Acting · Pluckley, Kent, England, UK · Born February 4, 1950
Linda Bassett was born in the Kentish village of Pluckley - location for the television series The Darling Buds of May (1991). She was brought up in Pimlico, South London, by her typist mother and police officer father. She became interested in acting as a child when she was frequently taken to see plays in London, most notably at the Old Vic, the famous classical theater. On leaving school, Linda went to work at the Old Vic as an usherette and catering manager, before going to read English at Leeds University. However, she dropped out after a year and became involved in a local drama group which put on plays in community-based locations, such as schools. She regards this as her theatrical schooling, having had no formal training. She made her London stage debut at the age of 32 in 1982 and, in 1991, joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Although she was a well-regarded stage performer, it was the 1999 film version of the play East Is East (1999) (in which she had been an original stage cast member) which brought her to a larger audience and, throughout the 2000s, she has been a familiar face in a variety of films and television series. In the late 1980s, she returned to live in Pluckley.
MovieBare Roots
2026
as Sue
MovieThe Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
2023
as Queenie
MovieCareful How You Go
2018
TVStrike
2017
as Joan Nancarrow
MovieCarnage: Swallowing the Past
2017
as Dr Yasmine Vondenburg
MovieEffie Gray
2014
as Anna
MovieNational Theatre Live: People
2013
as Iris
TVSpies of Warsaw
2013
as Maika Rosen
TVThe Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby
2012
as Mrs. Smike
TVCall the Midwife
2012
as Phyllis Crane
MovieWest Is West
2010
as Ella Khan
TVGrandma's House
2010
as Grandma Lily
MovieThe Reader
2008
as Ms. Brenner
TVLark Rise to Candleford
2008
as Queenie Turrill
MovieCass
2008
as Doll
TVSense and Sensibility
2008
as Mrs. Jennings
The English Harem
2005
as Monica Pringle
MovieColour Me Kubrick
2005
as Trolley Lady
MovieSeparate Lies
2005
as Maggie
MovieKinky Boots
2005
as Mel
MovieSpivs
2004
as Auntie Vee
TVThe Brief
2004
as Maureen Tyler
MovieCalendar Girls
2003
as Cora
MovieThis Little Life
2003
as Nurse Nina
MovieThe Hours
2002
as Nelly Boxall
MovieThe Martins
2001
as Anthea
MovieDon Quixote
2000
as Housekeeper
Lounge Act
2000
MovieBeautiful People
1999
as Sister
MovieEast Is East
1999
as Ella Khan
TVdinnerladies
1998
as Peggy
TVFar from the Madding Crowd
1998
as Maryann Money
MovieFar from the Madding Crowd
1998
as Maryann Money
MovieSpoonface Steinberg
1998
as Mrs. Spud
TVOur Mutual Friend
1998
as Abby Potterson
MovieThe Life and Crimes of William Palmer
1998
as Mary Thornton
MovieOscar and Lucinda
1997
as Betty Stratton
TVMidsomer Murders
1997
as Eileen Carnack
MovieAlive and Kicking
1996
as Doctor
TVNo Bananas
1996
as Ellen Slater
MovieMary Reilly
1996
as Mary's Mother
MovieHaunted
1995
as Madame Brontski
MovieLoved Up
1995
as Mum
TVBramwell
1995
as Maud
MovieA Village Affair
1995
as Gwen
TVKavanagh Q.C.
1995
as Miss Haddon QC
MovieIn The Cold Light Of Day
1994
as Mrs. Loveless
MovieSkallagrigg
1994
as Susan
TVFrank Stubbs Promotes
1993
as Eileen
TVA Touch of Frost
1992
as Mrs Cornish
TVHeartbeat
1992
as Beryl Palmer
MovieA Small Dance
1991
as Sandra Matkin
MovieLet Him Have It
1991
as Mrs. Miles
MovieNews Hounds
1990
as Virginia Lyddon
MovieParis by Night
1989
as Janet Swanton
MovieWaiting for the Moon
1987
as Gertrude Stein
TVCasualty
1986
as Olwyn Humphries
TVThe Bill
1984
TVDramarama
1983
as Meg Crawford
TVAmerican Playhouse
1982
as Gertrude Stein
