'''Anna Friel''' (born 12 July, 1976) is an English actress born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in the north-west of England.
Friel's acting career took off when she played the role of Beth Jordache on the British Channel 4 soap opera, ''Brookside''; she created a piece of British television history with British TV's first pre-watershed lesbian kisshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/faces/anna_friel.shtml. After leaving ''Brookside'' she appeared for a spell on Broadway in the play ''Closer''.
Since then, she has appeared in films such as ''
Rogue Trader'' opposite Ewan McGregor, David Leland's ''
The Land Girls'', which also starred Rachel Weisz and Catherine McCormack, ''All For Love'' with Richard E. Grant, and ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream'' with Michelle Pfeiffer.
Once engaged to Darren Day, and having been a girlfriend of Robbie Williams, she is currently living with her actor boyfriend David Thewlis. Their daughter, Gracie, was born on 9 July, 2005, in London.
Selected filmography
* ''
Goal!'' (2005)
* ''The Jury'' (2004) (Fox Network)
* ''
Timeline'' (2003)
* ''
Me Without You'' (2001)
* ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (1999)
* ''
Rogue Trader'' (1999)
* ''
The Land Girls'' (1998)
* ''Brookside'' (1993 - 1995) (Channel 4)
Trivia
* Friel studied her GCSEs at Crompton House School, in Shaw and Crompton, Oldham.
