Joanna Vanderham (born 17 October 1990)[1][2] is a Scottish actress.[3] She was nominated for an International Emmy Award for her debut role in the Sky One crime drama The Runaway (2011).

Joanna Vanderham
Vanderham at the 2015 British Independent Film Awards
Born
Joanna Rosie-Le Van Der Ham

(1990-10-17) 17 October 1990 (age 34)
Alma materRoyal Welsh College of Music & Drama
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
MotherJill Belch

Early life

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Vanderham was born in Perth and grew up in Scone and Dundee. Her father Tom, a Dutch businessman, and mother Jill Belch, a Scottish professor of cardiovascular research at Ninewells Hospital, divorced when she was a child. She has two sisters and a brother.[4] She attended Robert Douglas Memorial School in Scone and then the High School of Dundee. She then went on to study acting at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff.[5]

Career

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Vanderham made her onscreen debut in 2011 as Cathy Connor in the Sky TV six-part crime drama The Runaway, an adaptation of the novel by Martina Cole.[6] She also had a supporting role in the BBC One biographical drama Young James Herriot.[7]

From 2012 to 2013 over two series, Vanderham starred as Denise Lovett in the BBC television series The Paradise, written by Bill Gallagher and loosely based on the novel Au Bonheur des Dames by Émile Zola. She made her film debut as Margo in What Maisie Knew with Alexander Skarsgård and Julianne Moore.

Vanderham played society girl Pamela Luscombe in the BBC drama Dancing on the Edge, directed by Stephen Poliakoff.[8] In 2015, she appeared as Katherine "Kitty" McVitie in BBC Two period drama series Banished[9] and Marian Maudsley in the BBC One romance television film The Go-Between.[10]

Vanderham received a Commendation at the 2016 Ian Charleson Awards for her performance as Queen Anne in Richard III at the Almeida Theatre in London.[11][12][13]

Also in 2016, Vanderham starred in the romance television film The Boy with the Topknot opposite Sacha Dhawan. The following year, she played Claire Elliot in the miniseries One of Us (also known as Retribution) and the younger version of Vanessa Redgrave's character Flora in the two-part drama Man in an Orange Shirt.

In 2019, Vanderham joined the main cast of the American action series Warrior as Penelope Blake. She played Atropos, a recurring character in the fifth season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. She starred as DS Amanda Drummond opposite Dougray Scott in the 2021 BritBox and later ITVX series Crime, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh.

Personal life

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Vanderham lives in Hackney, East London.[14]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 What Maisie Knew Margo
2013 Blackwood Jessica
2016 And Then I Was French Cara
Queimafobia Alice Short films
2020 A Song Still Inside Laura
2022 Selkie Selkie
Eddie & Sunny Sunny

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Runaway Cathy Connor Main role; miniseries; 6 episodes
Young James Herriot Jenny Muirhead Miniseries; 3 episodes
2012 Above Suspicion Amanda Delany 3 episodes
2012–2013 The Paradise Denise Lovett Main role; 16 episodes
2013 Dancing on the Edge Pamela Luscombe Main role; miniseries; 6 episodes
Marple Ellie Episode: "Endless Night"
2015 Banished Katherine "Kitty" McVitie Main role; miniseries; 7 episodes
The Go-Between Marian Maudsley Television film
2016 One of Us Claire Elliot Main role; miniseries; 4 episodes
2017 Man in an Orange Shirt Flora Talbot Miniseries; Episode 1
The Boy with the Topknot Laura Television film
2019 The Tanner Caitlin Episode: "Babe's Got a Back Problem"
2019–2020 Warrior Penelope Blake Main role; 20 episodes
2020 Legends of Tomorrow Atropos Recurring role; 5 episodes
2021–present Crime DS Amanda Drummond Main role; 14 episodes
2022 The Control Room Sam Main role; 3 episodes
TBA Outrageous Diana Mitford Main role

Stage

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Year Play Role Company
2012 The Promise Lika Donmar Warehouse / Trafalgar
2015 The Dazzle Millie Ashmore Found111 / Michael Grandage Co.
2014 Othello Desdemona Royal Shakespeare Company
2016 Richard III Queen Anne Almeida Theatre
2024 Double Feature Tippi Hedren Hampstead Theatre

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2012 International Emmy Awards Best Actress The Runaway Nominated
2016 Ian Charleson Awards Richard III Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Banished: About Joanna Vanderham, BBC, access date 28 June 2016
  2. ^ Rising Scots star Joanna Vanderham on Banished, The Herald (Glasgow), access date 29 June 2016
  3. ^ McGinty, Stephen (4 February 2013). "Interview: Joanna Vanderham on nudity in Dancing On The Edge and 'fake drunk acting'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Joanna Vanderham interview for Dancing on the Edge". The Telegraph. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  5. ^ "The Runaway: Joanna Vanderham Biography – Sky1 HD". Sky UK. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  6. ^ Mainwaring, Rachel (20 March 2011). "Joanna Vanderham lands role in Sky One's The Runaway". WalesOnline. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Cast announced for Young James". Primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk. 3 July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  8. ^ "The Runaway by Martina Cole coming to the small screen". Dangerouslady.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  9. ^ "BBC Two – Banished – Katherine McVitie". BBC. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. ^ "The Go-Between: Meet the Characters". BBC One. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  11. ^ Hawkins, Helen (11 June 2017). "Paapa Essiedu wins the Ian Charleson award 2016". Sunday Times.
  12. ^ Snow, Georgia (6 June 2017). "Paapa Essiedu wins 2016 Ian Charleson award". The Stage.
  13. ^ "Ian Charleson Awards 2016". WestEndTheatre.com. 6 June 2017.
  14. ^ Jamieson, Teddy (20 November 2021). "Joanna Vanderham on Irvine Welsh's Crime". Retrieved 20 February 2022.
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