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Melanie Hill

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Melanie Hill
Born
Melanie Jane Hill

Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active1984–present
Known for
Spouses
  • (m. 1990; div. 1997)
  • Jimmy Daly
    (m. 2017)
Children2

Melanie Jane Hill is a British actress, known for playing Hazel Redfern in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1985–1986), Aveline in Bread (1989–1991), Rita Dolan in Kay Mellor drama Playing the Field (1998–2002), Maggie Budgen in the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road (2012–2015), Julie Travers in BBC One drama series The Syndicate (2015), Cathy Matthews in ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2015–2022) and Siobhan McKenzie in Casualty (2024).

Acting career

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Hill was educated at Monkwearmouth School in Sunderland before attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she won the Vanbrugh award.

Television

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Hill replaced Gilly Coman in the role of Aveline in the last three series of Carla Lane's BBC television sitcom Bread. She has also appeared in such programmes as The Bill playing Marie Carver (née Graham), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet playing Hazel Redfern, Hot Money playing Liz Hoodless, Juliet Bravo playing Jean Simpson, Emmerdale playing Avril Kent and Cape Wrath playing Brenda Ogilvie.

On 17 March 2009, she was featured in an episode of Holby City, a medical drama broadcast weekly on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. She appeared in subsequent episodes, following a story arc relating to the death of her on-screen husband. She also appeared in an episode of The Thick of It (series 3 episode 3).

In April 2011, she appeared in the BBC television comedy drama series Candy Cabs and in November, in the fantasy series Merlin as Mary Howden. In April that year she appeared as Cissie Charlton, mother of footballers Jack and Bobby Charlton, in the BBC drama United, about the 1958 Munich air disaster involving Manchester United.

In 2012, she made her debut in long-running school drama Waterloo Road as Maggie.

In August 2013, it was announced that Hill had joined the cast of the BBC Two sitcom Hebburn.[1] The next year she joined the Craig Cash sitcom After Hours.

In February 2015, it was announced that Hill would join the cast of Coronation Street as Cathy Matthews, and she made her first appearance on 20 April 2015. She was introduced as a potential love interest for Roy Cropper (David Neilson), about which Hill was nervous, for Roy's deceased wife, Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh), was loved by the nation. Hill also starred in the third series of The Syndicate in June 2015.

In October 2023, it was announced that Hill would join the cast of the BBC medical drama series Casualty as Siobhan Mackenzie, the new Senior Sister/Clinical Nurse Manager, and is set to make her first appearance in early 2024.[2]

Film

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Hill's feature film roles include Sandra in Brassed Off (1996), the witch Ditchwater Sal in the fantasy film Stardust (2007), and Sonya in White Girl (2008).

Personal life

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Born to Anthony and Sylvia (née Pratt) Hill in Brighton, Hill was raised in her mother's native city of Sunderland. She married fellow actor Sean Bean in December 1990. They have two daughters: Lorna, born October 1987, and Molly, born September 1991.[3] They divorced in August 1997. She is a supporter of Sunderland A.F.C. She married writer and producer Jimmy Daly on 29 April 2017 at a pub in Muswell Hill, north London.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role
1993 The Hawk Norma
1994 Shopping Sarah
1996 When Saturday Comes Mary Muir
Brassed Off Sandra
2001 From Hell Ann Crook's Mother
2007 Stardust Ditchwater Sal
2011 United Cissie Charlton
2012 Unconditional Mum
Twenty8k Elizabeth Fitch
2022 Passing Ships Narrator (Epilogue)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1984 Juliet Bravo Jean Simpson 2 episodes
1986 Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Hazel Redfern 6 episodes
1989 ScreenPlay Pauline Episode: "A Night on the Tyne"
Boon Susan Episode: "The Relief of Matty King"
The Bill Polly Beacher Episode: "The Mugging and the Gypsies"
1989–1991 Bread Aveline Boswell Series regular; 35 episodes
1992 Spender Sue Styles Episode: "Fee"
1993 Casualty Janice Hutchins Episode: "Wild Card"
The Bill Lynda Chambers Episode: "Living It Down"
1994 Cardiac Arrest Sister Pamela Lockley 6 episodes
Finney Lena Main role
Crocodile Shoes Emma Shepperd Main role
1995 Performance Laura Episode: "The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd"
Circles of Deceit Angie Norman Episode: "Dark Secret"
1996 Cruel Train Phyllis Pratt TV film
Crocodile Shoes II Emma Shepperd Main role
1998 The Broker's Man Tracey Smeeton Episode: "Playback"
1998–2002 Playing the Field Rita Dolan Series regular
1999 Silent Witness Liz Davies Episode: "Gone Tomorrow"
2000 Close and True Maureen Taylor Episode: "Hurry Up and Wait"
2001 "Child in the Forest" Mam TV film
Hot Money Liz Hoodless TV film
2001–2002 NCS: Manhunt DS Ruby Sparks Series regular
2003 The Bill Marie Carver Series regular
2005 The Afternoon Play Bonnie Reilly Episode: "The Singing Cactus"
The Fugitives Glenda Banks Main role
Emmerdale Avril Kent Recurring role, 11 episodes
The Brief Rennie Nicholson Episode: "Blame"
2007 Cape Wrath Brenda Ogilvie Main role
The Street Val Taylor 3 episodes
2008 White Girl Sonya TV film
2009 Holby City Kathy Hewitt 2 episodes
The Thick of It Julie Price 1 episode
2010 Joe Maddison's War Selina Rutherford TV film
2011 Candy Cabs Stella Main role
The Body Farm Nicole Henderson 1 episode
Merlin Mary Howden Episode: "Lamia"
2012–2015 Waterloo Road Maggie Croft/Maggie Budgen Series regular
2013 Hebburn Christine 2 episodes
2014 Cilla Big Cilla Main role
2015–2022 Coronation Street Cathy Matthews Series regular
2015 The Syndicate Julie Travers Main role
After Hours Liz Matthews Episode: "Love Love Love"
2024– Casualty Siobhan McKenzie Series regular

References

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  1. ^ Dipper, Andrew (21 August 2013). "Hebburn series two: Melanie Hill joins the cast". Giggle Beats. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  2. ^ Seddon, Dan (11 October 2023). "Former Coronation Street star Melanie Hill to join Casualty in new role". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  3. ^ Roberts, Genevieve (11 March 2012). "Sean Bean: 'I got pretty good at walking in high heels'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022.
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