Valene Kane
Kane at the press conference of Profile, the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival
Born30 January 1987 (1987-01-30) (age 36)
Newry, Northern Ireland
OccupationActress
Years active2007–present

Valene Kane is a Northern Irish actress. On television, she gained prominence through her role as Rose Stagg in the BBC Two series The Fall (2013–2016).[1] She has since appeared in the BBC drama Thirteen (2016), the Stan series The Other Guy (2017–2019), the Sky Atlantic series Gangs of London (2020–2022), and the ITVX series The Winter King (2023). Her films include The Fading Light (2010) and Profile (2018).

Early life

Kane was born and raised in Newry, County Down. She is the daughter of former footballer and coach Val Kane.[2] From the age of 15, she was part of the National Youth Theatre, most notably starring in their production of 20 Cigarettes. She left Northern Ireland for London at 18 and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.[3]

Early Career

Kane was cast in The Fading Light by the director Ivan Kavanagh after he spotted her in a short film, July, that was posted on YouTube.[4] She was chosen partly for her successful experience with improvisation in the short film.[5]

Another film work Still Early, premiered at the Galway Film Festival.

Career

2013 saw Kane play Rose Stagg in BBC's The Fall,[3] and Dara in the comic Irish thriller Jump. That year she also played the title role in Strindberg's Miss Julie at the newly founded Reading Rep.[6]

Kane's further work for the BBC included taking the lead in BBC Three drama Thirteen, the second and third series of The Fall, Murder and, most recently, 2023's hugely popular Blue Lights.[3]

On the big screen, Kane played Lyra Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.[7][3]

Stage work has included Nance, in the Finborough Theatre's production of Autumn Fire,[8] The Love in Punchdrunk's production The Black Diamond,[9] which sold out "in mere minutes"[10] and Lady Lydia Languish in The Rivals.[11]

She also played Girleen in Martin McDonagh's The Lonesome West,[3] in which one reviewer said "Kane gives Girleen a schoolgirl reality, her confident swagger and challenge covering the only genuine feelings for anyone else that the play possesses".[12]

Shazad Latif, Timur Bekmambetov, Valene Kane at the press conference of Profile at Berlinale 2018

In 2018 Valene Kane played journalist Amy Whittaker who investigates the recruitment of young European women by ISIS in the 2018 thriller film Profile by Timur Bekmambetov. The film takes place entirely on computer screens. It premiered at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Panorama Audience Award.[13]

2019 saw Kane in Anne Sewitsky's Sonja: The White Swan which premiered at Sundance Film Festival[14] and in BBC TV Movie Counsel in which she played "an alpha female barrister [who] complicates her professional and personal life when she takes on a young client"[15]

Kane could also be heard on the Monobox Speech Share podcast reading from Marina Carr's "Portia Coughlan".[16]

Kane's radio drama work for the BBC includes The Demon Brother and Stroma Sessions for which she won Best Supporting Performer.[3]

In 2023, Kane starred as Lady Macbeth in a "subtly mercurial performance"[17] on the Royal Shakespeare Company main stage in Stratford, England[18] in a production that was "saved by its dark atmosphere and Valene Kane’s turn as Lady Macbeth"[19] She also played Morgan le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister in The Winter King which premiered on MGM+ in the United States abd on ITVX in the UK.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2010 The Fading Light Yvonne Winner - Best Irish Film - Dublin International Film Festival 2010 - Dir. Ivan Kavanagh
2011 War Games Monica Dir. Cosimo Alema
2012 Jump Dara Dir. Kieron J. Walsh
2014 '71 Orla Dir. Yann Demange
2015 Victor Frankenstein Mrs. Winthrop Dir. Paul McGuigan
2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Lyra Erso Dir. Gareth Edwards
2017 Ex-Patriot Riley Connors Dir. Conor Allyn
2018 Profile Amy Whittaker Winner - Panorama Audience Award - Dir. Timur Bekmambetov
2019 Sonja: The White Swan Connie In competition: Sundance & Berlin - Dir. Anne Sewitsky
2020 First Person: A Film About Love Annabelle Dir. Ashley Cahill
2020 Nowhere Special Celia Dir. Uberto Pasolini
2023 5 1/2 Love Stories Meghan Dir. Tomas Vengris

