Sarah Gordy
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Sarah Gordy,
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
(born September 1976) is a British actress who has
Down's Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...
. She is best known for her roles as Katie Thorne in ''
The A Word ''The A Word'' is a BBC television drama series, based on the Israeli series ''Yellow Peppers''. The series follows a young boy and how his family cope with the revelation that he has autism spectrum disorder. Following filming in the Lake Dist ...
'', Orlando Quine in '' Strike: The Silkworm'', Lady Pamela Holland in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
TV series of ''
Upstairs Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to: Television *Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975 *Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...
'', and Lucy Craddle in '' The Long Call''. She has also acted in episodes of ''
Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hanna ...
'', ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'' and ''
Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...
''. As well as these TV shows, she has acted in short films, radio dramas, commercials and many theatre productions. In 2018 she became the first woman with Down syndrome to be made an
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
and the first person with Down syndrome to receive an honorary degree from a UK university.


Early life

Born in London to a British mother and American father, Sarah Gordy has lived in both the UK and US.


Career

Gordy gained her first professional acting job on the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
television series, ''
Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale—a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most ...
, as'' Jessica Bain in "Walls of Jericho" (Series 10, Episode 11). She subsequently landed many other TV and theatre roles. In summer 2010, Gordy found out she had been chosen for the role of Lady Pamela Holland in the new
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
production of ''
Upstairs Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to: Television *Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975 *Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...
''. Lady Pamela was the long-lost sister of the lead character, Sir Hallam. Part of her role was written to illustrate the 1930s attitudes to disabilities. Her character was introduced in the third episode of the three-part drama. Lady Pamela became a regular character in the second series, which was televised in February 2012. Gordy starred in episode #3.5 of ''
Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hanna ...
,'' which was first broadcast on BBC One on 16 February 2014. She played Sally Harper, a young woman with Down's Syndrome who fell pregnant from her relationship with Jacob Milligan, a young man with
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
, played by Colin Young. Written by series creator,
Heidi Thomas Heidi Thomas (born 13 August 1962) is an English screenwriter and playwright. Career After reading English at Liverpool University, Thomas gained national attention when her play, ''Shamrocks And Crocodiles'', won the John Whiting Award in ...
, the episode highlighted the treatment of people with physical and intellectual disabilities in British society in the late 1950s. Gordy has read four "Bedtime Stories" for
CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
and acting in the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
play, ''Resurrection'', in April 2012. In 2012, Gordy starred in the short film ''TimeSlip'', written and directed by Suchi Chatterjee. It was made with the support of the Oyster Project in
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...
. It won the Our Story award in the Oska Bright Film Festival 2013. It also won the Our Story Class in the Australian 2014 Sit Down Shut Up & Watch (SDSW) Festival and was short-listed for the Picture This Film Festival in Calgary, Canada. Gordy co-directed and played Mary in "The Infant King" for the Oyster Project. In 2013, Gordy won a BBC Sussex and Surrey Community Heroes Award. She was given the Arts Award in Lewes Town Council's Civic Awards in 2014 for service to the people of Lewes and her work in the Arts, especially for disabled people living and working in Lewes. Gordy broke new ground in 2014 by playing a central character without a disability in the play ''Crocodiles'' at Manchester's
Royal Exchange Theatre 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 ...
. She has done a lot of theatre work, appearing in ''Once We were Mothers'' by Lisa Evans for the New Vic, Newcastle under Lyme, and in its second production at The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. She co-starred in the two-person play ''Into the Blue'' at The Arcola Theatre, London. She played the leading role in a touring theatre production, ''Seize the Day'', with
Hijinx Theatre Hijinx is a professional theatre company with its base at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, Wales. They are also a touring company, performing at the Glastonbury Festival and Edinburgh Festivals, and tour also small scale theatres through ...
, and has also toured with The Theatre Centre and Kazzum Theatre. Gordy is one of the principal dancers for Culture Device Dance Project, an experimental dance company for professional dancers with Down syndrome. She has performed in Germany, Macedonia, UK and Ireland. She performed a series of dance pieces at the My Perspective International Photography Competition Awards Ceremony in June 2016 which is held each year by the
Down's Syndrome Association The Down's Syndrome Association (DSA) is a British charity which describes itself as being the only organisation in the United Kingdom that focuses solely on all aspects of living successfully with Down's syndrome. The Association states its mis ...
(DSA). Gordy has also done a lot of modelling work. She is one of the models in the ongoing Radical Beauty Project, which seeks to change the way we see Down's Syndrome. She was photographed by Rankin as part of Mencap #HereIAm campaign. She worked with Richard Bailey on his award-winning After Vermeer series for Shifting Perspectives for the DSA. In 2017, Gordy portrayed Orlando Quine in two episodes of '' Strike: The Silkworm'' In November 2018, Gordy was presented with an
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
for services to the arts and people with disabilities. The MBE had been awarded as part of the
Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...
in June. She was the first woman with Down's Syndrome to be awarded an MBE. The following month, she received an honorary
Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...
s degree from the
University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...
, becoming the first person with Down's Syndrome to be awarded an honorary degree by a British university. Gordy starred in ''Jellyfish'', a new play written by Ben Weatherill, which premiered at the
Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...
in June 2018. Following a sold-out run at the Bush, it moved to the National Theatre in July 2019. Gordy was nominated for Best West End Debut in ''
The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' Debut Awards 2019. In March 2019, Gordy performed "The Rite Re-evisioned" with Culture Device Dance Project and dancers of The
Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...
at the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
. Culture Device performed the dance again for the film ''The Rite'', which was nominated for Fashion Film Award. In 2019, Gordy joined the cast of ''
The A Word ''The A Word'' is a BBC television drama series, based on the Israeli series ''Yellow Peppers''. The series follows a young boy and how his family cope with the revelation that he has autism spectrum disorder. Following filming in the Lake Dist ...
'', as Katie, in the third season of the BBC drama series. This aired in May 2020 with Ralph and Katie's storyline building up to their wedding and moving in together. In August 2020 the BBC announced that the characters would get their own spin-off series, which aired in 2022.


Personal life

Gordy has a younger sister, Catherine. Their mother, Jane Gordy, acts as Sarah's drama coach, travelling with her and helping with her lines. Gordy lives in
Lewes, East Sussex Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of the ...
. She enjoys dancing and working out. When she is not acting, she regularly volunteers at the local
British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...
charity shop. Gordy is a celebrity ambassador for
Mencap The Royal Mencap Society is a charity based in the United Kingdom that works with people with a learning disability. Its Charity Number is 222377. History Established by Judy Fryd in 1946 as The National Association of Parents of Backwards Chi ...
and Patron of Circus Starr. In 2019, she became Patron of the Cutting Edge Theatre Company in Scotland.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordy, Sarah 21st-century English actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Actors with Down syndrome British people with disabilities People educated at East Sussex College Actresses from Sussex Actresses from London Actresses of American descent English people of American descent 1976 births Living people