Ruthie Henshall

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
name = Ruthie Henshall
birthdate = birth date and age|1967|3|7|df=y
location = Bromley, London, England
spouse = Tim Howar (September 2004 - present)
height = 5' 3" (1.60 m)
deathdate =
birthname = Valentine Ruth Henshall
othername =
website = http://www.ruthiehenshall.com/
notable role = Marian Halcombe in "The Woman in White"
Fantine in "Les Miserables - The Dream Cast in Concert"
Nancy in "Oliver!"
Roxie Hart in "Chicago".
laurenceolivierawards = Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical|Best Actress in a Musical
1994 "She Loves Me"

Valentine Ruth Henshall (born 7 March 1967), known as Ruthie Henshall, is a British singer, dancer and actress.

Henshall was born in Bromley, London, England. Her father David was a journalist, latterly editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, the Suffolk morning newspaper. Henshall's early ambition was to be a ballet dancer, but she lacked the necessary physique. At the age of 19, after studying at the Laine Theatre Arts drama school in Epsom, she earned her first professional credit in the Cascade Review at the West Cliff Theatre in Clacton-on-Sea before taking part in a provincial production of "A Chorus Line". She made her mark in London's West End in the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing in "Cats", "Miss Saigon" (graduating from the chorus to the second female lead), and "Les Misérables" as Fantine. Her first starring role came in the 1993 trans-Atlantic transfer of the Broadway smash "Crazy for You", with a score by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, opening at the Prince Edward Theatre. Her performance earned her the first of four Olivier Award nominations.

In 1994, Henshall starred in "She Loves Me", winning the Olivier as Best Actress in a Musical. That same year, she performed a concert of Gershwin songs at London's Royal Festival Hall. She recreated her role of Fantine for the 10th Anniversary Concert performance of "Les Miz" at the Royal Albert Hall in October 1995. In 1996, she took on the role of Nancy in producer Cameron Mackintosh's hit revival of "Oliver!" at the famed London Palladium. From 1997-1998, Henshall starred as Roxie Hart in the West End revival of "Chicago".

Henshall was cast in the title role of the stage musical adaptation of the Francis Ford Coppola film "Peggy Sue Got Married", which opened in London in August 2001 to mixed reviews. Although it closed after a run of just eight weeks, she was once again nominated for an Olivier for her performance.

Henshall has appeared at the Chichester Festival Theatre, has toured Britain in the revue "The Magnificent Musicals", and has performed in "Hey, Mr. Producer", a celebration of the works of Cameron Mackintosh. Her solo recordings include "The Ruthie Henshall Album", "Pilgrim", and "Love Is Here to Stay", a collection of Gershwin tunes. She succeeded the role of Marian Halcombe from Maria Freidman in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Woman in White", from July 2005until February 2006. She can currently be seen in the title role of Marguerite, a new musical from the pens of Michel Legrand, Herbert Kretzmer, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. The show opened on 7 May at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, but will be closing early on 13 September. [ [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/120606.html Marguerite to Shutter Early] ]

Henshall's Broadway credits include Stephen Sondheim's "Putting It Together" and "The Vagina Monologues". Her first feature film, a musical version of "A Christmas Carol" with Kelsey Grammer, aired on NBC in the United States in November 2004 and was released as a commercial attraction to theaters in the UK and Europe. She appeared in the four-part BBC Television series "The Sound of Musicals" in January 2006.

Early in 2006, a Welsh portraitist named Roger P. Thomas said Henshall had given permission for him to paint her likeness, so that prints could be sold to raise £60,000 for charity.

In 2008, Henshall appeared as an Ice Judge on the ITV1 show "Dancing On Ice."

Personal life

Henshall dated Prince Edward "solidly" for two years, but "on and off for five years" [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7566483.stm Henshall talks of love for prince] ] , before becoming engaged to actor John Gordon Sinclair. After she took the role of Velma Kelly in "Chicago" on Broadway, New York, they broke up. Henshall admits then going through a process of excess drinking and considering suicide, but resolved her intimacy issues within relationships by undergoing counselling with the Hoffman Institute. [ [http://www.hoffmaninstitute.org/interviews-articles/articles/timeslondon_0503.html Ruthie Henshall | Interviews & Articles | Hoffman Institute ] ]

She then met Tim Howar, theatre actor and lead singer of the band Van Tramp; and her male co-star lead in the West End production of "Peggy Sue Got Married". The couple married in September 2004 at Mistley in Essex, and have two children together, Lily and Dolly. They live close to her parents on the Essex/Suffolk borders.

References

External links

* [http://www.ruthiehenshall.com/ Ruthie Henshall's Official Website]
* [http://www.theredshoeappeal.co.uk/patrons/ Patron of Red Shoes Appeal]