Anna Maxwell Martin looks so different in throwback photo from before she was famous

Anna Maxwell Martin is wowing audiences with her compelling performance in ITV's latest true-crime drama, Until I Kill You, in which she stars opposite Endeavour's Shaun Evans.

The actress plays nurse Delia Balmer, who survived a brutal attack from murderer John Sweeney in the 1990s. The series follows the pair's relationship, from their first meeting in a London pub to Delia's attempt to get John sent down for his crimes.

Anna has been a regular face on our screens for years, having shot to fame following her breakout performance in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House, before later starring in Motherland and Line of Duty. It's been over 20 years since Anna made her professional debut on the stage – and her character is worlds away from the roles that made her famous.

Anna's career throwback

Back in 2001, Anna made her acting debut starring opposite Penelope Wilton in a production of  Lillian Hellman's 1939 play, The Little Foxes, at London's Donmar Theatre.

Anna played the role of innocent teenager Alexandra Giddens, Penelope's on-stage daughter, in the Alabama-set play.

A photo taken during one of the performances shows a fresh-faced Anna,  sporting long, mousy brown hair – a far cry from the blonde, shoulder-length hairdo she now sports.

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Anna's career and breakout role

After her stage debut, Anna went on to star as Lyra in the National Theatre's production of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. It wasn't long before she was cast in the BBC's adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel North and South in 2004, which starred Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe.

Anna's breakthrough role came in 2005 when she played the lead character Esther Summerson in Bleak House, a performance which won her the Best Actress BAFTA Television Award in 2006.

Since then, Anna has starred in a wide range of major TV shows and films, including Becoming Jane, Philomena and The Bletchley Circle.

She's perhaps best known for playing frantic mum Julia in the BBC sitcom Motherland, as well as the no-nonsense DCS Patricia Carmichael in Line of Duty.

More recently, she starred in the BBC detective drama Ludwig and is currently on our screens as Delia in ITV's Until I Kill You. 

Anna's family life

Away from the cameras, Anna is a mum to her two teenage daughters, Maggie and Nancy, whom she shares with her late husband, director Roger Michell.

Roger, who was known for directing Notting Hill and The Duke, sadly died at the age of 65 in 2021, the year after he and Anna separated.