User:Annaleeford/Anna Mountford

Early Years
Actress Anna Mountford http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0609890/ was born in Chatham in Kent, UK. Her professional adult career started in 1990 in the West German production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical "Starlight Express" which takes place entirely on roller skates. In 1992 Anna went on to play Ashley-the-Smoking-Car in the British production of the show in London's famous West End. During her time there she suffered at the hands of a stalker who followed her from Germany and turned up at the Apollo Victoria Theater, London. Upon sighting of the man, Anna froze and left the stage. Following her report to back stage crew an armed response team were deployed and quickly filled the auditorium. They swooped on the "fan" and promptly had him escorted out of the country and into the hands of the German police.

In 1993 Anna entered the highly esteemed Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, UK where following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Daniel Day Lewis, Jeremy Irons and Miranda Richardson, Anna graduated the school's three year full time acting course as Student of the Year. She was awarded The Chesterton Award which afforded her the opportunity to perform at the historic Bristol Old Vic Theatre. Anna was involved in two production there, playing the role of Cherry in The Beaux Stratagem, directed by Ian Hastings and Cucurucu in The Marat Sade directed by the then artistic director of The Old Vic, Andy Hay.

Audio Work
In 1997 Anna joined a star studded cast in Penguin Audio Books recordings of an Oscar Wilde Trilogy directed by Shaun Mac Laughlan. Anna played Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest alongside Greg Wise and Miriam Margolyes and Mabel Chiltern in An Ideal Husband alongside Sir Derek Jacobi and Jane Lapotaire.

TV and Movie Roles
In 1999 Anna was chosen by the BBC to play the lead role in their 6 part prime time TV series, Jack of Hearts opposite Keith Allen. The series brought Anna to the attention of BBC Executive Producer Mal Young who quickly signed her to a two year contract playing series regular, outreach nurse Keri McGrath on his top hospital drama Holby City. The show catapulted Anna into the public eye and saw her regularly featured in the press both for her on screen and off screen activities. Anna attended several high profile awards ceremonies as a guest of the world famous Welsh pop band The Manic Street Preachers. The band also asked Anna and fellow Welsh star Ioan Griffiths to become their Valley Girl and Valley Boy mascots. Anna and Ioan then re united on the film Very Annie Mary, director Sara Sugarman, which was set in the Welsh Valleys and also starred Welsh actor Matthew Rhys and Australian star Rachel Griffiths. Rhys and Griffiths later reunited on the hit US TV series "Brothers and Sisters".

The movie "Shiner" featured Anna opposite Michael Caine. Abraham's Point featured Anna alongside Pirates of the Carribean star Mackenzie Crook. Anna also guest starred on several high profile prime time TV series in the UK including Prime Suspect6 with Helen Mirren, Silent Witness with Amanda Burton, Murphy's Law with James Nesbit, The Secret World of Michael Fry alongside Ewan Bremner, three episodes of Doctors for the BBC and then saw her star as a series lead once again in BAFTA award winning children's series The Giblet Boys for producers Davina Belling and Clive Fergusson. The second season of the show had to take into account the fact that Anna would be seven months pregnant when shooting began and her pregnancy was written into the show. Her son Ed Lukas was born in 2005.

Personal Life
Anna was granted a Green Card due to her successful career in the UK and is currently living and working in Los Angeles where she hopes to repeat the success she has enjoyed in the UK. www.annamountford.com