| Tamzin Maria Outhwaite | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tamzin Maria Outhwaite 5 November 1970 Ilford, London, England, UK |
| Other names | Tamsin Outhwaite |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1989-present |
| Height | 1.73m |
| Spouse | Tom Ellis (2006-present) |
| Awards | British Soap Award - Sexiest Female 2000 EastEnders - Mel 1999 EastEnders - Mel National Television Award - Most Popular Newcomer 1999 EastEnders - Mel |
Tamzin Maria Outhwaite ( /ˈaʊθweɪt/; born 5 November 1970) is an award-winning English actress. She became known for her role as Melanie Owen in the British soap opera EastEnders, whom she portrayed from 1998 until 2002.
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The daughter of Anna (née Santi) and Colin Frank Outhwaite, Tamzin has two younger brothers, Kes and Jake Outhwaite. Outhwaite attended the Stagestruck Theatre Company as a teenager, taking part in several productions during the mid-1980s. On leaving school in 1987, she studied at Sylvia Young Theatre School and she joined the London Studio Centre to study drama and dance, where one of her friends was television presenter Lucy Alexander.[1] She went on to many stage roles including Grease, Oliver! and work at the Stephen Joseph Theatre before landing bit parts in The Bill and Men Behaving Badly.
She found fame in 1998 when she was cast as Melanie Healy in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Her first appearance was aired in October 1998 and her final one was in March 2002. During nearly four years in Walford, Outhwaite's feisty character was central to many explosive storylines. Outhwaite left EastEnders in 2002, shortly after the departure from the soap of co-star Martin Kemp, who had played her on-screen husband Steve Owen. She stated in 2006 that she wouldn't rule out returning to EastEnders.[2]
Since quitting the serial, she has starred in leading roles in Out of Control, and the BBC army drama Red Cap, which she played until the series ended in 2004. After this she went on to star in a number of television dramas, including Hustle, Final Demand and Frances Tuesday. She fronted an advertising campaign as part of a one million pound contract with cosmetics company Avon; she also modelled the Spirit range at Debenhams in 2004.
In 2005 Outhwaite began edging into the Hollywood film industry, starring with Wesley Snipes in the unsuccessful direct-to-video film 7 Seconds. In 2006, she starred in the ITV series Vital Signs (as a frustrated mother who decides to leave her dreary job at the supermarket and enroll in medical school) and in the BBC series Hotel Babylon as hotel manager Rebecca Mitchell. A second series aired in spring 2007. Outhwaite will not appear in the third series of Hotel Babylon in order to focus on other projects.
In October 2006 she had a starring role in the film thriller Backwaters, set in India. On 12 January 2007, she guest hosted episode two of the fourth series of The Friday Night Project on Channel 4. She can also be seen in U2's music video for their song Even better than the real thing; not Mysterious Ways as has been regularly incorrectly reported. She plays a VJ in the video.
She recently appeared in a revival of Boeing Boeing at the Comedy Theatre, the film Cassandra's Dream[3] and the ITV drama series, The Fixer, which was shown in March and April 2008.[4]
Outhwaite and her husband were the winners of the ITV charity gameshow All Star Mr & Mrs Christmas Special on 20 December 2008. In the feature film, Radio Cape Cod, she plays a radio interviewer who has a new love entering her life & whose daughter, played by Tamzin Merchant, is experiencing her first love.
In 2009, she played the lead in the sci-fi crime series for the BBC entitled Paradox,[5] which first aired on BBC1 on 24 November 2009.
She appeared in Over the Rainbow the talent show currently casting for Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage production of The Wizard of Oz. More recently, in 2010 she was a member of the judging panel on the UK television programme Don't Stop Believing broadcast on Five.
Outhwaite is currently starring in Sweet Charity which has recently moved to the Theatre Royal, Haymarket after its successful run at the Menier Chocolate Factory.
Outhwaite appeared in the ITV 2011 Christmas special Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me as fraudster Patsy Morgan.
Outhwaite is from Ilford and has two brothers. Her mother is Italian.[6] She attended Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green.
She is married to former EastEnders actor Tom Ellis. They have one child.
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