Liz Carr

Last updated

Liz Carr
Born
Liz Carr

(1972-04-21) 21 April 1972 (age 52)
Bebington, Merseyside, England
Education University of Nottingham
Occupations
Known forActing and activism
Spouse
Jo Church
​
(m. 2010)​

Liz Carr is an English actress, comedian, broadcaster and international disability rights activist.

Contents

Early life and education

Carr was born on 21 April 1972 in Port Sunlight and grew up in Bebington, Merseyside. [1] She attended Upton Hall School FCJ in Upton, Merseyside and Birkenhead High School in Birkenhead. [2] [3] She studied law at the University of Nottingham. [4]

Disability activism

Carr was disabled from age seven, owing to arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, and has used a wheelchair since the age of 14. [5] She frequently refers to her condition in her stand-up as "meus thronus kaputus." She is frank about her life as a disabled person and the inherent comedy it brings: "I've had some tuts, which is fantastic... I look quite frail to some people, so it's like, 'She's talking about sex, she's swearing.' Every stereotype you didn't expect. People generally look terrified. 'Oh my God, is she going to be funny? Can we laugh at this?'" [6]

Carr became involved in politics, disabled rights, and activism while studying at the University of Nottingham. Following her graduation she left law to work as a disability equality trainer. [7] She has been a disability rights campaigner in the UK and has spoken at many rallies. In May 2008 she joined with ADAPT, a prominent disability rights group in the United States, to raise money for it and to protest presidential candidate John McCain's position on a bill permitting Americans qualifying for Medicaid coverage of nursing home costs to instead spend it on home-based, or community care, making it easier for disabled people to remain in their own homes. [8]

In 2011, Carr was part of a Newsnight debate on assisted suicide, following the screening on the BBC of Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die , which included Jeremy Paxman and David Aaronovitch. [9] She opposed Lord Falconer's Assisted Dying Bill, stating: "I fear we've so devalued certain groups of people—ill people, disabled people, older people—that I don't think it's in their best interests to enshrine in law the right of doctors to kill certain people." [10]

Career

Comedy

She has been part of a number of comedy groups, including Abnormally Funny People with Tanyalee Davis, Steve Day, Steve Best, Simon Minty and Chris McCausland.

In 2007 she was runner-up in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition. [11]

Carr co-hosted the BBC's Royal Television Society award-winning Ouch! Podcast [12] with Mat Fraser from 2006 to 2013, and in 2011 worked as a researcher for the BBC comedy panel show Have I Got News for You .

Acting

Carr was in her thirties when she took on her first professional acting role, playing Mother Courage, before heading to the Young Vic with another Bertolt Brecht play, The Exception and the Rule . [13] In 2013, she joined the long-running BBC crime thriller series Silent Witness as regular character Clarissa Mullery. [14] [15] On 5 February 2020 it was announced that she had departed the series after eight years.

In 2019, Carr starred in The OA as Dr Marlow Rhodes. [16] In 2020, she appeared as a university lecturer in the miniseries Devs . [17]

In March 2021, it was announced that Carr had joined the cast of The Witcher as Fenn in the show's second season. [18] In December of the same year, it was announced that she had joined the cast of Good Omens for the second season, as the angel Saraqael. [19] Between September and December 2021, she played Dr. Emma Brookner in the West End revival of The Normal Heart at the Royal National Theatre, marking the first time a disabled person had played the role on stage. She subsequently won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2022 Laurence Olivier Awards. [20] Carr joined the cast of the Disney+ series Loki in Season 2, in the role of Judge Gamble. [21]

Personal life

In 2010 Carr entered into a civil partnership with longtime partner Jo Church in what Carr called "A Wheelie Special Wedding". Her father gave a speech in which he joked he was prohibited from using words like "brave." Carr and her partner pre-recorded their first dance. In the video, they danced to the Dirty Dancing theme and the local fire brigade held Carr, and her chair, aloft. [22]

On 10 August 2017, Carr and her personal assistant were the victims of an attack by a man armed with scissors. The assailant was subsequently arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act 2007. [23]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017Le AcceleratorThe Death Provider
2021 Infinite Garrick
2022 Then Barbara Met Alan Liz

