Maxine Peake
Born: 1974-07-14 in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, UK
Known For: Acting
Biography
Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English stage, radio, film and television actress, playwright, producer, director and political activist, who made her name as Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. She has since played Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama Silk and Grace Middleton in The Village. She is also an accomplished stage actress, having played the title role in Hamlet, and had a role in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything. In 2018 she played the lead in the film Funny Cow and had a starring role in Mike Leigh's epic Peterloo, a film very close to her heart.
Filmography
2026
- Becoming Victoria Wood as Self
2025
- I Swear as Dottie Achenbach
- Words of War as Anna Politkovskaya
- Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough as Narrator
- The Occupant of the Room
- Quiet on Set: The Class Division in the Film Industry? as Self
2024
- Art Matters as Self
- Say Nothing as Older Dolours Price
- Woken as Helen
- Secret Life of the Safari Park as Narrator
2023
- Dance First as Barbara
- Choked Up as Fiona Lacey
- Tish as Tish Murtha (voice)
2022
- Wendell & Wild as Irmgard Klaxon (voice)
- Lapushka! as Scoot Piccolo
- Something Out of Nothing
- Anne as Anne Williams
- Art That Made Us as Self - Actrice (Rules of the Game, Anne)
- Inner Polar Bear as Narrator (voice)
- Rules of the Game as Sam Thompson
- Incompatible ... (Director)
- The Real Anne: Unfinished Business as Self- Presenter
2021
- Star Wars: Visions as Kalina Kalfus (voice)
- Doughnut ... (Thanks)
- Where We Used to Meet
2020
- Mandy as Susan Blower
- Alan Bennett's Talking Heads as Miss Fozzard
- It's Me as Miriam
- Surfaces as Alix
- The Great Mountain Sheep Gather as Self - Narrator
2019
- Judy as Judy
- Fanny Lye Deliver'd as Fanny Lye
- Be Still My Beating Heart
2018
- Gwen as Elen
- Peterloo as Nellie
- Funny Cow as Funny Cow
- The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer as Self - Guest
- Ceremony: The Return of Friedrich Engels as Friedrich Engels (voice)
- The Bisexual as Sadie
- The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca as Herself
- Dinnerladies Diaries as Self
- Wonders of the Moon as Narrator (voice)
2017
- Cake
- Three Girls as Sara Rowbotham
- Unseen as Emma
- Men Who Sleep in Cars as Sarah
- Bunch of Kunst - A Film About Sleaford Mods as Self (archive footage)
- We Have Been Watching as Self
- The Priest
- Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle as Narrator
2016
- A Midsummer Night's Dream as Titania
- Red Top as Rebekah Brooks
- Generation '66 as Narrator
- I Wish For You as Grown Up Mia
2015
- The Falling as Eileen Lamont
- Hamlet as Hamlet
- Strange Weather as Jane
- Artsnight as Self - Presenter
- The Shuttleworths as Helen Bach
2014
- Inside No. 9 as Nadia
- The Theory of Everything as Elaine Mason
- Run & Jump as Vanetia
- Keeping Rosy as Charlotte
2013
- Svengali as Angie
- Keeping Up with the Joneses as Celia
- The Village as Grace Middleton
- The Heart Fails Without Warning as Mother
2012
- The Hollow Crown as Doll Tearsheet
- Private Peaceful as Hazel Peaceful
- Best Laid Plans as Isabel
- Room at the Top as Alice Aisgill
2011
- Black Mirror as Bella
- Silk as Martha Costello
- DeafBlind as Maggie
2010
- Imaginary Friend as Pauline
- The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister as Anne Lister
- Edge as Elly
2009
- Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 as Helen Marshall
- Red Riding
2008
- Clubbed as Angela
- Hancock & Joan as Joan Le Mesurier
- Bike Squad as WPC Kate McFay
- Little Dorrit as Miss Wade
- The Devil's Whore as Elizabeth Lilburne
- Criminal Justice as Juliet Miller
- Fairy Tales as Cindy Mellor
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
- I Am Bob as Marilyn Monroe Lookalike/Compere's Assistant
- Confessions of a Diary Secretary as Tracey Temple
- The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- Would Like To Meet as George's Mum
2006
- The One Show as Self - Guest
- The Street
- The Madness of the Dance
- The Fear of Trilogy
- See No Evil: The Moors Murders as Myra Hindley
2004
- Shameless as Veronica Fisher
- Christmas Lights as Pauline
2003
- Comedy Connections
- Early Doors as Janice
2002
- Hamilton Mattress as Lulu (voice)
- Timeshift as Self - Narrator
- All or Nothing as Party girl
2001
- Messiah as DS Vickie Clarke
- Linda Green as Receptionist
2000
- Clocking Off as Marie Leach
- Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Self
1999
- Sunburn as Sue
1998
- dinnerladies as Twinkle
- Girls' Night as Sharon
1997
- Jonathan Creek as Marion Cretiss
1996
- Dalziel & Pascoe
- Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Photocopy Assistant