Alex Kingston

Alex Kingston was born and raised in Epsom, Surrey. She is the eldest of three daughters of a butcher, Anthony Kingston and his German wife. Her mother's younger brother is actor Walter Renneisen.
Kingston has appeared in a number of British-produced television dramas, including Grange Hill, Crocodile Shoes, Moll Flanders, The Knock and a guest role on The Bill. Her film credits include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), A Pin for the Butterfly (1994), Croupier (1998), Essex Boys (2000), Boudica (Warrior Queen in the USA) (2003) in which she played the title character Boudica, Sweet Land (2005), and "Crashing" (2007). In 1997, Kingston gained American television fame after being cast on the medical drama ER. Her first appearance was in the premiere of the fourth season in the live episode Ambush. Her character Elizabeth Corday was a surgeon arriving from England. Kingston played this role for just over seven seasons until leaving in 2004, four episodes into Season 11. In 2009, Kingston returned to ER during its fifteenth and final season for two episodes, including the series finale. In September the same year, Kingston took the part of Mrs. Bennet in ITV's acclaimed four-part production Lost in Austen which is based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In February 2009, Kingston portrayed a defence attorney in two episodes of the TV series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This guest spot reunited Kingston with her former cast mate from ER, Mariska Hargitay. Hargitay had a recurring role alongside Kingston during the fourth season of ER. In June 2009, Kingston played the main character Ellie Lagden in the BBC One drama series Hope Springs. In September 2009, Kingston had a recurring role in FlashForward, playing Inspector Fiona Banks.