Helen Catherine "Kate" Lonergan (born 4 January 1962 in Barton-upon-Irwell, Lancashire) is an English former actress, best known for playing the role of Marian in the 1989–94 BBC One children's television series Maid Marian and her Merry Men.Prior to being cast as Marian, Lonergan had appeared in the screenplay Testimony of a Child and The Tall Guy.