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Discover more about the stars of BBC Drama. |
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 Shirley Henderson
Wee Scottish powerhouse Shirley Henderson has to be one of the hardest working women in British drama, with many big roles to her name. She's appeared in high profile TV roles like Kate in The Taming of the Shrew and Catherine of Braganza in Charles II: The Power and the Passion, and has an extensive film background.
Try our quick quiz about Shirley Henderson!
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Since graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama* in 1986, Shirley Henderson has appeared in a huge amount of films and TV. She had an early role playing Sally in costume drama Clarissa* (1991), alongside Sean Bean*, but her real break into TV came with a part in Hamish Macbeth* in 1995. She played Isobel Sutherland, a love interest for the show's star Robert Carlyle.
Shirley plays Ursula, a member of Doctor-obsessed group L.I.N.D.A. in Doctor Who episode Love and Monsters, which also stars Peter Kay and Marc Warren.
Other TV roles for Shirley include Marie Melmotte in Andrew Davies adaptation of Anthony Trollope's* The Way We Live Now* (2001), alongside David Suchet and Matthew MacFayden. More recently, she has been seen on the small screen as Catherine of Braganza in Charles II: The Power and the Passion (2003), co-starring with Rufus Sewell. She also played Charlotte in Dirty Filthy Love* (2004), a drama about a sufferer of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Tourette's Syndrome, which won the 2005 RTS Drama award for Best Single Drama.
Shirley played feisty politician Katherine Mignola in David Nicholl's updating of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. She once again co-starred with Rufus Sewell, who played Petruchio. Katherine finds Petruchio's forceful ways impossible to resist, but he is determined to tame his agressive bride, whatever it takes. This drama also starred Jaime Murray, and Stephen Tompkinson.
Amongst the many films Shirley has been in are the Harry Potter series, in which she plays toilet-based ghost Moaning Myrtle, and the two Bridget Jones films, in which she plays Briget's weepy friend Jude. She also played Gail in Trainspotting (1996), Leonora Braham in Mike Leigh's Topsy Turvy* (1999), Lindsay Wilson in 24 Hour Party People (2002), and Alice in Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002).
Shirley got back in period costume in 2006's Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst in the title role.
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| Did you know? |
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Shirley is a talented singer. She started out singing old Gladys Knight and Barbara Streisand songs in working men's clubs. She also won a Butlins Talent Competition as a youngster.
Amazingly, Shirley still convincingly plays young girl Moaning Myrtle in her late thirties.
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| Personal Details |
She was born on 24 December 1965, in Fife.
She is the eldest of three sisters.
* The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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