Sonia Friedman

Sonia Friedman hails from a family entrenched in music and musical theatre. Her mother, Clair, was a concert pianist and her father, Leonard, was a violinist and leader of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He later became the founder of the Scottish Baroque Ensemble. Friedman has three older siblings - Maria Friedman who is a celebrated actress and director, and frequent collaborator with her younger sister, violinist Richard Friedman (d.2023), and scientist Sarah Beecham - and a younger half-brother, filmmaker Ben. Her parents separated soon after she was born and they were brought up by their mother. Friedman lives in London with her partner, playwright Joe Murphy.

Key Dates & Events

• 1965 - Sonia Friedman is born.
• 1988 - Friedman begins working at the National Theatre.
• 1993 - Friedman co-founds the theatre company, Out of Joint, along with director Max Stafford-Clark.
• 2002 - Friedman starts her own production company, Sonia Friedman Productions.
• 2014 - Sonia Friedman Productions makes Olivier Awards history by winning the most awards for any producer.
• 2017 - Sonia Friedman Productions breaks Olivier Awards records again with an unprecedented 31 nominations.
• 2017 - Friedman is awarded the number one spot in ‘The Stage 100’.
• 2018 - Friedman features in TIME 100, a list of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.
• 2019 - Friedman is awarded ‘Producer of the Year’ at the Stage Awards for a record-breaking fourth time.
• 2022 - Friedman is appointed President of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London.
• 2023 - Friedman is appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours.