Biography
A native of Lewisham, England who was raised in Brighton, the actress, screenwriter and comedienne Jessica Stevenson (occasionally billed by her married name of Jessica Hynes) gravitated to stage performance as an adolescent, when she enlisted in the National Youth Theatre ensemble. Stevenson broke into features at the age of 21, with a role in
Peter Greenaway's
The Baby of Macon; several years of various performance activities then ensued, including a substantial part in a straight-faced nursing drama on British television and participation in a two-woman comedy act called The Dancing Liz Hurleys (opposite actress Katy Carmichael). Stevenson's most substantial acclaim, however, arose from two long-running comedic stints on television: the role of nutty neighbor Cheryl in the situation comedy
The Royle Family, and an assignment developing, writing and starring in the popular sitcom
Spaced (1999) alongside
Simon Pegg.
Taking the success of these ventures as a cue, Stevenson then branched out into feature films, with small offbeat characterizations in productions including Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004),
Shaun of the Dead (done with several
Spaced creators including Pegg) and
Son of Rambow. Fantasy enthusiasts, however, will most closely associate Stevenson with her portrayal of Mafalda Hopkirk in
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Off-camera, Stevenson remained fully active in stage pursuits and won a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for her contribution to the play The Night Heron. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide