Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins (born 10 November 1955) is an English actress. Her film appearances include ''

Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...

'' (1987), '' The Worst Witch'' (2017 - 2020) '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988), ''

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...

'' (1996) and '' The Golden Compass'' (2007). A six-time

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

nominee for her work in the theatre, Higgins received her first nomination in 1984 for her role as Stella Kowalski in ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

''. She has since won the

Olivier Award for Best Actress The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards ...

three times; for ''

Sweet Bird of Youth ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' is a 1959 play by Tennessee Williams which tells the story of a gigolo and drifter, Chance Wayne, who returns to his home town as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra del Lago (travelling incognito as Princess ...

'' in 1995, ''

Vincent in Brixton ''Vincent in Brixton'' is a 2002 play by Nicholas Wright. The play premiered at London's National Theatre with Jochum ten Haaf in the title role. It transferred to the Playhouse Theatre and later to Broadway. It focuses on artist Vincent van ...

'' in 2003 and ''

Hecuba Hecuba (; also Hecabe; grc, Ἑκάβη, Hekábē, ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. Description Hecuba was described by the chronicler Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "da ...

'' in 2005. She made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in 2003 in ''Vincent in Brixton'', receiving a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nomination for Best Actress in a Play. She returned to Broadway in the 2014 revival of '' A Delicate Balance''.

Early life

Higgins, the second of five children, was born in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, to Paula Cecilia (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Murphy) and James Stephen Higgins. Her parents were from working class

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...

backgrounds,"At home and happy at last"
Telegraph.co.uk. and worked as teachers. Higgins was interested in acting since her childhood. After being expelled from a convent school, she ran away from home at seventeen. At 19, she gave birth to a boy but gave him up for adoption at her social worker's insistence.

Career

At 23, Higgins graduated from the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. LAMDA's Principal is ...

(LAMDA). Through the 1980s, she became a dynamic stage actress, both in London and on

. She starred in the premiere of David Hare's '' The Secret Rapture'', and won the first of her three

s in 1995. In 1983, she starred with

Ben Cross Harry Bernard Cross (16 December 1947 – 18 August 2020) was an English stage and film actor. He was best known for playing Billy Flynn in the original West End production of the musical ''Chicago'', and his portrayal of the British Ol ...

in the BBC's serial version of A.J. Cronin's ''

The Citadel The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. ...

'', playing the role of Christine Manson. For the big screen, Higgins played Julia Cotton in

Clive Barker Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English novelist, playwright, author, film director, and visual artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the ''Books of Blood'', which established him as a leading h ...

's ''

'' (1987), based on Barker's novella ''

The Hellbound Heart ''The Hellbound Heart'' is a horror novella by Clive Barker, first published in November 1986 by Dark Harvest in the third volume of its '' Night Visions'' anthology series. The story features a hedonist criminal acquiring a mystical puzzle ...

''. She reprised the role for Tony Randel's '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988). Her other film credits include the Scottish film ''

'' (1996). In 2000 she appeared in Catherine Cookson's "The Secret" TV mini series as Maggie Hewitt, also in

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's '' Cassandra's Dream'' (2007), and '' The Golden Compass'' (2007). Higgins appeared as Jocasta in the National Theatre's critically acclaimed production of ''

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; grc-gre, Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby ...

'', opposite

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...

in the title role. From April to May 2009, she appeared in Wallace Shawn's ''The Fever'' at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

. From mid-May to September 2009, she appeared as the Countess Rossillion in ''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the '' First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangi ...

'' at the National Theatre (Olivier stage). On 30 September 2012, Higgins appeared in Season 3, episode 3 of ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

'' as Mrs Bartlett, a friend of Mrs Bates who eventually helps in the release of Mr Bates from prison. On 14 November 2013, she appeared in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' mini-episode " The Night of the Doctor", which starred

Paul McGann Paul John McGann (; born 14 November 1959) is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying Percy Toplis in the television serial '' The Monocled Mutineer'' (1986), then starred in the dark comedy '' Withnail and I'' (1987), which wa ...

as the

Eighth Doctor The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Paul McGann. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film '' Doctor Who'', a back-door ...

. Higgins played Ohila, the leader of the

Sisterhood of Karn The Sisterhood of Karn is a fictional religious cult that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Residing on the planet Karn, the Sisterhood was introduced in the 1976 serial ''The Brain of Morbius'', and later a ...

. In 2014 she appeared in Father Brown "The Daughters of Jerusalem" as Dinah Fortescue. Higgins returned to the role of Ohila in 2015 in " The Magician's Apprentice", which originally aired on 19 September 2015, and in the series finale " Hell Bent" on 5 December 2015. The same year she appeared 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 ...

