Dame Eileen Atkins started her career in acting in 1953 and since then she has gone on to amass a list of theatre, film and TV credits in her 70-year career.
Born in Lower Clapton, East London, her mother was told that Eileen had a Cockney accent. While at school a teacher, Rev Michael Burton made it his mission to ‘get the Cockney accent out of her’ and gave her a taste of William Shakespeare.
After graduating from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1953, she got her first job working with Robert Atkins, an English producer and director. She played Jaquenetta in William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost.
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She then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1957 and stayed for two years at the Old Vic between 1961-62. She made her Broadway debut in 1966 and went on to receive a number of Tony Award nominations including Best Actress in a Play in 1967.
In 1959 she made her TV debut as Maggie Clayhanger appearing alongside Dame Judi Dench in Hilda Lessways. Since then she has appeared in films and shows such as Breaking Up, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Psychoville, The Crown and Doc Martin to name a few.
In 2007 she appeared alongside Sir Michael Danford and Dame Judi Dench again in Cranford in which she won the BAFTA for Best Actress. She has also appeared alongside Jack Nicholson in Wolf as well as voicing Mary in Paddington.
In 1957, Eileen married her first husband Julian Glover. Julian is a famous actor who has appeared in The Crown and Star Wars as well as many more. His acting has also spanned decades and they both have prestigious careers on stage, TV and film. He also played Grand Maester Pycelle on the hit show Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2016.
They were married from 1957 until their divorce in 1966. She then married Bill Shepherd in 1978 and they were married till 2016 when he passed away.
Fans hope to see the actress in the new series of Doc Martin when it returns to our screens for its final season.
