- In 2002 she was awarded an Audie for her narration of the Bridget Jones Diary. She also narrated the sequel, "The Edge of Reason."
- Despite playing their mother on Scott & Bailey (2011), Bennett is just 12 years older than Sally Lindsay and 17 years older than Suranne Jones.
- Nominated for both a Tony and Olivier award for her performance as Judy Garland in 'End of the Rainbow.'.
- She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1995 (1994 season) for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for her performance in She Loves Me.
- She was nominated for a 2004 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical of 2003 for her performance in High Society performed at the Open Air Theatre.
- In 1984 she was awarded the Manchester Evening news Award for best actress. This was for her performances in 'Merrily We Roll Along' and 'Carousel'.
- Her youthful complexion in the 1980s resulted in her making a name for herself portraying teenagers e.g. Bennett played 16-year-old Sharon Gaskell on Coronation Street (1960) at 21 and 18-year-old Mallandra Bradshaw on Shirley Valentine (1989) at 28.
- Has won two prestigious Laurence Olivier awards on London's west end stage- both as supporting performance in a musical for 'She Loves Me' and 'Hairspray'.
- Has played the mother of Sally Lindsay on Scott & Bailey (2011), as has Pauline Collins on Mount Pleasant (2011). Bennett previously played Collins' daughter in Shirley Valentine (1989).
- Has played Judy Garland professionally at least three times: The Long Firm, a celebrity version of Stars in Their Eyes, and onstage in End of the Rainbow.
- Has an older sister, Julie (b. 1959).
- Her mother is actress Wanda Ventham.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content