Nicola Walker

Nicola Walker
Born	1970 (age 40–41) Stepney, London, England
Nationality	British
Education	Forest School, Walthamstow
Alma mater	New Hall, Cambridge Footlights
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990-present
Notable works	Ruth Evershed in BBC1 spy drama Spooks
Height	1.63 metres (5 ft 4 in)
Spouse	Barnaby Kay
Children	1xson

Nicola Walker (born 1970) is an English actress, best known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, particularly as Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks. She has also worked in theatre, radio and film.

Early life

Born in Stepney in the East End of London, she has an older brother. Walker attended Forest School, Walthamstow, and undertook acting classes from aged 12 to speak to boys.^[1] Walker then attended New Hall, Cambridge, where she started her acting career with the Cambridge Footlights. Her contemporaries included Spooks writer David Wolstencroft and comedian Sue Perkins, who were all part of the 1990 national tour.^[2]

Career

Offered a place at RADA, on graduation from Cambridge she already had some roles and an agent, so decided to persue her career. Based in London, she shared a flat with Perkins, Sarah Phelps and Emma Kennedy, acting at the Edinburgh Festival and the London Festival Fringe.^[1]

Her first major television roles were in 1997, as Gypsy Jones in Channel 4's adaptation of A Dance To The Music Of Time, and as English teacher Suzy Travis in two series of Steven Moffat's school-based sitcom Chalk.^[3] She has also appeared in guest roles in episodes of series such as Dalziel and Pascoe, Jonathan Creek, Pie in the Sky and Broken News.

She got the leading part of DI Susan Taylor in the ITV thriller serial Touching Evil in 1997, co-starring opposite Robson Green. She also appeared in its two sequel serials in 1998 and 1999. Also in 1999, she took the lead role in the post-apocalyptic drama serial The Last Train, also screened on ITV (and written by future Spooks writer Matthew Graham). Also in 2003, Walker played Molly in the BBC Radio adaptation of Neuromancer by William Gibson.

In 2003, with the production team of Kudos Television looking to replace the character of Jenny Agutter from Series1 of Spooks, the part of Ruth Evershed was specially written for her from Series2.^[1] She remained with the show until the fifth series, during the production of which it was announced she was expecting her first child and would be leaving. She returned in 2009, and continued until the series ended in 2011.

In 2007 she had a prominent supporting role as a child snatcher in the ITV1 drama serial Torn and appeared in the BBC adaptation of Oliver Twist.

In film, her roles have tended to be smaller supporting parts. Her most prominent role has been as the irritating folk singer in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), who sings "Can't Smile Without You" at the first wedding. She also appeared in the feature film adaptation of the classic television series Thunderbirds (2004).

In 2008 she appeared in Gethsemane, a new play by David Hare at the National Theatre.

In 2009 she appeared as a maid in a new BBC adaptation of Henry James' "The Turn of The Screw", which also starred Michelle Dockery and Sue Johnston. In 2010 she appeared as a beleaguered wife (Linda Shand) of a murderer in an episode of the BBC1 crime thriller Luther.^[4]

From December 2010 to March 2011 she played Rachel in Alan Ayckbourn's Season's Greetings at the National Theatre.

In February 2011, she appeared as nervous social worker Wendy in the BBC TV series "Being Human".^[5] From October to November 2011, she played Viv in Amelia Bullmore's new play "Di, Viv, and Rose" in the Hampstead Theatre's smaller studio theatre, as part of the Hampstead Downstairs scheme.

Personal life

She is married to actor Barnaby Kay. The couple have a son Harry (born 2006), who is named after Harry Pearce, the character of her co-star Peter Firth in Spooks.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} http://lifeofwylie.com/2010/10/05/spooks-nicola-walker/
2. ^ http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/authors/walker-nicola
3. ^ After the Chalk Dust Settled, featurette on Chalk Series 1 DVD, ReplayDVD.co.uk, prod. & dir. Craig Robins
4. ^ Luther. BBC Website link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s8jk0
5. ^ BBC Webaire link - http://www.bbc.co.uk/beinghuman/

External links

• Nicola Walker at the Internet Movie Database
• Nicola Walker profile on the Spooks website at bbc.co.uk.
• Nicola Walker profile on the bbc.co.uk Drama Faces website.

Persondata
Name	Walker, Nicola
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1970
Place of birth	Stepney, London, United Kingdom
Date of death
Place of death