Hermione Norris

Infobox actor
name = Hermione Norris
birthdate = February 1968 (age 40)
location = London, England
occupation = Actress
yearsactive = 1990–present
spouse = Simon Wheeler
(2002–present)

Hermione Norris (born February 1968) is an English actress.

Early life and education

Norris was born the second of four children to Michael and Helen Norris, the latter a health visitor, in February 1968.cite news|first= Nick|last= Barratt|title= Family Detective: Hermione Norris|work= The Daily Telegraph|date= 2006-10-07|accessdate= 2007-11-18] [cite news|author=Staff writer|title= Possible return for Cold Feet?|url= http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=39258|work= Metro|date=2007-02-28|accessdate=2008-08-30|quote= I went to Hermione's birthday party the other day] 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).cite news|first= Paula|last= Kerr|title= My teenage years|work= Daily Mail|date= 2006-05-06|accessdate= 2007-11-18] On an exchange to the Moscow Art Theatre School she played Nina in a production of "The Seagull". [cite news|first=Pauline|last=McLeod|title=My cultural life: Hermione Norris|url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article821214.ece|work= The Times|date= 2002-11-09|accessdate=2007-11-22] 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.

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. 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. [cite news|last=Staff writer|title=Skinner crowned TV comedy king|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1713256.stm|work=BBC News Online|date= 2001-12-16|accessdate= 2007-11-22]

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 Eccleston, 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. [cite news|first=Daniel|last=Kilkelly|title= 'Cold Feet' star joins 'Spooks'|url= http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a27774/cold-feet-star-joins-spooks.html|work= Digital Spy|date= 2005-12-31|accessdate= 2007-11-18] She appeared in eight of the ten episodes in the 2007 series before taking time off filming for maternity leave. She is due to resume the role in the 2008 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.cite news |first= Ian|last= Wylie|title= Why star still gets Cold Feet over bedroom scenes|url= http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/s/1006/1006037_why_star_still_gets_cold_feet_over_bedroom_scenes.html|date= 2007-05-02|accessdate= 2007-11-22 ]

Hermione has also featured in several television advertisements, providing the voiceover, for a number of different companies including Bathstore. [ [http://www.creativematch.co.uk/viewnews/?95165 Bathstore Makes a Splash] "www.creativematch.co.uk", 29 November 2007.]

Personal life

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. [http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/hermione-norris/] Their first child, Wilf, was born in June 2004, with a second, Hero, following in August 2007. [cite news|last=Staff writer|title=Cold Feet actress has baby girl|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6972666.stm|work=BBC News Online|date=2007-08-31|accessdate=2007-09-01]

elected credits

tage

creen

References

External links

* [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/326927 Hermione Norris] at the British Film Institute
*imdb name|id=0635820|name=Hermione Norris