Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is an English actress, voice artist, musician and singer, who played the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC
BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012). She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, and received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award
BAFTA Award nominations when she reprised the role in the 1998 film Little Voice. Her other film roles include The Witches (1990), Life Is Sweet (1990), Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride (2005) and Sunshine on Leith (2013).

Contents

1 Early life 2 The Rise and Fall of Little Voice 3 Career 4 Personal life 5 Filmography

5.1 Film 5.2 Television series 5.3 Television films 5.4 Short film, television and video 5.5 Music videos

6 Awards and honours 7 References 8 External links

Early life[edit] Horrocks, the youngest of three children, was born in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, the daughter of Barbara (née Ashworth), a hospital worker, and John Horrocks, a sales representative.[1] She attended Balladen
Balladen County Primary School and later trained at Oldham College and subsequently at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art with Imogen Stubbs and Ralph Fiennes,[2] and began her career with the Royal Shakespeare Company.[3] She drew critical notice for her performance in the film Life Is Sweet (1991), followed by her award-winning performance in the West End play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice in which she sang all the songs. Horrocks became a name with the role of Bubble in Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2016). The Rise and Fall of Little Voice[edit] While working on Road, a play directed by Jim Cartwright, Horrocks warmed up by doing singing impressions of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and Ethel Merman. Cartwright was so impressed with her mimicry he wrote The Rise and Fall of Little Voice
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice for her.[citation needed] She was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1992 West End production, directed by her boyfriend Sam Mendes.[citation needed] She reprised her role in the 1998 screen adaptation, Little Voice, which earned nominations for the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the BAFTA Award
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture, and the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.[citation needed] In 2000, Horrocks made the CD Further Adventures of Little Voice, again singing in the style of favourite divas.[citation needed] The recording includes duets with Ewan McGregor, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams and Dean Martin. Horrocks collaborated once more with Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams the following year, for a cover of the Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin song "Things" on Williams's album Swing When You're Winning. Career[edit] 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 Catherine Cookson's The Fifteen Streets, alongside Sean Bean
Sean Bean and Owen Teale in 1989; Our Own Kind (Bush, 1991); Deadly Advice (Fletcher, 1993); Cabaret ( Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse 1994); [Macbeth]] (Greenwich Theatre, 1995); and Absurd Person Singular (Garrick Theatre, 2007).[1] Her last West End appearance was in Sweet Panic, the 2003 Stephen Poliakoff drama in which she portrayed a neurotic mother locked in a battle of wills with her disturbed son's psychologist.[citation needed] She starred in Richard Jones's critically acclaimed production of The Good Soul of Szechuan at the Young Vic
Young Vic in 2008.[4] She was reunited with Jones in a new musical production of Annie Get Your Gun, which opened at the Young Vic
Young Vic in October 2009.[5] 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, The Smiths, Buzzcocks, and The Human League.[6] Horrocks's voiceovers have been used on Chicken Run
Chicken Run (2000); Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001); Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride (2005); Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006); and Tinker Bell (2008) as Fairy Mary, which she reprised in the Tinker Bell sequels. She did the voiceover Fenchurch on radio and in the audio adaptation of Douglas Adams' science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for BBC
BBC Radio 4. She has voiced Donner in all three Robbie the Reindeer films in aid of Comic Relief. Other television credits include Absolutely Fabulous, Victoria Wood
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, Red Dwarf, 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.[citation needed] She was the subject of an episode of the genealogy documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? in 2006. That year she played the title role in The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, a drama about a woman elected prime minister. For 10 years, Horrocks appeared with Prunella Scales
Prunella Scales in commercials for the UK supermarket chain Tesco.[7] She narrated BBC
BBC Two's television series The Speaker
The Speaker in April 2009.[8] In 2009, Horrocks took the lead in the BBC
BBC TV production Gracie!, a drama portraying the life of Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields during World War II
World War II and her relationship with the Italian-born director Monty Banks
Monty Banks (played by Tom Hollander).[9] On Tuesday 14 January 2014, Horrocks appeared as a contestant on The Great Sport Relief Bake Off on BBC
BBC Two— the celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off—hosted by Jo Brand
Jo Brand and broadcast to help raise money for the charity Sport Relief. The other contestants were TV and radio presenter Kirsty Young, choreographer Jason Gardiner, and Olympic athlete Greg Rutherford. In October 2014, Horrocks played Ella Khan in the London revival of East is East at Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Studios as part of Jamie Lloyd's Trafalgar Transformed season.[10] On 9 May 2015 she gave a reading at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in Horse Guards Parade, London that was broadcast live on BBC1.[11] In 2015 she supplied the voice of the Tubby Phone in the reboot of the popular British children's television series Teletubbies. Personal life[edit] Horrocks lives with playwright Nick Vivian in Twickenham
Twickenham with their children, son Dylan and daughter Molly.[12][13] Filmography[edit] Film[edit]