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013–2020 Silent Witness Clarissa Mullery79 episodes
2018 Les Misérables ConciergeEpisode #1.1
2019 The OA Dr. Marlow Rhodes2 episodes
2019 Would I Lie To You? HerselfSeries 13
2020 Devs LecturerEpisode #1.5
2020 CripTales Meg2 episodes
2021 The Witcher Fenn2 episodes
2022 This Is Going to Hurt TinaEpisode #1.7
2023 Good Omens Saraqael3 episodes
2023 Loki Judge Gamble3 episodes
2024Better Off Dead?HerselfBBC One documentary [24]

Stage

YearTitleRoleNotes
2021 The Normal Heart Dr. Emma Brookner Royal National Theatre

Related Research Articles

<i>Silent Witness</i> British crime drama television series

Silent Witness is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squad detective based in Nottingham. Twenty-seven series of Silent Witness have been broadcast since 1996, with series 27 airing in January/February 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mat Fraser (actor)</span> English actor

Mat Fraser is an English rock musician, actor, writer and performance artist. He has thalidomide-induced phocomelia.

Cara Readle is a Welsh actress from Swansea, Wales, known mainly for her role as Layla in The Story of Tracy Beaker from series three to five.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Weyman</span> British actor

Daniel Weyman is an English actor notable for his main roles in Just Inès (2010), Foyle's War (2013), and Silent Witness (2016), and more recently known for his role as the Stranger in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiruna Stamell</span> Australian actress (born 1981)

Kiruna Stamell is an Australian-British actress. After appearing in various series and films including Moulin Rouge! (2001), All the Small Things (2009) and Cast Offs (2009), she presented the Australian children's educational series Play School from 2018 to 2020. Since 2023, she has portrayed the role of Kirsty Millar on the British soap opera Doctors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriet McBryde Johnson</span> American attorney and disability rights activist

Harriet McBryde Johnson was an American author, attorney, and disability rights activist. She was disabled due to a neuromuscular disease and used a motorized wheelchair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayley Ramsey</span> UK soap opera character, created 2009

Hayley Ramsey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kelly-Marie Stewart. She made her first on-screen appearance on 28 January 2009 as the sister of already established character Zak Ramsey. Hayley is notably the first prominent disabled character in Hollyoaks, and like Stewart, has Guillain–Barré syndrome. In December 2009, it was announced that Stewart's real-life pregnancy would be written into the show and that Hayley would become pregnant. Making her final on-screen appearance on 22 February 2010, the character did not return after Stewart's maternity leave ended.

The depiction of disability in the media plays a major role in molding the public perception of disability. Perceptions portrayed in the media directly influence the way people with disabilities are treated in current society. "[Media platforms] have been cited as a key site for the reinforcement of negative images and ideas in regard to people with disabilities."

Laurence Clark is a British stand-up comedian, writer, actor, presenter, and disability rights campaigner. Laurence was born with cerebral palsy and uses his line of work to alter the general public's perceptions of disabled people.

Elizabeth Johnson is a British swimmer who has won gold medals in the Paralympic Games and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) world championships. She has cerebral palsy, placing her in the S6 classification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Gordy</span> British actress (born 1976)

Sarah Gordy, MBE is a British actress who has Down syndrome. She is best known for her roles as Katie Thorne in The A Word and Ralph & Katie, Orlando Quine in Strike: The Silkworm, Lady Pamela Holland in the BBC TV series of Upstairs Downstairs, and Lucy Craddle in The Long Call. She has also acted in episodes of Call the Midwife, Holby City and Doctors. As well as these TV shows, she has acted in short films, radio dramas, commercials, and many theatre productions. In 2018 she became the first woman with Down syndrome to be made an MBE and the first person with Down syndrome to receive an honorary degree from a UK university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DaDaFest</span> Disability arts organisation based in Liverpool, UK

DaDaFest is a disability arts organisation based in Liverpool, UK. It delivers an international, biennial festival and organises other events to promote disability and deaf arts from a variety of cultural perspectives. Alongside the festival and events, DaDaFest organises opportunities for disabled and deaf people to gain access to the arts. This includes training and a youth focused programme.

