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Catherine Russell | |
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| Born | 17 April 1965 Lambeth, London, England |
| Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse | Richard Holmes |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Mary Smith (mother) Nicholas Smith (father) |
Catherine Russell (born 17 April 1965) is a British stage, [1] television and screen actress.
Born as Catherine Smith, Russell's father was the actor Nicholas Smith, best known for playing Mr Rumbold in the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served . Her mother, Mary Smith, was a social worker. She is married to film producer Richard Holmes whose films include Waking Ned , The Ritual , God's Own Country and Eden Lake . They have two children: Sam Holmes, who goes by the stage name Sam Russell, a BBC Radio 4 comedy producer and stand up comedian who co-founded the improvisational troupe "Shoot From the Hip" and Poppy Holmes, who is a singer/songwriter. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama from 1983 to 1986 under George Hall.
Russell was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award for her performance in Chekhov's Three Sisters . She has played leads in the West End, at the National, the Royal Court, Soho Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Lyric, Almeida Theatre, the Royal Exchange, Manchester [ citation needed ] and the Menier Chocolate Factory. [1]
Much of her previous work was with the acclaimed director Max Stafford-Clark for his theatre company Out of Joint where, as well as Masha in Three Sisters , she created roles such as Tess in Timberlake Wertenbaker's The Break of Day, Rima and Phoebe in Robin Soans' Talking to Terrorists , Mrs Peacham and Bett Rock in Stephen Jeffreys' The Convict's Opera and Hildy in Stella Feehily's Dreams of Violence. Other work includes Raina in Arms and the Man at The Royal Exchange Theatre; Shirley Hornett in Sailor, Beware! at the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith); Maudlin in the Almeida Theatre production of A Chaste Maid in Cheapside ; Aggie/Clodia in Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott's The Last Carnival; Kevin Elyot's The Day I Stood Still, directed by the Ian Rickson for the Royal National Theatre and Mlle Guislaine de St.Euverte in The Waltz of the Toreadors opposite Peter Bowles, directed by Angus Jackson at the Chichester Festival. Her most recent roles include Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest directed by Michael Buffong at the Curve Theatre in Leicester, Rosie in the West End production of Mamma Mia! and Mrs Prentice in Joe Orton's What The Butler Saw , also at the Curve Theatre, directed by Nikolai Foster.[ citation needed ] In 2022 Catherine played Muriel Wicksteed in Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus at Menier Chocolate Factory directed by Patrick Marber. [1]
In Autumn 2023 she played Miss Havisham in the adaptation of Great Expectations by Tanika Gupta at the Royal Exchange theatre, Manchester.[ citation needed ]
From October 2024 she will take over the role of Dolores Umbridge and Petunia Dursley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre in London's West End.
Russell has starred in several television series including playing Hugh Bonneville's sister, Rachel Cazalet, in The Cazalets ; Gemma Jones's daughter, Tish, in Chelworth; the title role of Elly Chandler in Chandler & Co with Barbara Flynn and subsequently Susan Fleetwood written by Paula Milne; Nathaniel Parker's wife, Helen, in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Martin Shaw's wife, Issy, in Always and Everyone . Other television includes guest appearances in Messiah , Agatha Christie's Poirot , Waking the Dead , Sherlock Holmes , Maigret , Silent Witness , Holding On and Pete versus Life (series one and two) with Rafe Spall. She played Consultant Surgeon Serena Campbell in the BBC medical drama Holby City, from May 2012 to January 2020 and again in February 2022. In 2023 Catherine played Frances Felton opposite Adrian Scarborough in Acorn TV's The Chelsea Detective.
Russell starred opposite Ian Hart in the film Clockwork Mice directed by Vadim Jean. She also made a comic, cameo appearance playing a colleague of Colin Firth's in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason directed by Beeban Kidron. Her other films include Solitaire for Two and Soft Top Hard Shoulder .
Educating Rita is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University tutor.
Louise Gold is an English puppeteer, actress and singer. Her long career has included puppetry on television and roles in musical theatre in the West End, as well as other television, film and voice roles.
Shirley Valentine is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad.
Michael Beckley is an Australian actor. He has worked with major theatre companies in both Australia and the United Kingdom, and appeared on London's West End in A Few Good Men(starring Rob Lowe) and Cabaret. He is probably best known for playing Rhys Sutherland, the patriarch of a new family that arrived in the fictional town of Summer Bay in the internationally televised series Home and Away.
Rebecca Cordingly, known professionally as Beth Cordingly, is an English actress, known for her appearances in series The Bill, Dead Set, The Burning Girls and Emmerdale.
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Scarlett Aimee Vaigncourt-Strallen is an English stage actress, best known for her work in musical theatre productions in the West End and on Broadway. She has received two Olivier Award nominations, in 2006 for her portrayal of Josephine in an adaptation of H.M.S. Pinafore, performed at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and in 2012 for her role in Singin' in the Rain. Strallen is also a former voice actress.
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Habeas Corpus is a stage comedy in two acts by the English author Alan Bennett. It was first performed at the Lyric Theatre in London on 10 May 1973, with Alec Guinness in the central role. It ran, with cast changes, until 10 August 1974. The Broadway production that followed was less successful, running for less than three months. The play has been revived several times since then, in London and elsewhere.
The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat Off-West End theatre, which comprises a bar and theatre offices.
Ian Bartholomew is a British actor and musician from Portsmouth, England who has worked widely in both theatre and television. In March 2018, Bartholomew joined the cast of ITV soap opera Coronation Street, as Geoff Metcalfe. He also played Chitterlow in the revival cast of Half A Sixpence alongside Charlie Stemp, who played Arthur Kipps, and the Baker in the original West End production of Into the Woods opposite Imelda Staunton as his wife.
Mark Umbers is an English theatre, film and television actor.
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Michael Jibson is an English actor, director, writer and voice over artist. He was the winner of the 2018 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, for his role of King George III in Hamilton. He was nominated for the 2003 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, for Our House.
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Simon Joshua Lipkin is an English actor, best known for his work in musical theatre. He has originated roles in several major West End musicals such as Avenue Q and Rock of Ages. His television work includes The Amazing World of Gumball and Doctor Who. He has acted in small roles in film as well as in the starring role in 2018 comedy Nativity Rocks!.
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