Biography
Maria Aitken is a British actress, theatre director, writer and teacher. She was born on 12 September 1945 in Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory School, Sherborne School for Girls and St Anne's College, Oxford, where she read English Language and Literature.
As an actress she has appeared in films including Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), Half Moon Street (1986), A Fish Called Wanda (1988) – for which she received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Fierce Creatures (1997) and Asylum (2005). Her stage work includes leading roles with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and she has played more Noël Coward parts than any other actress.
Aitken has directed numerous plays in the West End and on Broadway. Her production of The 39 Steps ran for nine years in London and three years on Broadway, winning Olivier and Tony Awards. She has taught at Yale School of Drama, NYU and Juilliard.
