Hermione Norris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hermione Norris | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1968 London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1990 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Simon Wheeler (2002 – present) |
Hermione Norris (born 1968) is an English actress.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and education
Norris was born the second of four children to Michael and Helen Norris, the latter a health visitor, in 1968.[1] Her parents divorced when she was five years old, and she moved with her mother and siblings to live with her grandmother in Derbyshire, but moved back to London a few years later. She failed her eleven plus exam but won a scholarship to Elmhurst Ballet School in Surrey. She took up drama at an after-school club, performing there alongside her dance studies until she left aged 17. For the next two years she did "various office jobs to get by" while living in London with friends. At age 19 she enrolled at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[2] On an exchange to the Moscow Art Theatre School she played Nina in a production of The Seagull.[3]
[edit] Career
Her earliest television roles include appearances in Agatha Christie's Poirot, the television serial Clarissa and a 1991 episode of Drop the Dead Donkey. She continued to make guest appearances in series such as Between the Lines and Casualty. After being out of work for four months in 1996, she considered quitting acting and reading for a degree in law, intending to become a solicitor.[2] However, she got a part in Cold Feet playing Karen Marsden, a middle-class woman who feels trapped by her middle-class lifestyle. Norris appeared in every episode and was nominated for a British Comedy Award for Best Actress in 2001.[4]
During the six years Cold Feet ran, Norris appeared in a leading role in the BBC drama Berkley Square, Killing Time: The Millennium Poem, starring opposite Christopher Ecclestone, and the 2002 television film Falling Apart, playing a woman in a violent relationship. In 2002 she co-starred with Robson Green in Wire in the Blood, playing Detective Inspector Carol Jordan. She stayed with the series until 2005 when she was replaced by Simone Lahbib. Further film roles include an appearance in an adaptaion of Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim, and in David Kane's Born Romantic.
At the end of 2005 she was cast in the BBC One spy drama Spooks, playing Ros Myers.[5] She returned for eight of the ten episodes in the 2007 series. Since 2006 she has filmed two series of Kingdom playing Beatrice Kingdom, the deranged half-sister of Stephen Fry's character. She took the role as a change of pace from the "ice maiden" characters she often portrays.[6]
 |
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Personal life
Norris maintained what she describes as a "formal relationship" with her father; the two met regularly after her parents divorced. He died when she was 21.[1] In 2002 Norris began a relationship with Simon Wheeler, a writer on Wire in the Blood. The couple married in December 2002 in a ceremony at the Tower of London.[1] Their first child, Wilf, was born in June 2004, with a second, Hero, following in August 2007.[7]
[edit] Selected credits
[edit] Stage
| Year | Production | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Man and Superman | Ann Whitfield | Citizens Theatre production. |
| 1991 | Three Judgements in One | Dona Violante | Gate, Notting Hill production. |
| 1994 | September Tide | Cherry | Comedy Theatre production. |
| 1995 | Look Back in Anger | Helena | Royal Exchange production. |
| 1995 | Reader | Secretary | Traverse Theatre production. World premiere |
| 1996 | Blinded by the Sun | Barbara | Royal National Theatre production. |
[edit] Screen
| Year | Series | Role | Awards and other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Drop the Dead Donkey | Octavia | |
| Clarissa | Anna Howe | ||
| 1997 | Cold Feet | Karen Marsden | |
| See You Friday | Sophie | ||
| 1998 | Berkeley Square | Victoria St. John | |
| Cold Feet | Karen Marsden | Nominated, British Comedy Award 5 series, 1998–2003 |
|
| 2000 | Killing Time: The Millennium Poem | Unnamed lead role | |
| 2002 | Falling Apart | Clare | |
| Wire in the Blood | DCI Carol Jordan | 3 series, 2002–2005 | |
| 2005 | Separate Lies | Priscilla | |
| 2006 | The Kindness of Strangers | Fiona | |
| Spooks | Ros Myers | 3 series, 2006–2007, 2008– | |
| 2007 | Kingdom | Beatrice Kingdom | 2 series, 2007– |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Barratt, Nick. "Family Detective: Hermione Norris", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-10-07. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ a b Kerr, Paula. "My teenage years", Daily Mail, 2006-05-06. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ McLeod, Pauline. "My cultural life: Hermione Norris", The Times, 2002-11-09. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ Staff writer. "Skinner crowned TV comedy king", BBC News Online, 2001-12-16. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel. "'Cold Feet' star joins 'Spooks'", Digital Spy, 2005-12-31. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ Wylie, Ian. "Why star still gets Cold Feet over bedroom scenes", 2007-05-02. Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
- ^ Staff writer. "Cold Feet actress has baby girl", BBC News Online, 2007-08-31. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
