining family, Graveson began performing on the club circuit at the age of six, but made her television debut in White Peak Farm in 1988. She went on to play the pregnant runaway Disa O'Brien in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
from 1990-1991. She has also appeared in episodes of Spender
(1991), Heartbeat (2001; 2007), Casualty (1989;1992), Wycliff (1998) and A Touch of Frost (1996). Graveson appeared in the BBC children's television show Byker Grove
from 2004-2006 as Heather, the mother of Hayley Robinson (Heather Garrett). Graveson was seen in an episode of the BBC hospital drama Holby City
in 2006, and in 2007 she appeared in the ITV sitcom Benidorm
. She guest starred in the ITV police drama, The Bill
, in 2008.
in Richard Hawkins
' BAFTA nominated psychological thriller, Everything
. Graveson played Naomi, a Soho
prostitute, who was hired by Winstone's character, Richard. Instead of having sex with Naomi, Richard pays her just to talk. The film is largely a succession of dialogues between the two, intermittently broken up by events such as Richard hiding in the wardrobe to watch Naomi at work, or a backstory involving his wife and daughter, which gradually becomes more and more important. The film had a budget of just £47,500 and was filmed in nine days. Graveson received much critical acclaim for her performance in the film.
in Tom and Catherine at the Customs House in South Shields
. She has also appeared in Hard Times
at the Piccadilly Theatre
in London's West End, and in Raving Beauties with John McArdle
at the Liverpool Playhouse
(1991–1992). She played Stella in Stairway to Heaven No.1 National Tour, and Helen in And a Nightingale Sang at the Octagon Theatre.
Graveson sang in bands as a teenager and later had a brief spell as a pop singer in the early 90s. In 1991 she released a cover version of the 1964 Cilla Black
song "Anyone Who Had a Heart".She promoted it on a number of Radio stations including Wear FM in Sunderland where she joined Sunday Breakfast show host Barry Wilson. His claim to fame - he went to school with Jan. Barry moved on to live in Nottingham to be part of a publishing Company and has a regular slot on BBC Radio Nottingham. Graveson has also appeared in many stage plays as well as in the musical Blood Brothers playing Linda. She starred in both the West End
and New York
Broadway production of the show.
In 1993 Graveson earned a Tony Award
nomination in the "Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
" category, for her role as Linda in Blood Brothers N.Y.C.. Graveson has continued to perform musically. She played at the British Acoustic Festival with her band Disco Indians in July 2007.
Jan started her stage career at LIVE THEATRE NEWCASTLE in 1983 alongside Robson Green.
Jan also runs her own school for acting, singing and dance for adults.
www.oldschool.org.uk
Easington, County Durham
Easington is a town in eastern County Durham, England. It comprises the ancient village of Easington Village and the ex-mining town of Easington Colliery, which are separate civil parishes. It is located at the junction of the A182 leading north-west to Hetton-le-Hole. Seaham Harbour and...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
) is a British
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 and singer.
Television
Born in Easington, County Durham.Childhood: Horden & Peterlee, County Durham
Durham New College: Drama & Theatre Arts / Art A level, Music A level.
Born into a mining family, Graveson began performing on the club circuit at the age of six, but made her television debut in White Peak Farm in 1988. She went on to play the pregnant runaway Disa O'Brien in the 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...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
from 1990-1991. She has also appeared in episodes of Spender
Spender
Spender is a BBC television drama set in Newcastle upon Tyne, written by Ian La Frenais and Jimmy Nail, who also starred. The series was produced by Martin McKeand . The series was broadcast on BBC between 1991 and 1993...
(1991), Heartbeat (2001; 2007), Casualty (1989;1992), Wycliff (1998) and A Touch of Frost (1996). Graveson appeared in the BBC children's television show Byker Grove
Byker Grove
Byker Grove was a British television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 and was created by Adele Rose. The show was broadcast at 5.10pm after Newsround on CBBC on BBC One...
from 2004-2006 as Heather, the mother of Hayley Robinson (Heather Garrett). Graveson was seen in an episode of the BBC hospital drama 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...
in 2006, and in 2007 she appeared in the ITV sitcom Benidorm
Benidorm (TV series)
Benidorm is an award-winning British television comedy-drama that is produced by Tiger Aspect for ITV and written by Derren Litten, co-writer of The Catherine Tate Show, exploiting the working-class stereotype of this popular tourist destination....
. She guest starred in the ITV police drama, 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...
, in 2008.
Film
In 2004 she starred alongside Ray WinstoneRay Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
in Richard Hawkins
Richard Hawkins
thumb|250px|right|Sir Richard HawkinsAdmiral Sir Richard Hawkins was a 17th century English seaman, explorer and Elizabethan "Sea Dog", and was the son of Admiral Sir John Hawkins....
' BAFTA nominated psychological thriller, Everything
Everything (film)
Everything is a 2004 British mystery film directed by Richard Hawkins and produced by Oliver Potterton. Ray Winstone stars as Richard, who starts visiting Naomi, a Soho prostitute . But he doesn't go for sex, so what is he looking for? It also features Katherine Clisby as Tania, a young Eastern...
. Graveson played Naomi, a Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
prostitute, who was hired by Winstone's character, Richard. Instead of having sex with Naomi, Richard pays her just to talk. The film is largely a succession of dialogues between the two, intermittently broken up by events such as Richard hiding in the wardrobe to watch Naomi at work, or a backstory involving his wife and daughter, which gradually becomes more and more important. The film had a budget of just £47,500 and was filmed in nine days. Graveson received much critical acclaim for her performance in the film.
Stage and music
On stage she has played Catherine CooksonCatherine Cookson
Dame Catherine Cookson DBE was a British author. She became the United Kingdom's most widely read novelist, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile in the world of celebrity writers...
in Tom and Catherine at the Customs House in South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
. She has also appeared in Hard Times
Hard Times
Hard Times - For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book appraises English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times....
at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
in London's West End, and in Raving Beauties with John McArdle
John McArdle
John McArdle is an English actor. He is most notable for playing Billy Corkhill in the soap-opera Brookside, with many other smaller appearances in other soaps and dramas...
at the Liverpool Playhouse
Liverpool Playhouse
The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actresses, some of which went on to achieve...
(1991–1992). She played Stella in Stairway to Heaven No.1 National Tour, and Helen in And a Nightingale Sang at the Octagon Theatre.
Graveson sang in bands as a teenager and later had a brief spell as a pop singer in the early 90s. In 1991 she released a cover version of the 1964 Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
song "Anyone Who Had a Heart".She promoted it on a number of Radio stations including Wear FM in Sunderland where she joined Sunday Breakfast show host Barry Wilson. His claim to fame - he went to school with Jan. Barry moved on to live in Nottingham to be part of a publishing Company and has a regular slot on BBC Radio Nottingham. Graveson has also appeared in many stage plays as well as in the musical Blood Brothers playing Linda. She starred in both the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and 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...
Broadway production of the show.
In 1993 Graveson earned a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination in the "Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
This is a list of the winners and nominations of the Tony Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The award, introduced in 1950, was previously named as Best Performance by a Featured or Supporting Actress in a Musical until 1976....
" category, for her role as Linda in Blood Brothers N.Y.C.. Graveson has continued to perform musically. She played at the British Acoustic Festival with her band Disco Indians in July 2007.
Jan started her stage career at LIVE THEATRE NEWCASTLE in 1983 alongside Robson Green.
Jan also runs her own school for acting, singing and dance for adults.
www.oldschool.org.uk