Biography

Anne Reid

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Anne was born in Newcastle--upon-,Tyne but the family moved to Redcar when WWII started. She was educated at White House School where she acted in a school play of Romeo and Juliet with June Laverick, who, when older, would also take to the stage. Later, Anne was sent to a boarding school, Penrose College, in North Wales and at eleven years of age sang in a choir. Her father became a special correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, an uncle and three brothers who were all journalists. Anne took elocution lessons and did bits in plays with a teacher, who, recognising her talent, helped her to get into RADA. Afterwards, she worked as as a stage manager and did some work in repertory. Her first work in television involved sketches with Benny Hill, but she gave up acting in 1974 before returning in 1986, eventually making her name in the part of Valerie Barlow in the television soap Coronation Street.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5

She had her scenes from Love Actually (2003) deleted from the final film, they feature in the DVD extras. She played the school headmistress, whose lesbian lover was played by Frances de la Tour.
She chose to leave Coronation Street (1960) at the end of 1970 because she didn't want to spend the rest of her career playing the same role. Shortly afterwards, she gave birth to her son, her husband was sick and she looked after her mother. As a consequence, she didn't work much for the next 12 years.
She turned down a role in Calendar Girls (2003) so she could star in The Mother (2003).
She comes from a family connected with journalism and newspapers.
She gave up smoking in 1978 and smoked herbal cigarettes to play Mrs. Thackeray in the revival of Upstairs Downstairs (2010).

I still just love acting! Most of us agree it's like a child's game, really; doesn't seem like a serious job at all. I love doing comedy.
[on being awarded the MBE in June 2010] Thrilled and delighted and amazed.
I don't trust journalists as far as I can throw them. My family were all in newspapers.
As you get older the phone stops ringing, which is inevitable because people stop asking for you.
Newspapers are much more intrusive today. People discuss their intimate sex lives in detail. I wouldn't. Well, I have nothing to talk about.

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