The second installment of Oliver Twist will air on PBS Masterpiece Classic this Sunday at 9:00 PM EST. While most of the tale centers on the male of the species - Oliver, the Artful Dodger, Bill Sikes, Fagin, Mr. Brumble, and Mr. Monks - the women also play a prominent role. They are in no order of importance:
Mrs. Corney, Sarah Lancashire
You last saw her as the never aging Nelly Dean in
Wuthering Heights, and now as the coldly calculating and unfeeling Mrs. Corney in
Oliver Twist. Her portrayal as the avaricious workhouse matron who looks out for her own benefit is spot on. Born in 1964, Sarah shot to stardom as Coronation Street's popular Raquel Watts. After leaving the role in 1996, she starred in Clocking Off, Rose and Maloney, the BBC TWO drama The Rotters' Club and as a guest star in the fourth series of Doctor Who.
Learn more about Sarah at this link.
Nancy, Sophie Okonedo
Sophie was unforgettable in Hotel Rwanda and won an Oscar nomination for her portrayal as Tatiana. In Oliver Twist she plays Nancy with an unromantic and realistic bent. The prostitute with a heart of gold, she is conflicted between her loyalty/love for Bill Sikes and her sympathy for Oliver, which puts her life in danger. Nigerian-Jewish actress Sophie Okonedo has enjoyed a splendid and versatile career. Born in 1969, she trained at RADA after attending Cambridge. Her most recent theatrical films were
The Secret Life of Bees, Skin, and Father and Son. Read about her career in
IMBd and more about her in a
Profile and Interview with Sophie
Rose Maylie, Morven Christie
Morven Christie made a big splash as Jane Bennet in
Lost in Austen. She was born in 1979 in Glasgow and trained at the Drama Centre in London, where she graduated in 2003. Morven's career is so new, very little information about her sits online. After working as a ski instructor, her work on stage, and in film and television drama since 2003 has become more varied, and has included an increasing number of leading roles. She will play the lead in ITV's Monday Monday, and a supporting role in The Young Victoria. Morven is currently part of the first Bridge Project company, playing Anya in Tom Stoppard's new adaptation of The Cherry Orchard, and Perdita in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. The productions will play in repertory at The Old Vic in London from June 2009, after an international tour. Her movies include The Flying Scotsman and House of 9.
Mrs. Bedwin, Anna Massey
We last saw Anna Massey's familiar face in Tess of the D'Urbervilles as Mrs. D'Urbervilles, the blind woman who loved her canaries more than her son. It was a minor role, as is her role as Mrs. Bedwin. One of Britain's most respected actresses, Anna has been in the business for over 50 years. She has won an Olivier award, a Bafta, two RTS awards and she is also a CBE. It is too bad that actresses of her age are given such short shrift in films. This role as Mr. Brownlow's housekeeper is almost non existent and does little to move the story forward. Nevertheless, she plays the part beautifully. Anna is the daughter of famed actor Raymond Massey. She made her film debut in 1958, appearing in Michael Powell's Peeping Tom in 1959 and in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy in 1972.
Read more about her in this link.
