Sara Crowe is a Scottish film and

stage actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

who mainly plays

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

roles.

Biography

Career

After beginning her career on

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and in

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, Crowe began to take film roles, including a part in ''

Carry On Columbus ''Carry On Columbus'' is a 1992 British comedy film, the 31st and final release in the ''Carry On'' film series (1958–1992). The film was a belated entry to the series, following 1978's ''Carry On Emmannuelle''. It was produced to coincide ...

'' and as the 'first bride' Laura in the comedy film ''

Four Weddings and a Funeral ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle ...

''. Her West End appearances include ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...

'', ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'', '' Hay Fever'' and ''

The Constant Wife ''The Constant Wife'', a play written in 1926 by W. Somerset Maugham, is a comedy whose modern and amusing take on marriage and infidelity gives a quick-witted, alternative view on how to deal with an extramarital affair. A “sparkling comedy o ...

'' and, on tour, '' Acorn Antiques the Musical'' and Alan Ayckbourn's ''

Absurd Person Singular ''Absurd Person Singular'' is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. Divided into three acts, it documents the changing fortunes of three married couples. Each act takes place at a Christmas celebration at one of the couples' homes on successive Christma ...

''. She is a regular performer (and part of the original cast) of the touring play '' Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners''. She gained notice in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in a series of TV advertisements for

Philadelphia cream cheese Philadelphia Cream Cheese is a brand of cream cheese. It is one of the best selling brands of cream cheese worldwide, first produced in 1872 and is currently owned by Kraft Heinz. Origin Despite its name, Philadelphia Cream Cheese was invented ...

spread in the 1990s, playing a ditsy blonde secretary with Ann Bryson as her friend. With Bryson, she also formed the

comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases f ...

Flaming Hamsters; they co-starred in the 1995 film '' The Steal'' and the sitcom ''Sometime Never''. She appeared in the 2010

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

feature film version of

Tony Hawks Antony Gordon Hawksworth, MBE (born February 27, 1960), known professionally as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author. Early life Born in Brighton, Sussex, Hawks was educated at Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School and Bright ...

's best selling book, '' Round Ireland with a Fridge''. In 2012 she appeared in '' St. John's Night'' (1853) by Henrik Ibsen at London's

Jermyn Street Theatre Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an off-west end studio theatre. History Jermyn Street Theatre opened in August 1994. It was formerly the changing rooms for staff at a Spaghetti ...

. Crowe has starred as Queen Thistle and also as Mrs Witch in the television programme ''

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom ''Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom'' is a British preschool animated television series. The show was created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker, and produced by Astley Baker Davies and Entertainment One (the companies responsible for ''Peppa Pig' ...

''. She briefly appeared in the BBC soap series '' EastEnders'' in 2013, playing the character of Sheila Morris. Crowe is Patron of Guildford-based educational, cultural and social community hub, The Guildford Institute.

Writing

Crowe's first novel, ''Campari for Breakfast'', was published by Doubleday in April 2014. Her second novel ''Martini Henry'' was published in 2016 by Doubleday.

Personal life

Crowe was married to Toby Dale, the son of

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

, from July 1992 until 1998. Since 2003, she has been married to Sean Carson.

Awards

1990

* Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress * Variety Club Best Actress Award * London Critics Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer (performance in ''

'') * Nominated for Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for Hay Fever

Filmography

* ''

Home To Roost ''Home to Roost'' is a British sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television between 19 April 1985 and 19 January 1990. Written by Eric Chappell, it stars John Thaw as Henry Willows and Reece Dinsdale as his teenaged son Matthew. The premise is th ...

'' (1989) – Cherry Gibson * '' Haggard'' (1990) – Fanny Foulacre * ''

'' (1992) – Fatima * ''

The Thief and the Cobbler ''The Thief and the Cobbler'' is an unfinished animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Richard Williams. Originally conceived in the 1960s, the film was in and out of production for nearly three decades due to independent funding and ...

'' (voice only; 1992 version, unreleased) – Princess YumYum (unfinished version) (voice) * ''

'' (1994) – Laura, the Bride – Wedding One * '' The Steal'' (1995) – Bank Transfer Secretary * ''Caught in the Act'' (1997) – Lucinda * '' Round Ireland with a Fridge'' (2010) – Nicola

References

External links

* 1966 births Living people Laurence Olivier Award winners People from Irvine, North Ayrshire Scottish people of Australian descent Scottish expatriates in Spain Scottish film actresses Scottish stage actresses Scottish television actresses Scottish women comedians British comedy actresses {{scotland-actor-stub