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Alex Kingston (Dr Elixabeth Corday)
Alex Kingston, who won acclaim in the title role of Moll Flanders, joined television's top-rated series, ER, during its fourth season, as the spirited British surgeon, Dr. Elizabeth Corday. Growing up on the outskirts of London, Alex was first introduced to the theater when she and her family visited her mother's native Germany, where she saw her uncle, an actor, perform. She made her own stage debut at age five, playing the angel Gabriel in a Nativity play. "My mother made me these big, beautiful wings," says Alex, "and the other kids—without wings—were all jealous. I was very excited, and then more than a bit upset when I discovered that Gabriel was really a guy." Alex was inspired to pursue an acting career by her English teacher at the all-girls grammar school she attended in Epsom, where she often had leading roles in school plays. She landed her first professional role at age 15 as a judo-trained bully on the successful British TV series Grange Hill. After finishing school, she moved to London, where she was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. After completing the two-year study program, Alex worked in repertory theatre across England. She joined the famed Royal Shakespeare Company, where she appeared in productions of Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, Love's Labours Lost, The Curse of the Starving Class and The Bright and Bold Design. She also starred in the Birmingham Repertory's productions of Othello, The Alchemist, Travelling Players, Saved, Julius Caesar and See How They Run. While Alex tended to play classical characters on the stage, she took on contemporary roles in British television programs, including A Killing Exchange, The Bill, Crocodile Shoes, The Knock and I Hate Christmas, and in the American cable movies Weapons of Mass Distraction and The Infiltrator. Her feature-film credits include Carrington; The St. Exupery Story; The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover; Curran's Wife; The Wildcats of St. Trinians; A Pin for the Butterfly; and The Woman and the Wolf. During her recent hiatus from ER, Alex appeared in a cameo role in the upcoming film This Space Between Us. Alex, who researched her role as Dr. Corday by spending time with surgeons in a London hospital, says of her American television-series debut: "If one's going to do an American television show, ER's definitely the one to do. It's compelling dramatic television and the actors are so good." Having recently relocated from London, she now lives in Los Angeles. Her birthday is March 11th.