Jessie Wallace
Encyclopedia
Jessie Wallace is an English
actress best known for her portrayal as Kat Moon
in the BBC soap opera EastEnders
.
, North London
) to James, a telecommunications engineer, and Annette, a secretary. Her parents divorced when she was aged three and, unusually, she, and sister Joanne, were raised by their father (however, she did see her mother at weekends). She adopted her stage name after her late grandmother.
for two years. She met and became friends with actor Iain Glen
, who helped her apply for London drama college The Poor School
, from where she graduated in 1999. While undertaking auditions - including for Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Sunset Boulevard
, she worked as a real life barmaid at her local pub, The Royal Oak in Loughton
, Essex
.
Her first television appearance was in an episode of the ITV
police drama series The Bill
in 1999. Wallace is best known for playing the role of Kat Slater
in BBC One
soap opera
EastEnders
between 2000 and 2005. In Summer 2008, Wallace said she hadn't ruled out a return to EastEnders. In February 2010 it was announced that Shane Richie was returning as Alfie Moon, leading to large amounts of speculation as to whether Jessie would also be returning. On the 9th February 2010 the BBC confirmed that Jessie Wallace would be returning to EastEnders, reprising her role as Kat Slater. She and Alfie returned to screens in the Autumn of 2010.
During her break from EastEnders, Wallace made television guest appearances, including once as Kat Slater, in the 2005 French & Saunders
Christmas special. On 17 February 2006, Wallace was the "guest host" of an edition of the Channel 4
programme The Friday Night Project
. She appeared in the one-off BBC1 television dramas A Class Apart opposite Nathaniel Parker
, The Dinner Party with Lee Evans
and Alison Steadman
. After visiting Hat Trick Productions
with her agent, and singing an impromptu version of Marie Lloyd
's song The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery
, she was offered the lead role in Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall
for BBC Four
.
Wallace made her West End theatre
debut, replacing Denise van Outen
in the role of "Maureen" in Rent remixed
at the Duke of York's Theatre
from 27 December 2007 until 2 February 2008. Wallace played Amy Kriel in the third series of ITV1
's Wild at Heart
, and starred in a run of the play Haunted at the Arts Theatre
from 24 May.
Wallace competed with partner Darren Bennett
in the sixth
series of Strictly Come Dancing
which began on 20 September 2008. She was eliminated in week 4.
Wallace toured the UK in the 25th Anniversary production of Stepping Out
by Richard Harris
, playing the role of Sylvia.
Wallace appeared as British sex symbol of the 1960s and 70s Pat Phoenix
, in The Road to Coronation Street
, a one-off documentary exploring the origins and conception of Coronation Street, to mark the show's 50th anniversary in December 2010.
Wallace is a patron of the theatre charity The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America
.
, Andy Burton, who immediately sold his story.
In 2004, Wallace was referred to as a "vile dog" by EastEnders colleague, Leslie Grantham
, during a sordid webcam chat he had with a number of women in online chat rooms, which involved him stripping and masturbating on camera.
Wallace was once suspended from EastEnders by the BBC for excess drinking, partying, and adverse publicity, she returned to the soap, but was then stopped by police and arrested for driving one and half times over the limit. The BBC offered her counseling, but while attending County Court
for sentencing, she was attended by policeman, Dave Morgan, in case she was accosted by fans. The couple started dating, and then moved in together after Wallace confirmed she was pregnant. Wallace gave birth to daughter, Tallulah Lilac, on 2 November 2004, but the couple split up shortly afterwards, with Wallace's lawyers placing a gag order
on Morgan.
In a later tabloid story in late 2007, whilst Wallace was filming Wild at Heart
in Johannesburg
with her cousin, Jonathan and daughter Tallulah, her best friend, Stefan, suggested she still regularly took ketamine
, Wallace admitted, at one point, taking drugs, but denied taking them since the birth of her daughter.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actress best known for her portrayal as Kat Moon
Kat Moon
Kathleen "Kat" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to November 2004, then returned in May 2005...
in the BBC soap opera 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...
.
Early life
Wallace was born at 204 Durants Road, EnfieldLondon Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
) to James, a telecommunications engineer, and Annette, a secretary. Her parents divorced when she was aged three and, unusually, she, and sister Joanne, were raised by their father (however, she did see her mother at weekends). She adopted her stage name after her late grandmother.
Career
After schooling, Wallace trained as a make-up artist at the College of North East London in Tottenham and worked at the Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
for two years. She met and became friends with actor Iain Glen
Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
, who helped her apply for London drama college The Poor School
The Poor School
The Poor School and Workhouse Theatre is a drama school situated in King's Cross, London, England.It was created in 1986 by Paul Caister, in response to the need for a first class acting training which was financially within the reach of all or almost all...