'', as prosecuting lawyer Hazel Warren. In January 2017, Higgins appeared in CBBC's adaptation of Jill Murphy's ''The Worst Witch'' as Miss Ada Cackle, and her wicked twin sister Agatha.

Acting awards and nominations

Higgins was awarded the

Laurence Olivier Theatre Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

in 1995 (1994 season) for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in ''

'' at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

. She won the same award in both 2002 and 2005: in 2002 for her performance in ''

'' performed at the Royal National Theatre, Cottesloe and

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

s, and in 2005 for her performance as

in the

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...

tragedy 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 ...

. She was awarded the 2002 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in ''Vincent in Brixton''. Additionally, she was awarded the 1994 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre) for Best Actress for her performances in '' The Children's Hour'' and ''Sweet Bird of Youth''. She was also awarded the 2002 ''London Evening Standard'' Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in ''Vincent in Brixton'' at the

in London. In 2003, she was nominated for a

as Best Actress in a Play for ''Vincent in Brixton'' on Broadway, and garnered the 2003

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

for outstanding major Broadway debut.

Filmography

* ''Nineteen Nineteen'' (1985) * ''

'' (1987) * '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988) * '' The Fruit Machine'' (1988) * '' Bad Behaviour'' (1993) * '' Circle of Deceit'' (1993, TV film) * ''

Fatherland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...

'' (1994, TV film) * ''

'' (1996) * ''

B. Monkey ''B. Monkey'' is a British-American 1998 crime drama film directed by Michael Radford. Originally, Michael Caton-Jones was attached to direct the adaptation of the homonymous 1992 book by Andrew Davies, but left over creative differences. Asia ...

'' (1998) * '' The House of Mirth'' (2000) * '' Stage Beauty'' (2004) * '' The Libertine'' (2004) * ''

Bigger Than the Sky ''Bigger Than the Sky'' is a 2005 American drama film directed by Al Corley, written by Rodney Patrick Vaccaro, and starring Marcus Thomas, John Corbett, Amy Smart, Sean Astin, Clare Higgins, and Patty Duke. Its plot follows a man, who after ...

'' (2005) * '' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005) * '' Cassandra's Dream'' (2007) * '' The Golden Compass'' (2007) * '' Being Human'' (2009) * '' Toast'' (2010, TV movie) * ''

A Fantastic Fear of Everything ''A Fantastic Fear of Everything'' is a 2012 British horror comedy film starring Simon Pegg, written and directed by Crispian Mills with Chris Hopewell as co-director. It is based on the novella ''Paranoia in the Launderette'' by Bruce Robinson ...

'' (2012) * '' The Syndicate'' (2012) * ''

I Give It a Year ''I Give It a Year'' is a 2013 romantic comedy film, written and directed by Dan Mazer and starring Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris and Simon Baker. The film was based and filmed in London and was released on 8 February 2013. ''I Give It a Ye ...

'' (2013) * ''

'' (2013, 2015) * ''

The Worst Witch ''The Worst Witch'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. The series are primarily about a girl who attends a witch school and fantasy stories, with eight books published. The first, ''The Worst Witch'', was ...

'' (2017) * '' ''Into the Badlands'''' (2018) * ''

Ready Player One ''Ready Player One'' is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality gam ...

'' (2018) * '' Cleaning Up'' (2019) * '' The Sandman'' (2022)

Selected theatre performances

* Countess Hechingen in ''The Deep Man'' by

Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (; 1 February 1874 – 15 July 1929) was an Austrian novelist, librettist, poet, dramatist, narrator, and essayist. Early life Hofmannsthal was born in Landstraße, Vienna, the son of an upper-cl ...

. British premiere directed by Casper Wrede at the

Royal Exchange, Manchester 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 ...

(1979). * Alexa Rollo in ''Rollo'' by Marcel Achard. Directed by David Thompson at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1980). * Judith in ''Blood, Black and Gold'' by Gerard McLarnon. World premiere directed by

Braham Murray Braham Sydney Murray, OBE (12 February 1943 – 25 July 2018) was an English theatre director. In 1976, he was one of five founding Artistic Directors of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and the longest-serving (he retired in 2012). Ear ...

at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1980). * Isabella in ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the '' First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

''. Directed by

at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1981).

References

External links

*
Interview 07/2003 (''The Independent'')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Clare 1955 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Bradford Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Audiobook narrators Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners English film actresses English people of Irish descent English radio actresses English Shakespearean actresses English television actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners Theatre World Award winners