Maxine Peake
July 14, 1974 (52 years old) in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, UK
Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English stage, radio, film and television actress, playwright, producer, director and political activist, who made her name as Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. She has since played Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama Silk and Grace Middleton in The Village. She is also an accomplished stage actress, having played the title role in Hamlet, and had a role in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything. In 2018 she played the lead in the film Funny Cow and had a starring role in Mike Leigh's epic Peterloo, a film very close to her heart.
Known For
Credits
- 2026 · Last Seen as
- 2026 · Bait as Helen
- 2026 · Becoming Victoria Wood as Self
- 2025 · Laundreams as
- 2025 · The Occupant of the Room as The Englishwoman (voice)
- 2025 · Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough as Narrator
- 2025 · I Swear as Dottie
- 2025 · Quiet on Set: The Class Division in the Film Industry? as Self
- 2025 · Words of War as Anna Politkovskaya
- 2024 · The Haunted Season as The Englishwoman (voice)
- 2024 · Say Nothing as Older Dolours Price
- 2023 · Dance First as Barbara
- 2023 · Choked Up as Fiona Lacey
- 2022 · Wendell & Wild as Irmgard Klaxon (voice)
- 2022 · Art That Made Us as Self - Actrice (Rules of the Game, Anne)
- 2022 · Rules of the Game as Sam Thompson
- 2022 · The Real Anne: Unfinished Business as Self- Presenter
- 2022 · Anne as Anne Williams
- 2021 · Where We Used to Meet as
- 2021 · Star Wars: Visions as Kalina Kalfus (voice)
- 2020 · Mandy as Susan Blower
- 2020 · Alan Bennett's Talking Heads as Miss Fozzard
- 2020 · Surfaces as Alix
- 2020 · The Great Mountain Sheep Gather as Self - Narrator
- 2020 · It's Me as Miriam
- 2019 · Fanny Lye Deliver'd as Fanny Lye
- 2019 · Be Still My Beating Heart as
- 2018 · Peterloo as Nellie
- 2018 · The Bisexual as Sadie
- 2018 · Funny Cow as Funny Cow
- 2018 · Dinnerladies Diaries as Self
- 2018 · The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer as Self - Guest
- 2018 · Wonders of the Moon as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Men Who Sleep in Cars as Sarah
- 2017 · Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle as Narrator
- 2017 · Three Girls as Sara Rowbotham
- 2016 · Generation '66 as Narrator
- 2016 · Red Top as Rebekah Brooks
- 2015 · The Falling as Eileen Lamont
- 2015 · Artsnight as Self - Presenter
- 2015 · Strange Weather as Jane
- 2014 · The Theory of Everything as Elaine Mason
- 2014 · Inside No. 9 as Nadia
- 2014 · Run & Jump as Vanetia
- 2013 · The Village as Grace Middleton
- 2012 · Private Peaceful as Hazel Peaceful
- 2012 · Room at the Top as Alice Aisgill
- 2012 · The Hollow Crown as Doll Tearsheet
- 2011 · Black Mirror as Bella
- 2011 · Silk as Martha Costello QC
- 2009 · Red Riding as
- 2008 · The Devil's Whore as Elizabeth Lilburne
- 2008 · Little Dorrit as Miss Wade
- 2008 · Criminal Justice as Juliet Miller
- 2008 · Fairy Tales as Cindy Mellor
- 2007 · The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · The Street as
- 2005 · Frozen as Ticket Attendant
- 2005 · Faith as Linda
- 2004 · Shameless as Veronica Fisher
- 2003 · Comedy Connections as
- 2003 · Early Doors as Janice
- 2002 · All or Nothing as Party girl
- 2002 · Timeshift as Self - Narrator
- 2001 · Linda Green as Receptionist
- 2001 · Messiah as DS Vickie Clarke
- 2000 · Clocking Off as Marie Leach
- 1999 · Sunburn as Sue
- 1998 · dinnerladies as Twinkle
- 1998 · Girls' Night as Sharon
- 1997 · Jonathan Creek as Marion Cretiss
- 1996 · Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Photocopy Assistant
- 1987 · ChuckleVision as
- Future · Twisting My Melon as Linda Ryder
- 2009 · Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 as Helen Marshall
- Future · First Day on Earth as Helen
- 2024 · Art Matters as Self
- 2024 · Woken as Helen
- 2024 · Secret Life of the Safari Park as Narrator
- 2023 · Tish as Tish Murtha (voice)
- 2022 · Inner Polar Bear as Narrator (voice)
- 2022 · Lapushka! as Scoot Piccolo
- 2022 · Something Out of Nothing as
- 2019 · Judy as Judy
- 2018 · The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca as Self
- 2018 · Gwen as Elen
- 2018 · Ceremony: The Return of Friedrich Engels as Friedrich Engels (voice)
- 2017 · The Priest as
- 2017 · Cake as
- 2017 · Unseen as Emma
- 2017 · Bunch of Kunst - A Film About Sleaford Mods as Self (archive footage)
- 2017 · We Have Been Watching as Self
- 2016 · A Midsummer Night's Dream as Titania
- 2016 · I Wish For You as Grown Up Mia
- 2015 · Hamlet as Hamlet
- 2015 · The Shuttleworths as Helen Bach
- 2014 · Keeping Rosy as Charlotte
- 2013 · Keeping Up with the Joneses as Celia
- 2013 · Svengali as Angie
- 2013 · The Heart Fails Without Warning as Mother
- 2012 · Best Laid Plans as Isabel
- 2011 · DeafBlind as Maggie
- 2010 · Edge as Elly
- 2010 · Imaginary Friend as Pauline
- 2010 · The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister as Anne Lister
- 2008 · Clubbed as Angela
- 2008 · Hancock & Joan as Joan Le Mesurier
- 2008 · Bike Squad as WPC Kate McFay
- 2007 · Would Like To Meet as George's Mum
- 2007 · I Am Bob as Marilyn Monroe Lookalike/Compere's Assistant
- 2007 · Confessions of a Diary Secretary as Tracey Temple
- 2007 · The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- 2006 · See No Evil: The Moors Murders as Myra Hindley
- 2006 · The Fear of Trilogy as
- 2006 · The Madness of the Dance as
- 2004 · Christmas Lights as Pauline
- 2002 · Hamilton Mattress as Lulu (voice)
- 2000 · Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Self
- Future · The Bright Side Running Club as