Tracie Bennett (born 17 June 1961) is an English singer and stage and television actress. She trained at the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play '' Where the Rainbow Ends''. F ...

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. She played the role of

Sharon Gaskell '' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera created by writer Tony Warren. It was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1982, by order of first appearance. Caroline Clegg Ca ...

in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'' from 1982 to 1984, returning to the role in 1999 and again in 2021. Best known for her roles in theatre, both dramatic and musical, Bennett has received two

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 ...

s for Best Supporting Role in a Musical for her performances in the musicals ''

She Loves Me ''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 1940 ...

'' and '' Hairspray'' with additional nominations for her work in '' High Society'' and ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

''. Bennett was also nominated for the

Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical 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 Awar ...

for '' Mrs Henderson Presents'' while her performance as

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

in '' End of the Rainbow'' earned her an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Play and 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 in the same category when the production transferred to Broadway.

Career

Bennett's first major television role was in ''

'' between 1982 and 1984 as

, the Faircloughs' foster daughter. She returned to the role in 1999. She played dim-witted blonde Tracy Glazebrook in the pilot of Steven Moffat's sitcom '' Joking Apart'' (1991), a role which she reprised for the subsequent two full-length series in 1993 and 1995. She played Shirley's rebellious daughter Millandra in the film version of '' Shirley Valentine'' (1989). She appeared in ''

'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

in 1994, for which she won the

Laurence 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 ...

as Best Supporting Performance in a Musical. She played Ida in '' Honk!'', which won the 2000 Olivier Award for Best Musical. In 2003, she was praised for her role in the London production of '' High Society'', for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2004. She appeared in ''Sex, Chips and Rock 'n' Roll'' at the

Royal Exchange Theatre 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 ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

in 2005, for which she won a

TMA Award The UK Theatre Awards, established in 1991 and known before 2011 as the TMA Awards, are presented annually by UK Theatre (formerly the Theatrical Management Association) in recognition of creative excellence and outstanding work in regional theat ...

for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical. In January 2006, Bennett joined the West End production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' in the role of Madame Thénardier at the Queen's Theatre, which she continued to play to July 2007. In October 2007, she began her run in the role of Velma Von Tussle in the London premiere of the musical '' Hairspray'' at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

. She mentioned on a televised interview

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through a ...

that it was a "great show" and that she enjoyed doing it, but also said it was exhausting, pointing out that to begin with, the wiring under her wig weighs 10 lbs, making some of the dancing difficult. In spite of this, her efforts were rewarded in March 2008, when she received her second

for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for her performance. In February 2010, Bennett took on the role of

in the first London production of Peter Quilter's play '' End of the Rainbow''. The production premiered with at

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England ...

's Royal Theatre, and subsequently transferred to London's West End. Bennett received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance. The production transferred to

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 ...

in March 2012, with Bennett reprising her role. For her performance in the Broadway production, Bennett received a

nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Play, and won the

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

and

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

for Outstanding Actress in a Play. In 2013, she joined the cast of detective series '' Scott & Bailey'' as Sharon, the estranged mother of DC Bailey. In 2015 and 2016, she played

Laura Henderson Laura Henderson (6 December 1863 – 29 November 1944) born Laura Forster, rose to prominence in the 1930s when, as a wealthy and eccentric widow, she founded the Windmill Theatre in London's Great Windmill Street, in partnership with Vivian ...

in the musical '' Mrs Henderson Presents'' and received a nomination for the

Olivier Awards 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 ...

2016 in the category ''Best Actress in a Musical''. Between 2014 and 2017 she played patient Molly Drover in the BBC medical drama, '' Casualty''. In 2017, she played the role of Carlotta in the National Theatre production of ''

'' by Stephen Sondheim, singing the song "I'm Still Here". In March 2021, it was announced that Bennett would be returning to ''Coronation Street'' reprising her role as

Sharon Bentley '' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera created by writer Tony Warren. It was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1982, by order of first appearance. Caroline Clegg Ca ...

after 22 years away.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Stage

References

External links

* * * *
''Les Misérables''
Extensive list of credits *
Interview with Tracie Bennett
westendtheatre.com; accessed 2 May 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Tracie 1961 births Living people English television actresses English stage actresses English musical theatre actresses Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts People from Leigh, Greater Manchester Theatre World Award winners Laurence Olivier Award winners