Hollywood icon Gary Oldman is getting people talking with his latest Apple TV drama Slow Horses, but did you know his older sister is an EastEnders icon?
Yes, actress Laila Morse – best known for playing the role of Mo Harris – is related to award-winning actor and filmmaker.
The whole thing was quite a shock for a few, potentially kept a little more under the radar by Laila Morse’s use of a stage name – her real name is Maureen Oldman, FYI.
Oscar winning actor Gary has appeared in plenty of hit films including The Dark Knight, Dracula and the Harry Potter franchise as Sirius Black.
Back in 2021, Laila shared a wonderful picture alongside her brother during a trip to Las Vegas.
Captioning the post, Laila wrote: ‘Throwback to our trip to Las Vegas #lasvegas #palmsprings #family’.
Gary’s gripping crime show follows MI5 rejects exiled to the bleak Slough House to undertake the intelligence service’s least glamourous tasks under the stewardship of the filthy Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman).
Slow Horses has consistently been a hit with viewers and critics since it debuted in 2022 – and season 4 is no exception, having already achieved a 100% score on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Raving in Empire Magazine, critic James Dyer described the latest instalment as ‘outstanding’, writing: ‘Darkly funny and tighter than the buttons on Lamb’s sauce-stained shirt, this is yet another outstanding season for Apple’s brilliantly unconventional spy series.’
As for Laila’s iconic character Big Mo, the matriarch of the large Slater clan was introduced alongside the rest of the family in 2000. She was a regular on the BBC One soap until 2012, and continued to make recurring appearances for the next four years.
She returned in 2018 for another three year stint, and was last seen at Kat’s failed wedding to Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) in 2022.
For many years she was the business associate and lover of Fat Elvis (Shenton Dixon), a market worker that was often spoken about but only seen once.
The two later got engaged, but a few months later she revealed that he’d left her for his probation officer.
