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Samantha Spiro — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Theatre

Spiro's first acting job after graduating from drama school was with the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, in productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Boys From Syracuse and Macbeth. Her many theatre credits include As You Like It, Teechers, The Tragic Roundabout, Jumpers, On the Piste, Roots, How the Other Half Loves and Glyn and It, opposite Penelope Keith.

Spiro played Barbara Windsor in Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick at the National Theatre, a production she credits as her first big break, which "open[ed] a lot of doors". She has also appeared in the Minerva Theatre production of Funny Girl and the first West End revival of Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce.

Spiro played Rachel in Mike Leigh's production of Two Thousand Years at the National Theatre. This was the first Jewish role of her career. She said:

For English/Jewish artists in this business, we're English first and the Jewish thing comes down the line. Whereas in the United States, Jewishness is a much celebrated thing. Jewishness is a part of their very being.

Here, I think, we repress it and, far from celebrating it, almost shy away from it. After Two Thousand Years, I suddenly felt that there is a place for people like me. Until that point I hadn't had a career playing Jewish people. I had got that stuff out of the way by the time I came to play Fanny Brice [in Funny Girl] who is very much a Jewish character.

In 2009 Spiro played Maria in the Donmar Warehouse production of Twelfth Night at the Wyndham's Theatre, alongside Derek Jacobi, and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing at the Open Air Theatre. Most recently, she appeared in the acclaimed Open Air Theatre production of Hello, Dolly!, playing Dolly Levi.

In 2013 Spiro played Lady Macbeth in Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe, alongside Billy Boyd and Joseph Millson.

Discussing whether she prefers acting in the theatre to television or film, Spiro said: "I think theatre prefers me. These days you have to do both, but it never feels as if the TV casting people are beating down my door to offer me work. I just feel that in this business you are lucky if you’re doing something you enjoy."

Television, film and radio

Spiro reprised the role of Barbara Windsor in the television adaptation of Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick, Cor, Blimey!, starring opposite Geoffrey Hutchings.

Her other television credits include The Bill, Cold Feet, Plebs, Coupling, After You've Gone and M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, in which she played the lead role of DI Vivien Friend. She described the role of Friend as "quite an unusual departure for me...I've done quite a bit of comedy and I've played characters who are light-hearted and characters who are tarts with hearts. In M.I.T. there is no tart or heart!" In order to research the part, Spiro spent time with a female Detective Inspector with the real-life Murder Investigation Team. From 9 August 2010, Spiro starred in the BBC comedy Grandma's House. She plays the part of Simon Amstell's aunt Liz. In 2012 she also appeared in the SkyArts comedy series Psychobitches, where she played various female icons including Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Mary Whitehouse.

In September 2013, Spiro joined the cast of the BBC Three sitcom Bad Education as Professor Celia Green, the new deputy headmaster and adversary to Jack Whitehall's character.

In 2013 Spiro starred in an episode of the Sky Atlantic series Little Crackers, an autobiographical comedy written by Rebecca Front in which Spiro played Front's mother.

In 2016 she joined the HBO series Game of Thrones in season 6 as Melessa Tarly, the mother of Samwell Tarly. That year she also joined Tracey Ullman's Show in the recurring role of Birgit, the fictitious fridge-magnet-loving personal assistant and confidante to Tracey Ullman's impression of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She reprised her role in Ullman's Tracey Breaks the News. In 2017 Spiro reprised her role of Barbara Windsor in the BBC One drama Babs, a biopic based on the life of Windsor. She also appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor Falls", as Hazran.

Spiro has appeared in the films Beyond Bedlam (1994), as WPC Foster, and Tomorrow La Scala! (2002), as Janey. She also played Martha Tabram in From Hell (2001), opposite Johnny Depp.

Her radio drama credits include The Casebook of Inspector Steine, Gospel According to Mary, Little Cinderellas, Beside the Seaside, Show Boat in which she played Magnolia Hawks, Sarah Kahn in Chicken Soup with Barley and the Guy Meredith play Spring Forward, Fall Back for BBC Radio 7.

In 2018 Spiro played the role of Mrs Erlynne in Kathy Burke's production of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan at London's Vaudeville Theatre. This production was recorded and shown in cinemas under the "More2Screen" initiative.

From 2019 to 2023, Spiro portrayed the recurring character Maureen Groff in Laurie Nunn's British comedy-drama series Sex Education.

Theatre

The Merry Wives of Windsor Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (2024)

Lady Windermere's Fan Vaudeville Theatre, West End (2018)

The House They Grew Up In Chichester Minerva (2017)

Guys and Dolls Phoenix Theatre

The Taming of the Shrew d: Toby Frow, Shakespeare's Globe

Filumena d: Michael Attenborough, Almeida Theatre

Company d: Jonathan Munby, Sheffield Crucible

Chicken Soup with Barley d: Dominic Cooke, Royal Court Theatre

Hello, Dolly! (Dolly) d:Tim Sheader, Regents Park

Best Actress in a Musical – 2010 Olivier Awards

Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice) d: Tim Sheader, Regents Park

Twelfth Night (Maria) d: Michael Grandage, Donmar / Wyndhams

Funny Girl (Fanny Brice) d: Angus Jackson, Chichester Festival

The Family Plays (Mother) d: Joe Hill-Gibbons, Royal Court Theatre

Two Thousand Years d: Mike Leigh, Royal National Theatre

A Little Night Music (Charlotte) d: Gary Griffin Chicago Shakespeare's Theatre

Winner: Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, Joseph Jefferson Awards 2004

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Titania/Hippolyta) d: Michael Grandage Crucible, Sheffield

Bedroom Farce (Jan) d: Loveday Ingram Michael Codron Plays

Merrily We Roll Along (Mary Flynn) d: Michael Grandage Donmar Warehouse

Olivier Awards 2001 & Whatsonstage.com Awards 2001 – Best Actress in a Musical

As You Like It (Celia) d: Michael Grandage Crucible & Lyric

Jumpers (Dorothy Moore) d: Bill Alexander Birmingham Rep

Cleo Camping... (Barbara Windsor) d: Terry Johnson Royal National Theatre

Roots (Beatie Bryant) d: John Retallack Watford Palace/Oxford

As You Like It (Phoebe) d: Polly Irvin W. Yorkshire/Bristol

Teechers (Gail Saunders) d: Graham Watts Hull Truck & No 1 Tour

On The Piste (Bev Ryan) d: Graham Watts Hull Truck

How the Other Half Loves (Mary) d: Penelope Keith Theatre Royal, Windsor

Glyn & 'It' (Clara Bow) d: Richard Cottrell Yvonne Arnaud & tour

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia) d: Delena Kidd London & Middle East

Tons of Money (Simpson) d: David Conville Mercury Th, Colchester

A Midsummer Night's Dream (First Fairy) d: Ian Talbot Regents Park Open Air

As You Like It (Audrey) d: Maria Aitkin Regents Park Open Air

Lady, Be Good (Daisy) d: Ian Talbot Regents Park Open Air

Macbeth (Witch) d: Bill Baunt Regents Park Open Air

The Boys from Syracuse (Courtesan) d: Judi Dench Regents Park Open Air