Maria Friedman facts for kids

Maria Friedman (born 19 March 1960) is a talented British actress and director. She is especially well-known for her amazing work in musical theatre.

Maria has been nominated for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award eight times. She has won this award three times! Her first win was in 1994 for her special one-woman show, By Special Arrangement. She also won the award for Best Actress in a Musical twice. These wins were for her roles in the original London shows of Passion and Ragtime.

From 2014 to 2017, she played the character Elaine Peacock on the popular TV show EastEnders. In 2023, another actress, Harriet Thorpe, took over the role of Elaine. Maria was also the narrator in the 1999 film version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Early Life and Family

Maria Friedman was born in Switzerland. She is one of four children. Her mother, Clair Llewelyn, was a concert pianist. Her father, Leonard Friedman, was a violinist for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Maria's younger sister, Sonia Friedman, is a famous theatre director and producer. Her other siblings are Richard Friedman and Dr Sarah Beecham.

Maria's father came from a Russian-Jewish family. Her mother was English. Maria started school in Germany, where her family lived for a while. When she was five, her parents divorced, and she moved with her family to England.

Maria's Acting Career

Maria Friedman has had a long and successful career in theatre and television. She is known for her powerful performances.

Early Stage Roles

In 1989, Maria played the main female role of Hayyah in the play Ghetto. This play was shown at the Olivier Theatre in London. The next year, she appeared in another Royal National Theatre show. She played Dot in Sunday in the Park with George, a musical by Stephen Sondheim.

Award-Winning Performances

Maria won an Olivier Award for her one-woman show called Maria Friedman By Special Arrangement. She won another Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1997. This was for her starring role as Fosca in Sondheim's Passion. She performed in Passion in London's West End in 1996. In 1998, she also starred as Roxie in Chicago in the West End.

In the 1999 film of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Maria played the narrator. She then played the role of Mother in the West End production of Ragtime. This show started in March 2003. For this role, she won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Broadway and Health Challenges

In 2004, Maria created the role of Marian Halcombe in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Woman in White. She performed this in the West End and later on Broadway in 2005. Before the Broadway show officially opened, Maria was diagnosed with early breast cancer. She had to leave the show briefly for surgery. Amazingly, she returned to the stage less than a week after her surgery. She performed on the official opening night.

Maria began radiation treatment for cancer in December 2005. The Broadway production of The Woman in White closed in February 2006. This was partly because Maria and her co-star, Michael Ball, were often absent due to illness.

Concerts and Solo Albums

Maria has performed in many musical shows and concerts. She was part of Hey, Mr. Producer!, a concert celebrating the works of producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh. In this concert, she sang several songs, including "You Could Drive a Person Crazy." She also performed in Sondheim Tonight, singing "Losing My Mind."

Maria has also had several successful one-woman shows. These include Maria Friedman – By Special Arrangement and Maria Friedman – By Extra Special Arrangement. She has performed these shows in top cabaret venues in the UK and New York City. You can hear her on many cast recordings from musicals. She has also released several solo albums, such as Maria Friedman, Maria Friedman Live, and Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook.

Recent Acting Roles

In 2010, Maria was a soloist in a BBC Proms concert. This concert honored Stephen Sondheim at the Royal Albert Hall in London. She sang the role of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd alongside Bryn Terfel.

In October 2014, Maria joined the cast of EastEnders. She played Elaine Peacock, who is the mother of character Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). She appeared in the show in December 2014, and again from February to March 2015. She then returned for another three-month period in September 2015.

Directing Career

Besides acting, Maria Friedman has also directed several musicals.

Directing Merrily We Roll Along

Maria had previously acted in a 1992 production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. In 2012, she directed a new version of this musical. It started at the Menier Chocolate Factory and then moved to the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre in 2013. This production of Merrily We Roll Along later ran in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2017, also directed by Maria.

An off-Broadway production of Merrily directed by Maria opened in New York in 2022. It then moved to Broadway in 2023. For her directing work on this show, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical.

Other Directing Projects

In 2015, Maria directed a new version of High Society at The Old Vic Theatre. This show was performed "in the round," meaning the audience sat all around the stage. In 2017, she directed a revival of Stepping Out in the West End at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Personal Life

Maria Friedman has two sons. One son is with director and writer Jeremy Sams. Her other son is with cameraman Oleg Poupko. She was married to dancer Roland Brine. Her current husband is Adrian Der Gregorian.

Stage Productions

• Blues in the Night (1987) - Girl with a Date
• Ghetto (1989) - Hayyah
• Sunday in the Park with George (1990) - Dot/Marie
• Square Rounds (1992) - Munitionette; Clara Haber
• Merrily We Roll Along (1992) - Mary Flynn
• By Special Arrangement (1994) - Herself
• April in Paris (1994) - Bet
• By Extra Special Arrangement (1995) - Herself
• The Break of Day (1995) - Nina
• Passion (1996) - Fosca
• Lady in the Dark (1997) - Liza Elliot
• Chicago (1998) - Roxie Hart
• The Witches of Eastwick (2000) - Sukie
• Ragtime (2003) - Mother
• The Woman in White (2005) - Marian
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - Mrs. Lovett
• The King and I (2009) - Anna Leonowens
• Merrily We Roll Along (2012–13, 2017, 2022–24) (as director)
• Fiddler on the Roof (2019) - Golde

Film and TV Roles

• Red Dwarf (1989) - Waitress
• Heil Honey I'm Home! (1990) - Eva Braun
• Casualty (1991–92) - Patricia Baynes
• Hey, Mr. Producer! (1998) - Performer
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999) - The Narrator
• EastEnders (2014–17) - Elaine Peacock
• The Sound of Music Live (2015) - Mother Abbess (UK version)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Maria Friedman para niños