Stephanie Cole

English actress Stephanie Cole has spent much of her career ahead of her time: thanks to her appearance, she has often been cast as characters far older than her actual age. A case in point was her role as Diana Trent, the co-star of the BBC sitcom "Waiting for God" from the early 1990s -- her character was that of an older lady, but Cole was just 48 when she landed the part. She began her long television career in the late 1960s, making brief appearances on a range of dramas, comedies, and thrillers -- and continuing her off-camera stage career -- until 1981, when she became one of the stars of the Japanese invasion war drama, "Tenko,"which was set in Singapore and featured a primarily female cast. As the '80s progressed, it became clear that Cole's sweet spot was comedy, and her steadily building momentum led to the highly successful part of Diana Trent--who meets and forms a relationship with Tom Ballard in a retirement village--earning Cole a British Comedy Award for Best TV Actress in 1992.

Heading into her mid-60s and finally nearing real older age, Cole's roles only increased, with a key supporting part on the comedy "Doc Martin" over the latter half of the 2000s, followed by a recurring part on "Coronation Street," the U.K.'s greatest soap opera institution, beginning in 2011.