Biography

Angela Lonsdale (née Smith; 13 October 1967) is an English actress. Born to a policeman father, Lonsdale trained at Brewery Youth Theatre at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal. Whilst there, she took part in many amateur productions, including plays by local playwrights John Newman-Holden and Tim Bull. After initial rejection, Lonsdale then graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Lonsdale is best known for her portrayal of police officer Emma Watts (née Taylor) on the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street. First appearing in April 2000, her storylines included a long-lasting feud with neighbour Les Battersby and a tempestuous marriage to Curly Watts, with whom she departed Weatherfield in September 2003 upon securing a job promotion. Next, Lonsdale began appearing as DI Eva Moore in the daytime BBC drama Doctors. She left the programme in October 2008 when her character was shot and presumed dead, but made a brief return in September 2011. Between 2012 and 2013, Lonsdale played the matriarch of a family of wolves in the children's television series Wolfblood. Her other notable credits have included All Quiet on the Preston Front, The Bill, Casualty, Holby City, Joe Maddison's War, This Is England '90, Scott & Bailey, Vera, Our Girl, The Syndicate, and Hollyoaks.