Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Andy Serkis and Lorraine Ashbourne attend the "Rocketman" UK premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on May 20, 2019 in London, England.
Lorraine Ashbourne is an actress who is also married to Andy Serkis. Both actors have made a name for themselves on screen, and on the stage, in the UK. The couple have children together, and have been in a relationship for many years. To fans from the UK, Lorraine Ashbourne is arguably best known for her roles on shows like “Cheat” and “Unforgotten“. To fans of Netflix in the US, she’s recognizable thanks to prominent roles in “Bridgerton” and “The Crown“.
Lorraine Ashbourne may be less famous than her husband, who has appeared in some of the biggest blockbusters of the 2000s, but she is a talent in her own right. Here is what you need to know about the wife of this well-known actor, including information on her family, and the roles that made her famous.
1. Lorraine Ashbourne & Andy Serkis Have Been Married Since 2002
.@KateBeckinsale & #LorraineAshbourne enjoy a chat @UKinLA @BAFTALA #FilmIsGREAT #Oscar nominees party in LA
According to the Sun, Lorraine Ashbourne and Andy Serkis have been married since July of 2002. The couple both make a living as actors, both in film and on the stage in England.
Ashbourne and Serkis both appeared in the Peter Jackson remake of “King Kong“. Serkis famously played Kong, along with another role: Lumpy, the cook. Lorraine Ashbourne has a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance as one of the “Theatre Actors“.
The couple reportedly has a happy marriage. According to a report from the Express in the UK from 2017, the couple got together in 1990 and dated for a long time before tying the knot. The same report notes that Serkis and his wife engaged in marital relations “four, five times a day” at the time.
2. The Couple Performed Shakespeare Together on Stage in England
@andyserkis and me in my favourite publicity pic. Othello at the @rxtheatre 2002.
According to BBA Shakespeare, a project coordinated by the University of Warwick, Serkis and his wife once shared the stage in the same production of Shakespeare’s “Othello”. Serkis played the villain, Iago, with Ashbourne starring as Emilia, Iago’s wife. The Guardian‘s 5-star review of the production noted both Ashbourne and Serkis by name in their appraisal:
“[Director Braham] Murray claims to have waited 30 years for the perfect cast of Othello, and his patience has been handsomely rewarded. Emma Darwall-Smith’s plangent Desdemona, Lorraine Ashbourne’s pragmatic Emilia and Joseph Murray’s callow Cassio all register strongly. As Iago, Andy Serkis presents one of the most evil, mercurial and diabolically funny characterisations you will ever witness. ”
The 2002 production was presented at the Royal Exchange Theatre, in Manchester, England. According to the Manchester Evening News, the rea-life couple were married at the time they played a married couple in “Othello” in 2002. In fact, given that they were married that same year, it’s fair to say the couple were newlyweds while playing their iconic Shakespearean roles at the Royal Exchange Theatre. The couple was wed in July of 2002, with the play running during September, October, and November of that same year.
3. The Couple Have 3 Kids, Who Are Also Actors
Andy Serkis has three kids with his wife, Lorraine Ashbourne. The eldest is Ruby, followed by Sonny, and the youngest, Louis. All three have acted professionally. Daughter Ruby Ashbourne Serkis has appeared on a Netflix series called “The Letter For The King”. According to the Independent, Serkis was able to draw on real life experiences, as he was playing his real-life daughter’s on-screen father. Ruby told the Independent: “It is quite odd having my dad play my dad.”
As for Sonny, his IMDB page notes that he has appeared in dramas such as “The White Queen” and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. He is next expected to apepar in the film “La Cha Cha”.
Louis Ashbourne Serkis, like the rest of his family, is also an actor. In an interview with ET to support the film “The Kid Who Would Be King”, Louis Ashbourne Serkis told reporters that his father frequently visted the set to give him encouragement. According to Louis, the best advice his father gave him was “Don’t look into the camera.”
4. Lorraine Ashbourne Is in the Cast of Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’
Lorraine Ashbourne has a regular role on the Netflix series “Bridgerton” as Mrs. Varley, the Featherington housekeeper. The series is a 19th Century British period drama, which has made headlines for casting non-white actors in a genre generally dominated by white faces. As Variety’s review put it:
“The cast of ‘Bridgerton’ is deliberately inclusive, featuring several prominent Black characters whose actors would be relegated to the scullery in another adaptation. When a parade of white women arrive at court to bow in front of their Black queen (Golda Rosheuvel), it’s a powerful moment that purposefully upends its audience’s perception of how that scene is ‘supposed’ to look. The only time this is acknowledged within the show itself is when someone briefly implies that the queen’s relationship with the white King George is what ushered in a more tolerant world.”
Described as “Jane Austen-meets-Gossip Girl” by the Hollywood Reporter, the series follows Daphne Bridgerton and her quest to find true love. The series holds a rating of 89% on the “Tomatometer” at Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of publication. According to Deadline, the series was viewed, at least partway through, by 82 million households. The same report indicates the series will return for a second season.
5. Her Husband Is a ‘Star Wars’ & MCU Legend Who Will Soon Join the DC Film Universe
Andy Serkis has been tapped to appear in an upcoming “Batman” film, after appearing in the MCU as Ulysses Klaue in “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. In an interview with Lad Bible, Serkis told reporters that the tone of “The Batman” will have a darker tone, compared to past screen appearances for the iconic character.
Serkis had begun work on the film, in which he plays Batman’s loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. However, the production was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was literally halfway through shooting my part in it when we got shut down,” he told Lad Bible last year. “So it will be interesting to see when that resurfaces how it has been affected by it [lockdown]. But it is, it’s going to be a beautiful film.”
Prior to the pandemic, Serkis was seen in the “Star Wars” franchise, first appearing in 2015’s “The Force Awakens” as Snoke, with a final appearance as that character in 2019’s “Rise of Skywalker“.
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