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2013–2016 The Fall Rose Stagg BBC Two (seasons 1–3)
2016 Thirteen D.S. Lisa Merchant BBC iPlayer's most requested show of 2016[20]
2016 Murder Brennan Dir. Birger Larsen
2017–2019 The Other Guy Olivia Collins Dir. Kacie Anning (2017), Gracie Otto (2019)
2018 Death and Nightingales Catherine Winters Dir. Allan Cubitt
2018 Women on the Verge Siobhan Created by Sharon Horgan & Lorna Martin. Dir. Annie Griffin
2018 Queen of the South Aideen
2018 Counsel Olivia Television film, dir. Declan Recks
2019 Hanna Nicola Gough Dir. Ugla Hauksdottir
2020–2022 Gangs of London Jacqueline Robinson Main role
2023 Blue Lights Angela Dir. Gilles Bannier
2023 The Winter King Morgan Dir. Otto Bathurst

Accolades

The Independent described her performance in The Fall as "the standout performance" of Series 2; "harrowing to watch and completely convincing"[21]

In BBC Three's kidnap drama Thirteen, she starred opposite Jodie Comer as Detective Lisa Merchant in a performance described as "superb" by the Radio Times: "The former star of The Fall's scenes [...] are among the show's most intriguing, simmering with sexual tension and professional frustration."[22]

Kane recently won 'Best Actress in a Lead Role' at the Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2019 for her performance as "a mother [who] refuses to bend to society's mores even in the face of unspeakable tragedy" in First Person: A Film About Love.[23] and won the BBC Audio Drama Award for Best Supporting Performer for her role in The Stroma Sessions.

The film Profile, in which she played a struggling undercover journalist who connects with a Jihadi through Facebook, won the Panorama Audience Award at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.[24]

Awards and nominations

Award Year[lower-alpha 1] Category Work Result Ref.
BBC Audio Drama Awards 2017 Best Supporting Performer Stroma Sessions Won [25]
Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2019 Best Actress in a Lead Role First Person: A Film About Love Won [26]
Philadelphia Independent Film Festival 2020 Best Actress First Person: A Film About Love Nominated [26]

References

  1. ↑ "Episode 4, Series 1, The Fall - BBC Two". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Fall's Valene Kane and her GAA dad Val talk pursuing their goals". www.irishnews.com. 24 September 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Reuben Joseph and Valene Kane will play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth at the RSC". rsc.org.uk. 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "From to the big screen; Newry-born Valene Kane says acting is about luck ... and she's got plenty of it at the moment. Audrey Watson reports". highbeam.com. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Valene Kane". Culturenorthernireland.org. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Miss Julie opens to critical acclaim". Reading Rep. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Does Jyn Erso Have a Sister in Star Wars: Rogue One?". 28 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Billington, Michael (6 March 2012). "Autumn Fire – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  9. ↑ HAzel (6 July 2011). "The Black Diamond: An Immersive Adventure". Londonist. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Stella Artois Black and Punchdrunk's 'The Black Diamond': exclusive ticket giveaway". Now-here-this.timeout.com. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "The Rivals". Mrhartstheatreco.com. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  12. ↑ McDonagh, Martin. "THE LONESOME WEST". ReviewsGate.com. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Berlin: 'Profile' Wins Panorama Audience Award". hollywoodreporter.com. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "'Sonja: The White Swan': Sundance Review". screendaily.com. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  15. ↑ "BBC iPlayer: Counsel". bbc.co.uk. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Actress Valene Kane on Ireland and her love of Marina Carr's "Portia Coughlan"". vimeo.com. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Stewart Lee rewrites Macbeth – with some questionable modern ideas". telegraph.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "RSC announces Reuben Joseph and Valene Kane as Macbeth leads". whatsonstage.com.
  19. ↑ "Stewart Lee rewrites Macbeth – with some questionable modern ideas". telegraph.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "Most requested show on BBC iPlayer in 2016". BBC. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Fall, Episode 2, Series 5 review". independent.co.uk. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  22. ↑ "Why you should be watching BBC3's Thirteen". radiotimes.com. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  23. ↑ "Sherman Oaks Film Festival". shermanoaksfilmfestival.com. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  24. ↑ "Berlin: 'Profile' Wins Panorama Audience Award". hollywoodreporter.com. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  25. ↑ "2017 BBC Audio Drama Awards Winners finalists". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  26. 1 2 "Valene Kane Awards". imdb (Index source only). Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  1. ↑ Year in which awards ceremony was held
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