Natalie Press
Encyclopedia
Natalie Press is an English actress, perhaps best known for her award-winning performance in the 2004 film My Summer of Love
and a number of short and feature length independent film
s, including Wasp
, which won the 2005 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.
. She was brought up in the Jewish religion (her father is Jewish and her mother converted to Judaism
from Catholicism). After studying Fine Art
at university, she worked as an office temp and as a video store clerk on the Fulham Road
until the success of My Summer of Love
.
television series Holby City
. Her film debut and first lead role was in the short film
Wasp (2003), which went on to win the Academy Award for best short film in 2005. She was recognized by the London Film Critics Circle
and the Evening Standard British Film Awards
for her work in My Summer of Love
(2004) and nominated for a European Film Award in the category of Best European actress the same year. She made her professional stage debut in The Weather, a new play Clare Pollard, performed as part of the Royal Court
Theatre's 2004 Young Playwrights Season. In 2005, Press appeared as Caddy Turveydrop (née Jellyby) in the acclaimed BBC
serialisation of Dickens'
Bleak House. Also in 2005 she appeared in the BBC
television drama Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle
.
In 2006, Press starred in Josh Appignanesi
's feature film Song of Songs, which won a commendation in the Michael Powell Award for best British film 2005 at the Edinburgh festival. Later that year she also starred in the same director's short film Ex Memoria - produced by Oscar-winning producer Mia Bays - a film about a woman with Alzheimer's disease
. Press starred as the young version of the character Eva. The short was nominated in the category of Best UK short at the British Independent Film Awards
.
In 2006 Press appeared in Red Road
(also by the director of Wasp) (the first film in the proposed Advance Party trilogy
) which won the Jury Prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
and in the two-part drama series Damage which was broadcast on Irish television. In the same year she won the Glamour magazine
award for best newcomer in association with Nokia
.
Press has recently been seen in the short films Son (2008) by BAFTA winner Daniel Mulloy
, which went on to win a slew of international awards including Best British Short Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
in the UK. She starred in Inseparable opposite Benedict Cumberbatch
, and in In Transit a World War II
drama set in Russia
which also features John Malkovich
. Forthcoming films include Knife Edge and The Sea Change.
On March 8, 2007, Press performed in an Art Plus drama fundraising event at the Whitechapel Art Gallery opposite Rhys Ifans
, Martine McCutcheon
and Samantha Morton
. In 2007 she was, alongside Cecilia Dean and Helena Christensen
, one of the new faces of the Japan
ese clothing label Uniqlo and featured in the Music Video
for Turin Brakes
' single "Stalker". She made her Radio
debut in October 2007 in the BBC
radio play Wes Bell by Matthew Broughton.
In 2010 she was nominated for Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her movie Fifty Dead Men Walking
.
In 2011 Press appeared in the second series of British television serial drama The Jury
. Press plays Lucy Cartwright, assistant to marketing firm owner Teresa Vestey (played by Sarah Alexander
), and juror #11 in the re-trial of Alan Lane (played by John Lynch
).
My Summer of Love
My Summer of Love is a 2004 British drama film directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski and Michael Wynne. Based on the novel of the same name by Helen Cross, the film explores the relationship between two young women from different classes and backgrounds...
and a number of short and feature length independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
s, including Wasp
Wasp (film)
Wasp is a short film written and directed by Andrea Arnold. Released in 2003, it stars Nathalie Press as a struggling single mother determined not to let her four young children prove an obstacle in the pursuit of rekindling a relationship with an old ex-boyfriend Danny Dyer...
, which won the 2005 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.
Personal life
Press is from North LondonNorth London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
. She was brought up in the Jewish religion (her father is Jewish and her mother converted to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
from Catholicism). After studying Fine Art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
at university, she worked as an office temp and as a video store clerk on the Fulham Road
Fulham Road
Fulham Road is a street in London, England, that runs from the A219 road in right in the centre of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, through Chelsea to Brompton Road Knightsbridge and the A4 in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.Fulham Road runs parallel...
until the success of My Summer of Love
My Summer of Love
My Summer of Love is a 2004 British drama film directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski and Michael Wynne. Based on the novel of the same name by Helen Cross, the film explores the relationship between two young women from different classes and backgrounds...
.
