With a successful career spanning almost 40 years, Lorraine Ashbourne is an actress with an impressive set of credits, including Sherwood series 2, After The Flood and Bridgerton.
It all started when she joined Stretford Children's Theatre, later taking part in the University of Manchester Stage Society and Manchester Youth Theatre. However, it was not long after she joined the Webber Drama School in 1982 that she started getting roles on film, stage and screen.
What is Lorraine Ashbourne's age?
Born on the 7th January 1961, Lorraine Ashbourne is currently 63 years of age.
Who is Lorraine Ashbourne's husband?
Lorraine Ashbourne is married to fellow actor Andy Serkis (who's best known for his role as Gollum in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings film trilogy). The pair met whilst co-starring in a play about a couple who are on the verge of splitting up and decided to go out, acting as their characters.
Speaking of this moment on The Jonathan Ross Show, Andy said: "We got together in character - we'd both split up from other partners and we had started rehearsing this play where the couple we were playing were about to break up," he said. "We thought it would be good to improvise the moment they got together which was a failed excuse for getting off with each other."
"We agreed to meet at the back of Manchester Piccadilly Station at this pub. We sat down and started interacting as the characters and it went on, it carried on all night and we never broke character. We were immersed in our characters and it got to about 12 o'clock and had our first kiss in character."
The couple ended up marrying each other on the 22 July 2002.
Does Lorraine Ashbourne have children?
Yes, Lorraine and Andy have three children and seem to have passed on their theatrical genes, as all of them are actors, just like their parents! Their daughter Ruby Ashbourne Serkis was born in October 1998 and has had roles in big dramas such as The Serpent, National Treasure and Becoming Elizabeth; Sonny was born in 2000 and has acted in The White Queen and Masters of the Air and their youngest son Louis has had parts in No Return, The Queen's Gambit and Alice In Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass.
Lorraine Ashbourne: movies and TV shows
Riot Women (upcoming)
Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright has written a new BBC drama called Riot Women. Previously called Hot Flush, the show focuses on a group of menopausal women who form a punk-rock band to enter a talent contest.
"As they juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, husbands who’ve buggered off, and disastrous dates and relationships, the band becomes a catalyst for change in their lives, and it’s going to make them question everything. The six-part series is a testament to the power of friendship, music, and the resilience of women who refuse to be silenced by age or expectation. As the story (set in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire) progresses, it’s more than music that binds them; a deeply potent, long-buried secret begins to surface – one that unexpectedly entangles Kitty and Beth, the two unlikely creative masterminds behind the band, in a complex triangle - and threatens to tear everything apart.", says the BBC.
Lorraine Ashbourne will be playing Jess in Riot Women and she will be joined by an all-star cast including Joanna Scanlan, Tamsin Greig, Amelia Bullmore, Rosalie Craig, Anne Reid and Sue Johnston (who will be playing her aunt Mary).
After the Flood (2024)
Lorraine Ashbourne played Molly Marshall in After the Flood, an ITV drama about a police officer, PC Jo Marshall (Sophie Rundle from Peaky Blinders), who's investigating a possible murder when a body is found after a devastating flood.
Molly is a family-driven woman who is close to her daughter. However, she started feeling lost after her husband was gone and her daughter Jo settled down with her own little family.
ITV has also announced that there would be a second series coming soon and Lorraine Ashbourne will be reprising her role of Molly Marshall.
Watch After The Flood on ITVX.
Sherwood (2022-present)
Lorraine Ashbourne is back as matriarch Daphne Sparrow in Sherwood series 2. The first series focused on feuds from the '80s miner's strikes, whilst this second instalment of the TV drama continues to explore similar themes but is "set in the present day, it introduces two new families that find themselves entangled with the Sparrows, entering a complex web of local gangs, old rivalries, revenge and betrayal," according to the BBC.
Alma's Not Normal (2020-2024)
If comedy dramas are more your thing, you can catch Lorraine Ashbourne in Alma's Not Normal, a sitcom that follows a woman who is trying to get her life together after a break-up. Inspired by the writer and star of the show, Sophie Willan's own experiences of the care system, it focuses on topics such as drug abuse, mental health and being a care leaver.
Lorraine plays Alma's grandmother Joan, who takes her granddaughter under her wing, and has some brilliant one-liners. Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran plays Joan's daughter and Alma's mother Joan and comedian Jayde Adams (who you may recognise from Strictly Come Dancing) is Alma's best pal Leanne.
The show returned to the BBC for its second and final series, and you can watch the first season of Alma's Not Normal on iPlayer now.
Bridgerton (2020-present)
The first three series of Bridgerton have featured most of the same cast, including Lorraine Ashbourne as the Featherington's Housekeeper Mrs.Varley, who is usually seen working in their home. It is currently unknown if she will be appearing in Bridgerton season 4, alongside Lady Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) and the rest of the Featherington clan.
The Crown (2019)
In 2019, Lorraine Ashbourne was briefly in The Crown as British Labour Party politician Barbara Castle, one of the longest-serving female MPs in British history.
Unforgotten (2017)
Series 2 of popular ITV police procedural Unforgotten saw Lorraine Ashbourne take on a role as DI Tessa Nixon, the mother of one of the suspects. The cold case begins to unfold after workers found a body in a suitcase whilst dredging the River Lea.
That particular series was led by Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar and the four suspects were played by Mark Bonnar, Chalie Condou, Rosie Cavaliero and Badira Timini.
Thorne (2010)
Over a decade ago, Lorraine Ashbourne worked alongside her Sherwood co-star David Morrissey in the thriller Thorne as Ruth Brigstocke. The show is based on the novels by Mark Billingham and David plays DI Tom Thorne.
Was Lorraine Ashbourne in Coronation Street?
No, she is yet to play a character in Coronation Street. However, Lorraine Ashbourne's sister Jayne Ashbourne (a former child actress) was briefly on the soap at the beginning of 2000, playing Amy Goskirke, Dev Alahan's stalker.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.