| Harriet Thorpe | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 June 1957 Hampstead, London, England[1] |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1984-present |
Harriet A. Thorpe (born 8 June 1957)[1] is an English actress.
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She was in the mid-to-late 1990s British television sitcom The Brittas Empire, playing Carole Parkinson, the receptionist who was prone to depression and fits of emotion who permanently kept her children with her, in drawers under her desk and would sometimes be seen feeding them or washing their clothes.
She also played Fleur in Absolutely Fabulous, an eccentric and somewhat odd work-colleague who spoke in a very precise fashion. Along with working extensively with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, she has also appeared in BBC2's Alexei Sayle's Stuff, A Bit of Fry and Laurie; BBC's Casualty, ITV's The Bill and Midsomer Murders.
Thorpe has also appeared in numerous films, for example in Calendar Girls as the rather patronising and superior head of the Women's Institute; Mike Leigh's Life is Sweet; Greystoke; and upcoming films The Calling and S.N.U.B.
Thorpe has also appeared on stage, often playing extreme roles in an extreme way. She worked extensively at the Royal National Theatre, in London's West End and two Shakespeare seasons at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. She was in the original revival cast of Cabaret as Fraulein Kost at the Lyric Theatre in London on 22 September 2006.[2] Prior to this, she played Mrs. Lovett in the national tour of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, originated the role of Ida Arnold in the Almeida Theatre's original musical, Brighton Rock, and played the role of Madame Thenardier in the hit musical, Les Misérables.
On 14 April 2008 she took over the role of Madame Morrible from Susie Blake in the West End production of Wicked.[3] She played her final performance on 27 March 2010 and was replaced by Julie Legrand.[4]
Thorpe took over the role of Tanya from Jane Gurnett in the West End production of Mamma Mia! on 14 June 2010.[5]