Career
Press' first credited screen role was in a 2001 episode of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
. Her film debut and first lead role was in the short film
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
Wasp (2003), which went on to win the Academy Award for best short film in 2005. She was recognized by the London Film Critics Circle
London Film Critics Circle
The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally.The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards lacked meaning — for people in LA for example — and the Film Section wished its annual Awards...
and the Evening Standard British Film Awards
Evening Standard British Film Awards
The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous...
for her work in My Summer of Love
My Summer of Love
My Summer of Love is a 2004 British drama film directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski and Michael Wynne. Based on the novel of the same name by Helen Cross, the film explores the relationship between two young women from different classes and backgrounds...
(2004) and nominated for a European Film Award in the category of Best European actress the same year. She made her professional stage debut in The Weather, a new play Clare Pollard, performed as part of the Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
Theatre's 2004 Young Playwrights Season. In 2005, Press appeared as Caddy Turveydrop (née Jellyby) in the acclaimed BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
serialisation of Dickens'
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
Bleak House. Also in 2005 she appeared in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television drama Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle
Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle
Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle is a television drama, written by Rhidian Brook and directed by Susanna White, which originally aired in 2005 on BBC....
.
In 2006, Press starred in Josh Appignanesi
Josh Appignanesi
Josh Appignanesi is a British film director, producer, and screenwriter.Appignanesi is best known for the feature film Song Of Songs , starring Nathalie Press, which he directed, co-wrote and co-produced. The film won several awards including a special commendation for Best British Film at the...
's feature film Song of Songs, which won a commendation in the Michael Powell Award for best British film 2005 at the Edinburgh festival. Later that year she also starred in the same director's short film Ex Memoria - produced by Oscar-winning producer Mia Bays - a film about a woman with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. Press starred as the young version of the character Eva. The short was nominated in the category of Best UK short at the British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
.
In 2006 Press appeared in Red Road
Red Road (film)
Red Road is a 2006 British film directed by Andrea Arnold. It tells the story of a CCTV security operator who observes through her monitors a man from her past. It is named after, and partly set at, the Red Road flats in Barmulloch, Glasgow, Scotland which were the tallest residential buildings in...
(also by the director of Wasp) (the first film in the proposed Advance Party trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
) which won the Jury Prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival
2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 2006 Cannes Film Festival ran from May 17, 2006 to May 28, 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the jury....
and in the two-part drama series Damage which was broadcast on Irish television. In the same year she won the Glamour magazine
Glamour magazine
Glamour magazine means:* Glamour magazine, a U.S. publication aimed at a predominantly female readership* a girlie magazine aimed at a male readership featuring photographs of women...
award for best newcomer in association with Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
.
Press has recently been seen in the short films Son (2008) by BAFTA winner Daniel Mulloy
Daniel Mulloy
Daniel Mulloy is a British artist and filmmaker. He is winner of The Golden Dragon, BIFA and BAFTA Awards.-Life and career:Born in Brixton , London, Mulloy moved to Carmarthen, Wales, as a teenager...
, which went on to win a slew of international awards including Best British Short Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
in the UK. She starred in Inseparable opposite Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...
, and in In Transit a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
drama set in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
which also features John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
. Forthcoming films include Knife Edge and The Sea Change.
On March 8, 2007, Press performed in an Art Plus drama fundraising event at the Whitechapel Art Gallery opposite Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
, Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
and Samantha Morton
Samantha Morton
Samantha Jane Morton is an English actress and film director. She began her performing career with guest roles in television shows such as Soldier Soldier and Boon before making her film debut in the 1997 drama film This Is the Sea, playing the character of Hazel Stokes...
. In 2007 she was, alongside Cecilia Dean and Helena Christensen
Helena Christensen
Helena Christensen is a Danish fashion model, Victoria's Secret Angel, beauty queen, and photographer. She has also served as creative director for Nylon magazine, designed clothing, and supported funding for breast cancer organizations and other charities.-Early life:Christensen was born in...
, one of the new faces of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese clothing label Uniqlo and featured in the Music Video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for Turin Brakes
Turin Brakes
Turin Brakes are a modern folk duo, comprising Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, hailing from Balham, London. They had a UK top 5 hit with their song "Painkiller ".-1999–2003:...
' single "Stalker". She made her Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
debut in October 2007 in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio play Wes Bell by Matthew Broughton.
In 2010 she was nominated for Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her movie Fifty Dead Men Walking
Fifty Dead Men Walking
Fifty Dead Men Walking is a 2008 English-language crime thriller film written and directed by Kari Skogland. It is a loose adaptation of Martin McGartland's 1997 autobiography of the same name...
.
