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Gillian Kearney (born 9 May 1972, Aigburth, Liverpool, Merseyside) is a British actress
Biography
Gillian's interest in acting began whilst at secondary school. After repeatedly being overlooked for the lead roles in school productions, she decided to join the Liverpool Everyman Youth Theatre. It was here, as a fourteen-year-old in 1986, that she was spotted by members of the production team at Mersey Television; this resulted in her being aked to audition for a role in Channel 4's Liverpool-set drama series Brookside. Gillian thought she would be little more than an extra, but she actually landed the role of Damon Grant's girlfriend, Debbie McGrath. The character was intended to appear in just a handful of episodes, but Debbie was a great success and the role went on to last for over a year. When Simon O'Brien decided to leave The Close, he requested that his character be killed off so he wouldn't be tempted to return to the show. Because Damon was so popular, particularly with younger viewers, it was decided to create a 'soap bubble' in which the character would meet his demise â?? Damon and Debbie became Britain's first mini-series spin-off from a soap opera. A year after filming her final scenes, Gillian was asked to return for a few episodes. Christmas '88 saw Debbie McGrath make an unexpected return to visit Sheila Grant, Damon's mother; she arrived with her baby, Simon â?? Damon's son.
Notable appearances
Television:
- Shameless â?¦ as 'Sue'
- The Forsyte Saga â?¦ as 'June Forsyte'
- Clocking Off â?¦ as 'Lynne Watson'
- Midsomer Murders â?¦ as 'WPC Jay Nash' in "Dark Autumn"
- Hope and Glory â?¦ as 'Kitty Burton'
- Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll â?¦ as 'Ellie Brookes'
- The Tide of Life â?¦ as 'Emily Kennedy'
- Damon and Debbie â?¦ as 'Debbie McGrath'
- Brookside â?¦ as 'Debbie McGrath'
Film:
- The Lives of the Saints (2006) â?¦ as 'Christella'
- The Other Half (2005) â?¦ as 'Holly'
- Shirley Valentine (1989) â?¦ as 'Young Shirley'
Theatre:
- Hedda Gabler â?¦ as 'Hedda Gabler'; The Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool; 23 March â?? 15 April, 2006.
- Hedda Gabler â?¦ as 'Hedda Gabler'; The West Yorkshire Playhouse (Quarry Theatre), Leeds; 17 February â?? 11 March, 2006.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream â?¦ as 'Hermia'; The Albery Theatre, London; 16 March â?? 12 May, 2001
- King Lear â?¦ as 'Cordelia'; The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 9 September â?? 23 October, 1999.
- The School for Wives â?¦ as 'Agnès'; The Comedy Theatre, London; 6 May â?? 2 August 1997.
- The School for Wives â?¦ as 'Agnès'; The Piccadilly Theatre, London; 11 February â?? 26 April, 1997.
- The Rivals â?¦ as 'Lucy'; The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 8 February â?? 23 March, 1996.
- When We Are Married â?¦ as 'Nancy Holmes'; The Festival Theatre, Chichester; 24 July â?? 17 August, 1996.
- The School for Scandal â?¦ as 'Maria'; The Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1992
- Othello â?¦ as 'Desdemona'; The Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1992
- Alice in Wonderland â?¦ as 'Alice'; The Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1991
- The White Devil â?¦ as 'Giovanni'; The Everyman Theatre, Liverpool; 1991
- Your Home in the West â?¦ as 'Sharon'; The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 28 March â?? 13 April, 1991
Trivia
- Tom Kearney, Gillian's younger brother, is a professional football player; having been with Everton and Bradford City, he joined Nationwide Conference club Halifax Town on 1 August 2006. Gillian, like most of her family, supports Liverpool.
External links
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