Nia Roberts (born 5 July 1972 in Brecon, Powys), is a Welsh actress.


Biography

The youngest of three girls, Roberts was born and brought up in Brecon, Powys. Her first language is Welsh, and she attended Brecon's Welsh-medium primary school Ysgol-y-Bannau from 1975 to 1983. Her family were active members of the Brecon Little Theatre amateur dramatics group, and aged seven she first trod the boards. Five years later, she landed her first television role as the lead girl in "The Farm", a 30-minute Jackanory play for BBC1.

After gaining ten GCSE's and three A Levels, she also joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales. She then studied acting at Birmingham University, where she passed with distinction.

Career

Her big break came in 1998 when she was cast in the Paul Morrison-directed Solomon a Gaenor, opposite Ioan Gruffudd. Roberts turned up to the audition wearing hiking boots and an old baggy jumper that came down to her knees, having just returned from a two-month trip to South America. With dialogue in Welsh and Yiddish, it won Best Film at the 2000 Verona Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2000 Oscars.

Her subsequent Welsh-language credits included: Fondue, Rhyw a Deinosors!, Dr Terribles House of Horrible, Border Café, Newes of the Weeke, Y Palmant Aur, Glan Hafren and Pobol y Cwm. She recently played Kirsti O'Shea in S4C's Sopranos-by-the-sea, Y Pris.

In 2009, she starred in the BBC Wales commissioned, Tony Jordan produced hospital drama Crash! as Registrar Mary Finch.

In 2010, she guest starred in the two part Doctor Who Series 5 story, The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood. She also stars in her husband's film Patagonia, a drama set in Y Wladfa, Argentina.
[edit] Personal life

Married to director Marc Evans, the couple are resident in Cardiff, and have a daughter Edith.