[2] She was educated at Francis Bacon Grammar School, St Albans, and at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).
[2] Campbell earned her first BAFTA nomination in 1978 for her portrayal of Eileen Everson, opposite Bob Hoskins in Dennis Potter's television serial Pennies from Heaven (1978).
[1] She played Lady Alice Clayton, alongside Ian Holm and Christopher Lambert in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984).
[3] She worked at the Royal National Theatre: playing as a junior member of the company in 1975, as Freda in Sir Peter Hall's Old Vic production of John Gabriel Borkman (starring Sir Ralph Richardson, Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Dame Wendy Hiller)[3] and as Maggie in W. S. Gilbert's Engaged; in 1995, as Lady Politic Would-Be in Matthew Warchus's Volpone; and in 2003 as Dotty Otley in the NT's touring (and London) revival of Noises Off.
[5] Campbell's other stage performances in London have encompassed the classics as well as new plays; they include You Never Can Tell (Lyric, 1979); Miss Julie (1983) in the title role; Little Eyolf (1985) as Asta; The Daughter-in-Law (1985) as Minnie; The Sneeze (a Chekhov selection) (1988) in various roles;[4] Betrayal (1991) as Emma; The Strip (1995) as Loretta; Some Sunny Day (1996) as Emily; The Seagull (1997) as Arkadina; Passion (2000) as Nell; and Life After George (2002) as Beatrix.