Atkins, Eileen (1934–)

English actress. Name variations: Dame Eileen Atkins. Born Eileen June Atkins on June 16, 1934, in Clapton, London, England; m. Julian Glover (actor), 1957 (div. 1966); m. Bill Shepherd (filmographer), 1978.

Versatile English actress who has played a wide range of roles on stage and screen, made London debut at Open Air Theater (1953); was a member of Shakespeare Memorial Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon (1957–59); joined Bristol Old Vic (1959) and enjoyed numerous substantial successes with company, notably as Childie in The Killing of Sister George (1965); with Jean Marsh, created the classic British drama series "Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971); served as both producer and leading actress in Marguerite Duras's Suzanna Andler (1973); won widespread acclaim for one-woman show A Room of One's Own (1989), which earned her a New York Critics Citation; wrote and performed in successful play Vita and Virginia (1994), based on letters of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf; frequent tv appearances include "The Three Sisters" (1970), "The Duchess of Malfi" (1972), "Sons and Lovers" (1981), "The Maitlands" (1993), "Cold Comfort Farm" (1995), "A Dance to the Music of Time" (1997), and "Wit" (2001); films include Inadmissible Evidence (1968), Equus (1977), The Dresser (1983), Gosford Park (2001), The Hours (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), and Vanity Fair (2004). Nominated for 3 Tony awards, including Best Actress for The Retreat from Moscow (2004); received London Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for The Night of the Iguana (1992) and London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for A Delicate Balance (1997); inducted into Theatre Hall of Fame in New York; received 4 Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards: Best Performance in Supporting Role for Cymbeline and Mountain Language (1989), Best Actress for The Unexpected Man (1999) and Honour (2004); made CBE (1990) and DBE (2001).