Lesley Sharp is a TV favourite who is known for her roles in Scott and Bailey, Playing the Field, Before We Die, and now ITVX’s high-flying thriller Red Eye.
But, did you know, that her husband is also a very famous face on television?
Actress Lesley currently plays a big role in the Richard Armitage nailbiter Red Eye, but her career spans more than four decades. So what is she famous for, how old is she, and who is her toyboy hubbie?
Here’s everything you need to know!
Who plays Madeline Delaney in Red Eye?
Veteran actress Lesley Sharp portrays Madeline Delaney in the cast of Red Eye on ITV1.
Madeline is the recently promoted director of MI5. She is tasked with heading up the official response when several murders occur on a flight from London to China – with suspected killer Matthew Nolan on board.
Lesley Sharp says: “She’s a woman returning to work after a big moment in her personal life, where what she had taken for granted has been compromised.”
She adds: “As she steps back into the work arena, she immediately has to deal with this crisis around Nolan, and she’s forced to handle this situation against the backdrop of workplace politics.
“Other people want her job. She’s fighting fires on several fronts in a really controlled and mindful way. She’s not someone who loses it easily, she’s very good at keeping it together.”
What has Red Eye actress Lesley Sharp been in?
Lesley Sharp has been on our TV screens for more than four decades! Her very first appearance was as Mariane in the 1983 TV film Tartuffe, or the Impostor. Lesley was around 23 at the time.
She has since appeared in multiple hit dramas, often as the leading lady. Arguably her most significant early role was Petra Dillon in the Timothy Spall comedy Frank Stubbs.
She went on to play Christine Stranks in Common as Muck, and Carol Murphy in Daylight Robbery. In 1998, she won her biggest role to date as Theresa Mullen in the South Yorkshire football drama Playing the Field.
Other big roles followed in Paul Abbott’s gritty drama Clocking Off. Lesley played Trudy Graham from 2000 to 2001. That same year, she portrayed Rose Cooper in Bob & Rose opposite Alan Davies.
Between 2005 and 2006, Lesley starred as Alison Mundy in Afterlife, and later portrayed Mrs Bell in Cranford. Other notable roles include Julie Bede in The Shadow Line, Jan in Starlings, Lucy Cannonbury in Paranoid, and Jen Pemberton in Living the Dream.
From 2011 to 2016, Lesley portrayed DC Janet Scott in the detective drama Scott & Bailey, alongside Suranne Jones. More recently, she portrayed Detective Inspector Hannah Laing in the Channel 4 thriller Before We Die.
Her film roles include Michelle in Rita, Bob and Sue Too, Mrs Joe in Great Expectations, and Jessie Barnes in Vera Drake. She also portrayed Morwenna in the Netflix hit Catherine Called Birdy, in which Bella Ramsey led the cast.
Lesley famously played Jean in The Full Monty film, and more recent TV series. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1997 movie.
Why did Scott & Bailey end?
Scott & Bailey was a popular police series, which ran from 2011 to 2016. Created by Happy Valley legend Sally Wainwright, it went on for 33 episodes – five series in total.
It followed detectives Janet Scott and Rachel Bailey, as they investigated murders with Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team.
Despite being a fan favourite, ITV decided to end the series after a short fifth series in 2016. The broadcaster cited creative reasons for the abrupt end. The final series was just three episodes, compared to the usual six or eight.
Are Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones friends?
Despite the premature end of their TV series Scott & Bailey, Lesley and co-star Suranne Jones remain good friends. They became close during filming in Manchester.
Talking about their relationship, Lesley previously told Prima: “It’s easy to think, ‘That’s it – I have my mates’. Then someone new comes into my life and I think, ‘That was lucky’.
“Amelia Bullmore and Suranne Jones are good examples. I was bumbling along quite happily without their friendship and then we worked together on Scott & Bailey and really connected.
“When you work with someone, you have the job in common and the test is if you still get on once the work has finished. And I’m happy to say we are really good friends.”
Is Red Eye actress Lesley Sharp married? How did she meet her husband?
Lesley Sharp married her husband and fellow actor Nicholas Gleaves in 1994 – 30 years ago! The pair met in the early 1990s as young actors, and fell in love, despite their age gap of nine years.
After the Flood fans will recognise Nicholas Gleaves from his role as the bent copper Sergeant Phil Mackie. He’s also known for his roles in Silent Witness, Waterloo Road, and Survivors.
Nicholas, now 55, has actually appeared on screen with his real life wife Lesley Sharp multiple times, including in Playing the Field, when he portrayed Rick Powell.
He also played DS Andy Roper in Scott & Bailey. The character even helped Janet Scott’s character after she’d been attacked.
Does Red Eye star Lesley Sharp have children?
Nicholas Gleaves and Lesley Sharp have two sons together. Zachary was born in September 1994, while Gabriel followed in March 1998.
Unlike their parents, Zachary and Gabriel are not in the public eye. However, they are listed as directors of their parents’ production company Prim and Proper Productions.
Lesley freely admits she is a very private person, and doesn’t like talking about her family.
How old is Lesley Sharp? Where is she from?
Lesley Sharp was born on April 03, 1960, in Manchester.
She is currently 64 years of age.
She later moved to London to pursue an acting career, and subsequently attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1982.
Was Lesley Sharp adopted? Why did she change her name?
Lesley had a tricky start in life. Her birth parents put her up for adoption in 1960, when she was just six weeks old.
She was originally christened Karen Makinson by her birth parents Elsie Makinson and Norman Patient. However, she was later renamed Lesley by her adoptive parents, who raised her as their own in Merseyside.
Lesley previously admitted that she started acting because, as a child, she felt “invisible” and did not “quite fit in”. She appeared on Who Do You Think You Are in 2013, and traced her birth mother. Lesley subsequently discovered that she was the result of her mother’s affair with a married man.
Speaking on the show, she said: “If you’re adopted, you can’t help but feel, somehow or other, deep, deep, deep down inside that you don’t belong. It makes you feel like you’ve got a question mark inside you.”
Red Eye continues on Sundays at 9pm on ITV1. Series 1 is available to watch on ITVX.
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