Brenda Anne Blethyn (born 20 February 1946 in Ramsgate, Kent) is an English actress who came to the profession late, first working in administration before training at the Guildford School of Acting in her early thirties. Her breakthrough came with Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies (1996), which earned her a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination; a second Academy Award nomination followed for Little Voice (1998). For fourteen years she played Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope in the ITV crime drama Vera (2011-2025), one of Britain's most-watched detective series. She was appointed OBE in 2003 for services to drama.
Channel 4 announced the second series of A Woman of Substance starring Brenda Blethyn in the lead role.
On Channel 4, the eight-part historical series A Woman of Substance premiered on 11 March 2026, in which Blethyn plays aging industrial magnate Emma Harte.
BritBox acquired American streaming rights to the series A Woman of Substance, which is produced by The Forge for Channel 4.
The film Dragonfly (directed by Paul Andrew Williams), in which Blethyn stars alongside Andrea Riseborough, had its world premiere at the Tribeca festival and received a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
On 2 January 2025, ITV broadcast the final episode of the series Vera, ending Blethyn's role as detective Vera Stanhope after 14 series and 56 episodes.
😴 Nothing scheduled with this artist in the near future.
83cinemaThu 16.7.The Odyssey
71cinemaWed 29.7.Spider-Man: Brand New Day
67cinemaThu 30.7.Toy Story 5
66cinemaThu 3.9.Cars
65cinemaThu 17.9.Coyote vs. Acme
65cinemaWed 7.10.Queen Budapest
64cinemaWed 7.10.Bohemian Paradise
58cinemaThu 1.10.Digger
58cinemaThu 8.10.The Deliverance
57cinemaThu 17.9.The Christophers
57cinemaSat 19.9.Rose
56cinemaThu 17.9.Resident Evil
A British drama about a young woman's search for her biological mother and the family secrets that emerge when they finally meet.
A classic romantic adaptation starring Keira Knightley screens at the open-air cinema.