Geraldine James

Geraldine James, OBE is an English actress. For her role as Portia in the 1989 Broadway revival of The Merchant of Venice, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play. She also won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 1989 Venice Film Festival for Shes Been Away. Theatre director Peter Hall says James ranks amongst the great English classical actresses.

James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father. She was educated at Downe House, a girls independent school in Newbury, Berkshire. After graduating from the Drama Centre London in 1973, she began her career in repertory theatre.

Source: Wikipedia