The much-anticipated series Dope Girls hits our screens tonight (February 22) on , with a strong, female-led cast.

Set in the decadent backdrop of 1918 Soho, the show follows a group of women who take over the capital's nightlife scene at the end of World War II. It's heavily inspired by real life events, and has been billed by the as the "spiritual successor to Peaky Blinders”.

At the heart of the show is character Kate Galloway, who is based on real life Irish nightclub owner Kate Meyrick, who was dubbed the ''Night Club Queen'. Kate is played by American actor Julianne Nicholson, who has previously starred in an impressive array of films and TV shows. What do we know about Julianne and what else has she been in?

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Julianne was born in Massachusetts and started her career in the spotlight with stints modelling in New York City and Paris. She studied in NYC for a while before getting her big break into acting and has worked steadily ever since.

Julianne married British actor Jonathan Cake in 2004, after meeting him on the set of an unaired HBO pilot. They have a son and a daughter together. Jonathan also has an impressive acting CV that includes TV appearances on Desperate Housewives and Empire, as well as playing Oswald Mosley in the film Mosley.

Jonathan has spoken fondly of his wife's acting abilities. In a 2010 interview with Broadway World, he said: "I know I'm biased, but she's the most amazing actor I've worked with. This is not just me; if you talk to any actor who's worked with her or knows her, she is so revered amongst the profession."

Eagle-eyed viewers may recognise Julianne from one of her many TV and movie roles over the years. In the late 90s and early 00s, she was in a number of independent films including Tully and Seeing Other People. Around this time, she also had major TV roles in The Others and Ally McBeal.

Julianne had a recurring role in Boardwalk Empire as an attorney cracking down on election fraud, and appeared in Masters of Sex as a female doctor in the 1950s who struggled to succeed in the male-dominated medical field.

In the movie Blonde, she played Marilyn Monroe's mother, Gladys Pearl Baker. She also won critical acclaim for her role in HBO series Mare of Easttown, which she starred in alongside Kate Winslet.

More recently, you may have seen Julianne in Disney+ show Paradise, where she plays a ruthless billionaire who leads a small community of survivors after a doomsday event.

Dope Girls will air Saturdays at 9.15pm on BBC One and available for streaming on iPlayer.