Suzanne Packer

Suzanne Packer
Born Suzanne Jackson
(1958-09-20) 20 September 1958
Abergavenny, Wales
Nationality British
Occupation Actress/Teacher
Years active 1990 - Present
Spouse(s) Jesse Newman (divorced)
Children Paris Newman

Suzanne Packer (born Suzanne Jackson on 20 September 1958) is a Welsh actress who is best known for playing the role of Tess Bateman in the long-running television series Casualty from September 2003 until August 2015. She returned to the show as a guest for the 30th anniversary episodes. She now teaches in many Welsh schools.[1][2]

Early life

Packer is the daughter of Jamaican immigrant parents to Abergavenny, and her mother worked as a nurse. She is the elder sister of the Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson.[3] Whilst studying at Llanedeyrn High School in Cardiff, she already showed an interest in acting, playing the lead in school plays including Oklahoma and The King and I.

Career

Packer attended the National Youth Theatre of Wales before earning a BA in theatre and drama at the University of Warwick. She then trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[4]

Embarking on an acting career, in the early 1990s she was most well known for her role as Mick Johnson's wife Josie in the Channel 4 soap Brookside. She then undertook a degree in teaching at Goldsmiths College, and after graduating in 1996 taught drama in London.

Whilst acting, she met and married American actor Jesse Newman. The couple moved to New York City, where she taught drama and acted, and in 2003 gave birth to their son Paris. After the birth their relationship began to break down, and they agreed to move back to the UK, but Newman later decided to stay in the US. The couple divorced the following year.[3]

Arriving back in Cardiff with her three-month-old son, she gained an audition for BBC drama Casualty. Three weeks later she started work as Sister Tess Bateman, first appearing on screen from September 2003. In November 2006 Martina Laird who played the role of Comfort left Casualty, which then meant that Suzanne was the second longest serving cast member.[1]

On August 22, 2015, she quit Casualty after playing the character of Tess for nearly 12 years to become a member of the cast of Stella and Doctors.

Packer appeared with her brother Colin on the first series of Pointless Celebrities on 6 July 2011. They were eliminated in the first round.[5]

On 19 March 2017, Packer appeared in the ITV crime drama Vera as ranger Sophia in the episode "Natural Selection".

On 23 February 2018, Packer appeared in the series finale of Death in Paradise.

On 18 March 2018, Packer played a minor role in an episode of Hold the Sunset.

Personal life

Packer is divorced from American actor Jesse Newman and in 2006 lived in Cardiff with their son Paris.[3]

Filmography

TV

Year Title Character Production Notes
1990 - 2000 Brookside Josie Johnson/Brooks Channel 4 17 episodes.
1992 Crime Story Barbara Pilkington ITV 1 episode: "All Good Friends"
1994 The Lifeboat Helen Mitchell Unknown 1 episode: "Shadow of Doubt"
1995 Grange Hill Miss Foster BBC 2 episodes: (season 18, episode 19), (season 18, episode 20)
1995 Some Kind of Life Dr. Judson Unknown
1996 Wales Playhouse Veronica BBC Wales 1 episode: "Strangers in the night"
1996 Porkpie Trish Channel 4 1 episode: "Fatal Distraction"
1997 Tiger Bay Marie Unknown 4 episodes.
1998 Brothers and Sisters Siobhan Etienne Unknown
1999 The Bill Katherine Adams ITV 1 episode: "Treading Water"
2000 Dirty Work Rhiannon Unknown 6 episodes.
2002 Third Watch Dr. Sharon Reid NBC American crime drama. Episode: "The Greater Good"
2003 – 2015, 2016 Casualty Tess Bateman BBC Left in August 2015, appeared in 30th Anniversary Special in August 2016.

Directed 1 episode:

"Guilty Secrets" (2010)

2004 - 2005 Holby City Tess Bateman BBC 2 episodes:

"Casualty @ Holby City: Part Two" (2004)

"Casualty @ Holby City: Deny thy father - Part 2" (2005)

2005 Casualty @ Holby City Tess Bateman BBC Crossover Drama.

3 episodes:

"Crash and Burn" (2005)

"Teacher's Pet" (2005)

"Interactive: something we can do" (2005)

2014 Under Milk Wood Mrs. Beynon BBC (TV Movie)
2015 Doctors Rose Blair BBC "The Heart of England"
2016 Stella Carol Sky 1 series 5
2016 The Level Teresa Devlin ITV All 6 episodes. Recurring role.
2017 Vera Sophia ITV "Natural Selection"
2017 Bang Layla S4C All 8 episodes. Bilingual Drama (Welsh/English)
2017 Keeping Faith Delyth Lloyd S4C All 8 episodes. Bilingual Drama (Welsh/English)
2018 Death in Paradise Maya Oprey BBC series 7, episode 8
2018 Hold the Sunset Mrs. Pool BBC 1 episode: "Roger the Carer" (series 1, episode 5)

References

  1. 1 2 "Characters & Cast: Tess Bateman". Casualty. BBC. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  2. ↑ Hayward, Anthony (1996). Who's Who on Television. London: Boxtree. ISBN 0 7522 1067 X.
  3. 1 2 3 "Colin Jackson and his sister, Suzanne". Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Hayward 1996, p. 193
  5. ↑ "Episode 3". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2013.

Suzanne Packer on IMDb

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