Name |
Andrea Arnold |
Height |
|
Naionality |
English |
Date of Birth |
5-April-1961 |
Place of Birth |
Dartford, Kent, England |
Famous for |
Acting |
Andrea Arnold is an Academy award winning filmmaker and former actress from England, who made her feature film directorial debut in 2006 with Red Road. After leaving school in the late 70s, Arnold got her first TV jobs as a dancer on shows that included Top of the Pops. She first came to prominence as an actress and television presenter alongside Sandi Toksvig, Nick Staverson and Neil Buchanan in the 1980s children's television show No. 73. This Saturday morning show on ITV, in which she played Dawn Lodge, had a similar premise to that of The Kumars at No. 42 in the way that the show was part sitcom, part chat show and based at a domestic residence. In addition to these parts, the show had the usual mix of music, competitions and cartoons (such as Roger Ramjet) that was in keeping to the formula of British Saturday morning children's TV of the 1980s.
After a couple of years of experience in front of the camera, Arnold realized, “Television was great fun and I went along for the ride, but I never felt that comfortable in front of the camera". In 1988 No. 73 had morphed into 7T3, with the set being moved from the Maidstone house (in fact in TVS studios in Kent) to that of a theme park. This revamp would only last the season, but Arnold would be seen for another two years in the same timeslot as part of the Motormouth presenting team. In 1990 she presented and wrote for the environmental awareness show for teens, A Beetle Called Derek. This also featured Benjamin Zephaniah and gave exposure to The Yes/No People of Stomp fame.
After retiring from her career as a television presenter, Arnold studied directing at the prestigious AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles and trained in screenwriting at the PAL Labs in Kent. Her early short films included Milk (1998) and Dog (2001). She won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for Wasp, in 2003. She was also named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.