Rebecca Night (born Rebecca Hardwick; 13 July 1985)[1] is an English actress who starred in the title role of James Hawes's BBC Four adaptation Fanny Hill.[2] Night and Stockard Channing co-starred as Jessie and Thelma in Marsha Norman's Pulitzer-Prize-winning play 'night, Mother at Hampstead Theatre. On her performance, described by lead theatre critic Mark Shenton: "Night is like a young Julia Roberts... with natural stage chops... It turns out to be a riveting, revealing evening."
Rebecca Night | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rebecca Hardwick 13 July 1985 |
| Alma mater | Rose Bruford College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Early life and education
editRebecca Night was born in Poole, Dorset.[3] She attended Yarrells Preparatory School in Upton, Dorset where she took part in the annual musical productions, and later Parkstone Grammar School in Poole as well as Brownsea Open Air Theatre. Night is a former member of the National Youth Theatre, where she appeared as Hero in Much Ado About Nothing and in Master & Margarita at the Lyric Hammersmith. She later trained at Rose Bruford College.
Career
editNight came to prominence playing the title role in Andrew Davies' BBC production of Fanny Hill. Nancy Banks-Smith in The Guardian wrote, "Her freshness disinfects her story. It is a delightful debut."[4]
She has since played a wide range of roles including Catherine Linton in ITV's Wuthering Heights, alongside Tom Hardy, Sarah Jones in the Mike Figgis film Suspension of Disbelief and Yvonne Moncin in Maigret, with Rowan Atkinson.
Theatre roles include Jessie in Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning 'night, Mother alongside Stockard Channing as Thelma at the Hampstead Theatre, Queen Elizabeth in Oscar-winner David Seidler’s North American premiere of The King's Speech, Cecily Cardew in Peter Gill's The Importance of Being Earnest in London's West End and Rose of Sharon in Chichester Festival Theatre's Grapes of Wrath. She also created the role of Jack Cardiff’s carer Lucy alongside Tony-winner Robert Lindsay in Terry Johnson's Prism. Within the play, she transforms into both "a lustrous" (The Independent) Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall.
Personal life
editShe is married to fellow actor Harry Hadden-Paton, whom she met while performing The Importance of Being Earnest. They have been married since 2010 and have three children together.
Filmography
editTelevision series
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Fanny Hill | Fanny Hill | Directed by James Hawes |
| 2009 | Lark Rise to Candleford | Nan Carter | 4 episodes |
| Wuthering Heights | Catherine Linton | TV Mini Series | |
| 2010 | Law & Order: UK | Leila Merton | Episode: Shaken |
| This September | Laura Aird | Episode: Family Secret | |
| 2011 | This September Season 2 | Laura Aird | Episode: The Reunion |
| 2012 | Starlings Season 1 | Bell | [5] |
| 2013 | Starlings Season 2 | Bell | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | Agatha Raisin | Deborah Camden | with Ashley Jensen |
| Maigret | Yvonne Moncin | Episode: Maigret Sets a Trap | |
| 2022 | The Sandman | Esme | Episode: The Sound of Her Wings |
| Doctor Who Unbound | Romana | Episode: The Difference Office | |
| Midsomer Murders | Chrissie Larkton | Episode: A Grain of Truth |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Tail | Clara | Short |
| 2007 | Wednesday | Nurse | Short |
| Rebecca | Rebecca | Short | |
| 2008 | Framed | Ailish | |
| Caught in a Trap | Becci | ||
| 2009 | The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler | Danuta | |
| Modern Life Is Rubbish | Natalie | Short | |
| 2011 | Dual | Bethany | Short |
| 2012 | Suspension of Disbelief | Sarah Jones | Academy Award nominee |
| 2013 | Leopard | The Girl | Directed by Eoin Macken |
| 2014 | Between Places | Sue | Short |
| 2015 | Dartmoor Killing | Susan | |
| 2024 | Legacy | Producer | Short |
Podcast series
edit| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures | Helene | Epsiode: Masquerade |
| 2016 | Doctor Who: Doom Coalition | Matilda Gregson | Episode: Bleachhead |
| 2023 | Gaslight | Bella Manningham | Voice |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dragon Age: Inquisition | Sister Antoinette / Griffon Wing Keep Merchant / Chantry Sister / Winterwatch Tower Cultist / Inquisition Scout | Xbox 360 |
| 2017 | Mass Effect: Andromeda | Keri T'Vessa | PlayStation 4[6] |
Stage
edit- 'night, Mother as Jessie - Hampstead Theatre, written by Marsha Norman
- The Importance of Being Earnest as Cecily – Benefit Gala Roundabout Theatre Company at American Airlines Theatre, Broadway, written by Oscar Wilde
- The King's Speech as Queen Elizabeth – North American premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, written by David Seidler
- Prism as Lucy/Marilyn Monroe/Betty Bacall – Hampstead Theatre, written by Terry Johnson
- The Meeting as Ellen – Hampstead Theatre
- Uncle Vanya as Yelena – St James Theatre
- Grapes of Wrath as Rose of Sharon – Chichester Festival Theatre
- Spoonface Steinberg as Spoonface Steinberg – Etcetera Theatre and King's Head Theatre
- The Importance of Being Earnest as Cecily Cardew – Vaudeville Theatre and others[4]
- Sweet Charity as Charity – Rose Bruford Drama School at Battersea Arts Centre
TV adverts
edit- BT Infinity Broadband (2012) as Anna
Audio drama and podcasts
edit- Gaslight as Bella Manningham - BBC Radio 4 / BBC Sounds, written by Patrick Hamilton, adapted by Jonathan Holloway, directed by Johnny Vegas, with James Purefoy and Cathy Tyson (2023)[7]
References
edit- ^ "Rebecca Night". BTVGuide. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ BBC Four gets turned on to Andrew Davies' steamy adaptation of Fanny Hill, BBC (13 July 2007)
- ^ "Rebecca Night". Playbill.
- ^ a b Power, Chris (13 January 2008). "Rising star: Rebecca Night, actor". The Observer. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014 – via The Guardian.
- ^ "Starlings - Rebecca Night interview (exclusive) - Your London Reviews". IndieLondon. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Rebecca Night". Behind The Voice Actors.
- ^ "Media Centre: Gaslight". BBC. Retrieved 17 September 2023.