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Anna Acton
Born (1977-01-29) 29 January 1977 (age 46)
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England
OccupationActress
Years active2000–present
Known forGeri Evans in Family Affairs (2002–2005)
Rochelle Barratt in The Bill (2005)
DC Emma Summerhayes in EastEnders (2014–2015)
SpouseBen Hull

Anna Acton (born 29 January 1977) is an English actress who is best known for her roles as Rochelle Barratt, the wife of a borough commander, in the ITV television series The Bill, and DC Emma Summerhayes in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.[1]

Career

Prior to appearing in The Bill, Acton played the long-suffering yet bubbly Geri Evans in the soap opera Family Affairs for three and a half years.[2]

Acton also appeared in two episodes of Doctors as Rachel Cook (April 2006) and later as Keira Chesterton (February 2008) and Hollyoaks (October 2006) as DC Mullins. In May 2007, she starred as Louise Martin in two episodes of HolbyBlue for the BBC. In August 2008 she appeared with Paul Nicholls in Harley Street (ITV) and was also seen as Dorothy in the CGI Sketch Show for BBC The Wrong Door.

From 2013 to 2015, Acton played the role of Joy in the CBeebies programme Topsy and Tim. From 21 April 2014 to 2 January 2015, she portrayed DC Emma Summerhayes, the police officer investigating Lucy Beale's (Hetti Bywater) murder, in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.[3]

From 2015 to 2016, Acton appeared in the BBC One medical soap Casualty as Nikki Chisom.[4] In 2018, she appeared in Birches, a UK-based feature based on the novel Silver Birches published in 2009 by Adrian Plass. Birches was turned into a film directed by Randall Stevens, with screenplay by Mark Freiburger. It starred Natasha Little and Todd Carty.[5][6] In May 2021, she appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Vicki.[7]

In 2022, Acton appeared in an advertisement for No7.

Personal life

Acton is married to actor and former Family Affairs co-star Ben Hull. The couple reside in Buckinghamshire and have two daughters, Grace and Lana.[8]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2009 The Killers Danielle
2010 Little Deaths Annabel
2018 Degenerates Susan Moore
2019 Mapped Izzy Short film
Birches Jessica
2020 Shapes Ms Roberts
2021 Smudged Smmile Laura Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2001 EastEnders Jane Madden 2 episodes
2002–2005 Family Affairs Geri Evans Series regular
2005 The Bill Rochelle Barratt Series regular; 20 episodes
2006 Doctors Rachel Cook Episode: "Home from Home"
Hollyoaks D.C. Mullins 2 episodes
2007 HolbyBlue Louise Martin 2 episodes
2008 Harley Street Claudia Series 1: Episode 6
The Wrong Door Various roles Episode: "The Wizard of Office"
Doctors Kira Chesterton Episode: "Hopelessly Devoted"
2010 The Little House Ruth's Mother Series 1: Episode 1
2011 Casualty Alex Scotton Episode: "The Ties That Bind"
2012 Crime Stories Polly Andrews Series 1: Episode 17
2013 Doctors Dorothy Bale Episode: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
2013–2015 Topsy and Tim Joy Series regular; 57 episodes
2014–2015 EastEnders Emma Summerhayes Series regular; 50 episodes
2015–2016 Casualty Nikki Chisom 3 episodes
2016 Doctors Colette Pendleton Episode: "Cold Facts"
2018 Joanne Webber Episode: "Playtime"
2019 Brassic Lydia McCann Series 1: Episode 6
2020 Roadkill Stella Faber Series 1: Episode 2
2021 Doctors Vicki Episode: "This is Not a Pipe"
2023 Casualty Piper Fulley Episode: "The Ostrich Effect"
TBA † Rivals Mary Upcoming series
Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released

Theatre credits

Year Title Role Venue
2000 Cor, Blimey! Sally Watford Palace Theatre, Watford
2007 Noises Off Brooke Ashton Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool
2009 The Hokey Cokey Man Jenny/Eileen New End Theatre, London
2018 The Gulf Betty Tristan Bates Theatre, London
2019 The Permanent Way Investment Banker/Second Bereaved Mother The Vaults, London

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2002 The British Soap Awards Sexiest Female Family Affairs Nominated [9]
2003 Best Actress Nominated [10]

References

  1. ^ Kris Green (20 May 2005). "315: Scott confesses all". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  2. ^ Kris Green (28 April 2005). "Ex-'Family Affairs' actress joins 'The Bill'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  3. ^ "21/04/2014, EastEnders - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  4. ^ Dainty, Sophie (5 January 2016). "Casualty spoilers: New pictures show Dixie putting her life in danger during explosive episode". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  5. ^ "'Silver Birches' Feature Film Coming to Theaters in 2017". christiancinema.com. 19 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Adrian and Bridget Plass Day with Film Premiere Wednesday 16th May". baylink.org. 29 March 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  7. ^ Timblick, Simon. "Doctors spoilers: Is there romance in store for Al Haskey?". What's on TV. Future plc. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Holby City's Ben Hull on Family Life, Nappy Changing & Life in the Country". My Baba. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ^ Welsh, James (16 May 2002). "British Soap Awards 2002: Nominations". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  10. ^ "The British Soap Awards 2003". Celebrities Worldwide. 10 May 2003. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2013.

External links

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