Sara Kestelman
Sara Kestelman (born 12 May 1944) is an English actress,[1] who is known for her role as Lady Frances Brandon, Lady Jane Grey's mother, in the 1986 film Lady Jane, as well as for providing the voice of Kreia in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004).[2]
Life and career
Sara Kestelman was born on 12 May 1944 in London, the daughter of Dorothy Mary (née Creagh), a dress designer, and Morris Kestelman, an artist.[3][4] Her father was Jewish, from a family from Russia.[5]
During the 1970s Ms. Kestelman appeared in Granada Television's daytime drama series Crown Court, in which she played the part of Barrister Ann Merritt Q.C.
In 1994, she won a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for her performance as Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret in the London revival of the show. She has performed with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Kestelman joined the latter in 1968 but left in 1973 when she had her first film role in Zardoz. In 1982, she played Lady Macbeth.
Kestelman wrote a book of poetry, A Two Hander, with Susan Penhaligon. It was published by The Do-Not Press in 1996. [6]
She voiced the character Kreia in the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Zardoz | May | |
| 1975 | Lisztomania | Princess Carolyn | |
| 1976 | Break of Day | Alice | |
| 1986 | Lady Jane | Frances Grey, Duchess of Suffolk | |
| 1997 | Love Story: Berlin 1942 | Narrator | |
| 2006 | Ex Memoria (short) | Eva |
TV
| Year | Series | Episode | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Dixon of Dock Green | "The Executioners" (No. 13.4) 22 October 1966 | Sonia Watts | |
| 1971 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | "The Mystery of the Amber Beads" (No. 2.13) 16 April 1973 | Hagar | |
| 1975 | BBC2 Playhouse | "Mrs Ackland's Ghosts" | Mrs Ackland | |
| 1975 | Jack Flea's Birthday Celebration | Ruth | ||
| 1975 | Under Western Eyes | |||
| 1976 | The New Avengers | "Sleeper" (No. 1.10) 19 December 1976 | Tina | |
| 1976-1984 | Crown Court | eight episodes | Ann Merritt | |
| 1978 | Kean | Elena, Countess de Koefeld | ||
| 1981 | Nationwide | (No. 13.129) 16 July 1981 | ||
| 1981 | Bergerac | "See You in Moscow" (No. 1.5) 15 November 1981 | Margaret Semple | credited as Sarah Kestelman |
| 1985 | Lady Windermere's Fan | Duchess of Berwick | ||
| 1989 | Somewhere to Run | Magistrate | ||
| 1991 | The War That Never Ends | Presenter (voice) | ||
| 1991 | The Last Romantics | Queenie Leavis | ||
| 1991 | Van der Valk | "Doctor Hoffmann's Children" (No. 4.1) 16 January 1991 | Monika Hendricks | |
| 1993 | Cabaret | Fräulein Schneider | ||
| 1996 | Brazen Hussies | Madame Zarene | ||
| 1997 | Kavanagh QC | "Ancient History" (No. 3.3) 17 March 1997 | Halina Birnbaum | |
| 1997 | The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling | Mrs. Wilkins | miniseries | |
| 1998 | Invasion: Earth | Group Capt. Susan Preston | miniseries | |
| 1998 | The Going Wrong | Tessa Mandeville | ||
| 2000 | Relic Hunter | "Memories of Montmartre" (No. 1.22) 22 May 2000 | Simone DeGuerre | |
| 2000 | Anna Karenina | Countess Vronskaya | miniseries | |
| 2001 | Mind Games | Dr. Davina Ward | ||
| 2001 | Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause | Narrator | ||
| 2003 | Ultimate Force | Series 2, episode 2 'Mad Dogs' | Lady Lee | |
| 2003 | Trial & Retribution VII | Judge Emily Hilliard | ||
| 2004 | Casualty | "Finding Faith" (No. 18.29) 13 March 2004 | Mary Wynne | |
| 2005 | Midsomer Murders | "Hidden Depths" (No. 9.1) | Bernie | |
| 2011 | Holby City | "Old Habits" (No. 13.42) 8 February 2011 | Clarice Parker | |
| 2020 | Inside No 9 | "Thinking Out Loud" (No. 5.5) 2 March 2020 | Therapist | |
| 2022 | This Is Going to Hurt | Episode 2 Episode 3 | Magda Winnicka | |
| 2025 | Down Cemetery Road | Episode 2-5 | Janice |
Documentaries
- Reputations – Wiesenthal and Lord Kitchener
- Horizon – Beyond a Joke
Theatre
- The Importance of Being Earnest ~ (Library Theatre, Manchester, England)
- The Crucible ~ (Library Theatre, Manchester, England)
- The Physicists ~ (Library Theatre, Manchester, England)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream ~ 1970 – Titania (Royal Shakespeare Theatre)
- Enemies ~ 1971 – (Aldwych Theatre, London, England)
- Macbeth ~ 1972 – Lady Macbeth (Birmingham Rep. England)
- Marquise of Keith ~ 1974 – Mona/Anna (Aldwych Theatre, London, England)
- Bedroom Farce ~ 1977 – (National Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
- State of Revolution ~ 1977 – Kollontai (Repertory Theatre, Birmingham/The Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
