Sarah Alexander
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sarah Alexander (born January 3, 1971 in London, England) is an English actress, best known for her roles in various British comedy series.
[edit] Biography
Alexander was born Sarah Smith in London. Her father, Frank Smith, was a television producer and director who worked on factual programmes such as Panorama, so she grew up around a television studio environment. At the age of 18 she left home after completing her A-levels and travelled to the Edinburgh Festival in the hope of getting her start in acting. Her parents were very much against the idea and wanted her to continue on into university. After beginning her career in theatre, Alexander originally planned to become a classical actress, and had an unsuccessful audition with the Royal Shakespeare Company early in her career.
In the mid-1990s she met Ben Miller (when they filmed an advertisement for disposable cameras together) and Alexander Armstrong, who became close friends and frequent collaborators, appearing on their Armstrong and Miller sketch show (1997-2001) and beginning to move into comedy acting, which she has specialised in ever since. Other work on sketch shows included Smith and Jones (1997-98) and Smack the Pony (1999-2003), also writing material for three episodes of the latter.
In 2000 she appeared in the cult sci-fi comedy The Strangerers, as well as becoming new co-host of the current affairs satire programme The 11 O'Clock Show, alongside Jon Holmes. She made her debut in perhaps her best-known role as Susan Walker in the BBC sitcom Coupling, which ran for four series from 2000 to 2004.
Her most recent British TV roles have been as Mel in The Worst Week of My Life, starring again alongside Ben Miller, and as Dr. Angela Hunter in the hospital-based comedy Green Wing, created by Smack The Pony creator Victoria Pile.
Now one of Britain's most established comedy actresses, Alexander is now concentrating her efforts on breaking onto the scene in America. She appeared as Alice Fletcher in the NBC comedy Teachers and will also play supporting roles in the upcoming movies I Could Never Be Your Woman and Stardust (both due for release in 2007). Her previous film credits include Seaview Knights (1994) and Going Off Big Time (2000). According to the BBC website, she is also writing her own comedy series about journalists with two writers of the Armstrong and Miller production team.
Alexander currently dates comedy writer and actor Peter Serafinowicz, and has appeared in both series of Look Around You which he co-created and stars in, as well as his internet-only E!News spoof, O!News. She previously caused a stir by dating actor Gerald Harper, 42 years her senior, for over a year.
She is a regular contributor to the biennial BBC charity telethon Comic Relief, appearing in 2001 as a judge based on Nicki Chapman in a parody of Popstars, in 2003 as Liza Goddard in a spoof of the game show Blankety Blank and in 2005 in a celebrity version of University Challenge hosted by Angus Deayton.
[edit] Trivia
- She is a fluent French and Spanish speaker, and her brother works as a translator.
- In the British comedy sci-fi series Red Dwarf, Sarah Alexander played the part of a fictitious French Queen in a medieval virtual reality video game.
- Her other talents and interests include horse riding, tennis, swimming, karate and singing.
- Early in her career she was often mistaken for Samantha Janus; both have taken part in similar photoshoots for magazines such as FHM, as well as both appearing in Smack the Pony.
