Sophie Lawrence (born 1972, Ilford, London, England) is an English actress, best known for playing the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders.
Lawrence initially trained to be a dancer, but after tearing a muscle in her groin she was forced to give it up and she turned to acting instead. She trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and during this time she secured her first acting role when she became a regular cast member in BBC's Grange Hill. After graduating from drama school in 1988, Lawrence was instantly cast as Diane Butcher, the bohemian daughter of Frank Butcher (Mike Reid), in the popular soap opera EastEnders. She remained in the role until 1991, and returned for four brief stints in 1993, 1994, 1997 and 2008.
Lawrence initially quit her role in EastEnders to launch herself as a pop star. She enjoyed minor chart success in 1991, when her cover of Donna Summer's 1977 hit "Love's Unkind" (produced by Pete Hammond and Simon Cowell) reached #21 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] A further nine songs were recorded for an album but the project was shelved, after she went on to work with the successful pop writers and producers, Stock Aitken and Waterman, recording a follow-up single, "Secrets", a track taken from Kylie Minogue's Rhythm Of Love album. However, the single was withdrawn before its release, her pop career stalled and she returned to acting.
Lawrence's other notable television credits include Brother Cadfael (1994) with Derek Jacobi and playing Neil Morrissey's girlfriend in the BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly (1995). She has also tried her hand at presenting on the children's television shows Going Live and with Timmy Mallett on Timmy Towers.
In theatre, Lawrence has played Janet in the West End's adaptation of The Rocky Horror Show and was also a lead in Daisy Pulls It Off. She has appeared in many touring plays, most notably in Alan Bennett's one-woman show Talking Heads.
Lawrence began her association with the hit 1970s musical Boogie Nights in 2001 and has played the leading female, Debs, on two major tours. She also starred in the sequel Boogie Nights 2 - This Time It's The 80s, alongside David Essex, which did a nationwide tour in 2004 and 2005.[2][3]
In December 2006, Lawrence starred as Peter Pan (opposite Nigel Havers's Captain Hook) at the Wycombe Swan and in 2007 opposite David Essex again as Peter Pan at the Derngate in Northampton.
In December 2007, it was announced that Lawrence would return to reprise her role as Diane Butcher in EastEnders for four episodes in spring 2008, for the funeral of Diane's father, Frank Butcher.
She is also involved in the touring show, Simply Ballroom, as one of the presenters.