Anna Friel – Biography, Husband Or Partner, Is She Lesbian?

Quick Facts

Anna Friel is popular as the English actress who portrayed the first lesbian kiss in a British soap Opera in January 1994. She made her acting debut at the tender age of 13 and came to the limelight with her portrayal of the character of Beth Jordache in Brookside which lasted from 1993 to 1995. ABC’s Pushing Daisies (2007–09) which cast her in the role of Charlotte “Chuck” Charles catapulted her to superstardom. Since then, she has made appearances in several feature films like Rogue Trader and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both of which took off in 1999.

She was part of the 2002 Sunset Strip, Me Without You (2001), Land of the Lost (2009), Timeline (2003), Bathory (2008) and 2005 Goal!. Anna was also on the set of You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, as well as London Boulevard – both released in 2010. She also appeared in The Look of Love (2013), Limitless in 2011, I.T and The Cleanse, both of which came in 2016.

Her television projects include; The Jury (2004), The Girlfriend Experience (2017), 2015 Odyssey and Marcella which she started in 2016 and still ongoing. Anna Friel has also made contributions in the theater which include a few West End, as well as Broadway productions. The actress is the recipient of a plethora of awards such as; Emmy Award, National Television Award, an honorary degree, a Drama Desk Award and an RTS Award. She has also received a BAFTA Award, Genie Award, Golden Globe Award, Saturn Award, Satellite Award and a Czech Lion Award nominations.

Biography

Anna Friel was born as Anna Louise Friel in Rochdale Lancashire England on the 12th of July 1976. She was born as the daughter of Desmond “Des” Friel, an ex-French teacher and folk guitarist who is currently the owner of a company that is into web designing. Anna’s mum Julie Friel (nee Bamford) earns a living as a special needs teacher. The famed actress grew up alongside her brother Michael Friel, a medical doctor who previously worked for Hovis in television advertising.

A look at her educational background and qualifications shows that she was at Crompton House Church of England High School where she accomplished her high school education. Her college education was achieved at a Catholic Sixth form in Bury known as Holy Cross College. After her graduation from college, she commenced training in acting at the Oldham Theatre Workshop.

Who Is Her Husband or Partner?

Even though the actress is not in a marital relationship, she is not single either. Her name has been linked with that of a few men. First on the list is actor David Thewlis whom she met on a flight to Cannes in 2001, the duo forged a strong bond and commenced a romantic relationship that lasted for almost a decade. The next year, the couple became The Faces of Mulberry for 2002 Spring. During the course of their dalliance, Anna Friel had a serious health condition that eventually led to emergency surgery, as well as a couple of blood transfusions as a result of an ovarian cyst that got ruptured.

Anna’s condition was later diagnosed as endometriosis which entails difficulty in conception. However, she was able to conceive and on the 9th of July 2005, her daughter Gracie Ellen Mary Friel was delivered at the Portland Hospital in London. Gracie has since made an appearance alongside her mum on the set of the movie titled Bathory. Anna Friel and her boyfriend David decided to call it quits in December 2010. Presently, the famed actress is in a relationship with Rhys Ifans who is a notable actor.

Is Anna Friel Lesbian?

The question of whether Anna is a lesbian might have come to light when her portrayal of the debut lesbian kiss in a British soap gave rise to a major controversy in January 1994. The infamous lesbian kiss was witnessed on the set of Brookside when Anna’s character of Beth Jordache delivered a kiss to another female character portrayed by Nicola Stephenson. That particular same-sex kiss cast her in the view of one of the most notorious actresses on the series, even though she did not exceed a couple of years on set.

Anna courted even worse controversy with her role in Stephen Poliakoff’s movie titled The Tribe. The movie involved some stark-naked scenes in addition to the infamous manage a Trois scene between the character portrayed by Anna and those of actors Jeremy Northam and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

The truth of the matter is that Anna is definitely not gay. For what it’s worth, a woman who has gone through a couple of affairs with the opposite sex cannot be classified as gay until she says otherwise. She also has her daughter Gracie to show for her years with her first boyfriend David Thewlis.

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