Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins (born 10 November 1955) is an English actress. Her film appearances include '' Hellraiser'' (1987), '' The Worst Witch'' (2017 - 2020) '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988), '' Small Faces'' (1996) and '' The Golden Compass'' (2007). A six-time Olivier Award nominee for her work in the theatre, Higgins received her first nomination in 1984 for her role as Stella Kowalski in '' A Streetcar Named Desire''. She has since won the Olivier Award for Best Actress three times; for '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' in 1995, '' Vincent in Brixton'' in 2003 and '' Hecuba'' in 2005. She made her Broadway debut in 2003 in ''Vincent in Brixton'', receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play. She returned to Broadway in the 2014 revival of '' A Delicate Balance''.

Early life

Higgins, the second of five children, was born in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, to Paula Cecilia (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Murphy) and James Stephen Higgins. Her parents were from working class Irish Catholic backgrounds,"At home and happy at last"
Telegraph.co.uk. and worked as teachers. Higgins was interested in acting since her childhood. After being expelled from a convent school, she ran away from home at seventeen. At 19, she gave birth to a boy but gave him up for adoption at her social worker's insistence.

Career

At 23, Higgins graduated from the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. LAMDA's Principal is ...

(LAMDA). Through the 1980s, she became a dynamic stage actress, both in London and on Broadway. She starred in the premiere of

David Hare David Hare may refer to: *David Hare (philanthropist) (1775–1842), Scottish philanthropist *David Hare (artist) (1917–1992), American sculptor and photographer *David Hare (playwright) (born 1947), English playwright and theatre and film direc ...

's '' The Secret Rapture'', and won the first of her three Olivier Awards in 1995. In 1983, she starred with Ben Cross in the BBC's serial version of A.J. Cronin's '' The Citadel'', playing the role of Christine Manson. For the big screen, Higgins played Julia Cotton in Clive Barker's '' Hellraiser'' (1987), based on Barker's novella ''

The Hellbound Heart ''The Hellbound Heart'' is a horror novella by Clive Barker, first published in November 1986 by Dark Harvest in the third volume of its '' Night Visions'' anthology series. The story features a hedonist criminal acquiring a mystical puzzle ...

''. She reprised the role for Tony Randel's '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988). Her other film credits include the Scottish film '' Small Faces'' (1996). In 2000 she appeared in Catherine Cookson's "The Secret" TV mini series as Maggie Hewitt, also in Woody Allen's '' Cassandra's Dream'' (2007), and '' The Golden Compass'' (2007). Higgins appeared as Jocasta in the National Theatre's critically acclaimed production of ''

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...

'', opposite Ralph Fiennes in the title role. From April to May 2009, she appeared in Wallace Shawn's ''The Fever'' at the Royal Court Theatre. From mid-May to September 2009, she appeared as the Countess Rossillion in ''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the ''First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangin ...

'' at the National Theatre (Olivier stage). On 30 September 2012, Higgins appeared in Season 3, episode 3 of '' Downton Abbey'' as Mrs Bartlett, a friend of Mrs Bates who eventually helps in the release of Mr Bates from prison. On 14 November 2013, she appeared in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' mini-episode " The Night of the Doctor", which starred Paul McGann as the

Eighth Doctor The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Paul McGann. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film ''Doctor Who'', a back-door pilo ...

. Higgins played Ohila, the leader of the

Sisterhood of Karn The Sisterhood of Karn is a fictional religious cult that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Residing on the planet Karn, the Sisterhood was introduced in the 1976 serial ''The Brain of Morbius'', and later a ...

. In 2014 she appeared in Father Brown "The Daughters of Jerusalem" as Dinah Fortescue. Higgins returned to the role of Ohila in 2015 in " The Magician's Apprentice", which originally aired on 19 September 2015, and in the series finale "

Hell Bent Hellbent may refer to: * Hellbent (novel), by Anthony McGowan Film and television * ''Hell Bent'' (film), a 1918 silent Western film * ''Hellbent'' (film), a 2004 slasher film * "Hell Bent" (''Doctor Who''), a 2015 episode of the ninth seri ...

