Zoë Tapper (born 26 October 1981) is an English actress who first came to prominence playing

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...

ne in

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Ma ...

's award-winning film ''

Stage Beauty ''Stage Beauty'' is a 2004 romantic period drama directed by Richard Eyre. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on his play ''Compleat Female Stage Beauty'', which was inspired by references to 17th-century actor Edward Kynaston made in t ...

'' in 2004. She is known for portraying Anya Raczynski in '' Survivors'' and

Mina Harker Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. In the novel She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engaged t ...

in ''

Demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in Media (communication), media such as comics, video ...

''.

Early life and education

Tapper was born in

Bromley, Kent Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

. She trained at the

Academy Drama School The Academy Drama School (often referred to as the Academy) was a British drama school in London. It was founded in 1985 and closed in 2007. History The Academy was founded by Tim Reynolds and his wife Judith in 1985 as the Evening Academy of D ...

and 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 ...

, from which she graduated in the spring of 2003, days before taking on her first film role.

Career

On stage Tapper has appeared in '' Epitaph for George Dillon'' in the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

, and ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

'' at

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

. Following her film debut in ''

'', Tapper played Gwendolyn in '' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005), alongside

Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Ton ...

, and Diana Shaw in ''

These Foolish Things "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" is a standard with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz, writing under the pseudonym Holt Marvell, and music by Jack Strachey, both Englishmen. Harry Link, an American, sometimes appears as a co-writer; his input ...

'' (2006), alongside

Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress and director. Known for often portraying eccentric and distinctive characters, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as no ...

. Her television credits include Mary Collins in ''

A Harlot's Progress ''A Harlot's Progress'' (also known as ''The Harlot's Progress'') is a series of six paintings (1731, now destroyed) and engravings (1732) by the English artist William Hogarth. The series shows the story of a young woman, M. (Moll or Mary) Ha ...

'' for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

, Jane in

Oliver Parker Oliver Parker (born 6 September 1960) is a British film director, screenwriter and former actor. He is known for writing and directing the film adaptations of Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (1995) and Wilde's ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' (2002) ...

's ''The Private Life of Samuel Pepys'', Gemma in the first series of the

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 1 ...

drama ''

Hex Hex or HEX may refer to: Magic * Hex, a curse or supposed real and potentially supernaturally realized malicious wish * Hex sign, a barn decoration originating in Pennsylvania Dutch regions of the United States * Hex work, a Pennsylvania Dutch ...

'' and Jenny Maple in the BBC

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky ''Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky'' is a 2005 BBC television serial depicting the intersecting lives of three working-class Londoners in the 1920s. The series is based on the trilogy '’ 20,000 Streets Under the Sky'’ by British author ...

''. She also played

Hermia Hermia is a fictional character from Shakespeare's play, ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. She is a girl of ancient Athens named for Hermes, the Greek god of trade. Overview Hermia is caught in a romantic entanglement where she loves one man, ...

in ''

ShakespeaRe-Told ''ShakespeaRe-Told'' is the umbrella title for a series of four television adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays broadcast on BBC One during November 2005. In a similar manner to the 2003 production of '' The Canterbury Tales'', each play i ...

'': ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...

'', the 2005

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. ...

adaptation/modernisation of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's play of the same name. In 2008 Tapper portrayed

Sheila Steafel Sheila Frances Steafel (26 May 1935 – 23 August 2019) was a British actress, who was born in Johannesburg, but lived all her adult life in the United Kingdom. Life and career Steafel, who was born in Johannesburg, trained at the Webber Dougla ...

in the BBC television play '' The Curse of Steptoe'' and Anya Raczynski in the BBC remake of '' Survivors'', alongside

Max Beesley Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. (born 16 April 1971) is an English actor and musician. He has appeared in a variety of television shows such as ''Bodies'', ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', '' Survivors'', '' Mad Dogs'', ''Homeland'', '' Suits ...

, Paterson Joseph and

Julie Graham Julie Graham (born 24 July 1965) is a Scottish television and film actress. Career Graham has appeared in the Channel 4 ''Blood Red Roses'' (1986, filmed in East Kilbride). She also appeared in 1986 in an episode of ''Taggart'', “Death Call� ...

. She also played Selina Dawes in the ITV adaptation of the novel ''

Affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Part ...

'', opposite

Anna Madeley Anna Madeley (born 1 October 1976) is an English actress. She performed for three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in three off-West End productions. She has starred in productions on each of the main British televis ...

as Margaret Prior. It premiered at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and in the UK on 28 December 2008 on ITV. In 2009 she appeared in the ITV fantasy drama series ''

'' as blind

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

-turned-monster hunter

.Cult , Demons , Characters , Mina Harker – ITV Drama
She played

Effie Gray Euphemia Chalmers Millais, Lady Millais (''née'' Gray; 7 May 1828 – 23 December 1897) was a Scottish artists' model and the wife of Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. She had previously been married to the art critic John Ruskin, ...

in the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

Desperate Romantics ''Desperate Romantics'' is a six-part television drama serial about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, first broadcast on BBC Two between 21 July and 25 August 2009. The series somewhat fictionalised the lives and events depicted. Though heavily ...

''. In 2010, she played Hannah in the BBC television pilot ''

Reunited Reunited may refer to: Music *Reunited Tour, a 2004 concert tour by Judas Priest Albums * ''Reunited'' (Gaither Vocal Band album), 2009 * ''Reunited'' (Gloria Jones album), 1982 * ''Reunited'' (Highway 101 album), 1996 * ''Reunited'' (The Jets al ...

''. In 2013 Tapper starred as Ellen Love in ''

Mr Selfridge ''Mr Selfridge'' is a British period drama television series about Harry Gordon Selfridge and his department store, Selfridge & Co, in London, set from 1908 to 1928. It was co-produced by ITV Studios and Masterpiece/ WGBH for broadcast on I ...

''.

Personal life

Tapper has one brother. She is married to the actor Oliver Dimsdale. In 2011, they had a daughter.

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tapper, Zoe English television actresses English film actresses English stage actresses English radio actresses English Shakespearean actresses Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Alumni of the Academy Drama School People from Bromley Actresses from London 1981 births Living people Actresses from Kent