Sophie Ward

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Sophie Ward (born December 30, 1964 in London), is an English actor and the daughter of actor, Simon Ward.

One of her early film roles was in the film, Young Sherlock Holmes. She appeared on television in dramatisations of works by Joanna Trollope and Ruth Rendell. She has a recurring role as Dr Helen Trent in long-running ITV drama Heartbeat.

Ward has two sons by her former husband, Paul Hobson, a veterinary surgeon, and a degree in Literature and Philosophy from The Open University. In 1996, Sophie and her husband split and she became involved with Korean-American writer, Rena Brannan. Their relationship caused much stir in London at the time - Ward had long been considered a 'Face of the 80's' as a Vogue model. On their first public appearance together at the London premiere of Evita in 1996, their lesbian relationship took over the headlines. The previous year, Ward had appeared in the TV film A Village Affair - in which she played a bored housewife who leaves her husband for another woman^[1]. Sophie Ward has been quoted as saying that her experience making "A Village Affair" helped clarify her own feelings regarding her sexuality, but also delayed her decision to come out, as she did not want it to appear as if she were jumping on the bandwagon of the film's theme^[2].

Among her early films included Return to Oz, Little Dorrit and A Summer Story. Often cast as an icy, distant Victorian or an unattainable object of desire, Ward's choice of roles in the 80s and early 90s did not offer much variation. During the 90s she turned her acting energies to stagework, with considerable acclaim and success. She has appeared in several (Glasgow) Citizens' Theatre productions including 'Private Lives' (as Amanda), 'Don Carlos' (as Queen Elizabeth) and most strikingly in 'Hamlet' as 'Ophelia'.

Her television work includes the acclaimed mini-series 'A Dark Adapted Eye' with 'Helena Bonham Carter' (another 80's era 'English Rose' who branched out much further) as the perfectly poised yet ultimately doomed Eden and the sweeping fantasy, 'Dinotopia'. Her most recent film is Out of Bounds (2004) in which she co-stars with Sophia Myles and Celia Imrie.

Sophie Ward is active within the British gay community and supports many charitable causes, including London Friend - promoting the social, emotional, physical and sexual health and well-being of lesbians, gays and bisexuals unsure of their identity.

In 2000, Sophie and Rena were wed in a well-publicized ceremony held in London, before same-sex civil partnerships were legalized in Britain . They continue to live in the UK, along with Sophie's two children.