With a career spanning decades, actress Amanda Redman is an actress who is best known for her roles in New Tricks and The Good Karma Hospital. In 2012 she was appointed an MBE for her services to drama and charity.
How old is Amanda Redman?
Amanda was born 12 August 1957. Despite looking fantastic for her age, she admits she's not a fan of birthdays.
“No I don't like birthdays. Not anymore.” When she reaches her 65th on August 12, “I’m going to be doing technical rehearsals until God knows what time, so I shan’t be celebrating at all,” she insists.
“I turned 60 doing Good Karma Hospital and let them know under no circumstances was there to be anything because it would depress me. My make-up artist, in the morning, whispered ‘happy birthday’ which was sweet. We got through the day with nothing. Then, just as I was leaving, they were all there with cakes and stuff. I had to be gracious as it was very nice of them, but oh God…”
What is it about your 60s that bothers you? “Everything. I find it hard to think of positives. Things start to ache. I’m very energetic; I’m in the gym every day, so that drives me potty and work-wise, it’s not great for older women either. And you start losing people. Friends say, ‘Well, we’re at that age.’ God, it’s depressing.”
"For me it's not just about looking good, it's about staying fit and healthy. I exercise - a lot - even though I don't like it much. I do at least five hours a week but it takes up a lot of time and it's not always to shoe-horn in."
She also watches what she eats to retain her envy-inducing figure, claiming to be a 'bit of a pig' at heart!
Amanda Redman: movies and TV shows
Amanda Redman in The Good Karma Hospital
Amanda plays Dr Lydia Fonseca, and has been in The Good Karma Hospital since its first series in 2017. She stars alongside actors Amrita Acharia, Neil Morrisey and James Floyd.
Although set in the southern Indian state of Kerala, the medical drama is actually filmed on the island of Sri Lanka. The location is one of great beauty but for Amanda Redman, the loveliness of the Sri Lankan people is just as enchanting as the landscape. If not more so.
“Quite simply, they are the most joyful and loving people I’ve ever met,” she says. “They have so very little materially and yet they give off such feelings of hope and positivity. I found their kindness to be off the scale – so much so, I ended up in tears."
Amanda says she thinks we have a lot to learn from the Sri Lankan way of life.
“There’s a fantastic acceptance and positivity surrounding things such as illness, death and the general hardness that is a part of life. The people there know you have to look for the good in absolutely everything, be grateful for what you do have, not take anything for granted and take life’s tough times on the chin. For them it’s like, ‘OK – this has happened, this is how we’re going to deal with it and get on with life’”.
“It’s a different attitude and mindset and, I think, a very refreshing one. In the West, we expect everything to be perfect and we take so much for granted. We’re very spoilt. Sri Lanka is a very spiritual place and this makes me feel very calm. These tranquil qualities do not take anything away from the grittiness of the stories we’re telling in The Good Karma Hospital, however. In fact, I think the lush settings juxtaposed against the often-tough, touch-and-go narratives make the drama all the more compelling."
Amanda Redman in New Tricks
You may also recognise Amanda for her role as Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman in the BBC One series New Tricks.
Working alongside Dennis Waterman, James Bolam and Alun Armstrong for a decade on New Tricks was, she says, joyous. “The four of us were so close. James and I were chatting and both said it was, without doubt, our favourite job. It was a very happy time.”
Sadly Dennis Waterman died from lung cancer in May aged 74. “Dennis was one of the loveliest men I have ever known in my life,” she says.
Friendship is of the utmost importance to Amanda.
“The trust and loyalty that true friends bring to each other is priceless,” she goes on. “You want to know that your friends have got your back – no matter what, that they won’t judge you and will keep your confidence. Humour is important, too. All my friends have these qualities, so I feel lucky about that.”
What else is Amanda Redman known for?
New Tricks is one of many successes that have made Amanda one of the nation’s favourite actresses. At Home with the Braithwaites, Sexy Beast, Hope & Glory, Dangerfield and The Good Karma Hospital are just a few others. She has no intention of ever retiring, yet in recent times, she’s worried if she’d work again as meaty roles for older actresses are woefully few. Older men have far more opportunities.
“It makes my blood boil,” says Amanda, a supporter of the Acting Your Age campaign, which challenges the lack of meaningful representation of women over 45. “It doesn’t make sense. The demographic of people watching TV is women over 50 and everybody wants to see themselves reflected on screen. Under-representation makes women feel like they aren’t important anymore and from a mental health perspective, that’s very damaging.”
Who is Amanda Redman's husband?
Amanda married actor Robert Glenister in 1984; they had one child together, daughter Emily, before divorcing in 1992. She married designer Damien Schnabel 12 years ago, and admits she feels she struck gold when she married Damien.
“I’m extremely lucky to be married to Damien,” she smiles. “In him, I have all the qualities I look for in a husband. He tells me I’m beautiful when I’m feeling rubbish, he’s kind, loyal, has a great sense of humour and is a wonderful cook. We bicker at times and take the mick out of each other, but there’s such deep love and enjoyment of each other, and companionship and the feeling of being a real team.
“Damian is my absolute rock and is always there for me, through thick and thin. As I am for him.”
Amanda has been with brand specialist Damian Schnabel (50) for 25 years and they’ve been married for 12. “He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met, and he’s a brilliant cook... probably the most important thing,” she says. “He’s the most loyal person, incredibly supportive, incredibly generous. He’ll do anything for everybody. I’m extremely lucky – I just wish I could have met him much earlier.”
Amanda Redman daughter
Amanda’s itching to become a grandma but has stopped urging her literary agent daughter Emily to make her one. “I started doing that, then somebody said to me, ‘You do realise you’re being very unfair?’ I thought: ‘Yes, I am…’ So, I shut my mouth now. I just do it in an underhanded way,” she laughs.
“She’s my world,” says Amanda of her daughter with first husband, actor Robert Glenister. “I adore her. She makes me laugh more than any other person. She’s done so well in her career and she’s very happily married. I’m very proud.”
What kind of grandma does Amanda see herself being?
“Oh, a fun one,” she grins. “Naughty grandma, that’s me. Then, when they get fractious, it’s back to Mummy and Daddy.”
How did Amanda Redman burn her arm?
As an 18-month-old, Amanda was badly burned when she tipped a pan of hot soup over herself. At one point she was pronounced clinically dead. She was in hospital until she was five and had many skin grafts. When she left, she understandably had a lot of pent-up energy, so her parents sent her to a Saturday morning ballet class. When it wasn’t her forte, the teacher suggested the drama class, which proved a welcome release and led to her passion for acting.
“Any experience anybody has at any time in their lives moulds them as people – especially when you’re young. I’m pretty strong and resilient, so it could have something to do with that or it could be genetically from my mum who was very strong,” she says. “Probably I would have found acting eventually. It would’ve happened the minute I went to school and started doing nativity plays. But it moved me in that direction earlier. I never wanted to do anything else.”
Has Amanda Redman directed anything?
took to the directors seat at the Edinburgh Festival in August 2022. Along with actor friend David Threlfall, she co-directed The Sneeze, a comedy starring graduates from her very own drama school, which opened the next day.
Lorna White is a Senior Digital Writer at Yours.co.uk. She was previously a writer at Yours Magazine writing features and news stories before joining the digital team. Lorna loves the great British countryside and likes to spend her spare time out and about in her home of Nottinghamshire walking her dog, Pippin.