MARIA Friedman is well-known for her role in Walford – but she has even more expertise in the biz.
Maria Friedman's West End success
The 63-year-old actress played Linda Carter's mum Elaine Peacock in the BBC soap.
Maria was the original actress to play Elaine and starred in the role from 2014 until 2017.
Away from TV, Maria has various other star-studded roles.
Maria is best known for her work in the West End, and was famously the narrator of hit musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Her multi-faceted career has even included directing a show starring none other than Harry Potter favourite, Daniel Radcliffe.
This sparkling new role as director for Merrily We Roll Along, where Daniel played Charley Kringas, saw Maria direct the show on Broadway, over the past year.
Despite hitting Broadway this year, Maria has worked in stage productions since 1989, for some of the biggest on-stage performances – like Sweeney Todd and Chicago.
She has certainly made a name for herself in the field, winning Best Actress in a Musical award twice.
From stage to screen
Maria has also made several cameos in well-known series like BBC1's Casualty, Unforgotten, and Red Dwarf.
The star has fulfilled countless performance roles from singing in 'Hey, Mr Producer!' and appearing as a soloist in the BBC Proms tribute to Stephen Sondheim at the Royal Albert Hall.
Due to her vocal skills, Maria has released a jaw-dropping four solo albums, including: Maria Friedman, Maria Friedman Live, Now and Then, and Maria Friedman Celebrates The Great British Songbook.
She previously won an Olivier Award for her one-woman cabaret, 'Maria Friedman By Special Arrangement', winning a stunning three in total and been nominated for seven.
Personal life
Maria has two children, one with director Jeremy Sams and one with cameraman Oleg Poupko.
The actress was previously married to dancer Roland Brine and is currently married to husband Adrian Der Gregorian.
A new face in EastEnders
Maria's role in EastEnders is now played by legendary sitcom actress Harriet Thorpe.
The character returned to the square in 2023, bringing her new partner George Knight and his two daughters Gina and Anna to Albert Square.
