Natalie Cassidy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Natalie Cassidy

Birth name	Natalie Ann Cassidy
Born	13 May 1983 Islington, London, England
Notable roles	Sonia Fowler in EastEnders

Natalie Ann Cassidy (born on 13 May 1983) is an English actress most famous for playing Sonia Fowler on the British soap opera EastEnders. She is currently appearing in a touring production of The Vagina Monologues.

She has won two British Soap Awards - Best Actress in 2001 and Best dramatic performance from a young actor or actress in 2004.

[edit] Career

Cassidy attended Anna Scher Theatre School alongside other future EastEnders cast members Joe Swash (Mickey Miller), Brooke Kinsella (Kelly Taylor), and James Alexandrou (Martin Fowler).

In 2006, she appeared in the The Catherine Tate Show, playing a rival to Lauren Cooper.

Cassidy has also appeared as herself in a number of factual television programmes. In 2004 she appeared in the BBC documentary Natalie Cassidy Goes Wild in Australia. She has been a contestant on Test The Nation and Dale's All Star Supermarket Sweep, as well as acting as a judge on Making Your Mind Up.

On 9th April 2006, the BBC announced that Cassidy would be leaving EastEnders, and her final scenes will be screened in February 2007. It is currently unknown when or if she will return to the show. On the possibility of returning, Cassidy has said: "I love EastEnders very much. It's my second home, but I feel it's time to try new things. But it doesn't mean Sonia won't be back!" and on a special documentary about Martin and Sonia, entitled EastEnders Sweethearts: The Story of Martin and Sonia she said that she would "like to put Sonia in a box and then get her out again some day".

Cassidy wishes to avoid working in television during 2007 in order to concentrate on opportunities in theatre and radio and to avoid being typecast.