Brenda Blethyn

After decades of acclaimed performances on stage and British television, Brenda Blethyn expanded her audience to include international theatergoers during the 1990s. With her spry and feisty manner, she showed a flair for comedy with her acclaimed starring roles in "Little Voice" (1998), "Saving Grace" (2000) and several British sitcoms. But ultimately the stage veteran revealed herself to be one of her country's most versatile character actors, bringing a down-to-earth accessibility to ubiquitous costume dramas like "Pride & Prejudice" (2005) as well as offering many portraits of contemporary women struggling to define themselves in "Secrets and Lies" (1996) and "Lovely and Amazing" (2001). Much in-demand in her native country and by filmmakers from the U.S. to Australia, Blethyn could always be counted to add her humorous touch to characters undergoing the most difficult of personal situations.