Sue Johnston - Biography

In a nutshell

Sue is one of Britain's best-loved actresses. And we know there's a few of them knocking about, but she really IS.

Born in Warrington, Sue started out as a tax inspector (Booo! Etc) until her boyfriend at the time (he was a member of the band The Swinging Blue Jeans) led her to start working for famous producer Brian Epstein. When she was 21 she started studying at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art ? which to us sounds like a posh name for a drama school, though we could be wrong.

All of her hard work at the drama place must have worked because she bagged a role in Channel 4's new soap, Brookside, playing Sheila Grant. Unlike many soap actresses she hasn't resorted to doing adverts and generally annoying us ? no, Sue went on to much bigger and better roles like Inspector Morse, Waking the Dead and Waking the Dead.

She's lucky enough to have been part of one of the biggest comedies of recent years, The Royle Family, playing the mother Barbara Royle.

She has a son called Joel.

Did you know?