Lesley Sharp
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Lesley Sharp

Lesley Sharp (born Karen Makinson; April 3, 1960) is a distinguished English actress and director whose career spans four decades across film, television, and theatre. Born in Manchester and adopted at six weeks old, Sharp trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1982. She rose to prominence in the late 1980s and 90s through collaborations with directors like Mike Leigh (Naked, Vera Drake) and Alan Clarke (Rita, Sue and Bob Too). She is perhaps most internationally recognized for her BAFTA-nominated role as Jean in the 1997 global hit The Full Monty—a role she reprised for the 2023 Disney+ sequel series. On television, she is a household name in the UK, having starred in critically acclaimed series such as Clocking Off, the supernatural drama Afterlife, and as DC Janet Scott in the long-running police procedural Scott & Bailey. In 2025, Sharp delivered a standout performance in the film Pillion, playing Peggy, the terminally ill mother of the protagonist Colin (Harry Melling). Her portrayal of a mother tenderly attempting to navigate her son's entry into a complex BDSM world while facing her own mortality was praised by critics as "heartbreaking" and "nuanced." Beyond her recent screen work, Sharp remains a force in British theatre, with notable performances at the National Theatre and the Royal Court. She has been married to fellow actor Nicholas Gleaves since 1994, with whom she has two sons.

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