
Linda Bassett
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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.
Known for
Credits

The Reader (2008)
as Ms. Brenner

The Hours (2002)
as Nelly Boxall

Kinky Boots (2005)
as Mel

Calendar Girls (2003)
as Cora

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023)
as Queenie

Mary Reilly (1996)
as Mary's Mother

Effie Gray (2014)
as Anna

Separate Lies (2005)
as Maggie

Let Him Have It (1991)
as Mrs. Miles

Oscar and Lucinda (1997)
as Betty Stratton

Cass (2008)
as Doll

Carnage: Swallowing the Past (2017)
as Dr Yasmine Vondenburg

Haunted (1995)
as Madame Brontski

Waiting for the Moon (1987)
as Gertrude Stein

Don Quixote (2000)
as Housekeeper

Far from the Madding Crowd (1998)
as Maryann Money

Colour Me Kubrick (2005)
as Trolley Lady

Spivs (2004)
as Auntie Vee

East Is East (1999)
as Ella Khan

Paris by Night (1989)
as Janet Swanton

Alive and Kicking (1996)
as Doctor

The Life and Crimes of William Palmer (1998)
as Mary Thornton

Careful How You Go (2018)
Actor

National Theatre Live: People (2013)
as Iris

West Is West (2010)
as Ella Khan

Spoonface Steinberg (1998)
as Mrs. Spud

In The Cold Light Of Day (1994)
as Mrs. Loveless

News Hounds (1990)
as Virginia Lyddon

A Village Affair (1995)
as Gwen

Bare Roots (2026)
as Sue
Lounge Act (2000)
Actor

This Little Life (2003)
as Nurse Nina

Beautiful People (1999)
as Sister

The Martins (2001)
as Anthea

Loved Up (1995)
as Mum

A Small Dance (1991)
as Sandra Matkin
The English Harem (2005)
as Monica Pringle

Skallagrigg (1994)
as Susan





