Biography
One of the most prolific and chameleon-like British actresses of the 2010s, Andrea Riseborough quickly built up an intriguing body of work which included acclaimed performances in "Brighton Rock" (2010), "Shadow Dancer" (2012) and "Battle of the Sexes" (2017). Born in Wallsend, England in 1981, Andrea Riseborough began treading the boards from a young age and after honing her craft further at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, impressed in stage productions of "Miss Julie," "The Pain & The Itch" and "Ivanov." Riseborough first caught attention on the screen as Prince Charles' one-time love interest Anna Wallace in TV movie "Whatever Love Means" (2005) and following supporting roles in biopic "The Secret Life of Mrs Beeton" (2006) and comedy "Magicians" (2007) landed her first recurring role, devious intern Kirsty in lobbyist drama "Party Animals" (BBC Two, 2007). After working with Mike Leigh on Oscar-nominated dramedy "Happy-Go-Lucky" (2008), Riseborough picked up a BAFTA nod for her portrayal of a young Margaret Thatcher in TV movie "The Long Walk to Finchley" (2008), played heroine Angelica Fanshawe in Civil War miniseries "The Devil's Whore" (Channel 4, 2008) and added dysfunctional family comedy "Mad, Sad & Bad" (2009), dystopian tale "Never Let Me Go" (2010) and trade union dramedy "Made in Dagenham" (2010) to her resume. Riseborough then established herself as a leading lady with the roles of key witness Rose in Graham Greene adaptation "Brighton Rock" (2010), socialite Wallis Simpson in the Madonna-directed period piece "W.E." (2011) and farmer's wife Sarah in alt-WWII tale "Resistance" (2011). Her prolific streak continued when she landed the parts of reluctant informer Collette in IRA drama "Shadow Dancer" (2012), reporter Nina in the ensemble piece "Disconnect" (2012) and DS Sarah Hawks in gritty thriller "Welcome to the Punch" (2013). Riseborough then made a rare venture into blockbuster territory when she played Tom Cruise's communications partner Victoria in sci-fi epic "Oblivion" (2013) before showing up as Michael Keaton's girlfriend Laura in super-meta black comedy "Birdman" (2014), starring opposite Damian Lewis in sombre Scottish drama "The Silent Storm" (2014) and appearing in the Duffer Brothers' feature-length directorial debut "Hidden" (2015). She returned to the small screen after an eight-year absence when she was cast as Nolan's shifty mother in moody family saga "Bloodline" (Netflix, 2015-17) the daughter of Robbie Coltrane's disgraced comedian in tough-tackling miniseries "National Treasure" (Channel 4, 2016) and the accused's wife Romaine in Agatha Christie adaptation "The Witness for the Prosecution" (BBC One, 2016). That same year Riseborough also played lead investigator DC Baines in 1980s TV detective spoof "Mindhorn" (2016) and enjoyed a supporting turn in Tom Ford's stylish noir "Nocturnal Animals" (2016). She went on to portray several real life figures including Billie Jean King's secret lover Marilyn Barnett in tennis biopic "Battle of the Sexes" (2017), the titular dictator's only daughter Svetlana in Armando Iannucci's "The Death of Stalin" (2017), and Branch Davidian Judy Schneider in the David Koresh siege dramatization "Waco" (Paramount Network, 2018). Riseborough also delivered memorable performances as a serial killer in one of the darkest "Black Mirror" (Netflix, 2011-) episodes, "Crocodile," Nicolas Cage's abducted wife in revenge flick "Mandy" (2018) and a woman convinced that her family kidnapped her 30 years previously in indie drama "Nancy" (2018). After playing the savior of a former Ku Klux Klan member in "Burden" (2018), Riseborough starred as ER nurse Alice in therapy drama "The Kindness of Strangers" (2019) and British aid worker Hana in romance "Luxor" (2019), ventured into the horror genre with roles in remake "Grudge" (2020) and Brandon Cronenberg's "Possessor" (2020) and joined Gabriel Byrne in drug-smuggling drama "ZeroZeroZero" (Amazon, 2020-).