Year Title Role Directed by

1988 The Dressmaker Rita Jim O'Brien

1989 Getting It Right Jenny Randal Kleiser

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Pattern Stuart Orme

1990 The Witches Miss Susan Irvine Nicolas Roeg

Memphis Belle Faith Michael Caton-Jones

Life Is Sweet Nicola Mike Leigh

1993 Second Best Debbie Chris Menges

1994 Deadly Advice Jodie Greenwood Mandie Fletcher

1997 Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis Mavis Davis / Marla Dorland John Henderson

1998 Little Voice LV Mark Herman

1999 Faeries Huccaby (voice) Gary Hurst

1999 Hooves of Fire Donner (voice)

2000 Chicken Run Babs (voice) Peter Lord
Peter Lord & Nick Park

Born Romantic Mo David Kane

Lion of Oz Wimsik (voice) Tim Deacon

2001 Christmas Carol: The Movie Ghost of Christmas Past (voice) Jimmy T. Murakami

2002 Legend of the Lost Tribe Donner (voice)

2005 Corpse Bride The Black Widow / Mrs. Plum (voice) Tim Burton

Brothers of the Head Roberta Howe Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe

2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Meenie (voice) Tim Hill

2007 Close Encounters of the Herd Kind Donner (voice)

2008 Tinker Bell Fairy Mary (voice) Bradley Raymond

2009 Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure Fairy Mary (voice) Klay Hall

2010 No One Gets Off in This Town

2011 Arthur Christmas Lead Elf (voice) Sarah Smith

2012 Secret of the Wings Fairy Mary (voice) Bobs Gannaway & Peggy Holmes

2013 Sunshine on Leith Jean Dexter Fletcher

2014 The Pirate Fairy Fairy Mary Peggy Holmes

2016 Ab Fab: The Movie Bubble/ Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey impersonator Mandie Fletcher

Television series[edit]

Year Title Role Notes

1987 First Sight Natalie Episode: "Leaving Home" (1.3)

Screenplay Louise Episode: "The Road" (2.13)

1988 The Storyteller Anja Episode: "The True Bride" (1.9)

The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Pippa Bond Episode: "No Crying He Makes" (2.7)

1989 The Jim Henson Hour Anja Episode: "Musicians" (1.8)

Victoria Wood Cathy Warburton Episode: "We'd Quite Like to Apologise" (1.4)

Smith & Jones

Episode: "The Unprepared Version" (5.6)

1990 Boon Trisha Downey Episode: "Best Left Buried" (5.11)

1991 Screen One Gail Episode: "Alive and Kicking" (3.7)

Performance

Episode: "Nona" (1.2)

1992 Red Dwarf Nirvanah Crane Episode: "Holoship" (5.1)

Screenplay Maggie Hunt Episode: "Bad Girl" (7.3)

Performance

Episode: "Roots" (2.3)

1995 Performance Doll Tearsheet Episode: "Henry IV" (5.5)

1996 Tales from the Crypt Cammy Episode: "Cold War" (7.6)

Never Mind the Horrocks Various roles

1997 Wyrd Sisters Magrat Garlick (voice) Television mini-series

The Blobs Various (voice) 26 Episodes (all episodes)

1995–1998 Crapston Villas Flossie 20 episodes (all episodes)

