Heather Craney is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 actress, known for portraying Joyce Drake in Vera Drake

Vera Drake

Vera Drake is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, telling the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions...

, Alison Weaver in Life of Riley

Life of Riley (TV series)

Life of Riley is a British comedy television series, shown on BBC One & BBC HD. The show stars Caroline Quentin and Neil Dudgeon, who are recently married, and is set around their dysfunctional family. The show also features the couples four children, Danny, , Katy , Ted and Rosie...

and Emily Holroyd in Torchwood

Torchwood

Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...

.

Background

Craney was born in Stapleford, Cambridgeshire

Stapleford, Cambridgeshire

Stapleford is a village located approximately four miles to the south of Cambridge, in the county of Cambridgeshire, in eastern England on the right hand bank of the River Granta. Stapleford is first mentioned in 956 when it was given the Latinised name of Stapelforda, formerly Stapleton. Unlike...

. Her family lived in Darlington

Darlington

Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...

 for two years during the 1980s, where Craney attended Hummersknott School

Hummersknott School

Hummersknott Academy is a secondary school in Darlington in the north east of England. It schools approximately 1250 pupils aged eleven to sixteen. It has specialist Language College status...

. She attended Stapleford Community Primary School, Sawston Village College

Sawston Village College

Sawston Village College, the first community college in the country and the first Village College, was founded in 1930 and realised the vision of Henry Morris, then Secretary of Education for Cambridgeshire....

 and Long Road Sixth Form College

Long Road Sixth Form College

Long Road Sixth Form College is a state funded co-educational sixth form college in Cambridge, England. It is situated on Long Road, from which it draws its name, and is also located next to the Bio-Medical Campus which encompasses Addenbrooke's Hospital...

 in Cambridgeshire, and went on to study English and drama at Liverpool Hope University

Liverpool Hope University

Liverpool Hope University is a university in Liverpool, England. Two of its three founding colleges were established in 1844 and 1856, the third opening in the 1960s. It is the only ecumenical university in Europe. Based on two campuses, the main campus is located in Childwall and the second...

, graduating in 1992. Craney trained in Acting and Musical Theatre at the Central School of Speech and Drama

Central School of Speech and Drama

The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...

, graduating in 1995.

She currently lives in North London

North London

North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...

.

Career

Craney has appeared in the Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh

Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...

 films Topsy-Turvy

Topsy-Turvy

Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 musical drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and stars Allan Corduner as Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert...

(1999), All or Nothing (2002) and Vera Drake

Vera Drake

Vera Drake is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, telling the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions...

(2004), for which she was nominated for the 2005 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film...

. Her other film credits include Drinking Crude (1997), Loop (1997) and Dangerous Parking

Dangerous Parking

Dangerous Parking is a 2007 drama film based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Browne.-Plot:Dangerous Parking tells the story of Noah Arkwright, a cult director in the indie film world, whose life is dominated by alcohol, drugs, and casual sex.Alcoholism and drug addiction have him firmly in...

(2007).

On television, Craney played Alison Weaver in the sitcom

Situation comedy

A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...

 Life of Riley

Life of Riley (TV series)

Life of Riley is a British comedy television series, shown on BBC One & BBC HD. The show stars Caroline Quentin and Neil Dudgeon, who are recently married, and is set around their dysfunctional family. The show also features the couples four children, Danny, , Katy , Ted and Rosie...

, and Cheryl Matthews in EastEnders

EastEnders

EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

. She also played Emily Holroyd in the Torchwood

Torchwood

Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...

episode "Fragments

Fragments (Torchwood)

"Fragments" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Three on 21 March 2008.-Synopsis:...

". She has also appeared in Silent Witness

Silent Witness

Silent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was...

, The Bill

The Bill

The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...

, Holby City

Holby City

Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...

and the television films

Television movie

A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...

 The Mark of Cain

The Mark of Cain (2007 film)

The Mark of Cain is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award-winning British television film first broadcast in 2007 following three young men as they experience the extremity of war for the first time, and the permanent effects of what they have seen and done as they return from their...

and Ahead of the Class

Ahead of the Class

Ahead of the Class is a 2003 book and 2005 dramatic television film based on real-life events.-Plot:Marie Stubbs is a diminutive Glaswegian headmistress who is close to the age of retirement. After being Head teacher at The Douay Martyrs School, Ickenham, she takes on one last challenge: to improve...

.

Craney's theatre credits include Death of an Elephant, Dangerous Corner

Dangerous Corner

Dangerous Corner was the first play by the English writer J. B. Priestley. It was premiered in May 1932 by Tyrone Guthrie at the Lyric Theatre, London, and filmed in 1934 by Phil Rosen....

, Sugar Mummies, Stoning Mary and Passion Play, at the Donmar Warehouse

Donmar Warehouse

Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...

