Sarah-Jane Abigail Lancashire OBE (born 10 October 1964) is an English actress from Oldham, England. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1986 and began her career in local theatre, whilst teaching drama classes at the Salford University. Lancashire was cast in television programmes including Coronation Street (1991–1996, 2000), Where the Heart Is (1997–1999), Clocking Off (2000) and Seeing Red (2000) and earned widespread recognition. In July 2000, Lancashire signed a two-year golden handcuffs contract with the ITV network which made her the UK's highest paid television actress.
Subsequent television roles include the costume dramas Oliver Twist (2007), Lark Rise to Candleford (2008–2011) and The Paradise (2012), and the fact based dramas Cherished (2005) and Five Daughters (2010). Since the 2010s, Lancashire has earned success and critical acclaim for her roles in the drama series Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020), Happy Valley (2014–2023) and Julia (2022–present). Lancashire has also appeared in the feature films And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007) and Dad's Army (2016), and West End theatre productions including Blood Brothers in 1990, Guys and Dolls from 2005 to 2006 and Betty Blue Eyes in 2011.
Her combined acting credits have earned Lancashire a number of awards and nominations over a career spanning four decades, including two British Academy Television Award wins out of five nominations. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to drama.

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