Maxine Peake

Biography

Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English stage, radio, film and television actress, playwright, producer, director and political activist, who made her name as Twinkle in Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. She has since played Veronica in Channel 4's Manchester-based drama series Shameless, barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama Silk and Grace Middleton in The Village. She is also an accomplished stage actress, having played the title role in Hamlet, and had a role in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything. In 2018 she played the lead in the film Funny Cow and had a starring role in Mike Leigh's epic Peterloo, a film very close to her heart.

Known For

The Graham Norton Show

Black Mirror

Star Wars: Visions

The One Show

Silk

Shameless

Inside No. 9

I Swear

All Movies (75)

• Becoming Victoria Wood2026 · as Self
• Laundreams2025
• The Occupant of the Room2025 · as The Englishwoman (voice)
• Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough2025 · as Narrator
• I Swear2025 · as Dottie
• Quiet on Set: The Class Division in the Film Industry?2025 · as Self
• Words of War2025 · as Anna Politkovskaya
• Art Matters2024 · as Self
• Woken2024 · as Helen
• Tish2023 · as Tish Murtha (voice)
• Dance First2023 · as Barbara
• Choked Up2023 · as Fiona Lacey
• Wendell & Wild2022 · as Irmgard Klaxon (voice)
• Inner Polar Bear2022 · as Narrator (voice)
• Lapushka!2022 · as Scoot Piccolo
• Something Out of Nothing2022
• The Real Anne: Unfinished Business2022 · as Self- Presenter
• Where We Used to Meet2021
• Surfaces2020 · as Alix
• The Great Mountain Sheep Gather2020 · as Self - Narrator
• It's Me2020 · as Miriam
• Fanny Lye Deliver'd2019 · as Fanny Lye
• Be Still My Beating Heart2019
• Judy2019 · as Judy
• Peterloo2018 · as Nellie
• The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca2018 · as Self
• Gwen2018 · as Elen
• Ceremony: The Return of Friedrich Engels2018 · as Friedrich Engels (voice)
• Funny Cow2018 · as Funny Cow
• Wonders of the Moon2018 · as Narrator (voice)
• The Priest2017
• Men Who Sleep in Cars2017 · as Sarah
• Cake2017
• Unseen2017 · as Emma
• Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle2017 · as Narrator
• Bunch of Kunst - A Film About Sleaford Mods2017 · as Self (archive footage)
• Generation '662016 · as Narrator
• A Midsummer Night's Dream2016 · as Titania
• Red Top2016 · as Rebekah Brooks
• I Wish For You2016 · as Grown Up Mia
• The Falling2015 · as Eileen Lamont
• Hamlet2015 · as Hamlet
• Strange Weather2015 · as Jane
• The Shuttleworths2015 · as Helen Bach
• The Theory of Everything2014 · as Elaine Mason
• Keeping Rosy2014 · as Charlotte
• Run & Jump2014 · as Vanetia
• Keeping Up with the Joneses2013 · as Celia
• Svengali2013 · as Angie
• The Heart Fails Without Warning2013 · as Mother
• Private Peaceful2012 · as Hazel Peaceful
• Best Laid Plans2012 · as Isabel
• DeafBlind2011 · as Maggie
• Edge2010 · as Elly
• Imaginary Friend2010 · as Pauline
• The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister2010 · as Anne Lister
• Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 19802009 · as Helen Marshall
• Clubbed2008 · as Angela
• Hancock & Joan2008 · as Joan Le Mesurier
• Bike Squad2008 · as WPC Kate McFay
• Would Like To Meet2007 · as George's Mum
• I Am Bob2007 · as Marilyn Monroe Lookalike/Compere's Assistant
• Confessions of a Diary Secretary2007 · as Tracey Temple
• The 50 Greatest Television Dramas2007 · as Self
• The Madness of the Dance2006
• The Fear of Trilogy2006
• Frozen2005 · as Ticket Attendant
• Faith2005 · as Linda
• Christmas Lights2004 · as Pauline
• All or Nothing2002 · as Party girl
• Hamilton Mattress2002 · as Lulu (voice)
• Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings2000 · as Self
• Girls' Night1998 · as Sharon
• Twisting My Melon— · as Linda Ryder
• The Bright Side Running Club—

All TV Shows (46)

• Last Seen2026
• Bait2026 · as Helen
• The Haunted Season2024 · as The Englishwoman (voice)
• Say Nothing2024 · as Older Dolours Price
• Secret Life of the Safari Park2024 · as Narrator
• Art That Made Us2022 · as Self - Actrice (Rules of the Game, Anne)
• Rules of the Game2022 · as Sam Thompson
• Anne2022 · as Anne Williams
• Star Wars: Visions2021 · as Kalina Kalfus (voice)
• Mandy2020 · as Susan Blower
• Alan Bennett's Talking Heads2020 · as Miss Fozzard
• The Bisexual2018 · as Sadie
• Dinnerladies Diaries2018 · as Self
• The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer2018 · as Self - Guest
• Three Girls2017 · as Sara Rowbotham
• We Have Been Watching2017 · as Self
• Artsnight2015 · as Self - Presenter
• Inside No. 92014 · as Nadia
• The Village2013 · as Grace Middleton
• Room at the Top2012 · as Alice Aisgill
• The Hollow Crown2012 · as Doll Tearsheet
• Black Mirror2011 · as Bella
• Silk2011 · as Martha Costello QC
• Red Riding2009
• The Devil's Whore2008 · as Elizabeth Lilburne
• Little Dorrit2008 · as Miss Wade
• Criminal Justice2008 · as Juliet Miller
• Fairy Tales2008 · as Cindy Mellor
• The Alan Titchmarsh Show2007 · as Self
• The Graham Norton Show2007 · as Self
• The One Show2006 · as Self - Guest
• See No Evil: The Moors Murders2006 · as Myra Hindley
• The Street2006
• Shameless2004 · as Veronica Fisher
• Comedy Connections2003
• Early Doors2003 · as Janice
• Timeshift2002 · as Self - Narrator
• Linda Green2001 · as Receptionist
• Messiah2001 · as DS Vickie Clarke
• Clocking Off2000 · as Marie Leach
• Sunburn1999 · as Sue
• dinnerladies1998 · as Twinkle
• Jonathan Creek1997 · as Marion Cretiss
• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates1996 · as Photocopy Assistant
• ChuckleVision1987
• First Day on Earth— · as Helen