, from where she graduated in 1999. While undertaking auditions - including for Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (musical)
Sunset Boulevard is a musical with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the 1950 film of the same title, the plot revolves around Norma Desmond, a faded star of the silent screen era, living in the past in her decaying mansion on the...
, she worked as a real life barmaid at her local pub, The Royal Oak in Loughton
Loughton
Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Her first television appearance was in an episode of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama series 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 1999. Wallace is best known for playing the role of Kat Slater
Kat Moon
Kathleen "Kat" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to November 2004, then returned in May 2005...
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...
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...
between 2000 and 2005. In Summer 2008, Wallace said she hadn't ruled out a return to EastEnders. In February 2010 it was announced that Shane Richie was returning as Alfie Moon, leading to large amounts of speculation as to whether Jessie would also be returning. On the 9th February 2010 the BBC confirmed that Jessie Wallace would be returning to EastEnders, reprising her role as Kat Slater. She and Alfie returned to screens in the Autumn of 2010.
During her break from EastEnders, Wallace made television guest appearances, including once as Kat Slater, in the 2005 French & Saunders
French & Saunders
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
Christmas special. On 17 February 2006, Wallace was the "guest host" of an edition of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
programme The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
. She appeared in the one-off BBC1 television dramas A Class Apart opposite Nathaniel Parker
Nathaniel Parker
Nathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for playing Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley in the BBC crime drama series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.-Personal life:...
, The Dinner Party with Lee Evans
Lee Evans (comedian)
Lee Evans is an English comedian, writer, actor and musician.-Personal life:Lee Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England to an Irish mother and a Welsh father, Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. He left Bristol at the age of 13 and then went to The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex...
and Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman OBE is an English actress. She established her career with roles such as Beverley in Abigail's Party and Candice Marie in Nuts in May for the director Mike Leigh, to whom she was once married. In addition to her stage and radio work, she has had lead roles in The Singing Detective,...
. After visiting Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions is a British independent production company that produces television programmes, mainly specialising in comedy.-History:...
with her agent, and singing an impromptu version of Marie Lloyd
Marie Lloyd
Matilda Alice Victoria Wood was an English music hall singer, best known as Marie Lloyd. Her ability to add lewdness to the most innocent of lyrics led to frequent clashes with the guardians of morality...
's song The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery
The Boy I Love Is up in the Gallery
"The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery" is a music hall song written for the music hall star Miss Nelly Power by George Ware in 1885, and made famous by Marie Lloyd...
, she was offered the lead role in Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall
Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of The Music Hall
Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of The Music Hall is a British television drama first shown on BBC Four in 2007. It was produced by Hat Trick Productions....
for BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
.
Wallace made her West End theatre
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...
debut, replacing Denise van Outen
Denise van Outen
Denise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
in the role of "Maureen" in Rent remixed
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
at the Duke of York's Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
from 27 December 2007 until 2 February 2008. Wallace played Amy Kriel in the third series of ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart (TV series)
Wild at Heart is a current ITV television drama series about a Bristol-based vet and his family emigrating to start a game park in South Africa. The show premiered in January 2006 and has recently finished screening its sixth series...
, and starred in a run of the play Haunted at the Arts Theatre
Arts Theatre
The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It now operates as the West End's smallest commercial receiving house.-History:...
from 24 May.
Wallace competed with partner Darren Bennett
Darren Bennett (dancer)
Darren Lee Bennett is a professional dancer, as were his parents. With his wife Lilia Kopylova he has a successful career in professional Latin dancing, competing nationally and internationally. Darren's favourite dances are the Samba and the Foxtrot.They teach private lessons in their own studio...
in the sixth
Strictly Come Dancing (Series 6)
The sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing began on BBC One on 20 September 2008, with Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly returning as presenters, and Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli returning as judges....
series of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
which began on 20 September 2008. She was eliminated in week 4.
Wallace toured the UK in the 25th Anniversary production of Stepping Out
Stepping Out (play)
Stepping Out is a play written by Richard Harris in 1984. It was produced in the West End, London, where it received the Evening Standard Comedy of the Year Award, and on Broadway, New York.-Plot:...
by Richard Harris
Richard Harris (television writer)
Richard Harris is a prolific British television writer, most active from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s. He writes primarily for the crime and detecitve genres, having contributed episodes of series like The Avengers, The Saint, The Sweeney, Armchair Mystery Theatre, and Target...
, playing the role of Sylvia.
