Product Code Database
Louise Brealey (born 27 March 1979), also credited as Loo Brealey, is an English actress, writer and journalist. She played Molly Hooper in Sherlock, Cass in Back, Scottish professor Jude McDermid in Clique and Gillian Chamberlain in A Discovery of Witches.
On stage, Brealey has received widespread critical acclaim for starring in productions at the Royal National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, the Young Vic, and the Bristol Old Vic, directed by Sir Peter Hall and Marianne Elliott.
Brealey plays pathologist Molly Hooper in all four series of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss's television drama, Sherlock.
Brealey is often asked to work in accents, playing a doughty Yorkshire doctor in Ripper Street, a Cockney ne'er-do-well in , a broken Geordie widow in Inspector George Gently and a ball-breaking Edinburgh academic in Clique.
Brealey played a leading role in the ITV drama The Widow, first broadcast in March 2019.
In 2023, Brealey starred in the BBC sitcom Such Brave Girls as a dysfunctional single mother, and co-starred alongside Annabel Scholey in the romantic musical film Chuck Chuck Baby.
Her portrayal of child prodigy Thomasina in the Bristol Old Vic production of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 2005 was described by The Daily Telegraph as "the evening belongs to Loo Brealey's Thomasina".
Brealey worked twice with Sir Peter Hall. First in 2007 on Simon Gray's Little Nell, in which she played the title role opposite Michael Pennington and Tim Pigott-Smith. Based on The Invisible Woman, Claire Tomalin's award-winning biography of Charles Dickens's mistress Ellen Ternan, Little Nell followed Ternan's story from 17 to 44 years of age. Critics described Brealey's work as "impressive" ( The Stage), "highly compelling" ( The Independent) and "astounding" ( British Theatre Guide). The following year, Hall cast her as Sonya in his critically acclaimed Uncle Vanya, the inaugural production at London's Rose Theatre. The Telegraph called hers "a name to watch" and The Independent compared her to Joan Fontaine in Rebecca. The Spectator said: "Brealey uncovers the pathetic poetry beneath the indolent superficialities. Her big disadvantage is that she’s too attractive for ‘plain’ Sonya, but she disguises this by suggesting a lack of sexual allure with awkward giggles, squirrelly movements and a stupefied beaming naivety. All brilliantly done..."
In 2011 Brealey was the sex-mad, short-frocked daughter of Julian Barratt and Doon Mackichan at the Young Vic in Richard Jones's Government Inspector. She next played three lead roles – Cassandra, Andromache and Helen of Troy – in Caroline Bird's production of The Trojan Women at London's Gate Theatre. The Times called her performances "electrifying" and The Guardian said she "pulled off a remarkable treble". Brealey talked about the roles in the Evening Standard and wrote a piece for The Times about the experience of going naked on stage, which went viral.
In February 2014 she starred as Julie in August Strindberg's Miss Julie at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.
More recently she won Best Actress at the Manchester Theatre Awards for her role as Marianne in Constellations, directed by Michael Longhurst and played the lead alongside Anne Marie Duff in Marianne Elliott's Husbands and Sons at the National Theatre.
Audio
Brealey is the narrator of Caitlin Moran's How to Build a Girl and its sequel How to Be Famous, Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient, Kate Mosse's Number One Bestseller Labyrinth and Hallie Rubenhold's . She voiced Josie in the audiobook of Lisa Jewel’s novel, None of This is True. She was Megan in the audiobook edition of The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins, which won the 2016 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year.
Radio
Brealey voiced the part of Laura Willowes in the 2021 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Lolly Willowes.
Filmography
Film
2000 Boy Meets Girl Susan Short film 2003 The Tooth Faerie Short film 2005 The English Harem Suzy TV film 2007 Green Abi TV film I Want You Girl Short film 2010 Reuniting the Rubins Miri Rubins 2011 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Hairdresser 2013 Delicious Stella 2014 Heard Ruth Short film 2015 Birthday Natasha TV film Containment Sally 2018 In Wonderland Alice Short film 2019 Nobody's Son Susan Thompson Short film 2020 Limbo Hannah Peyton Short film 2022 Brian and Charles Hazel Deep Clean Maddie Short film 2023 Chuck Chuck Baby Helen
Television
2002-04 Casualty Roxanne Bird Series regular; 95 episodes 2005 Bleak House Judy Recurring role; 8 episodes 2006 Mayo Anorak Series regular; 8 episodes 2008 Hotel Babylon Chloe McCourt 1 episode 2010-17 Sherlock Molly Hooper Series regular 2011 Joanne Vickery Episode: "Tick Tock" 2012 The Charles Dickens Show Various Recurring role; 3 episodes 2013 Father Brown Eleanor Knight Episode: "The Mayor and the Magician" 2014 Ripper Street Amelia Frayn Series 3 regular; 7 episodes 2015 Inspector George Gently Jo Parker Episode: "Gently Among Friends" 2016 All Good Things Joanne Episode: "Stupid" 2017 Clique Jude McDermid Series 1 regular; 6 episodes 2017-21 Back Cassandra Leslie "Cass" Nichols Series regular; 12 episodes 2018 A Discovery of Witches Gillian Chamberlain Series 1 regular; 6 episodes 2019 The Widow Beatrix Recurring role; 5 episodes Gomorrah Leena 1 episode 2020 Death in Paradise Donna Harman Episode: "A Murder in Portrait" Exile Sarah Hargreaves Series regular; 10 episodes 2023 Lockwood & Co. Pamela Joplin Recurring role; 4 episodes Such Brave Girls Deb Series regular; 12 episodes 2025 Shetland Isobel Jameson Series 10 regular; 6 episodes 2026–present Harry Potter Madam Hooch Recurring
Theatre
+ List of roles in theatre
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Director
! Theatre 2001 Sliding with Suzanne Sophie Max Stafford-Clark Royal Court Theatre 2005 Arcadia Thomasina Rachel Kavanaugh Bristol Old Vic 2006 After the End Louise Roxana Silbert US and Russian tour, Off-Broadway 2007 Little Nell Nell Peter Hall Theatre Royal, Bath 2008 Uncle Vanya Sonya Peter Hall Rose Theatre, Kingston 2008 Pornography Actor 7 Sean Holmes Traverse Theatre 2009 Hannah Ramin Gray Royal Court Theatre 2009 Julie Ray Abbey Wright Theatre503 2010 Country Music Lynsey Lisa Blair & Eleanor While West Yorkshire Playhouse 2011 Government Inspector Mayor's daughter Richard Jones Young Vic 2012 Cassandra/Andromache/Helen of Troy Christopher Haydon Gate Theatre (London) 2013 The Herd Claire Howard Davies Bush Theatre 2014 Miss Julie Miss Julie Dominic Hill Citizens Theatre 2014 Letters Live Hay Festival, Wales 2015 Letters Live Freemasons' Hall Husbands & Sons Minnie Gascoigne Marianne Elliott Co-production between National Theatre, London and Royal Exchange, Manchester
External links
Categories: Actresses From Northamptonshire, English Film Actresses, English Television Actresses, English Stage Actresses, English Radio Actresses, Alumni Of Girton College, Cambridge, Lee Strasberg Theatre And Film Institute Alumni, Living People, 21st-century English Actresses, People From North Northamptonshire, National Youth Theatre Members, English Journalists, Year Of Birth Missing
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