Rachael Stirling
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| Rachael Stirling | |
 Stirling as the vicar's wife in the 2004 TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's The Murder at the Vicarage |
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| Birth name | Rachael Atalanta Stirling |
| Born | May 30, 1977 (age 29) London, United Kingdom |
| Years active | 1997 - present |
| Notable roles | Nancy Astley in Tipping the Velvet (2002) |
Rachael Atalanta Stirling (born May 30, 1977 in London) is an English stage, film and television actress best known for her performance as Nancy Astley in the BBC drama Tipping the Velvet. She is the daughter of actress Dame Diana Rigg and Archie Stirling.
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[edit] Biography
Rachael Stirling attended Edinburgh University and gained a BA in the History of art.
She made her first major appearance on stage in 1996 as Desdemona in the National Youth Theatre revival of Othello at the Arts Theatre opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor in the title role. A year later, again at the Arts Theatre with the NYT, she played Olive in the female version of The Odd Couple ; while in 1998, portraying Kate in Dancing at Lughnasa for NYT at the Arts, she gave what The Stage reviewer described as "a performance of exceptional promise and authority."
Her first screen appearance was in the 1998 British comedy film Still Crazy (starring Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Timothy Spall and Jimmy Nail).
Other film projects have included Maybe Baby, Complicity (with her Tipping the Velvet co-star Keeley Hawes), Another Life (with Vanity Fair actress Natasha Little), The Triumph of Love (starring Mira Sorvino), and Redemption Road.
Her first TV break was in 2000 when she starred in the American mini-series In the Beginning - charting God's creation of the universe and mankind opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Art Malik.
She continues to be active in the theatre, covering a diversity of roles in plays such as Dusty Hughes' Helpless (Donmar Warehouse, 2000); A Woman of No Importance (Theatre Royal Haymarket, 2003); Anna in the Tropics (Hampstead Theatre, 2004); Tamburlaine (Bristol Old Vic and Barbican, 2005); and she followed in her mother's footsteps, bringing an alluring erotic charge to her performance as Miranda Lionheart in the National Theatre stage version of Theatre of Blood (2005).
In 2006, for the Peter Hall Company at the Bath Theatre Royal, she played Helena in Peter Gill's revival of Look Back in Anger; while in 2007 at Wilton's Music Hall in London, she starred as Yelena in David Mamet's version of Uncle Vanya [1], and as a fiercely intelligent Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew [2].
[edit] Television and Filmography
- Still Crazy (1998) — Clare Knowles
- Maybe Baby (2000) — Joanna
- Complicity (2000) — Claire
- In the Beginning (2000) — Young Rebeccah (TV)
- Redemption Road (2001) — Becky
- Another Life (2001) — Avis Graydon
- The Triumph of Love (2001) — Corine
- Othello (2001) — Lulu (TV)
- Tipping the Velvet (2002) — Nan Astley (TV)
- Bait (2002) — Stephanie Raeburn (TV)
- Agatha Christie's Poirot: "Five Little Pigs" (2003) — Caroline Crale (TV)
- Freeze Frame (2004) — Katie Carter
- Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage (2004) — Griselda Clement (TV)
- The Final Quest (2004) — Young Annabelle (TV)
- Riot at the Rite (2005) — Marie Rambert (TV)
- Beyond (2006) — Guilean Hade (TV)
- The Truth (2006) — Martha
- Hotel Babylon (2006) — Nina Bailey (TV)
- The Haunted Airman (2006) — Julia Jugg (TV)
- Dangerous Parking (2006) — Kirstin
[edit] Trivia
- She can speak Russian and is highly skilled at horse-riding and jumping.
- Rachael attended Wycombe Abbey School in Buckinghamshire, England.
