Claire Louise Rushbrook (born 25 August 1971) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Roxanne in '' Secrets & Lies.''

Early life

Claire Louise Rushbrook was born on 25 August 1971 in

Hitchin, Hertfordshire Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people, a tribe holding 300 ...

. She attended

Fearnhill School Fearnhill School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, England. Admissions Fearnhill School (formerly Letchworth Grammar School) is a foundation comprehensive school located in Letchworth Garden City. ...

in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, before joining

Rose Bruford College Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...

Career

Rushbrook worked mainly in theatre for around five years before moving into film and television. She

guest star In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

red in the episodes "

The Impossible Planet "The Impossible Planet" is the eighth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 3 June 2006. It is the first part of a two-part story. The second part, ...

" and "

The Satan Pit "The Satan Pit" is the ninth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on 10 June 2006. It is the second part of a two-part story. The first part, "The Impossible Planet ...

" in ''

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 ...

'' and had supporting roles in films '' Secrets & Lies'' and '' Spice World''. Her ''Doctor Who'' guest star status earned her a position in a ''Doctor Who'' celebrity edition of ''

The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which The Weakest Link (British game show), first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host ...

'' but ended up being the fourth one voted off. She also appeared in the 2008 BBC comedy drama ''

Mutual Friends ''Mutual Friends'' is a British comedy drama television series broadcast in six episodes on BBC One in from 26 August until 30 September 2008. The series starred Marc Warren, Alexander Armstrong, Keeley Hawes, Sarah Alexander, Claire Rushbrook, ...

'' and the 2009

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...

dramas ''

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

'' and ''

Collision In physics, a collision is any event in which two or more bodies exert forces on each other in a relatively short time. Although the most common use of the word ''collision'' refers to incidents in which two or more objects collide with great fo ...

'', both alongside Phil Davis. Rushbrook's theatre credits include West End productions of '' Three Sisters'' as Olga and ''

Festen ''The Celebration'' ( da, Festen) is a 1998 Danish dark comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and produced by Nimbus Film. The film tells the story of a family gathering to celebrate their father's 60th birthday, juggling subjects of ...

'' as Helene. Other stage roles include Mary Warren in ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as a ...

'' (

Sheffield Crucible theatre Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...

), Sonia in ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the direct ...

'' (

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

), Mum in ''Market Boy'' ( National Theatre) and Maggie in '' Middle'' (National Theatre). Her films include

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...

's '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996) and Carine Adler's '' Under the Skin'' (1997) with

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress and director. Known for her work in independent cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for tw ...

. On television, she has starred in ''

The Sins ''The Sins'' is a BBC television series that aired from 24 October 2000 until 5 December 2000. The series centres on Len Green (Pete Postlethwaite), a former bank robber and getaway driver, who has retired from the criminal life and joined th ...

'' (2000), ''

Linda Green ''Linda Green'' is a British comedy-drama television series that aired on BBC One from 30 October 2001 to 17 December 2002. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company. The series was created by Paul Abbott, and other wr ...

'' (2001–02), the sitcom ''

Carrie And Barry ''Carrie & Barry'' is a British television sitcom first broadcast on BBC One between 2004 and 2005, it stars Neil Morrissey, Claire Rushbrook, Mark Williams and Michelle Gomez. Produced by Hartswood Films, it reunited Morrissey with writer Simo ...

'' (2004–05), ''

'' (2009–13) and ''

My Mad Fat Diary ''My Mad Fat Diary'' is a British teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 (TV channel), E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel ''My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary'' by Rae Earl. The second series started on 19 Februa ...

'' (2013–15), for which she received a 2014

BAFTA TV Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and '' Home Fires'' (2015–16). In 2020 she appeared in '' Enola Holmes'' (as Mrs Lane) and ''

Ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) ...

''. In 2021 she starred opposite

Adeel Akhtar Adeel Akhtar (born 18 September 1980) is a British actor. In 2017, he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his role in '' Murdered by My Father''. He was also nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his role ...

in the British film

Ali & Ava ''Ali & Ava'' is a 2021 British drama film written and directed by Clio Barnard. The film stars Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook in the lead roles. ''Ali & Ava'' had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight se ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rushbrook, Claire 1971 births People from Letchworth People educated at Fearnhill School Alumni of Rose Bruford College Living people English television actresses English film actresses Actresses from Hertfordshire 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses