Lisa McGrillis
Born (1982-09-03) 3 September 1982
EducationNorthumbria University (BA)
OccupationActor
SpouseStuart Martin
Children2

Lisa McGrillis (born 3 September 1982) is a British actress.[1]

Early life and education

McGrillis grew up in Scotby, near Carlisle in Cumbria with her mother, a special needs teacher, and her father, an accountant. She studied performing arts at Northumbria University.[2]

Career

McGrillis had a role in The Pitmen Painters, by Lee Hall, in 2007. It transferred to London's National Theatre and then to Broadway.[3]

McGrillis was in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe in 2011 as Margaret the maid.[4] When Eve Best, the star of the show, fell ill, director Jeremy Herrin asked McGrillis to step up to play Beatrice. She then appeared in The Pass with Russell Tovey at the Royal Court Theatre in 2014.[5][6]

After appearing in Hebburn,[7] McGrillis was the regular character DS Rachel Coles in Inspector George Gently with Martin Shaw.[8][9]

McGrillis starred opposite Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville in the BBC sitcom Mum as Kelly, the girlfriend of Manville's son, Jason.[10][11][12] In February 2019, she played Hannah Wilde in episode eight of the eighth season of Death in Paradise.[13] She later played a grass-roots Manchester politician in the third series of Channel 4 Paul Abbott police drama No Offence and, in 2020, appeared as 'Mad Kay' in BBC sitcom King Gary, written by Tom Davis[14] and as Sandra in the Channel 4 drama Deadwater Fell.[15]

On 17 January 2022, it was announced that McGrillis will star as Courtney in new BBC comedy Avoidance, alongside show creator Romesh Ranganathan and Jessica Knappett.[16][17]

Personal life

Her husband, Stuart Martin, is also an actor; they met at a Christmas party in the National Theatre bar. They have two children.[18] McGrillis is an ambassador for children's charity PIPA.[19]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2014–2017 Inspector George Gently Sergeant Rachel Coles Series 6—8
2012–2013 Hebburn Vicki Pearson Main role
2015 Fungus the Bogeyman Saliva TV mini-series
2015–2018 No Offence Caroline McCoy Series 3
2016–2019 Mum Kelly Main role
2019 Death in Paradise Hannah Wilde Season 8, Episode 8
2020 Deadwater Fell Sandra McKay
2020 Bumps Joanne Television film
2021 King Gary Kay / Mad Kay 6 episodes
2021 Last Night in Soho Female Detective
2022 Avoidance Courtney 6 episodes
2022 Somewhere Boy Sue 8 episodes
2023 Maternal Helen Cavendish ITV drama[20]
2023 Best Interests Brenda 4 episodes
2023 Sex Education Joanna Franklin Recurring role
TBA Rivals Valerie Jones In-production[21]

References

  1. BWW News Desk. "Introducing THE PITMEN PAINTERS: Lisa McGrillis".
  2. "Cumbrian actress back on TV in acclaimed BBC sitcom". 24 May 2016.
  3. BWW News Desk. "Introducing THE PITMEN PAINTERS: Lisa McGrillis".
  4. "Shakespeare's Globe". www.shakespearesglobe.com.
  5. "Lisa McGrillis - Royal Court".
  6. Billington, Michael (19 January 2014). "The Pass – review". the Guardian.
  7. "Martin Shaw and Hebburn's Lisa McGrillis on set as Inspector George Gently films in Newcastle". 17 November 2014.
  8. "Lisa McGrillis: 'Mum gives you your money's worth from your TV licence!'". www.whatsontv.co.uk. 20 March 2018.
  9. Lorraine (11 May 2017). "Lisa McGrillis Praises Her Shows 'Inspector George Gently' and 'Mum' - Lorraine" via YouTube.
  10. Ward, Rachel (20 February 2018). "Lisa McGrillis: the star of Mum on Lesley Manville's work ethic and why Kelly isn't as stupid as she looks". The Telegraph.
  11. "One of BBC's most underrated sit-coms returns on Tuesday and you should be excited - Buzz.ie".
  12. Jones, Alice (6 February 2018). "Lisa McGrillis, aka Kelly in Mum: 'I remember thinking, oh god, is this my life? Is this what acting is? I'm not sure I want to do this'". I News. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  13. Debnath, Neela (28 February 2019). "Death in Paradise cast 2019: Who plays Gerald Baynes? Who is Daniel Ryan?". Daily Express. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  14. "Lisa McGrillis plays Caroline McCoy - Channel 4 - Info". www.channel4.com.
  15. "Deadwater Fell: Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  16. "Romesh Ranganathan creates, writes and stars in new comedy series Avoidance for BBC One and BBC iPlayer". BBC. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  17. White, James (18 January 2022). "Romesh Ranganathan Co-Creating And Starring In New BBC Comedy Series Avoidance". Empire. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  18. "Lisa McGrillis, aka Kelly in Mum: 'I remember thinking, oh god, is this my life? Is this what acting is? I'm not sure I want to do this'inews.co.uk". www.inews.co.uk. 6 February 2018.
  19. "Welcome New PIPA Ambassador: Lisa McGrillis - Parents In Performing Arts". 14 February 2018.
  20. "ITV commissions six part medical drama, Maternal". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  21. "Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner star in adaptation of racy Jilly Cooper novel". Independent.ie. 21 March 2023.
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