Maria Aitken

Maria Aitken was born in Dublin, Ireland, into a prominent family. Her father, Sir William Aitken, was a Conservative MP, and her mother, Penelope Aitken, was the granddaughter of John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby, who served as the UK Representative to Ireland from 1939 to 1949. Aitken is also related to newspaper tycoon and wartime minister Lord Beaverbrook and is the sister of former Conservative cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken. Her education took her from Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory School in Norfolk to Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset, culminating in a degree in English Language and Literature from St Anne's College, Oxford.

Aitken has made significant contributions to both the West End and Broadway, notably directing the acclaimed production of The 39 Steps, which enjoyed a nine-year run in London and three years on Broadway, winning both Olivier and Tony Awards. In 2011, she directed Frank Langella in Man and Boy on Broadway. Aitken is also a Visiting Lecturer at esteemed institutions such as Yale, NYU, and Juilliard.

Her acting achievements span leading roles at the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the West End, making her the actress with the most Noël Coward leads. Her film credits include roles in Doctor Faustus (1967), A Fish Called Wanda (1988)—for which she received a BAFTA nomination—and Asylum (2005). Additionally, she authored two books: A Girdle Round the Earth, highlighting remarkable women travelers, and Style: Acting in High Comedy, published in 1996.