In 2011 Press appeared in the second series of British television serial drama The Jury
The Jury (TV serial)
The Jury is a British television serial broadcast in 2002 . The series was the first ever to be allowed to film inside the historic Old Bailey courthouse.-Series One:...
. Press plays Lucy Cartwright, assistant to marketing firm owner Teresa Vestey (played by Sarah Alexander
Sarah Alexander
Sarah Alexander is an English actress, known for her roles in various British comedy series such as Armstrong and Miller, Smack the Pony, Coupling, The Worst Week of My Life and Green Wing....
), and juror #11 in the re-trial of Alan Lane (played by John Lynch
John Lynch (actor)
John Lynch is an Irish actor from Northern Ireland.-Biography:John Lynch was born in the United Kingdom and moved to his father's native home in Corrinshego, County Armagh, near Newry, County Down in Northern Ireland as a child. He attended St Colman's College, Newry, a Catholic school...
).
Feature films
- My Summer of LoveMy Summer of LoveMy Summer of Love is a 2004 British drama film directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski and Michael Wynne. Based on the novel of the same name by Helen Cross, the film explores the relationship between two young women from different classes and backgrounds...
(2004) - Mona - Red RoadRed Road (film)Red Road is a 2006 British film directed by Andrea Arnold. It tells the story of a CCTV security operator who observes through her monitors a man from her past. It is named after, and partly set at, the Red Road flats in Barmulloch, Glasgow, Scotland which were the tallest residential buildings in...
(2006) - April - Song of Songs (2006) - Ruth Cohen
- In Tranzit (2007) - Zina
- CassCass (film)Cass is a 2008 British crime drama film. It stars Nonso Anozie as Cass Pennant and is directed by Jon S. Baird-Plot:Cass is based on the true story of the life of Cass Pennant, adapted from his book. The film tells of how he was adopted by an elderly white couple in 1958 and brought up in Slade...
(2008) - Elaine - NightwatchingNightwatchingNightwatching is a 2007 film about the artist Rembrandt and the creation of his painting The Night Watch. The film is directed by Peter Greenaway and stars Martin Freeman as Rembrandt, with Eva Birthistle as his wife Saskia van Uylenburg, Jodhi May as his lover Geertje Dircx, and Emily Holmes as...
(2009 TBC) - Mariejke - Fifty Dead Men WalkingFifty Dead Men WalkingFifty Dead Men Walking is a 2008 English-language crime thriller film written and directed by Kari Skogland. It is a loose adaptation of Martin McGartland's 1997 autobiography of the same name...
(2009) - Lara - Knife EdgeKnife EdgeKnife Edge is a 2009 British thriller film directed by Anthony Hickox and starring Nathalie Press, Hugh Bonneville and Tamsin Egerton.-Plot:...
(2009) - IslandIslandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
(2011) - Nikki Black - Ill ManorsIll ManorsIll Manors is an upcoming British film. The film was written and directed by Ben Drew, starring Riz Ahmed, Nathalie Press and Dannielle Brent.-Plot:The film revolves around four main characters living in Forest Gate, London...
(2011)
Television
- Peter in Paradise (2003) - Maria
- Lie with Me (2004) - Sheena Cast
- Bleak House (2005) - Caddy Jellyby
- Mr. Harvey Lights a CandleMr. Harvey Lights a CandleMr. Harvey Lights a Candle is a television drama, written by Rhidian Brook and directed by Susanna White, which originally aired in 2005 on BBC....
(2005) - Helen Taylor - Five DaughtersFive DaughtersFive Daughters is a British television drama mini-series starring Ian Hart, Sarah Lancashire, Jaime Winstone and Juliet Aubrey. Set in 2006, it is about the five victims of the Ipswich serial murders and how the crime affected their families...
(2010) - Paula Clennell - The JuryThe Jury (TV serial)The Jury is a British television serial broadcast in 2002 . The series was the first ever to be allowed to film inside the historic Old Bailey courthouse.-Series One:...
(2011) - Lucy Cartwright
Short subject
- WaspWasp (film)Wasp is a short film written and directed by Andrea Arnold. Released in 2003, it stars Nathalie Press as a struggling single mother determined not to let her four young children prove an obstacle in the pursuit of rekindling a relationship with an old ex-boyfriend Danny Dyer...
(2003) - Zoë - Mercy (2004) - Alison
- The Undertaker (2005) - Young Woman
- Ex Memoria (2006) - Young Eva Lipschitz
- Inseparable (2007) - Jean
- Son (2008) - Mother