Gina McKee

Actress Gina McKee lent an ethereal presence to dozens of British film and television projects over the course of a three-decade career, including the award-winning "Our Friends in the North" (BBC 1996), "Notting Hill" (1996), "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (2002) and numerous episodic series. The daughter of a coal miner, McKee began acting on television, and proceeded directly into guest roles without any actual dramatic training. Her striking visage and thoughtful performances attracted the attention of major directors like Mike Leigh ("Naked," 1993), Mike Hodges ("Croupier," 1998), Michael Winterbottom ("Wonderland," 1999) and writer Richard Curtis, who provided McKee with her biggest project to date in "Notting Hill." McKee remained an in-demand presence on UK features and in television, which underscored her status as one of the British entertainment industry's most respected if somewhat unsung talents.