Deborah Norton
Encyclopedia
Deborah Norton is an English actress best known for her appearances in Yes, Prime Minister and A Bit of Fry and Laurie
.
in London
in 1943. She attended a Quaker boarding school
and later studied at the Drama Centre London. She worked in Britain until she toured America with The Beggar's Opera
, staying on in Greenwich Village
after the tour had finished. She later returned to the UK.
, Thérèse Raquin
, The School for Scandal
, Hotel Paradiso, and others in locations as diverse as the Royal Court
, Bristol Old Vic
, the Nottingham Playhouse
, the National Theatre
and others.
, and Theresa in A Bit of Fry and Laurie
, although she is perhaps best known for her role as the PM's adviser Dorothy Wainwright
in Yes, Prime Minister.
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode in 1987.As in The...
.
Personal life
Deborah was born in CroydonCroydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1943. She attended a Quaker boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and later studied at the Drama Centre London. She worked in Britain until she toured America with The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
, staying on in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
after the tour had finished. She later returned to the UK.
Stage work
She has taken part in productions of Six Degrees of SeparationSix Degrees of Separation (film)
Six Degrees of Separation is a 1990 play written by John Guare that premiered at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Lincoln Center on May 16, 1990, directed by Jerry Zaks and starring Stockard Channing...
, Thérèse Raquin
Thérèse Raquin
Thérèse Raquin is the title of a novel and a play by the French writer Émile Zola. The novel was originally published in serial format in the journal L'Artiste and in book format in December of the same year.-Plot introduction:Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to...
, The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
, Hotel Paradiso, and others in locations as diverse as the Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic
The Bristol Old Vic is a theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, King Street, in Bristol, England. The theatre complex includes the 1766 Theatre Royal, which claims to be the oldest continually-operating theatre in England, along with a 1970s studio theatre , offices and backstage facilities...
, the Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse
The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...
, the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
and others.
Television
She has acted roles in many television productions, including Marta Dorf in the television miniseries Holocaust, Bella Grout in Making OutMaking Out
Making Out is a British television series, shown by the BBC between 1989 and 1991.The series, written by Debbie Horsfield, mixed comedy and drama in its portrayal of the women who worked on the factory floor at New Lyne Electronics in Manchester, tackling the personal lives of the characters as...
, and Theresa in A Bit of Fry and Laurie
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
A Bit of Fry & Laurie is a British sketch comedy television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totalled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode in 1987.As in The...
, although she is perhaps best known for her role as the PM's adviser Dorothy Wainwright
Dorothy Wainwright
Dorothy Wainwright is a fictional character in the 1980s British sitcom, Yes, Prime Minister. She was portrayed by Deborah Norton.During the time that James Hacker served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Wainwright served as his Chief Political Advisor. She had already served his...
in Yes, Prime Minister.
Selected filmography
- Z Cars (3 episodes, 1969–1974)
- HolocaustHolocaust (miniseries)Holocaust was a television miniseries broadcast in four parts in 1978 on the NBC television network. The series tells the story of the Holocaust from the perspective of the Weiss family of German Jews and that of a rising member of the SS, who gradually becomes a merciless war criminal...
(1978) - The Wildcats of St Trinian'sThe Wildcats of St Trinian'sThe Wildcats of St. Trinian's is the fifth British comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School, released in 1980.It poked fun at the British trade union movement which had been responsible for the recent wave of strikes that culminated in the Winter of Discontent.The film was not a...
(1980) - Play for TodayPlay for TodayPlay for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
(4 plays, 1976–1981) - Yes, Prime Minister (6 episodes, 1986–1988)
- Making OutMaking OutMaking Out is a British television series, shown by the BBC between 1989 and 1991.The series, written by Debbie Horsfield, mixed comedy and drama in its portrayal of the women who worked on the factory floor at New Lyne Electronics in Manchester, tackling the personal lives of the characters as...
(2 episodes, 1989) - 2point4 Children2point4 children2point4 Children is a 1990s British sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porter family; an average family that is persistently faced with surreal situations and sheer bad luck....
(1 episode, 1991) - BoonBoon (TV series)Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV...
(1 episode, 1992) - Health and Efficiency (12 Episodes 1993 - 1995)
- ChalkChalk (TV series)Chalk is a British television sitcom set in a comprehensive school named Galfast High. Two series, both written by Steven Moffat, were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997...
(1 episode, 1997) - ShipmanShipman (television film)Shipman is a 2002 ITV television drama film, about the life and crimes of serial killer Harold Shipman. The film was directed by Roger Bamford and written by Michael Eaton.-Cast:*James Bolam as Harold Shipman...
(2002)