Wallace appeared as British sex symbol of the 1960s and 70s Pat Phoenix
Pat Phoenix
Patricia "Pat" Frederica Phoenix was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street.-Early life and career:Born in Ireland to Anna Maria Josephine Noonan and Tom Manfield, but moved to Manchester before...
, in The Road to Coronation Street
The Road to Coronation Street
The Road to Coronation Street is a British drama first broadcast on BBC Four documenting the journey of Coronation Street, the UK's longest-running television soap opera, from conception to its first transmission in December 1960...
, a one-off documentary exploring the origins and conception of Coronation Street, to mark the show's 50th anniversary in December 2010.
Wallace is a patron of the theatre charity The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America
The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America
The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America is a registered theatre charity and non-profit making theatre organisation based in London and was founded by Adrian Barry in 1992...
.
Personal life
After coming to fame in EastEnders, her personal life became the focus of many tabloid newspapers. She entered the soap cast in the later stages of a three-year relationship with Majorca based ex-criminal, Paul Whitworth. After being warned by BBC executives, she split with Whitworth, and had a holiday romance with 25 year-old AmericanAmericans
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
, Andy Burton, who immediately sold his story.
In 2004, Wallace was referred to as a "vile dog" by EastEnders colleague, Leslie Grantham
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham is an English actor best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the soap opera EastEnders. He is also a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a German taxi driver, and he generated significant press coverage as the result of an online sex scandal...
, during a sordid webcam chat he had with a number of women in online chat rooms, which involved him stripping and masturbating on camera.
Wallace was once suspended from EastEnders by the BBC for excess drinking, partying, and adverse publicity, she returned to the soap, but was then stopped by police and arrested for driving one and half times over the limit. The BBC offered her counseling, but while attending County Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
for sentencing, she was attended by policeman, Dave Morgan, in case she was accosted by fans. The couple started dating, and then moved in together after Wallace confirmed she was pregnant. Wallace gave birth to daughter, Tallulah Lilac, on 2 November 2004, but the couple split up shortly afterwards, with Wallace's lawyers placing a gag order
Gag order
A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public.Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a lawsuit or criminal trial...
on Morgan.
In a later tabloid story in late 2007, whilst Wallace was filming Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart (TV series)
Wild at Heart is a current ITV television drama series about a Bristol-based vet and his family emigrating to start a game park in South Africa. The show premiered in January 2006 and has recently finished screening its sixth series...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
with her cousin, Jonathan and daughter Tallulah, her best friend, Stefan, suggested she still regularly took ketamine
Ketamine
Ketamine is a drug used in human and veterinary medicine. Its hydrochloride salt is sold as Ketanest, Ketaset, and Ketalar. Pharmacologically, ketamine is classified as an NMDA receptor antagonist...
, Wallace admitted, at one point, taking drugs, but denied taking them since the birth of her daughter.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Film or series | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | EastEnders | Kat Moon | |
| British Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | ||||
| National Television Awards | Most Popular Newcomer | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | ||||
| TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Newcomer | ||||
| 2002 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | EastEnders | Kat Moon | |
| British Soap Awards | Best Dramatic Performance | ||||
| British Soap Awards | Hero Of the Year | ||||
| British Soap Awards | Best Single Episode | ||||
| British Soap Awards | Best Storyline | ||||
| British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Storyline | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | ||||
| TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Soap Actress | ||||
| TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Soap Storyline | ||||
| National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | ||||
| 2003 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | EastEnders | Kat Moon | |
| British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | ||||
| TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Soap Actress | ||||
| National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Family (The Moons) | ||||
| 2004 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | EastEnders | Kat Moon | |
| British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | ||||
| British Soap Awards | Best On Screen Partnerhip | ||||
| National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Couple (with Shane Ritchie) | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | ||||
| TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Soap Actress | ||||
| 2005 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | EastEnders | Kat Moon | |
| British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | ||||
| National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | ||||
| 2006 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | EastEnders | Kat Moon | |
| British Soap Awards | Best Exit | ||||
| 2011 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | EastEnders | Kat Moon | |
| British Soap Awards | Best On Screen Partnerhsip | ||||
| British Soap Awards | Best Storyline | ||||
| All About Soap Awards | Best Actress | ||||
| All About Soap Awards | Best Baby Drama | ||||
| TRIC Awards | TV Soap Personality | ||||
| TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Soap Actress | ||||
| TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Soap Storyline | ||||
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | EastEnders | Kat Moon | ||
| BAFTA Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Road to Coronation Street | Pat Phoenix | ||
| TV Times Awards | Favourite Soap Star | EastEnders | Kat Moon | ||
| National Television Awards | Outstanding Serial Drama Performance | EastEnders | Kat Moon | ||