Biography
Alison Glennie, daughter of British civil servants, grew up on Kingston Hill, Surrey. Her arts career began as a child actor after an agent noticed her in the audience of a London production of Peter Pan. Her first significant film role was in Escape from the Sea (1968) for the Children's Film Foundation. Early on, she appeared in numerous commercials, including those for Smiths Crisps and Bisto gravy. After gaining admission to the Arts Educational School in London, she joined the London Festival Ballet Company, dancing as a garland girl in Sleeping Beauty for two seasons.
She portrayed Lavinia in the BBC series A Little Princess (1973), based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved children's book. As Kate in Horse in the House (1977) for Thames TV, she worked alongside a thoroughbred stallion named Orbit. In her teens, Alison became a full-time drama student at Arts Educational, Barbican, London. Her appearances in Power (1981) on BBC and Cribb (1980) on Granada led to her role as Ingrid, the neo-Nazi daughter, in Kessler (1981), a sequel to the long-running Secret Army. She has performed at Greenwich Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, and numerous regional venues across Britain during national tours.
In 1993, Alison moved to Ireland with her Irish husband, musician Robert McKahey, and has since lived by the sea in West Cork for thirty years. As a cross-disciplinary artist and arts facilitator, she integrates film, photography, visual arts, and drama into her workshops. She has also created and directed several inclusive short films featuring actors with Down syndrome. Her comedy heist On the Pigs Back was screened at multiple film festivals.
Her work as a voice artist for RTE Radio 1 has been especially rewarding; she has narrated many Book on One titles and voiced Elizabeth R in The Battle of Kinsale radio drama. After a lengthy hiatus, she returned to the stage as Queen Gertrude in Hamlet at the Cork Opera House. Her short film Point of Departure: A Lament captures a site-specific performance art piece she created to commemorate An Gorta Mor.
Most recently, Alison appeared as Muriel in the murder mystery Coast Road (2022) for Hard Bargain Pictures, filmed entirely along the stunning Wild Atlantic Way in County Cork, Ireland.
