Alison King facts for kids

Alison Rosamund King (born 3 March 1973) is an English actress and model. She is famous for playing Lynda Block in the Sky One TV show Dream Team from 1998 to 2003, and again from 2005 to 2007. She is also well-known for her role as Carla Connor in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a role she has played since 2006. Alison won the Best Actress award at the 2012 British Soap Awards.

Early Life and Education

Alison King was born in Leicester, England. She is the youngest of four children. Her parents, Alex and June King, were both nurses. Alison grew up in Markfield, Leicestershire.

She went to South Charnwood High School. This is where she first became interested in acting. She continued to act at Groby Community College. There, a teacher offered drama and dance classes after school.

When she was 18, Alison moved to Newquay, Cornwall. She worked at a surf shop and enjoyed surfing. For four years, she also worked as a dental nurse. At 22, she decided to study acting seriously. She enrolled at the North Cheshire Theatre School.

Alison King's Acting Career

While at theatre school, Alison got her first TV role. She played Helen, a hair salon worker, in two episodes of Brookside. Before finishing her acting diploma, she landed a big role. She was cast as Lynda Block in Sky One's Dream Team.

She was on Dream Team for three years. She left the show when her character went to prison. Later, she returned to play Lynda Block again.

Working on Films and Other TV Shows

During her break from Dream Team, Alison worked on several projects. She was an extra in the American film Shanghai Knights. In this movie, she appeared in a scene with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.

She also had supporting roles in other shows. These included the BBC comedy-drama Help. She also acted in action films like Submerged (2005) and Final Contract: Death on Delivery [de].

Alison enjoyed working on Submerged. She said she played an "action girl" who did many stunts. She learned how to hang upside down and how to do fight scenes. For Final Contract, she mentioned chasing people in speedboats.

She also made guest appearances in other popular shows. She was in the final episode of Mile High. She also appeared in Coupling and Holby City. In 2004, she was in an episode of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. In 2018, Alison appeared in four episodes of the Sky One show Sick Note.

Starring in Coronation Street

In 2006, Alison King was chosen to play Carla Connor in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Her first episode as Carla aired on 1 December 2006. She had actually appeared on the show before in 2004. At that time, she played a different character named Mrs. Fanshaw for one episode.

Alison's role as Carla Connor has involved many important storylines. In 2010, her character was part of the "death of Tony Gordon" storyline. In 2011, Carla was involved in a very serious storyline about a difficult experience. Alison spoke about how this storyline helped many people. She said that calls to support organizations increased a lot after it aired. People even contacted her to share their own experiences. Her strong performance in this storyline earned her the Best Actress award at the 2012 British Soap Awards.

In 2015, it was announced that Alison would take a break from Coronation Street. She wanted to try other projects. However, in 2016, it was confirmed she would leave the show permanently. She explained that she wanted to spend more time with her daughter. She also missed playing different characters and doing voiceover work. Her departure episode aired on 26 May 2016.

Alison returned to Coronation Street in December 2017. Since her return, she has continued to receive praise for her acting. In 2019, she was nominated for a British Soap Award for 'Best Female'. She also received praise for her portrayal of Carla's mental health storyline in May 2019.

Other Projects

In 2004, Alison King was the face of Boddingtons beer. She also appeared in a series of TV adverts for Daz detergent. These adverts were called "Cleaner Close" and made fun of soap operas. In the late 1990s, Alison also did various modeling shoots.

Personal Life

Alison King has had a daughter, born on 11 February 2009. She was engaged to IT consultant David Stuckley in 2019, but they later ended their engagement in May 2022.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Alison King has won several awards for her acting, especially for her role as Carla Connor in Coronation Street.

See also

In Spanish: Alison King para niños