Helen Griffin

Infobox actor


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name = Helen Griffin
birthname = Helen Griffin
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notable role = Karen in "Little White Lies"
baftaawards = BAFTA Cymru for Best Actress
2005 "Little White Lies"

Helen Griffin is a Welsh actress, playwright and screenwriter. She has appeared regularly in Welsh theatre and television and wrote and starred in the 2005 film "Little White Lies". She also appeared in the 2006 "Doctor Who" episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel".

Griffin studied at nursing college with comedienne Jo Brand and worked as a psychiatric nurse until 1986, when she became an actress. cite news
first = Darren
last = Walters
title = Exposing the hostility in the hillside
url = http://www.theatr-cymru.co.uk/features/features_detail.asp?profilesID=3
format = Reprint
work = Western Mail
date = 2000-02-10
accessdate = 2006-08-23] She currently resides in Swansea.

Acting

Griffin has appeared in many plays, television programmes and films both in Wales and throughout the United Kingdom. On television, she has been seen in the cult comedy "Satellite City", "Wycliffe", "Life Force", "Holby City" and "Doctor Who". Griffin's film work includes "Twin Town", "Solomon a Gaenor" and "Human Traffic".

In 2003, Griffin performed a one-woman show, "Caitlin", based on the life of Caitlin MacNamara, wife of Dylan Thomas; the "Western Mail" praised her "finely-honed and perceptive performance". [cite news
first = Hannah
last = Jones
title = The WACAS Awards
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0900entertainment/0050artsnews/tm_objectid=13754452%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2003-12-26
accessdate = 2006-08-23]

In 2005, Griffin won acclaim for her role as Karen in "Little White Lies", which she also wrote. Her performance won the Best Actress prize in the 2005 BAFTA Cymru awards, defeating expected favourite [cite news
first = Claire
last = Hill
title = London premiere for Welsh comedy
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0900entertainment/0050artsnews/tm_objectid=17010365%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2006-04-29
accessdate = 2006-08-23] Billie Piper (who had been nominated for her role as Rose Tyler in "Doctor Who"). [cite news
first = Karen
last = Price
title = Doctor Who dominates Welsh Baftas
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0900entertainment/0050artsnews/tm_objectid=16875977%26method=full%26siteid=50082%26page=2%26headline=doctor%2dwho%2ddominates%2dwelsh%2dbaftas-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2006-03-29
accessdate = 2006-08-23] [cite web
url = http://www.bafta-cymru.org.uk/english/awards/awards.php?year=2005&page=6
title = BAFTA Cymru Awards archive
accessdate = 2006-08-23
date = 2006-04-24
publisher = BAFTA Cymru] Griffin herself had become associated with "Doctor Who" by frequently being used as a stand-in for unavailable actors during read-throughs for other episodes.cite journal|last=Pixley|first=Andrew|title=Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel|journal=Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition|issue=14|pages=52–61|publisher=Panini Comics|date=2006-11-09 cover date] This led to her casting in the episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel", during production of which she continued to impress the production team to the degree that the script was rewritten so that her character survived for longer than originally planned. In the final episode of "Gavin & Stacey", Helen appeared as Rita the toll woman.

Writing

Griffin's first short play, "Killjoy", was written for Theatre West Glamorgan (subsequently renamed Teatr na n'Og) and was first performed in 1993.cite web
url = http://www.theatre-wales.co.uk/plays/author_playlist.asp?author=Helen%20Griffin
title = Details of Helen Griffin's plays and performances from the archive of the Theatre in Wales website
accessdate = 2006-08-23
work = Theatre in Wales] Two more short plays, "The Change" and "A Generation Arises", were performed in 1994. In 1997, Griffin collaborated with Jo Brand on a short play, "Mental", which was based on their shared experiences as psychiatric nurses; the two performed an updated version at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2003. [cite news
first = Rebecca
last = Thomas
title = Jo Brand's Fringe return
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3113461.stm
work = BBC News
date = 2003-08-05
accessdate = 2006-08-23] Griffin's first full-length play, "Flesh and Blood", which deals with racism in Welsh society, debuted at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff in 2000, and later moved to the Hampstead Theatre in London. [cite web
url = http://www.theatre-wales.co.uk/plays/review_archive.asp?playname=Flesh%20and%20Blood&company=Sherman%20Theatre%20Company
title = Details of Flesh and Blood from the archive of the Theatre in Wales website
accessdate = 2006-08-23
last = Watts
first = Robert
date = 2000-11-01
work = Theatre in Wales] In 2002, Teatr y Byd in Newport debuted another play by Griffin, "I Love You Superstar".

Griffin adapted her script for "Flesh and Blood" into the screenplay for "Little White Lies", [cite news
title = A sharp but gritty snapshot
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0900entertainment/0050artsnews/tm_objectid=16590102%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2006-01-16
accessdate = 2006-08-23] which was filmed on location in Cardiff and Swansea and premiered in the UK on January 10, 2006.

Political activism

Griffin has been active in anti-war, anti-racism and feminist causes. During the production of "Flesh and Blood", Griffin said, "We cannot afford to have a narrow definition of what it means to be Welsh. If we want to move forward we should be proud of multicultural Wales.” In 2003, Griffin protested the Iraq War in Swansea, and identified herself as a spokeswoman for Swansea Coalition Against the War. [cite news
title = Anti-war protesters rally today
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=12593084%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2003-02-01
accessdate = 2006-08-23] In 2004, she stood as a candidate for the European Parliament on the slate of the RESPECT Coalition— [cite news
first = Martin
last = Shipton
title = Rebel MP's party launches Euro-campaign
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/newspolitics/tm_objectid=14257394%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2004-05-20
accessdate = 2006-08-23] the party won no seats. [cite news
title = 2004 European parliamentary election results
url = http://politics.guardian.co.uk/elections2004/tables/0,,1234741,00.html
format = free registration required
work = The Guardian
accessdate = 2006-08-23] In 2006, Griffin was arrested for daubing red paint on the National Museum of Wales as part of a protest against Israel's actions in Lebanon. [cite news
first = Robin
last = Turner
title = Actress arrested for 'red handed' protest
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0900entertainment/0050artsnews/tm_objectid=17538206%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2006-08-10
accessdate = 2006-08-23] She was held for ten hours and released with a caution. [cite news
first = Robin
last = Turner
title = War protesters cautioned
url = http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=17545830%26method=full%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
work = Western Mail
date = 2006-08-11
accessdate = 2006-08-23]

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0341211|name=Helen Griffin