Marion Bailey

Marion Bailey was a prolific British TV, film and theater actress who had a long and extensive working relationship with the Academy Award-nominated director Mike Leigh. Raised in the historic English county of Middlesex, Bailey always set her sights on an acting career. As a young girl she honed her craft as a member of Britain's prestigious National Youth Theatre, where Daniel Day Lewis, Colin Firth and Helen Mirren were among her contemporaries. When it came time to enroll in college, Bailey enrolled at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, thus further advancing her understanding of the craft. After college Bailey wasted no time in auditioning for TV roles, and soon nabbed recurring parts on several British mini-series, including "Jury" (CBC, 1974), "Charlie" (BBC, 1984), and "To Have and to Hold" (BBC, 1986). In 1984 she appeared in Mike Leigh's comedy-drama "Meantime," thus beginning a long-lasting working relationship that would see Bailey cast in several of the director's films, including "All or Nothing" (2002) and "Vera Drake" (2004). Bailey's film and TV career continued to thrive well into the 2010s, but through it all she never gave up her first love of theater. Throughout her screen acting career, Bailey appeared in several productions on London's West End, and in 2011 reteamed with Leigh once again in the National Theatre's production of "Grief," which he directed. In 2014 Bailey appeared in her fourth Mike Leigh directed film, the period biographical drama, "Mr. Turner." The film debuted at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and received unanimous praise from both critics and audiences.