Brenda Blethyn, born Brenda Bottle on 20 February 1946 in Ramsgate, England, is a celebrated English actress renowned for her character work and remarkable versatility, earning her a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, alongside nominations for two Academy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Before pursuing acting, Blethyn worked in administrative roles, but she decided to follow her passion in her late 20s, enrolling at the Guildford School of Acting. She then joined the Royal National Theatre, where her standout performance in the play Benefactors in 1984 earned her a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Actress of the Year in a New Play. Blethyn made her Broadway debut in 2004 in a revival of Marsha Norman's play 'Night Mother, further showcasing her stage prowess.

Blethyn's screen career began with a small part in Nicolas Roeg's film The Witches in 1990, but her breakthrough came with her starring role in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies in 1996. Her portrayal of Cynthia, a working-class woman discovering a long-lost daughter, won her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She earned a second Oscar nomination for her role in the 1998 film Little Voice, where she played the overbearing mother of a shy, gifted singer. Blethyn's filmography includes a wide range of notable works, such as A River Runs Through It in 1992, Saving Grace in 2000, Lovely & Amazing in 2001, Pride & Prejudice in 2005, and Atonement in 2007, demonstrating her ability to inhabit diverse characters.

On television, Blethyn made her screen debut in Mike Leigh's TV film Grown-Ups in 1980, and she later starred in sitcoms like Chance in a Million from 1984 to 1986, The Labours of Erica from 1989 to 1990, and Outside Edge from 1994 to 1996. She received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her portrayal of Auguste van Pels in the miniseries Anne Frank: The Whole Story in 2001 and for a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2008. However, Blethyn is perhaps best known to modern audiences for her iconic role as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope in the ITV crime drama Vera, which she starred in from 2011 to 2025, earning widespread acclaim for her portrayal of the sharp, unassuming detective. Recognized for her contributions to drama, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003, cementing her legacy as one of Britain's most respected and versatile actresses.