Christine Murray (born 23 September 1958), known professionally as Crissy Rock, is an English award-winning actress, stand-up comedian, and best-selling author, most notable for her role as Maggie Conlan in the 1994 film ''

Ladybird, Ladybird "Ladybird! Ladybird!" is the first line of an English-language nursery rhyme that also has German analogues. It is included in the Roud Folk Song Index as number of 16215. The rhyme This traditional verse relates to ladybirds, brightly colou ...

'', and as Janey York in ''

Benidorm Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotels were built, though ...

'' whom she played from 2007, until 2011 when she left the show, although she returned in Episode 6 of Series 5 for a cameo role, and then again for two episodes of Series 7 in 2015. She appeared in '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' 2011. In December 2012, she appeared on '' Celebrity Come Dine with Me''. For her performance in ''Ladybird, Ladybird'', she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award at the

44th Berlin International Film Festival The 44th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1994. The Golden Bear was awarded to British-Irish film ''In the Name of the Father'' directed by Jim Sheridan. The retrospective dedicated to Austrian director, ...

Career

Stage

Rock started her career as a comedian in the late 1980s. She appeared nationwide on Bob Monkhouse's BBC Television show '' Bob Says Opportunity Knocks'', By 1993, her career had started to take off. She performed her act in clubs in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

, Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Cardiff, and London. By 1994, Rock was bill-topping at the

Central Pier Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and the Blackpool Tower. In 1998, Rock toured the United Kingdom in a drama called ''Shellfish'', in which she played the role of the pivotal female role of Pat. The Guardian newspaper wrote: ''Pat is an utterly believable portrayal of a woman making a last grab at happiness''. Following the success of the TV show ''

'' she returned to the UK in 2008 and continued to perform her stand-up act in clubs around the country. Rock's comedy has been described as "outrageous" and "emotional". In 2011, Rock released her debut DVD: ''Crissy Rock – Live!'', recorded at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre. From December 2011 to January 2012, Rock played the role of the Fairy godmother in

Billingham Forum Billingham is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. The town is on the north side of the River Tees and is governed by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. The settlement had previously formed its ...

's Christmas pantomime production of '' Cinderella''. In December 2013, Rock appeared as the Wicked Queen in a production of '' Snow White'' at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre. On 15 March 2014, Rock led the cast of new comedy ''Dirty Dusting'' at the Bedworth Civic Hall. In April 2014, Rock starred alongside Duggie Brown in ''Escorts the musical'' at the Theatre Royal St Helens.''

Film and television

Rock's debut acting performance was as Maggie Conlan in Ken Loach's award-winning 1994 film '' Ladybird Ladybird''. Loach later recalled: "I cannot think of anyone I have worked with who shines more brightly than Crissy Rock". Her performance won her numerous awards, including 'Best Actress' at the Berlin Film Festival, 'Best Actress' at London Film Critics Awards, and she received a 'Best Newcomer' nomination in the Evening Standard Awards. In 1995, Rock appeared on primetime ITV in '' Peak Practice'', '' Celebrity Squares'' and ''Funny Girls''. She also performed on

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

's ''Stand and Deliver''. In 1996, she played Annie Greave in episode three of the BBC detective drama '' Dalziel and Pascoe'', had a regular television role as nosy neighbour Anita Cartledge in '' Springhill '', and starred alongside Julie Walters and Robert Lindsay in the BBC comedy play '' Brazen Hussies''. In 1997, she played alongside

Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was al ...

in the six-part BBC1 series '' Born to Run''. She also made regular appearances on Channel 4's game show ''Pull The Other One''. In 1999, Rock played alongside Pete Postlethwaite in the BBC crime drama '' Butterfly Collectors'', Nancy Banks-Smith who, writing in The Guardian said: “Crissy Rock..just switch her on and watch her go”. This was the first of two plays in which she featured in that year, the other was as Jean Walton in Jimmy McGovern's BAFTA nominated Channel 4 play '' Dockers'', with Ken Stott and Ricky Tomlinson. In the same year, she was acclaimed for her presenting debut on BBC TV's ''Millennium Night Show'' with Michael Parkinson and Gaby Roslin. In 2000, she played the regular role of the unnamed newsagent in the BBC One drama series '' Clocking Off''. In 2001, Rock starred as Amber Costello during a four-week stint in Channel 4's soap opera '' Brookside''. In 2002, she worked with Ricky Tomlinson again, when she played Madame Flo in his six-part BBC series ''Nice Guy Eddie''. She also starred in a short film called ''Hero'', which won the Hamburg and Dresden International Festivals in three categories, also the London International Film Festival for short subjects. Following a five-year retirement from acting, Rock was cast, without audition, in the two part ''Closure'' episode of Lynda La Plante's Trial & Retribution series for ITV in 2007. The following year, Plante cast her in another of her TV productions: '' The Commander''. In 2006, Rock took on the role of loudmouthed hotel manageress Janey York in ITV's sitcom ''

''. In 2012, Rock filmed "The Air That I Breathe", based on the 1970s TV series ''

Hazell Hazell is a name of British origin, and may refer to: People Surname *Andy Hazell (born 1978), British rugby player *Bert Hazell (1907–2009), British politician *Bob Hazell (born 1959), British football player * Charles Hazell, Canadian archi ...

''. Over the years, she has appeared in various feature films, including '' Under the Skin'', with Samantha Morton, ''Act of Grace'', in which she played Leo Gregory's mother, and ''

A Boy Called Dad ''A Boy Called Dad'' is a 2009 British drama film, produced by Made Up North Productions. It is the feature film debut of director Brian Percival, screenwriter Julie Rutterford, producers Michael Knowles and Stacey Murray, and co-producer Mark ...

''. She is currently filming three new films: ''In Search Of The Miraculous'', ''Death Of An Angel'' and ''Still Waters''.

''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''

Rock took part in the 11th series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. She came 6th and left on Day 19. On 8 December 2011, days after returning from Australia, she appeared on Gabby Logan's Channel 5 show ''Live with Gabby'' in which she reflected on her 19 days in the jungle, her weight loss and her DVD.

Publications

Rock published her autobiography ''This Heart Within Me Burns'' in 2011. Ghost written by author Ken Scott, the book was a best-seller in Britain, and Rock went on a book signing tour to promote it. The sales for the hardback edition hit 35,000, and it was subsequently released in paperback. ''This Heart Within Me Burns'' was described as 'an inspirational piece of literature'. Encouraged by this success, Rock teamed up with Ken Scott again to pen the first of a series of novels centring on fictional journalist Samantha Kerr. The first book, ''Revenge Is Sweeter Than Flowing Honey'' was published in February 2014. Ken Scott has recently written: "Look out for more Sam Kerr in the not too distant future", suggesting that there are more books in the pipeline.

Stage and Screen Credits

Screen

Stage

Bibliography

References

External links

*
Unreality TV – News of Crissy Rock on ''I'm a Celebrity''British Comedy Guide
at British TV Comedy {{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, Crissy 1958 births Actresses from Liverpool English autobiographers English television actresses English women non-fiction writers Living people Writers from Liverpool Silver Bear for Best Actress winners English women comedians English film actresses 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Women autobiographers I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants