Heather Craney (born 1971) is an English actress, known for portraying Joyce Drake in ''

Vera Drake ''Vera Drake'' is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal ab ...

'', Alison Weaver in '' Life of Riley'' and Emily Holroyd in ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

''.

Background

Craney was born in

Stapleford, Cambridgeshire Stapleford is a village located approximately 4 miles to the south of Cambridge, in the county of Cambridgeshire, in eastern England on the right-hand bank of the River Granta. Stapleford is first mentioned in 956 when it was given the Latinise ...

. Her family lived in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underw ...

for two years during the 1980s, where Craney attended

Hummersknott School Hummersknott Academy is a secondary school in Darlington in the north east of England. It schools approximately 1,250 pupils aged eleven to sixteen. It has had specialist Language College status since 2005 and holds accreditations for Artsmar ...

. She attended Stapleford Community Primary School, Sawston Village College and Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridgeshire, and went on to study English and drama at Liverpool Hope University, graduating in 1992.Profile – Heather Craney
''Mandy Actors''; retrieved 12 August 2009. She trained in Acting and Musical Theatre at the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

, graduating in 1995.

Career

Craney has appeared in the

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 Des ...

films ''

Topsy-Turvy ''Topsy-Turvy'' is a 1999 British musical period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Allan Corduner as Sir Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville and Ron Cook. The ...

'' (1999), ''

All or Nothing All or Nothing may refer to: Film and television * ''All or Nothing'' (film), a 2002 film by Mike Leigh * ''All or Nothing'' (game show), a 2004–2005 Russian game show based on ''Deal or No Deal'' * ''All or Nothing'' (sports docuseries), ...

'' (2002) and ''

'' (2004), for which she was nominated for the 2005

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film. This award ...

. Her other film credits include ''Drinking Crude'' (1997), ''Loop'' (1997) and '' Dangerous Parking'' (2007). On television, Craney played Alison Weaver in the sitcom '' Life of Riley'', and Cheryl Matthews 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 ...

''. She also played Emily Holroyd in the ''

'' episode " Fragments". She has also appeared in ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel ...

'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'', ''

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 ...

'' and the television films '' The Mark of Cain'' and ''

Ahead of the Class ''Ahead of the Class'' is a single British television drama film, based on the book of the same name by Marie Stubbs, that first broadcast on ITV1 on 30 January 2005. Adapted for television by Robert Jones and directed by Adrian Shergold, the f ...

''. In May 2022, she appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera '' Doctors'' as Sian Corcoran. Craney's theatre credits include ''Death of an Elephant'', ''

Dangerous Corner ''Dangerous Corner'' was the first play by the English writer J. B. Priestley. It was premiered in May 1932 by Tyrone Guthrie at the Lyric Theatre, London, and filmed in 1934 by Phil Rosen. Priestley had recently collaborated with Edward Kno ...

'', ''Sugar Mummies'', ''Stoning Mary'' and ''Passion Play'', at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

Filmography

Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Craney, Heather People from Stapleford, Cambridgeshire Alumni of Liverpool Hope University Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama English television actresses English film actresses English stage actresses Living people People educated at Hummersknott Academy 1971 births Actresses from Cambridgeshire