.

Filmography

List of television performances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Silent Witness Silent Witness Silent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was...	DI's Receptionist	2 episodes: Divided Loyalties: Parts One and Two
2002	The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...	Kirsty	1 episode: Episode 058
2005	Ahead of the Class Ahead of the Class Ahead of the Class is a 2003 book and 2005 dramatic television film based on real-life events.-Plot:Marie Stubbs is a diminutive Glaswegian headmistress who is close to the age of retirement. After being Head teacher at The Douay Martyrs School, Ickenham, she takes on one last challenge: to improve...	Nadine	Television film Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
2005	Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...	Melissa Finch	1 episode: Bird on a Wire
2007	The Mark of Cain The Mark of Cain (2007 film) The Mark of Cain is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award-winning British television film first broadcast in 2007 following three young men as they experience the extremity of war for the first time, and the permanent effects of what they have seen and done as they return from their...	Brenda Tate	Television film
2007	Coming Up	Sarah	1 episode: In the Dark
2007	Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...	Amy Bonner	1 episode: Lovers and Madmen
2008	Torchwood Torchwood Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...	Emily Holroyd	1 episode: Fragments Fragments (Torchwood) "Fragments" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Three on 21 March 2008.-Synopsis:...
2009–2011	Life of Riley Life of Riley (TV series) Life of Riley is a British comedy television series, shown on BBC One & BBC HD. The show stars Caroline Quentin and Neil Dudgeon, who are recently married, and is set around their dysfunctional family. The show also features the couples four children, Danny, , Katy , Ted and Rosie...	Alison Weaver	Series regular
2010	Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...	Lucy Weir	3 episodes: Future Shock, Losing Game, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
2011	EastEnders EastEnders EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...	Cheryl Matthews	6 episodes

List of film performances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Drinking Crude	Julie
1997	Loop Loop (film) Loop is a 1997 British romantic comedy feature film produced by Tedi De Toledo and Michael Riley, written by Tim Pears and is the debut film of director Allan Niblo....	Cashier
1999	Topsy-Turvy Topsy-Turvy Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 musical drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and stars Allan Corduner as Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W. S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert...	Miss Russell
2002	All or Nothing	Silent Passenger
2004	Vera Drake Vera Drake Vera Drake is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, telling the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions...	Joyce Drake	Nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film...
2004	Dangerous Parking Dangerous Parking Dangerous Parking is a 2007 drama film based on the novel of the same name by Stuart Browne.-Plot:Dangerous Parking tells the story of Noah Arkwright, a cult director in the indie film world, whose life is dominated by alcohol, drugs, and casual sex.Alcoholism and drug addiction have him firmly in...	Marlene
2004	Tales of the Fourth Dimension		Short film Short subject A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...

Theatre

List of stage performances

Year	Production	Venue	Role	Notes
1996	Death of an Elephant	Orange Tree Theatre Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south west London, built specifically as a theatre in the round....	Sandra
1999	Dangerous Corner Dangerous Corner Dangerous Corner was the first play by the English writer J. B. Priestley. It was premiered in May 1932 by Tyrone Guthrie at the Lyric Theatre, London, and filmed in 1934 by Phil Rosen....	Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building on Clarendon Road, Watford.- Refurbishment :In September 2004 the theatre re-opened after a two year £8.8million Lottery funded refurbishment, which included more public space, two bars, a daytime café, air cooling and...	Olwen
2000	Passion Play	Donmar Warehouse Donmar Warehouse Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...	Rebecca / Ruth
2004	Still Life Still Life (play) Still Life is a short play by Noël Coward, one of ten that make up Tonight at 8:30, a cycle written to be performed across three evenings. The play depicts the love affair of Alec and Laura across a twelve-month period... / The Astonished Heart The Astonished Heart The Astonished Heart is a short play by Noël Coward, one of ten that make up Tonight at 8:30, a cycle written to be performed across three evenings. The play, described at its first production as "a tragedy in six scenes", is told through a series of flashbacks in reverse order...	Liverpool Playhouse Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actresses, some of which went on to achieve...	Dolly Messiter
2005	Stoning Mary	Royal Court Theatre 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...	Ego
2006	Sugar Mummies	Royal Court Theatre 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...	Kitty
2007	I Like Mine with a Kiss	Bush Theatre Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house by Brian McDermott, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up...	Annie
2007	Joe Guy	Soho Theatre Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....	Monique Christie / Helen Blake
2010	Women, Power and Politics	Tricycle Theatre Tricycle Theatre The Tricycle Theatre is located on Kilburn High Road in Kilburn in the London Borough of Brent, England. During the last 30 years, the Tricycle has been presenting plays reflecting the cultural diversity of its community; in particular Black, Irish, Jewish, Asian and South African works, as well as...	Mags / Kim

External links