Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. She rose to fame in the UK on Channel 4 soap Brookside, and has had a successful career since in UK and US TV and cinema.

Early life

Friel was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the daughter of Julie, a special needs teacher, and Des Friel, a former teacher of French and owner of a Web Design Company.www.annafriel.org/afsh95.htmwww.bryanappleyard.com/article.php?page=10&article_id=124 Friel's Irish Catholic father, a former folk guitarist, was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Donegal, Ireland.www.annafriel.org/aflk99.htmlwww.guardian.co.uk/film/1998/aug/09/williamleithwww.annafriel.org/aftm96.html Her brother Michael starred in the Hovis television adverts. She attended Crompton House Church of England High School, in High Crompton, Shaw and Crompton. She then attended Holy Cross College in Bury. Friel became interested in acting at an early age and received frequent praise for her work at local talent shows.AskMen.com Retrieved on 20 December 2007.

Acting career

At the age of 13, she was hired for her first professional acting job in the Channel 4 drama serial G.B.H., as the daughter of Michael Palin's character. Her performance led to a series of appearances on various British television shows, including Emmerdale. In 1992, she was added to the cast on the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, where she gained greater exposure in the role of Beth Jordache. Though she only stayed on the programme for two years, Friel's lesbian kiss remains one of the most talked-about moments in British soap history. In 1995, Friel won the National Television Award for Most Popular Actress for her work on Brookside.