Gillian Wright

Gillian Wright, (born; 5 May 1960) is an English actress who is best known for portraying the role of Jean Slater on the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders. She is a graduate in drama, English and dance, and was a teacher and theatre director before occupying acting roles.

Television

Wright was originally signed for one episode on EastEnders in December 2004, but bosses brought her back into the show a year later for four more episodes. After guest starring in two episodes of rival soap opera Coronation Street, she then returned to EastEnders on a recurring basis until her character finally moved into Albert Square in November 2007. In 2006 she collected a Mental Health Media Award for her portrayal of Jean Slater, a bipolar disorder sufferer. Her departure from the show was announced in 2010, along with her on-screen daughter Stacey Slater, played by Lacey Turner but it was later confirmed that she would return in spring 2011. In 2012, she won the 'Best Actress' award at the Inside Soap Awards. She departed EastEnders again in 2013 and returned for a short stint in August 2014. She also guest starred in one episode of hospital drama, Holby City in early 2015. She returned to EastEnders for a further three episodes in July 2015 and for a further five episodes between December 2015 and January 2016. Despite coming back into the show for a further episode in April 2016, Wright confirmed that she had no plans to make a full return to the soap opera. She guest starred in the one-off live episode of Irish sitcom, Mrs Brown's Boys in June 2016.

Theatre

Wright is an established theatre actress, and is a visiting director and workshop leader at drama schools, universities and with young people with special needs. She is a co-founder of Pilot Theatre, currently in residence at York's Theatre Royal.

In December 2011 she played the Fairy Godmother in the pantomime Dick Whittington and His Cat at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, starring alongside Jonathan Wilkes.

In September 2013 she appeared in the world premiere of five visceral new short plays under the collective title 'Religion and Anarchy' by Steven Berkoff at the Jermyn Street Theatre. From December 2013 to January 2014, she appeared as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage.