Lynda La Plante was born on March 15, 1943 in Newton, Lancashire, England, as Lynda J Titchmarsh. She is a writer and producer, known for Bella Mafia (1997), Prime Suspect 3 (1993) and Above Suspicion (2009). La Plante was educated at England's Royal College of Dramatic Art and began her career as a stage and television actress. She worked with the National Theatre, and appeared in The Gentle Touch, Out, and Minder, as well as in Rentaghost, a British children's television series, before turning to scriptwriting. In the U.S., La Plante is best known as the author of Prime Suspect, a mystery-thriller television series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison. The… critically-acclaimed show has received numerous awards in both the U.S. and Britain, including two Emmys and Britain's prestigious BAFTA award for best drama series. La Plante has written several other television dramas and mini-series, including Bella Mafia, Cold Blood, Cold Shoulder 2, Framed, and Seekers. La Plante's first novels, The Legacy and Bella Mafia, were both international bestsellers. She is also the author of several mystery novels, including a novelization of the Prime Suspect series and a series featuring sleuth Lorraine Page. Other titles include Entwined, Cold Shoulder, The Governor, and She's Out. British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awarded her with the prestigious Dennis Potter Writers Award. La Plante also received the Edgar Allan Poe Writer's Award and an Emmy Award for Best Mini Series: Prime Suspect.