Many world-class professionals in theatre, TV and music have honed their craft at Royal Holloway.
Drama, Theatre and Dance graduates go on to inspiring careers as actors, TV and film producers, media trainers and globally successful musicians as well as many other roles within, and outside of, the creative arts. Royal Holloway alumni include are world-famous actors, globally successful musicians, and notable script editors and producers.
Jeremy Northam (1961-)
BA English, 1984 Bedford College
Jeremy has enjoyed considerable success on stage and screen. His big break came as Hamlet at the National Theatre, taking over from Daniel Day-Lewis who became ill half an hour into his performance.
He went on to win an Olivier Award as Best Newcomer for his performance in the National Theatre's production of The Voysey Inheritance.
After several seasons at the RSC and the National Theatre he moved into film, scoring a hit as the resolute Mr Knightley who led Gwyneth Paltrow to the altar in the film Emma.
Jeremy played Sir Robert Morton in The Winslow Boy (with Nigel Hawthorne), Sir Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband (with Cate Blanchett), Ivor Novello in Gosford Park and opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in an adaption of AS Byatt’s novel Possession.
For television he played Thomas More in The Tudors and Prime Minister Anthony Eden in The Crown. In the 2009 film Creation, based on the life of Charles Darwin, he played the part of John Brodie Innes.
Emma Freud OBE (1962-)
BA Drama & Theatre Studies, 1984 Royal Holloway College
Emma is Director of Red Nose Day and a co-founder of Comic Relief.
She has collaborated with her husband Richard Curtis CBE as an associate film producer and script editor on a number of films and television series including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and The Vicar of Dibley.
Emma is a former television and radio presenter (GLR, BBC Radio One and Channel 4) and has written for The Telegraph on the travails of her family as they left London to live in New York City for a year.
She was appointed OBE in 2011 for services to Comic Relief.
Mark Strong (1963-)
BA Drama & Theatre Studies, 1985 Royal Holloway College
Mark was described by Sir Ian McKellen as "the greatest living actor in England right now".
He first came to prominence in the television series Our Friends in the North and has appeared in numerous films such as Syriana, RocknRolla, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, Kick-Ass, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Green Lantern.
In 2015 Mark won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his role in A View from the Bridge, which he starred in as Eddie Carbone at the Young Vic.
When performed the play on Broadway he was similarly acclaimed, becoming nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play and the Tony Award for Best Actor.
Francis Hopkinson (1967-)
BA Drama & Theatre Studies, 1989 Royal Holloway College
A BAFTA-winning television executive, Francis is ITV’s Creative Director for Drama. He co-founded Left Bank Pictures and there won a BAFTA as Executive Producer of Wallander with Kenneth Branagh.
He began as a script editor on The Bill and has worked alongside actors such as Ray Winstone, Helena Bonham-Carter, Charles Dance, Derek Jacobi and fellow alumnus Mark Strong.
From 2005-07 Francis was Senior Commissioning Editor (Drama) at Channel 4 and his output included E4 teen drama Skins, Elizabeth I starring Helen Mirren and Bradford Riots and Longford, both winners at the 2007 RTS programme awards.
He left Channel 4 in order to help start up Left Bank with his old ITV colleague Andy Harries, garnering an Emmy Award for Henry VIII.
Robin Ince (1969-)
BA English & Drama, 1991 RHBNC
Robin is a comedian, actor and writer, best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox.
He appeared at Greyfriars Kirkhouse at the 1990 Edinburgh Festival where Eddie Izzard was running a venue, performing in the play Shadow Walker by Trevor Maynard.
He also appeared at the Cafe Royale in 2001 as part of the Edinburgh Fringe show Rubbernecker, alongside Stephen Merchant, Jimmy Carr and Ricky Gervais.
In his Book Club night at The Albany (London) acts were encouraged to perform new and experimental material. Ince read from – and humorously criticised – various second-hand books which had been brought along by the audience.
He took it on a full UK tour in 2006, winning the Time Out Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.
In 2010 he published a book entitled Robin Ince's Bad Book Club talking about some of the books he had used in his shows.
In 2013 Robin co-created and launched The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome, an online video based science magazine where he acted as host. Contributors have included Brian Cox, Helen Czerski, Stephen Fry, Chris Hadfield and Stewart Lee.