Amanda Burton

Actor

One of the most respected television actors in the United Kingdom, Amanda Burton is best known for her role as sharp and persistent forensic pathologist Sam Ryan in the BBC series Silent Witness. A familiar face to viewers, she has starred in numerous high-profile productions since 1982, when she debuted as one of the original cast members of the soapy drama series Brookside. She then had critical and popular success as a no-nonsense doctor in three seasons of Peak Practice (1993-95), followed in 1996 by her first episodes of Silent Witness. A dependable lead, Burton has also appeared in the TV productions of Boon (1986), Inspector Morse: The Setting of the Sun (1988), The Gift (1998) and Helen West (2002).

Extra credit: Burton married photographer and film director Sven Arnstein in 1989... Some sources list her birthdate as 8 January 1957.

Other TV forensic scientists include William Petersen (C.S.I.) and Jack Klugman (Quincy)... Other U.K. actors of Burton's era: Jenny Agutter, Elizabeth Hurley and Kristin Scott Thomas.