Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Liz White - Biography

The Life on Mars actress and Ackley Bridge star was born in 1979

Liz White smiling at a red carpet event
Hannah Watkin
Content Writer
Share this:

Liz White's Early Life

Liz was born in Rotheram, England on the 5 November 1979. She was raised by a homemaker mother and a father who worked for an insurance company. Like most teenagers, she graduated high school but her path paved its way to performing when she attended the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, where she graduated from in 2002. 

Liz White's TV and Film Career

Her first major breakthrough role saw her in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet where she played the role of Lorraine for two episodes. Her career then became rhythmic, seeing her landing roles in a few series and films along the way. She hit screens nation-wide when she took on the role of Pamela Barnes in Academy Award-winning and BAFTA winning British film Vera Drake, acting alongside Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Eddie Marsan and Daniel Mays. 

Then came Life On Mars from 2006-2007, the show where she assumed the role of Annie Cartwright for 16 episodes, leading to raving reviews of the Northern-born actress who gave a stellar performance in the hit series. She later appeared in The Crimson Petal and the White, which at first came under heavy fire by critics but later saw them warm to the movie, which now has high star ratings and reviews across the board. 

Her unending talents soon found herself playing the eponymous Woman in Black herself, Jennet Humfrye, in the 2012 film adaptation starring Daniel Radcliffe which led to more positive reviews than bad. She starred in Call the Midwife in 2016 and 2017 as Rhoda Mullacks, a mother affected by the thalidomide scandal. She returned to the role in 2022 for the Christmas special.

More recently, in 2017 she starred as Emma Keane in Ackley Bridge, a role that she owned until 2019. In 2021, she starred in ITV crime drama Unforgotten, playing the main role of Fiona Grayson opposite Peter Egan, Nicola Walker, Lewis Reeves and Pippa Nixon, giving a more than unforgettable performance. 

Liz White's Stage Career

Not only is Liz a TV sensation, but she is also a talented stage actress. In 2010, she graced the National Theatre stage in Tennessee Williams’ play Spring Storm, playing the role of Heavenly Critchfield. This culminated in her performing in two other plays over the next three years, later transferring to the Bristol Old Vic to fill the boots of Chrysothemis in Sophocles’s Greek tragedy Electra, acting opposite Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Wight, whom she also worked with in BBC series Our Zoo

Liz White's Personal Life

Much is unknown about her love life, her family or her childhood, as Liz likes to remain a private person. However, what we do know is that she is an avid traveller, a yoga enthusiast and owns a home in Halifax, England where it’s believed she resides, with a net worth of around $3 million (approximately £2,174,000).

More Profiles

See more