" on 5 December 2015. The same year she appeared in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', as prosecuting lawyer Hazel Warren. In January 2017, Higgins appeared in CBBC's adaptation of Jill Murphy's ''The Worst Witch'' as Miss Ada Cackle, and her wicked twin sister Agatha.

Acting awards and nominations

Higgins was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1995 (1994 season) for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

. She won the same award in both 2002 and 2005: in 2002 for her performance in '' Vincent in Brixton'' performed at the Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe and Wyndham's Theatres, and in 2005 for her performance as Hecuba in the Euripides tragedy at the Donmar Warehouse. She was awarded the 2002

London Critics' Circle Theatre Award The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, originally called ''Drama'' Theatre Awards up to 1990, are British theatrical awards presented annually for the closing year's theatrical achievements. The winners, from theatre throughout the United Kingdom, ar ...

for Best Actress for her performance in ''Vincent in Brixton''. Additionally, she was awarded the 1994 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre) for Best Actress for her performances in '' The Children's Hour'' and ''Sweet Bird of Youth''. She was also awarded the 2002 ''London Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in ''Vincent in Brixton'' at the Donmar Warehouse in London. In 2003, she was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Actress in a Play for ''Vincent in Brixton'' on Broadway, and garnered the 2003 Theatre World Award for outstanding major Broadway debut.

Filmography

* ''Nineteen Nineteen'' (1985) * '' Hellraiser'' (1987) * '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988) * '' The Fruit Machine'' (1988) * '' Bad Behaviour'' (1993) * ''

Circle of Deceit Circle of Deceit may refer to: * ''Circle of Deceit'' (1981 film), German film * ''Circle of Deceit'' (1998 film), American TV film * '' Circles of Deceit'', British television thriller series {{disamb ...

'' (1993, TV film) * '' Fatherland'' (1994, TV film) * '' Small Faces'' (1996) * '' B. Monkey'' (1998) * '' The House of Mirth'' (2000) * '' Stage Beauty'' (2004) * '' The Libertine'' (2004) * ''

Bigger Than the Sky ''Bigger Than the Sky'' is a 2005 American drama film directed by Al Corley, written by Rodney Patrick Vaccaro, and starring Marcus Thomas, John Corbett, Amy Smart, Sean Astin, Clare Higgins, and Patty Duke. Its plot follows a man, who after br ...

'' (2005) * ''

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont ''Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' is a 2005 US-produced comedy-drama film based on the 1971 novel by Elizabeth Taylor. It was directed by Dan Ireland and produced by Lee Caplin, Carl Colpaert and Zachary Matz from a screenplay by Ruth Sacks Ca ...

'' (2005) * '' Cassandra's Dream'' (2007) * '' The Golden Compass'' (2007) * '' Being Human'' (2009) * ''

Toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...

'' (2010, TV movie) * ''

A Fantastic Fear of Everything ''A Fantastic Fear of Everything'' is a 2012 British horror comedy film starring Simon Pegg, written and directed by Crispian Mills with Chris Hopewell as co-director. It is based on the novella ''Paranoia in the Launderette'' by Bruce Robinson, ...

'' (2012) * '' The Syndicate'' (2012) * '' I Give It a Year'' (2013) * ''

'' (2013, 2015) * '' The Worst Witch'' (2017) * '' ''Into the Badlands'''' (2018) * '' Ready Player One'' (2018) * '' Cleaning Up'' (2019) * ''

The Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

'' (2022)

Selected theatre performances

* Countess Hechingen in ''The Deep Man'' by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. British premiere directed by Casper Wrede at the

Royal Exchange, Manchester The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

(1979). * Alexa Rollo in ''Rollo'' by Marcel Achard. Directed by David Thompson at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1980). * Judith in ''Blood, Black and Gold'' by

Gerard McLarnon Gerard McLarnon (16 April 1915 – 16 August 1997) was an English-Irish actor and playwright. Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, England, he was raised in Northern Ireland. His plays have been performed throughout the world, including Ireland, the U ...

. World premiere directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1980). * Isabella in ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

''. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1981).

References

External links

*
Interview 07/2003 (''The Independent'')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Clare 1955 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Bradford Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Audiobook narrators Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners English film actresses English people of Irish descent English radio actresses English Shakespearean actresses English television actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners Theatre World Award winners