1998-2000 PB&J Otter Pinch Raccoon (Voice) UK Version

1999 Foxbusters Jeffries (voice)

1999–2000 Watership Down Hannah 14 episodes

2000 Mirrorball Yitta Hilberstam Television pilot

2000 Spot the Dog Narrator 26 Episodes were re-narrated over the originals that were done by Peter Hawkins.

2001 Little Big Mouth Krystan (voice)

2002 Linda Green Teresa Franklin Episode: "Teresa" (2.2)

2003 to present Wide-Eye Flea
Flea (voice) Baby Komodo (voice) Natterjack Toads (voices) 26 episodes (All episodes)

2004 Monkey Trousers Various roles

2005 Jericho Sadie Swettenham Episode: "To Murder and Create" (1.3)

2006 The Street Angela Quinn Episodes: "The Accident" (1.1) "Stan" (1.2)

2005–2005 Fifi and the Flowertots Fifi Forget-Me-Not (voice) 40 episodes

2006 The Amazing Mrs Pritchard Ros Pritchard 6 episodes (all episodes)

2006–2007 Little Princess Little Princess (voice)

2011 Coming Up Felicity Episode: "Magic" (6.5)

Phineas and Ferb Eliza Episode: "My Fair Goalie" (3.11)

This is Jinsy Mrs. Stenton Episode: "Vel" (1.6)

Little Crackers Hairdresser Episode: "Jane Horrocks' Little Cracker: Barbara" (2.3)

Pixie Hollow Games Fairy Mary (voice) Television special

2012 Get Your House in Order Narrator (voice) Episode: "Stuart" (1.3)

True Love Sandra Episode: "Sandra" (1.4)

1992–2012 Absolutely Fabulous Bubble (also played Katy Grin, Lola and radio voice) 33 episodes

2011–2013, 2015 Trollied Julie Cook 37 episodes

2014 Lily's Driftwood Bay Wee Rabbit

2015 Inside No. 9 Liz "Cold Comfort" (2.4)

2015 Teletubbies Tubby Phone (voice)

2015 Long Live the Royals Queen Elenor (voice) UK version only

Television films[edit]

Year Title Role Notes

1989 The Fifteen Streets Christine Bracken

Heartland Pam

1991 Came Out, It Rained, Went Back in Again Learner Lesbian

1993 Cabaret Sally Bowles

1994 Self Catering Marilyn

Suffer the Little Children Deborah Hayes

1995 Some Kind of Life Alison

1996 Nightlife Helen

1999 Hunting Venus Cassandra

The Flint Street Nativity Zoe

2009 Gracie! Gracie Fields

2010 The Road to Coronation Street Margaret Morris

Short film, television and video[edit]

Year Title Role Notes

1994 Butter Beggar Television

1995 Combination Skin (voice) Short film

1999 Hooves of Fire Donner (voice) Television

2002 Legend of the Lost Tribe Donner / Arctic Fox (voice) Television

2002 Last Rumba in Rochdale Gran (voice) Short film

2004 Wheeling Dealing Authentic Newsreader Short film

2006 Voices from the Underworld Herself (voice) Video Short

2007 Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind Donner (voice) Television

2011 The Itch of the Golden Nit (voice) Short film

Music videos[edit]

New Order - 1963 (1995)

Awards and honours[edit]

BAFTA Awards
BAFTA Awards (1999): Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Little Voice (1998) British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards (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
Golden Globes (1999): Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -Comedy/Musical, for Little Voice (1998) Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (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 Satellite Awards (1999): Nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for Little Voice (1998) Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild Awards (1999): Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast, for Little Voice (1998), shared with Annette Badland, Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent, Michael Caine, Philip Jackson and Ewan McGregor. Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild Awards (1999): Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Little Voice (1998) Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival
Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival (1994): Won Best Actress Award for Deadly Advice (1994)

References[edit]

^ a b Bio at FilmReference.com ^ Jane Horrocks at The Guardian Unlimited Film ^ " BBC
BBC - Drama - People Index Jane Horrocks".  ^ Theatre review at The Guardian Unlimited ^ Official Young Vic
Young Vic announcement[permanent dead link] ^ bellaafrica, why jane horrocks is singing the smiths[permanent dead link] ^ Jones, Paul. "Jane Horrocks: "I'm eternally grateful to Tesco"". Radio Times. BBC. Retrieved 17 September 2013.  ^ "Filmography: Horrocks, Jane". Film & TV Database. BFI. Retrieved 17 September 2013.  ^ "Amazing Gracie: Jane Horrocks". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 September 2013.  ^ "East is East starring Jane Horrocks".  ^ "Actress Jane Horrocks cries reading WW2 letter". BBC
BBC News.  ^ "What I know about men". The Guardian. 27 September 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2012.  ^ "Cape escape: From white sand beaches to wines and wildebeest, South Africa has it all". Daily Mail. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012. 