- Twelve Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1978 – (National Theatre, London, England)
- The Double Dealer ~ 1978/9 – (Olivier Theatre, London, England)
- As You Like It ~ 1979 – Rosalind (National Theatre, London, England)
- Undiscovered Country ~ 1979 – (Olivier Theatre, London, England)
- The Fruits of Enlightenment ~ 1979 – Lady with the Monocle (Royal National Theatre, London, England)
- Eleven Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1979 –
- Nine Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1980 – (National Theatre, London, England)
- Childe Byron ~ 1981 – (Young Vic, London, England)
- Macbeth ~ 1982 – (Royal Shakespeare Company, England)
- Love for Love ~ 1985 – (Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
- Repertoire Leaflet ~ 1985/6 – (National Theatre, London, England)
- The Threepenny Opera ~ 1986 – (Olivier Theater, London, England)
- Four Repertoire Leaflets ~ 1986 – (Royal National Theatre, London, England)
- The American Clock ~ 1986 – (Royal National Theatre, London, England)
- Dalliance ~ 1986 – (Lyttelton Theatre, London, England)
- Lettice and Lovage ~ 1988 – (West End, London, England)
- Point Valaine ~ 1991 – Linda Valaine (Minerva Studio, Chichester, UK) (see Actor Connections – Theatre)
- Cabaret ~ 1993 – Fraulein Schneider (Donmar Warehouse, London, England)
- Fiddler on the Roof ~ 1994 – (London Palladium, London, England)
- Three Tall Women ~ 1995 – (Wyndham's Theatre, London, England)
- Nine ~ 1996 – (Donmar Warehouse, London, England)
- Copenhagen ~ 1998 – Margrethe Bohr (The Duchess Theatre; West End, London, England)
- Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn and Victorian Music Hall ~ 1999 – Dame Marten (Britten Theatre, London, England)
- All About Me ~ 2001 – one woman show (Royal National Theatre, the Firebird Cafe in New York, the Royal Academy of Art)
- Hamlet ~ 2001 – Queen Gertrude (Wilbur Theatre, Boston, MA, US)
- Bitter Fruits of Palestine ~ 2002 – (Barons Court Theatre, London, England)
- The Shape of Metal ~ 2003 – Nell Jeffrey (Abbey Theatre, Dublin, Ireland)
- Girl with a Pearl Earring ~ 2008 (Cambridge Arts Theatre; West End, London, England)
- Torch Song Trilogy ~ 2012 – Mrs Backoff (Menier Chocolate Factory, London)
- The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures – 2016 – Clio – (Hampstead Theatre)
- The Lady in the Van - 2017 - Margaret Fairchild/Miss Shepherd - (Theatre Royal, Bath)
Audio books
- King Lear ~ 2002 – Regan
- Mill on the Floss
- Proto Zoe
- Quarantine
- The Siege
- When I Lived in Modern Times
- Full House
Radio
- Full House (read and adapted)
- Baldi
Video games
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords ~ 2004 – voice of Kreia
- Shattered Union ~ 2005 – Narrator (voice)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Break of Day | Nominated | [7] |
| 1994 | Clarence Derwent Award | Best female in a supporting role | Cabaret | Won | [8] |
| Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Won | [9] | ||
| 2004 | The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards | Best Actress | The Shape of Metal | Nominated | [10] |
References
- ↑"Sara Kestelman". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016.
- 12Julie Muncy (6 March 2015). "Desperately seeking a Sith Lord's approval in Knights Of The Old Republic II". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015.
- ↑"Sara Kestelman Biography (1944–)".
- ↑Agi Katz (17 June 1998). "Obituary: Morris Kestelman". The Independent.
- ↑Kate Kellaway (24 March 2013). "Sara Kestelman: 'I didn't enjoy my immersion in Shakespeare. I was frightened of it'". The Guardian.
- ↑"Catalogue A-J". The Do-Not Press. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ↑"1977 Winners & Nominees". AACTA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ↑"Clarence Derwent Awards (UK) West End Awards – 1948 to 2020 awards". WestEndTheatre.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ↑"Olivier Awards Winners 1994 – Official London Theatre". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ↑Wallace, Arminta (10 January 2004). "Actors steal the limelight". Irish Times. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
External links
- Sara Kestelman at IMDb
- Ex Memoria
Categories:
- 1944 births
- Living people
- Academics of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
- Actresses from London
- English film actresses
- English stage actresses
- English television actresses
- English people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Laurence Olivier Award winners
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English actresses