Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed Bubble and Katy Grin in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom '' Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in the stage play '' The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'', and received

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

and

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nominations for the role in the film version of ''Little Voice''. She is also known for her appearances in films, including '' The Dressmaker'' (1988), '' The Witches'' (1990), '' Second Best'' (1993), '' Life is Sweet'' (1990), ''

Chicken Run ''Chicken Run'' is a 2000 animated adventure comedy film directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park and written by Karey Kirkpatrick from an original story by Lord and Park. Produced by Pathé and Aardman Features in partnership with DreamWork ...

'' (2000), '' Corpse Bride'' (2005), '' Sunshine on Leith'' (2013), '' Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie'' (2016), as well as the television series '' Fifi and the Flowertots'' (2005–2010), '' Little Princess'' (2006–2020), and 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 1989, ...

sitcom '' Trollied'', as Julie Cook (2011–2015).

Early life

Horrocks was born in Rawtenstall,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, the daughter of Barbara (

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

Ashworth), a hospital worker, and John Horrocks, a sales representative. She is the youngest of three children. She attended Balladen County Primary School and Fearns county secondary school. She trained at Oldham College, and the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

with Imogen Stubbs and

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ralph Fiennes, various accolades, including a British Academy Film ...

, and began her career with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

Career

Stage

Horrocks has appeared on stage in ''Ask for the Moon'' (Hampstead, 1986), ''A Collier's Friday Night'' (Greenwich, 1987), ''Valued Friends'' (Hampstead, 1989), and ''The Debutante Ball'' (Hampstead, 1989). She appeared in ''Our Own Kind'' (Bush, 1991); '' Deadly Advice'' (Fletcher, 1993); ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'' (

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

1994); ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' (Greenwich Theatre, 1995); and '' Absurd Person Singular'' (Garrick Theatre, 2007). While working on ''

Road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

'', a play directed by

Jim Cartwright Jim Cartwright (born 27 June 1958) is an English dramatist, born in Municipal Borough of Farnworth, Farnworth, Lancashire. Cartwright's first play, Road (play), ''Road'', won a number of awards before being adapted for TV and broadcast by the B ...

, Horrocks warmed up by doing singing impressions of

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

and

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...

. Cartwright was so impressed with her mimicry he wrote '' The Rise and Fall of Little Voice'' for her. She was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress at the 1993 Laurence Olivier Awards for her performance in the 1992 West End production, directed by her then-boyfriend

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours ...

. Her last West End appearance was in ''Sweet Panic'', the 2003

Stephen Poliakoff Stephen Poliakoff (born 1 December 1952) is a British playwright, Film director, director and screenwriter. In 2006 Gerard Gilbert of ''The Independent'' described him as the UK's "pre-eminent TV dramatist" and that he had "inherited Dennis Po ...

drama in which she portrayed a neurotic mother locked in a battle of wills with her disturbed son's psychologist. She starred in Richard Jones's critically acclaimed production of '' The Good Soul of Szechuan'' at the Young Vic in 2008. She was reunited with Jones in a new musical production of '' Annie Get Your Gun'', which opened at the Young Vic in October 2009. At London's Young Vic, in 2016's ''If You Kiss Me, Kiss Me'', Horrocks revisited the songs of her youth to sing versions of tracks by the likes of

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...

, and

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

. In October 2014, Horrocks played Ella Khan in the London revival of '' East Is East'' at

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...

as part of Jamie Lloyd's Trafalgar Transformed season. In 2024, Horrocks joined the cast of the British premiere production of play ''Nachtland'' at the Young Vic theatre, directed by Patrick Marber. In August 2024, Horrocks starred as Meg in

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

's ''The Birthday Party'' at the Ustinov Studio.

Screen

She appeared in Catherine Cookson's ''The Fifteen Streets'', alongside

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean; 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his professional debut in a production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983 at The Watermill Theatre. Retaining his ...

and Owen Teale in 1989. She drew critical notice for her performance in the film '' Life Is Sweet'' (1990). Horrocks became well known on screen for her role as Bubble and Katy Grin in the sitcom '' Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992–2016). She reprised her stage role in the 1998 screen adaptation, '' Little Voice'', which earned nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy at the 56th Golden Globe Awards, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 52nd British Academy Film Awards, the Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy at the

3rd Golden Satellite Awards The 3rd Golden Satellite Awards, given by the International Press Academy, honored the best in film and television for 1998 in film, 1998. Special achievement awards Mary Pickford Award (for outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry ...

, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture at the 5th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress. For 10 years, Horrocks appeared with

Prunella Scales Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales (''née'' Illingworth; born 22 June 1932) is an English retired actress. She portrayed Sybil Fawlty, the bossy wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy ''Fawlty Towers'' and Queen Elizabeth ...

in commercials for the UK supermarket chain

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

. She narrated BBC Two's television series '' The Speaker'' in April 2009. In 2009, Horrocks took the lead in the BBC TV production '' Gracie!'', a drama portraying the life of

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

during World War II and her relationship with the Italian-born director

Monty Banks Montague (Monty) Banks (born Mario Bianchi; 18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950) was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the United States and United Kingdom. Career Banks was bor ...

