Helen Masters (born 10 April 1963) is an English actress who has appeared on stage, film and TV.

Early life

Helen Masters grew up in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. She attended Kings High School,

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

and

Solihull School Solihull School is a coeducational Independent school (UK), independent day school in Solihull, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Founded in 1560, it is the oldest school in the town and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmi ...

. She went on to study at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...

Personal life

Masters lives in London and is married to John McRoberts with whom she has two children.

Career

Stage

After graduating she made her first stage appearance at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

in ''East'' and ''A Clockwork Orange''. She then went on to play Laurie in ''The Traveller'' at the

Leicester Haymarket The Leicester Haymarket Theatre is a theatre in Leicester, England, next to the Haymarket Shopping Centre on Belgrave Gate in Leicester City centre. History The Haymarket Theatre was opened by Sir Ralph Richardson and the opening season started ...

(1987) which transferred to The

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 ...

(1988), Emilie, and later on the role of Madame de Tourvel, in the West End Production of ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' at the Ambassadors Theatre (1989), Yelena in ''Marya ''at

the Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit organization, not-for-profit producing house, producing theatre in Waterloo, London, Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Th ...

directed by Roger Michell (1990), Ellen in "Acid Hearts" at the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

(1992), Emma in ''Betrayal'' at the Chester Gateway Theatre (1994). In July 2011, Helen Masters returned to the stage to play the role of Lady Magdalene Danvers in ''Into Thy Hands'', a new play written and directed by Jonathan Holmes at

Wiltons Music Hall Wilton's Music Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Shadwell, built as a music hall and now run as a multi-arts performance space in Graces Alley, off Cable Street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is one of very few surviving music ...

, London. In March 2011, Masters played Molly in ''Revolution Square'' at the Bush Theatre, London, again written and directed by Jonathan Holmes.

Television

Masters's work in television increased during the early 1990s, culminating in her portrayal of D.I. Lucy Lane in the HTV television series '' Wycliffe'' from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Jack Shepherd as Det. Superintendent Wycliffe and

Jimmy Yuill James Evander Munro Yuill (born 13 February 1956) is a Scottish actor. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and later joined the Renaissance Theatre Company. He has appeared in many of Kenneth Branagh's films, most recently as Edwa ...

as D.I. Doug Kersey.

Selected filmography

References

* Living people 1963 births Actresses from Coventry 21st-century English actresses 20th-century English actresses {{UK-tv-actor-1960s-stub