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Michelle Claire Ryan (born 22 April 1984) is an English actress. She was previously best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has also starred in the NBC television series remake Bionic Woman but this was cancelled after only 8 episodes out of the originally planned 13 episodes because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and was then later cancelled by the NBC network although to date no official word has been given by the network. Ryan has been among FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in 2002, 2004, 2005 (fourth, her highest ranking), and 2007. Cast as the lead in “The Bionic Woman,” (NBC, 2007- ), a decidedly darker and edgier re-imagining of the campy 1970s original action series, British actress Michelle Ryan was poised to become a stateside sensation after years of winning over hearts in the popular British soap opera, “EastEnders” (BBC, 1985–2005) and the thriller series, “Jekyll” (BBC One, 2006- ). A virtual unknown in the United States, Ryan was lucky to be picked by producers of the updated series, who supposedly passed on bona fide stars like Jennifer Aniston for the role. Meanwhile, Ryan found a welcome change of pace from soap operas to primetime television on a major American network – a nearly impossible transition for most actresses to make, particularly across the Atlantic. Michelle Ryan was born in Enfield, Greater London. Her father was a firefighter and her mother was a makeup artist for a beauty company, both of whom provided a happy and comfortable home for their children. After seeing a performance of “Grease” in the West End when she was 10, Ryan that she wanted to be an actress. She joined a local theater group and landed a part on the children’s show, “The Worst Witch” (1998-2001) when she was just 14. Following an appearance on “Burnside” (2000), Ryan landed the role of perpetually sweet and tearful Zoe Slater on “EastEnders” (BBC, 1984-2005), the popular British soap opera following the lives and loves of working class residents living in England’s Albert Square. The show, which aired in the U.S. on some PBS affiliates, remained a perennial favorite among fellow Brits, even gaining a small following in the Hollywood community. A member of a local theatre group since she was 10, she was picked for her role in EastEnders when she was 15 and first appeared on the show in September 2000; for the part, she affected an East End cockney accent, rather than speaking her usual Received Pronunciation. In 2005, she announced she was leaving EastEnders to concentrate on work in theatre and films. She has mused that her involvement with the show served as a dress rehearsal for working on Bionic Woman. Ryan got her first big break playing Zoe Slater in the BBC soap EastEnders. During summer 2005, Ryan appeared in a run of Who's the Daddy? at the King's Head Theatre. The play by Toby Young and Lloyd Evans is based on the David Blunkett paternity case. Ryan auditioned to replace Billie Piper as the Doctor's companion in Doctor Who; however, Freema Agyeman was ultimately chosen for the role. She had a small role in an episode of Marple which screened in February 2006, and also appeared in a small independent film the same year, Cashback. Undeterred, Ryan kept at it, landing small roles in the British made-for-television movie “Marple,” (2006): in an episode of the long-running mystery series “Poirot,” (ITV, 1989- ); and in a television version of the Jane Austen drama, “Mansfield Park” (2007). She also appeared in the films “Cash Back” (2006) and “I Want Candy,” (2007), before performing opposite Rowan Atkinson in a Mr. Bean sketch in the BBC’s “Comic Relief 2007: The Big One.” Her next recurring role was in the series, “Jekyll,” a modern take on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson horror novel, playing psychiatric nurse Katherine Reimer, who helps a Dr. Tom Jackman, share a body with his hideous alter ego, Mr. Hyde. The sassy and sophisticated Reimer was a welcome departure for Ryan and her fans, many of whom embraced the show’s erotic subtext. Despite her success in British television, Ryan remained unknown to American audiences – exactly what network executives wanted when combing through a thousand hopefuls in casting Jaime Sommers for “The Bionic Woman” (2007– ). Ryan inherited the title role from Lindsay Wagner, who starred in the original “Bionic Woman” (1976-78), a spin-off of the enormously popular “Six Million Dollar Man,” (1974-78) starring Lee Majors. Both shows revolved around ordinary people who suffer life-threatening accidents and are rebuilt with bionic body parts, giving them superhuman abilities to be used when called upon as secret operatives. NBC hoped to capitalize on recent successful remakes of other nostalgic favorites, including “Battlestar Galactica” (2004- ), which was produced by “Bionic Woman” showrunner David Eick. In early 2007, Ryan was seen as Maria in a new adaptation of Mansfield Park opposite Billie Piper for ITV and also as Lila in the film I Want Candy, co-starring Carmen Electra and Mackenzie Crook. In February 2007, it was announced that she had been cast as the lead in the new drama Bionic Woman. The series began airing on the American network NBC in September 2007. Ryan affects an American accent for the role of Jaime Summers, except in the episode "The Education of Jaime Summers" in which her character goes under cover as an English transfer student at a university; for this episode, she uses an Oxfordshire accent instead of her natural London accent. She has had professional dance training and attributes to it helping her with the physically demanding stunts required for the show. On Red Nose Day 2007, Ryan appeared in a brand new Mr. Bean sketch written and recorded for Comic Relief. She will shortly be seen in Flick, a new Welsh independent film co-starring Faye Dunaway and Leslie Phillips.In May 2007, Ryan revealed she auditioned for the role of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, eventually given to Eva Green the previous year. Prior to Bionic Woman, she appeared in Jekyll for the BBC, a modern day version of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde starring James Nesbitt. It began its six-episode run on June 16, 2007 and was released on DVD in the United States on September 18, 2007, one week prior to her debut in Bionic Woman. |
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