Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress who is also notable for being a judge on Britain's Got Talent.
Early life
Amanda was born in Southsea in 1971. She was brought up in the village of Bishop's Waltham in Hampshire by her mother Judith Mary (Harrison) Collister and her stepfather Leslie Drew Collister. Her father left when she was five years old. She joined The Bishop's Walthan little theatre company when she was nine and credits Angie Blackford as a big influence in her early stage career. At 16 the family moved to Bournemouth and ran a small guest house while Amanda studied Drama and English Literature A levels under Terry Clarke and Charles Lamb at The Jellicoe Theatre, part of Bournemouth university. She successfully auditioned for Mountview Drama school when she was 18 and left in July 1992 with an agent.
TV career
She is best known for her role as the main character, Geraldine Titley in the British TV comedy The Grimleys. She is also known for starring in Wild at Heart, Kiss Me Kate and Hearts and Bones.
She made her television debut as an unsuccessful contestant on the long-running ITV series Blind Date.1 Her first television role was in a TV drama with Edward Woodward. She also appeared in BBC soap opera EastEnders in 19941, but she is perhaps best known for playing Mia Bevan in the BAFTA Award-nominated drama series Cutting It from 2002-4.
She has been a judge on the ITV show Britain's Got Talent for the first two series, alongside Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan.2 It has been confirmed that she will return with Morgan and Cowell for series 3 in 2009.
Acting career
Amanda Holden has appeared in several stage musicals and in 2004 was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the West End production of Thoroughly Modern Millie3.
Her most recent TV appearance was in the ITV1 drama Wild at Heart, alongside Stephen Tompkinson. The first series aired in 2006 and a second series followed in early 2007. Series 3 ran from 20th January 2008 to 9th March 2008 and her character, Sarah, died at the beginning of the final episode.
Amanda's other TV credits include three series of the hit comedy Kiss Me Kate alongside Caroline Quentin, three series of the ITV comedy series The Grimleys, Celeb with Harry Enfield, the critically acclaimed BBC series Hearts and Bones alongside Damien Lewis and a Boxing Day special Marple alongside Geraldine McEwan and John Hannah. She also co-starred with Bill Nighy and Sir Tom Courtenay in Ready When You Are, Mr McGill, Jack Rosenthal's classic comedy drama.
Personal life
In 1995 she was married to the comedian Les Dennis. The couple later separated and were divorced in 2003.
On 20 January 2006, Holden gave birth to her first child, Alexa "Lexi" Louise Florence Hughes.4
Amanda is engaged to music executive Chris Hughes (born in Liverpool 19th December 1972). The couple are due to marry in December 2008 with Formula 1 racing driver David Coulthard as the best man.5
Amanda is an Everton FC supporter6, expressing her dismay in May 2007 on ITV's Parkinson to Everton's 4-2 loss to Manchester United after leading 2-0. She was the face of Everton's "Breast Cancer Campaign" in 2007.
Holden ran the London Marathon in 4hours, 13mins7 on the 13th April 2008 in name of the Born Free Foundation8, and she set up a web page in which she asked members of the public and celebrity friends to sponsor her.8
Filmography
References
External links
