Jill Halfpenny facts for kids

Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is a talented English actress. She first became known for playing Nicola Dobson in the BBC drama series Byker Grove from 1989 to 1992. Later, she gained more fame for her roles in popular TV shows. These included Rebecca Hopkins in Coronation Street (1999–2000), Kate Mitchell in EastEnders (2002–2005), and Izzie Redpath in Waterloo Road (2006–2007).

Jill Halfpenny also won the second series of the TV dance show Strictly Come Dancing in 2004. For her amazing performance as Paulette Bonafonté in the musical Legally Blonde (2010–2011), she won an Olivier Award. This is a very important award for theatre in the UK. She has also starred in many other plays and musicals, like Chicago and Calendar Girls.

Jill Halfpenny's Acting Journey

Early TV Roles and Strictly Come Dancing Success (1989–2004)

Jill Halfpenny started her acting career in 1989. She joined the cast of Byker Grove, a children's drama show set in Newcastle upon Tyne. She played Nicola Dobson until 1992. After this, she appeared in other TV shows like The Bill and Birds of a Feather.

In 1999, Jill got the part of staff nurse Rebecca Hopkins in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She played this role until 2000. Her character was involved in a big storyline that led to a marriage breaking up.

In December 2002, Jill joined another popular BBC soap opera, EastEnders. She played Kate Mitchell, an undercover policewoman. Her character was meant to trick Phil Mitchell into confessing to a crime. However, Kate fell in love with him and they got married. Her final scenes on the show aired in January 2005.

From October to December 2004, Jill Halfpenny competed in the second series of Strictly Come Dancing. This is a celebrity ballroom dancing competition. She was paired with professional dancer Darren Bennett. They won the competition on 11 December 2004, getting perfect scores from the judges. Soon after, it was announced that Jill would star in the musical Chicago in London's West End.

Stage Performances and Waterloo Road (2005–2017)

Jill Halfpenny received great reviews for her role in The Bodies in 2005. She played Thérèse, a character who slowly goes mad. Critics praised her strong and moving performance.

She also made a guest appearance on The Catherine Tate Show and Shameless. In 2006, she started playing the regular role of schoolteacher Izzie Redpath in the BBC show Waterloo Road. She won the 2007 TV Quick Award for "Best Actress" for this role. Her character was sadly killed off in the show's second series finale in April 2007.

In 2008, Jill played Norma Farnes in the play Surviving Spike. Critics said her performance added excitement to the play. Her next big stage roles were Cora in Calendar Girls (2009) and Paulette Bonafonté in Legally Blonde (2010). She won two awards for Legally Blonde: the Theatregoers' Choice Award and the Laurence Olivier Award.

In 2012, Jill starred in a new version of the play Abigail's Party. She played Beverly, a snobby character. Her performance was highly praised by critics. She then appeared in the supernatural TV series Lightfields in 2013.

In 2014, Jill was in two major TV shows. She played a pregnant first-time mother in In the Club on BBC One. She also co-starred as PC Davina Bancroft in the comedy series Babylon on Channel 4. In 2015, she played Jill Drummond, a disabled woman who falls for her humanoid caregiver, in the science fiction drama Humans. This show was very popular, attracting millions of viewers.

Recent Theatre and Television Work (2018–Present)

In 2018, Jill Halfpenny played Rachel in the stage version of the thriller novel The Girl on the Train. Critics agreed that she was the best part of the show. In 2019, she starred in the BBC miniseries Dark Money.

In 2021, Jill starred as Jodie Walsh in The Drowning, a mystery thriller on Channel 5. She played a mother who believes her son, who was thought to be dead, might still be alive. Critics praised her performance, saying she was perfect for the role.

In 2023, she played Doreen Hill in The Long Shadow. This miniseries was about the crimes of a serial killer. Jill talked about how shocked she was by the lack of support for victims' families back then. She said it was "heartbreaking" that they were left alone to deal with such public tragedies.

Jill's role in the 2024 play A Taste of Honey also received praise. She played Helen, a working-class single mother. Her performance was described as "monstrous" but also showing a "brittle fragility". Her next project was The Cuckoo on Channel 5, where she played a mysterious lodger with a dark secret.

