Anna Smith (born 29 January 1977), known professionally as Anna Acton, is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Geri Evans in the Channel 5 soap opera Family Affairs, Rochelle Barratt in the ITV procedural series The Bill and DC Emma Summerhayes in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Early and personal life
Acton was born as Anna Smith on 29 January 1977 in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. She holds both British and American citizenship. Her interest in acting began as a child in her friend's back garden, where her friend's mother held a small drama group. The couple reside in Buckinghamshire and have two daughters.
Career
Acton made her professional acting debut in a production of Cor, Blimey! at the Watford Palace Theatre in 2000. She continued making minor appearances in various projects, including her television debut as a guest character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2001. Then, in 2002, she was cast as Geri Evans in the Channel 5 soap opera Family Affairs. She remained in the role until 2005, during which time she received a nomination for Best Actress at the British Soap Awards. She also appeared in two episodes of Doctors in 2006 and 2008, as well as an episode of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. In 2007, she starred as Louise Martin in two episodes of HolbyBlue, followed by a role in Harley Street in 2008.
In 2014, she was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, marking her second role in the soap. She portrayed DC Emma Summerhayes, a police officer investigating Lucy Beale's (Hetti Bywater) murder, until 2015 when the character was killed off. From 2015 to 2016, Acton appeared in the BBC medical series Casualty as Nikki Chisom. In 2018, she appeared in Birches, a UK-based feature based on the novel Silver Birches by Adrian Plass.
In 2018, Acton returned to theatre work, appearing in The Gulf at the Tristan Bates Theatre. A year later, she appeared in a production of The Permanent Way at the Vaults in London. In 2021, Acton appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Vicki. In 2023, she returned to Casualty, this time in the guest role of Piper Fulley. 2026 saw her appear in the ITV1 thriller series Gone.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2009
| The Killers
| Danielle
|
|-
| 2010
| Little Deaths
| Annabel
|
|-
| 2018
| Degenerates
| Susan Moore
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2019
| Mapped
| Izzy
| Short film
|-
| Birches
| Jessica
|
|-
| 2020
| Shapes
| Ms Roberts
|
|-
| 2021
| Smudged Smile
| Laura
| Short film
|-
| 2025
| Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
| Jillian
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2001
| EastEnders
| Jane Madden
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2002–2005
| Family Affairs
| Geri Evans
| Regular role
|-
| 2005
| The Bill
| Rochelle Barratt
| Main role
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2006
| Doctors
| Rachel Cook
| Episode: "Home from Home"
|-
| Hollyoaks
| D.C. Mullins
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2007
| HolbyBlue
| Louise Martin
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2008
| Harley Street
| Claudia
| 1 episode
|-
| The Wrong Door
| Various roles
| Episode: "The Wizard of Office"
|-
| Doctors
| Kira Chesterton
| Episode: "Hopelessly Devoted"
|-
| 2010
| The Little House
| Ruth's Mother
| 1 episode
|-
| 2011
| Casualty
| Alex Scotton
| Episode: "The Ties That Bind"
|-
| 2012
| Crime Stories
| Polly Andrews
| 1 episode
|-
| 2013
| Doctors
| Dorothy Bale
| Episode: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
|-
| 2013–2015
| Topsy and Tim
| Joy O’Dell
| Main role
|-
| 2014–2015
| EastEnders
| DC Emma Summerhayes
| Regular role
|-
| 2015–2016
| Casualty
| Nikki Chisom
| Recurring role
|-
| 2016
| rowspan="2"| Doctors
| Colette Pendleton
| Episode: "Cold Facts"
|-
| 2018
| Joanne Webber
| Episode: "Playtime"
|-
| 2019, 2023
| Brassic
| Lydia McCann
| Recurring role
|-
| 2020
| Roadkill
| Stella Faber
| 1 episode
|-
| 2021
| Doctors
| Vicki
| Episode: "This is Not a Pipe"
|-
| 2023
| Casualty
| Piper Fulley
| Episode: "The Ostrich Effect"
|-
| 2024
| Rivals
| Mary Gordon-Lennox
| 1 episode
|-
| 2026
| Gone
| Phillipa Dyce
| 1 episode
|}
Video games
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
| 2016
| Hue
| Hue's Mom (voice)
|}
Stage
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Venue
|-
| 2000
| Cor, Blimey!
| Sally
| Watford Palace Theatre
|-
| 2007
| Noises Off
| Brooke Ashton
| Liverpool Playhouse
|-
| 2009
| The Hokey Cokey Man
| Jenny/Eileen
| New End Theatre
|-
| 2018
| The Gulf
| Betty
| Tristan Bates Theatre
|-
| 2019
| The Permanent Way
| Investment Banker/Second Bereaved Mother
| The Vaults
|-
| 2025
| Blessings
| Dorie
| Riverside Studios
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
!
|-
| 2002
| rowspan="2"| British Soap Awards
| Sexiest Female
| rowspan="2"| Family Affairs
|
| align="center" |
|-
| 2003
| Best Actress
|
| align="center" |
|}