Amanda Redman
A versatile British actress who mastered the art of the steely, compassionate leader, anchoring hit TV dramas for over two decades.
Born 1957 (age 69)·British actress·Birthday: August 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Amanda Redman possesses a warmth and steel that made her the undeniable anchor of every ensemble she joined. After early stage and screen work, she found a defining role as the matriarch in 'At Home with the Braithwaites,' earning a BAFTA nomination for her portrayal of a lottery winner navigating family chaos. But it was as Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman in 'New Tricks' that she became a household name, leading a team of retired detectives with a blend of exasperation and deep loyalty for a decade. Redman never settled, later trading London grit for tropical medicine as Dr. Lydia Fonseca in 'The Good Karma Hospital.' Off-screen, she is a fierce advocate for the arts, founding the Actors' Centre in London and later the New Tricks Theatre Company, dedicated to nurturing new writing and talent.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Amanda was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Amanda Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Amanda's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Received BAFTA TV Award nominations for her leading roles in 'At Home with the Braithwaites' and the biopic 'Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This'.
- Starred as the lead in the popular BBC drama 'New Tricks' for its first ten series, from 2003 to 2013.
- Founded and serves as the artistic director of the New Tricks Theatre Company in London.
- Played a key role in the critically acclaimed film 'Sexy Beast' alongside Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley.
Did You Know?
She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
She turned down an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2012.
She is a patron of the charity Scene & Heard, which mentors children through playwriting.
She suffered a serious accident in 2001, breaking both her legs, which temporarily halted her career.
“I don't want to be a celebrity; I want to be an actress who's respected.”