Other Projects

Jill Halfpenny has also done a lot of voiceover work for commercials. She has narrated ads for companies like Argos, Ford Fiesta, and the Royal Air Force.

In February 2024, it was announced that Jill's own book, called A Life Reimagined, will be published in June 2024. The book will talk about the deaths of her father and her ex-partner.

Personal Life

Jill Halfpenny was born in Gateshead, England, on 15 July 1975.

She married fellow actor Craig Conway in 2007. They have a son named Harvey. The couple divorced in 2010. In 2019, Jill shared about her sadness after her partner, Matt Janes, died two years earlier at age 43 from a heart attack.

Jill Halfpenny is an ambassador for Kidscape, a charity that helps children. In 2013, she was given the title "Freeman of the Borough of Gateshead". This was to recognize her contributions to theatre, television, and charity work.

Film and TV Roles

Film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989–1992	Byker Grove	Nicola Dobson	Series regular (seasons 1–4)
1997	The Bill	Lisa Collett	Episode: "Man Trap"
	Birds of a Feather	Brittany	Episode: "Rising Damp"
	The Lakes	Tina	Episode #1.1
1998	Round Tower, TheThe Round Tower	Rosie Cotton	Television film
	Heartbeat	Mitzi Wyler	Episode: "Local Knowledge"
	Touching Evil	Annie Jordan	Episode: "What Price a Child" Parts 1 & 2
1999	Dangerfield	Shelley	Episode: "Tying the Knot"
	Peak Practice	Kelly	Recurring (series 8)
1999–2000	Coronation Street	Rebecca Hopkins	Series regular
2001	Dalziel and Pascoe	Tara Connolly	Episode: "Home Truths"
2002	Breeze Block	Gail	Main role
2002–2005	EastEnders	Kate Mitchell	Series regular
2003	Barbara	Kirsty	Episode: "Kirsty"
2004	Strictly Come Dancing	Contestant	Series 2 winner
2005	The Catherine Tate Show	Gina	Episode: "Dog Obedience"
2006	Shameless	Roxy Benson	Episode: "Old Flame"
2006–2007	Waterloo Road	Izzie Redpath	Series regular (seasons 1–2)
2007	Blue Murder	Jackie Holroyd	Episode: "Crisis Management"
2009	Inspector George Gently	Cora Davidson	Episode: "Gently with the Innocents"
2011	Mount Pleasant	Emma	Recurring (series 1)
	Walk Like a Panther	Lara Anderson	Episode #1.1
2012	Murdoch Mysteries	Elizabeth Bryant	Episode: "Murdoch of the Klondike"
	Wild at Heart	Fiona	Recurring (series 7)
2013	Lightfields	Martha Felwood	Main role
	Vera	Maggie Warnock	Episode: "Prodigal Son"
2014	Babylon	Davina	Main role
	Beautality	Pam St. Clair	Television film
2014–2016	In the Club	Diane Manning	Main role
2015	Humans	Jill Drummond	Main role (series 1)
2016	Death in Paradise	Naomi Walker	Episode: "The Blood Red Sea"
	Ordinary Lies	Belinda Brierly	Episode: "Joe"
2017–2020	Liar	Jennifer	Recurring (series 1–2)
2019	Year of the Rabbit	Flora Wilson	3 episodes
	Dark Money	Sam Mensah	Main role
2020	Inside No. 9	Jennie	Episode: "Misdirection"
2021	The Drowning	Jodie Walsh	Main role
2022	Jill Halfpenny's Easter Journeys	Presenter	Documentary miniseries
	The Holiday	Kate Fitzgerald	Main role
	Everything I Know About Love	Roisin	Main role
2023	The Long Shadow	Doreen Hill	3 episodes
2024	The Cuckoo	Sian Gregson	Main role
	The Red King	Ann Fletcher	Episode #1.2
TBA	The Feud	Emma	Post-production

Voice Work

Theatre Roles

Awards and Recognition