<i>Me Before You</i> (film) 2016 romantic drama film

Me Before You is a 2016 romantic drama film directed by Thea Sharrock in her directorial debut and adapted by author Jojo Moyes from her 2012 novel of the same name. The film stars Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer, Charles Dance, and Brendan Coyle.

Rosie Jones is a British comedian, writer and actress. After starting her career as a writer on panel shows, she went on to appear as a guest on The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, QI and Hypothetical. She attended the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo as a roving reporter for The Last Leg.

Ruth Madeley is a British actress known for her roles in Years and Years, The Rook and Doctor Who. She was born with spina bifida and has worked with the charity Whizz-Kidz for much of her life. She was nominated for a television BAFTA in 2016 for her work in Don't Take My Baby.

Then Barbara Met Alan is a 2022 British television drama film about Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth, the founders of DAN, a disability activism group. It is written by Jack Thorne and Genevieve Barr and stars Ruth Madeley and Arthur Hughes. It broadcast on BBC Two on 21 March 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Lisicki</span> British disability rights activist, comedian, and equality trainer

Barbara Lisicki is a British disability rights activist, comedian, and equality trainer. She is a founder of the Disabled People's Direct Action Network (DAN), an organization that engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience to raise awareness and to advocate for the rights of disabled people. She is a featured subject of the 2022 BBC docudrama Then Barbara Met Alan, and appeared in The Disabled Century on BBC2 in 1999.

Frances Ryan FRSL is a British journalist, author, and activist for people with disabilities. In 2021 the Shaw Trust named her one of the UK's ten most influential disabilities activists. Global Citizen called her "a prominent voice for people with disabilities in the media". She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

References

  1. ↑ Perry, Keith (16 August 2017). "Merseyside actress attacked by man armed with SCISSORS". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "'This has everything to do with disability': Interview with Wirral-born Silent Witness actress Liz Carr on subject of assisted suicide – The Diocese of Shrewsbury – The Diocese of Shrewsbury". dioceseofshrewsbury.org. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  3. ↑ O'Hara, Interview by Mary (21 June 2006). "No fear, no frills". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Time to stand up and be counted". Nottingham University. 16 January 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  5. ↑ ""Silent Witness Star Liz Carr". OK Magazine. Olivia Wheeler. 21 January 2017". 21 January 2017. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  6. ↑ Mary O'Hara (21 June 2006). "Interview: Liz Carr". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 29 November 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Time to stand up and be counted". Nottingham University. 16 January 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  8. ↑ Disabled Arrested At McCain Office, CBS News, May 1, 2008, Retrieved March 20, 2023
  9. ↑ Choosing to Die: Newsnight Debate at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  10. ↑ Hannah Dunleavy (3 December 2014). "Liz Carr, Not so Silent Witness". Standard Issue.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ Trish Gant. "Liz Carr, comedian". The UK Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Official Ouch! Podcast page". BBC. 14 November 2013. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "BBC". Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  14. ↑ "Liz Carr introduces her new character, Silent Witness". BBC One. 21 December 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "First look: Liz Carr as Clarissa Mullery in Silent Witness". The Ouch! Blog. BBC. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  16. ↑ Neela Debnath (23 March 2019). "The OA season 2 cast: Who is Liz Carr? Who plays Dr. Marlow Rhodes?". Daily Express . Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  17. ↑ Cydney Yeates (6 February 2020). "Inside Liz Carr's rising Hollywood career as she quits BBC's Silent Witness". MetroUK . Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "Netflix's the Witcher Season 2 Adds Seven New Cast Members - IGN". 22 March 2021. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "Good Omens star Jon Hamm returns for season 2 – Liz Carr joins cast". Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  20. ↑ "Olivier Awards 2022: Eddie Redmayne and Liz Carr among winners". 10 April 2022. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  21. ↑ Club, Comic Book (6 October 2023). "Loki Season 2 Cast: Meet Liz Carr, AKA Judge Gamble". Comic Book Club. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  22. ↑ A Wheelie Special Wedding Archived 10 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine , Liz Carr, 2010, BBC. Retrieved 21 January 2017
  23. ↑ "Liz Carr: Silent Witness star attacked with scissors". BBC News. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  24. ↑ "Better Off Dead?". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.