Helen Masters (born 10 April 1963) is an English actress who has appeared on stage, film and TV.

Early life

Helen Masters grew up in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

. She attended Kings High School,

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

and

Solihull School Solihull School is a coeducational private day school in Solihull, West Midlands, England. Founded in 1560, it is the oldest school in the town and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History In 1560 the revenu ...

. She went on to study at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

Personal life

Masters lives in London and is married to John McRoberts with whom she has two children.

Career

Stage

After graduating she made her first stage appearance at the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

in ''East'' and ''A Clockwork Orange''. She then went on to play Laurie in ''The Traveller'' at the Leicester Haymarket (1987) which transferred to The

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

(1988), Emilie, and later on the role of Madame de Tourvel, in the West End Production of ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' at the Ambassadors Theatre (1989), Yelena in ''Marya ''at

the Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. It was established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

directed by Roger Michell (1990), Ellen in "Acid Hearts" at the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

(1992), Emma in ''Betrayal'' at the Chester Gateway Theatre (1994). In July 2011, Helen Masters returned to the stage to play the role of Lady Magdalene Danvers in ''Into Thy Hands'', a new play written and directed by Jonathan Holmes at Wiltons Music Hall, London. In March 2011, Masters played Molly in ''Revolution Square'' at the Bush Theatre, London, again written and directed by Jonathan Holmes.

Television

Masters's work in television increased during the early 1990s, culminating in her portrayal of D.I. Lucy Lane in the HTV television series '' Wycliffe'' from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Jack Shepherd as Det. Superintendent Wycliffe and

Jimmy Yuill James Evander Munro Yuill (born 13 February 1956) is a Scottish actor. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and later joined the Renaissance Theatre Company. He has appeared in many of Kenneth Branagh's films, most recently as Edwa ...

as D.I. Doug Kersey.

Selected filmography

References

* Living people 1963 births Actresses from Coventry 21st-century English actresses 20th-century English actresses {{UK-tv-actor-1960s-stub