External links[edit]

Jane Horrocks on IMDb BBC
BBC interview Jane Horrocks on BBC
BBC Drama Faces The many faces of Jane Horrocks Jane Horrocks on Who Do You Think You Are?

v t e

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress

Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave (1977) Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton / Mona Washbourne
Mona Washbourne (1978) Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep (1979) Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen (1980) Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton (1981) Glenn Close
Glenn Close (1982) Linda Hunt
Linda Hunt (1983) Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft (1984) Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston (1985) Cathy Tyson / Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest (1986) Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis (1987) Geneviève Bujold
Geneviève Bujold (1988) Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker (1989) Lorraine Bracco
Lorraine Bracco (1990) Jane Horrocks (1991) Judy Davis
Judy Davis (1992) Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin / Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez (1993) Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest (1994) Joan Allen
Joan Allen (1995) Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey (1996) Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore (1997) Joan Allen
Joan Allen (1998) Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny (1999) Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand (2000) Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet (2001) Edie Falco
Edie Falco (2002) Shohreh Aghdashloo
Shohreh Aghdashloo (2003) Virginia Madsen
Virginia Madsen (2004) Catherine Keener
Catherine Keener (2005) Luminița Gheorghiu (2006) Amy Ryan
Amy Ryan (2007) Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz (2008) Mo'Nique
Mo'Nique (2009) Jacki Weaver
Jacki Weaver (2010) Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain (2011) Amy Adams
Amy Adams (2012) Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o (2013) Agata Kulesza
Agata Kulesza (2014) Alicia Vikander
Alicia Vikander (2015) Lily Gladstone (2016) Laurie Metcalf
Laurie Metcalf (2017)

v t e

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress

Marjorie Rhodes
Marjorie Rhodes (1967) Billie Whitelaw
Billie Whitelaw (1968) Siân Phillips
Siân Phillips / Delphine Seyrig
Delphine Seyrig (1969) Lois Smith
Lois Smith (1970) Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn (1971) Jeannie Berlin (1972) Valentina Cortese
Valentina Cortese (1973) Bibi Andersson
Bibi Andersson (1974) Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin (1975) Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster (1976) Ann Wedgeworth (1977) Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep (1978) Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep (1979) Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen (1980) Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton (1981) Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange (1982) Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard (1983) Melanie Griffith
Melanie Griffith (1984) Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston (1985) Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest (1986) Kathy Baker
Kathy Baker (1987) Mercedes Ruehl
Mercedes Ruehl (1988) Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston (1989) Annette Bening
Annette Bening (1990) Jane Horrocks (1991) Judy Davis
Judy Davis (1992) Madeleine Stowe
Madeleine Stowe (1993) Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest (1994) Joan Allen
Joan Allen (1995) Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey (1996) Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore (1997) Judi Dench
Judi Dench (1998) Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny (1999) Elaine May
Elaine May (2000) Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren (2001) Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson (2002) Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson (2003) Virginia Madsen
Virginia Madsen (2004) Amy Adams
Amy Adams (2005) Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep (2006) Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett (2007) Hanna Schygulla
Hanna Schygulla (2008) Mo'Nique
Mo'Nique (2009) Olivia Williams
Olivia Williams (2010) Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain (2011) Amy Adams
Amy Adams (2012) Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence (2013) Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette (2014) Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart (2015) Michelle Williams (2016) Laurie Metcalf
Laurie Metcalf (2017)

Authority control

WorldCat Identities VIAF: 79979854 LCCN: no96006220 ISNI: 0000 0001 1576 2778 GND: 135126924 BNF: cb14187902d (data) BIBSYS: 8646 MusicBrainz: ffe85765-c58e-4515-85ef-dc9fabf6d7a7 NLA: 40721486 NKC: xx0171667 BN