Elisabeth Dermot Walsh (born 15 September 1974) is an English actress, known for her role as

Zara Carmichael Dr. Zara Carmichael is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', portrayed by Elisabeth Dermot Walsh. Zara was introduced as a new general practitioner at the fictional Mill Health Centre on 4 June 2009 and remained a regular ...

in the BBC soap opera ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

''. In 2015, she won the award for Best Female Acting Performance at the

RTS Midlands Awards The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

for her portrayal of Zara. Since 2024, she has hosted the podcast ''Chicken Soap for the Soul''.

Early life

Born in Merton on 15 September 1974, Walsh is the daughter of Irish actor

Dermot Walsh Dermot Walsh (10 September 1924 – 26 June 2002) was an Irish stage, film and television actor, known for portraying King Richard the Lionheart in the 1962 television series '' ''Richard the Lionheart'. Early life Born in Dublin, Ireland, ...

and English actress Elisabeth Madeleine Annear. She has a sister, Olivia, and, from her father's previous marriages, a half-sister, Sally, and a half-brother, Michael. Walsh was educated at West Heath School in

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. She then studied at 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 ...

in London. Before pursuing a career in acting, Walsh worked as an intern for an American

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

in Washington DC when she was 17.

Career

Walsh made her television debut in the 1998 television film ''

Falling for a Dancer ''Falling for a Dancer'' is an Irish 1998 romantic drama television movie set in rural Ireland in the 1930s. It first aired on BBC One in four 50-minute episodes on 13 September 1998. Plot Set in 1930s Cork, nineteen-year-old Elizabeth has a b ...

''. She has also made appearances in television series such as ''

Love in a Cold Climate ''Love in a Cold Climate'' is a novel by Nancy Mitford, first published in 1949. The title is a phrase from George Orwell's novel ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'' (1936). ''Love in a Cold Climate'' is a companion volume to ''The Pursuit of Love ...

'', '' Unfinished Business'', ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'', ''

Love Soup ''Love Soup'' is a British television comedy drama produced by the BBC and first screened on BBC One in the autumn of 2005. It stars Tamsin Greig as Alice Chenery (a role written especially for her) and Michael Landes as Gil Raymond (series 1 on ...

'' and ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

''. She also played the lead role of Elinor Carlisle in the 2003 ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's '' Sad Cypress''. In June 2009, she joined the regular cast of 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 ...

drama ''

'', in the role of

. In an interview with ''

OK! Magazine ''OK!'' is a British weekly magazine that primarily specialises in royal and celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly magazine, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, ''OK''! launched in Australia as a monthly ...

'', Walsh talked about her character, saying: "I think it would be fair to call Zara a bit of a handful! She's quite the volatile personality, and I grabbed the character with both hands. She's been a bit of a home-wrecker in the past, but I like her; even when you’re playing a baddie, you have to play a baddie like you’re playing a heroine. She behaves appallingly. I don’t think I’d particularly want her as a friend, but she’d be a great fun ride if you’re with Zara!". For her portrayal of Zara, Walsh won the award for Best Female Acting Performance at the 2015

. Walsh expressed interest in writing episodes of ''Doctors'', and directed nine episodes. She portrayed Zara until 2024, when the series ended. Following ''Doctors'', Walsh appeared in '' Sister Boniface Mysteries'', as well as starting a podcast, ''Chicken Soap for the Soul''. It follows Walsh interviewing soap opera actors to ask them about their careers.

Personal life

Walsh lives in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

with partner Dylan Charles. The pair had a son born in 2012, with a second child born in 2015. Walsh took maternity breaks from ''Doctors'' for each pregnancy, with her character's temporary exits being written into the series.

Filmography

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dermot Walsh, Elisabeth 1974 births Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Actresses from London British women podcasters English television actresses English film actresses English podcasters English stage actresses English soap opera actresses English people of Irish descent Living people Actors from the London Borough of Merton