Jessie Wallace (born Karen Jane Wallace; 25 September 1971) is an English actress. She is known for her role of Kat Slater in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, for which she won the National Television Awards for Most Popular Newcomer (2001) and Most Popular Actress (2003), and the British Soap Award for Best Actress (2011). She was nominated for the 2011 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Pat Phoenix in the BBC Four drama The Road to Coronation Street (2010).

Early life

Wallace was born at 204 Durants Road, Enfield, Greater London, to James, a telecommunications engineer, and Annette, a secretary. Her parents divorced when she was aged three and she and her sister were raised by their father (however, she did see her mother at weekends). She adopted her stage name after her late grandmother.

Career

After schooling, Wallace trained as a make-up artist at the College of North East London in Tottenham and worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company for two years. She met and became friends with actor Iain Glen, who helped her apply for London drama college The Poor School, from where she graduated in 1999. While undertaking auditions – including for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, she worked as a barmaid at her local pub, The Royal Oak in Loughton, Essex.