(played by Tom Hollander). Other television credits include ''Absolutely Fabulous'', '' Victoria Wood'' - ''We'd Quite Like to Apologise'', ''Bad Girl'', ''Boon'', ''Heartland'', ''Hunting Venus'', ''La Nonna'', ''Leaving Home'', '' Never Mind the Horrocks'', ''Nightlife'', '' Wyrd Sisters'', '' Foxbusters'', ''

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

'', ''

Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

'', ''Some Kind of Life'', ''Suffer the Little Children'', '' The Storyteller'', ''The Garden'', '' Fifi & the Flowertots'', '' Little Princess'' (the voice of the princess) and ''Welcome to the Times''. She was the subject of an episode of the

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

series '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' in 2006. That year, she played the title role of Ros Pritchard in '' The Amazing Mrs Pritchard'', a drama about a woman elected prime minister. On Tuesday 14 January 2014, Horrocks appeared as a contestant on ''The Great Sport Relief Bake Off'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

— the celebrity version of ''

The Great British Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...

''—hosted by

Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English actress, comedian, presenter and writer. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Satur ...

and broadcast to help raise money for the charity

Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a wikt:biennial, biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Dire ...

. The other contestants were TV and radio presenter Kirsty Young, choreographer Jason Gardiner, and Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford. On 9 May 2015, she gave a reading at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in

Horse Guards Parade Horse Guards Parade is a large Military parade, parade ground off Whitehall in central London (at British national grid reference system, grid reference ). It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the K ...

, London that was broadcast live on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

. In 2015, she supplied the voice of the Tubby Phone in the reboot of the popular British children's television series ''

Teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...

''. In 2021, she began starring in the

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

comedy series ''

Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African Americans, African American street gang which was founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for Crips–Bloods gang war, its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn ...

''.

Audio

Horrocks' voiceovers have been used on the films ''

'', '' Christmas Carol: The Movie'', '' Corpse Bride'', '' Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties'', and ''

Tinker Bell Tinker Bell is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play '' Peter Pan'' and its 1911 novelisation '' Peter and Wendy''. She has appeared in a variety of film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 ...

''. She also did the voiceover of Fenchurch on radio and in the audio adaptation of

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, humorist, and screenwriter, best known as the creator of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the ...

' science fiction series ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' is a Science fiction comedy, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), radio sitcom broadcast over two series on BBC ...

'' for BBC Radio 4. She has voiced Donner in all three Robbie the Reindeer films in aid of

Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

. In 2000, Horrocks made the CD ''Further Adventures of Little Voice'', again singing in the style of favourite divas. The recording includes duets with

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

and

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

. Horrocks collaborated once more with Robbie Williams the following year, for a cover of the

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music. Darin started ...

song "Things" on Williams' album '' Swing When You're Winning''.

Personal life

Horrocks has two children with her former partner, playwright Nick Vivian. They were together for 21 years, separating in 2017. She currently lives in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. She was previously in a relationship with director Sam Mendes. She was in a relationship with the singer and actor

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk rock, punk and new wave music, new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Kilburn ...

, about whom she devised the 2022 drama, ''Love Pants: Ian Dury & Jane Horrocks,'' for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, based on her own diary entries and his love letters to her during their one-year relationship in the 1980s, when she was 23. The two remained friends until his death in 2000. Horrocks' father died in 2013 and her mother in 2021.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Television films

Short film, television and video

Audio CDs

Music videos

* New Order - "

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

" (1995)

Awards and honours

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List ...

(1991): Won Award for Best Supporting Actress for '' Life Is Sweet'' (1991). * National Society of Film Critics Awards (1992): Won Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Life Is Sweet.'' * Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival (1994): Won Best Actress Award for '' Deadly Advice'' (1994). *

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

(1999): Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for '' Little Voice'' (1998). *

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early Nov ...

(1999): Nomination for Best Actress for ''Little Voice'' (1998). * Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (1999): Nomination for Best Actress for ''Little Voice'' (1998). * Golden Globes (1999): Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, for ''Little Voice'' (1998). * Satellite Awards (1999): Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for ''Little Voice'' (1998). *

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

(1999): Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast, for ''Little Voice'' (1998), shared with Annette Badland, Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent,

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

, Philip Jackson and

. * Screen Actors Guild Awards (1999): Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for ''Little Voice'' (1998).

References

External links

*
BBC interviewJane Horrocks on BBC Drama FacesJane Horrocks on ''Who Do You Think You Are?''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horrocks, Jane 1964 births Living people Actresses from Lancashire Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English film actresses English radio actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses English women comedians 21st-century British women writers People from Rawtenstall Royal Shakespeare Company members 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Comedians from Lancashire Actors from the Borough of Rossendale