Kate Ashfield
Encyclopedia
Kate Ashfield is a British
actress, best known for her award-winning roles as Jody in the Anglo-German
film
Late Night Shopping
, as Sadie MacGregor in the British film
This Little Life
and as Liz in the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead
.
, Lancashire
, England
. She was educated at the King Edward VI Camp Hill
, in Birmingham
, and was one of the first girls to join the sixth form of King Edward VI Five Ways
.
Ashfield appeared in As You Like It
and was involved in a number of local youth theatre groups. She trained at Rose Bruford College
.
film Princess Caraboo
.
One of Ashfield's first stage appearances was in the 1995 Royal Court Theatre
production of Blasted
by Sarah Kane
. She has since performed in numerous plays associated with the In-yer-face theatre
movement, and was invited to speak on the subject at the University of the West of England
's 2002 Theatre's Shock Therapy conference.
In 2009 she appeared in a short film "War School", raising awareness on the use of child soldiers. The film won the CTRL.ALT.SHIFT film competition, where the public were able to 'Take action' and buy a football, in which all proceeds went to The Coalition to Stop the use of Child Soldiers.
She has featured in The Diary of Anne Frank
, Collision
and will next work on the thriller Hush.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actress, best known for her award-winning roles as Jody in the Anglo-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Late Night Shopping
Late Night Shopping
Late Night Shopping is a comedy funded by FilmFour Productions. The film is about four young friends who all work the graveyard shifts in various soul-killing jobs then meet up in a cafe after their shift to talk about nothing and generally kill time.- Synopsis :Each of...
, as Sadie MacGregor in the British film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
This Little Life
This Little Life
This Little Life is a 2003 drama starring Kate Ashfield, Peter Mullan and Linda Bassett. The story centres around the life of a married couple following the premature birth of their son....
and as Liz in the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
.
Biography
Ashfield was born in OldhamOldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She was educated at the King Edward VI Camp Hill
King Edward VI Camp Hill
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys is a grammar school in Kings Heath, Birmingham for ages of 11 to 18 . One of the seven establishments of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI, it is a voluntary aided school, with admission by selective exam...
, in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and was one of the first girls to join the sixth form of King Edward VI Five Ways
King Edward VI Five Ways
King Edward VI Five Ways is a selective, humanities specialist grammar school located in the Bartley Green area of south Birmingham, England. As of April 2008, the school has a second specialism, a specialist Science College.-Background:...
.
Ashfield appeared in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
and was involved in a number of local youth theatre groups. She trained at Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College
Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance is a British drama school, offering university-level and professional vocational training for theatre and performance and the BA and MA degrees, based in Sidcup, Southeast London.-History:Founded in 1950, Rose Bruford "pioneered the first acting degree...
.
Career
She has since appeared in many films, television and theatre productions. Her first movie role came in 1994 as Ella in John Wells'John Wells (satirist)
John Wells was an English actor, writer and satirist, educated at Eastbourne College and St Edmund Hall, Oxford...
film Princess Caraboo
Princess Caraboo (film)
Princess Caraboo is a 1994 British-American historical comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Michael Austin, based on the real-life 19th-century character Princess Caraboo, who passed herself off in British society as an exotic princess who spoke a strange foreign language; she is portrayed...
.
One of Ashfield's first stage appearances was in the 1995 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...
production of Blasted
Blasted
Blasted is the first play by British author Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1995 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London. This performance was highly controversial and the play was fiercely attacked by most newspaper critics, many of whom regarded it as a rather immature attempt to...
by Sarah Kane
Sarah Kane
Sarah Kane was an English playwright. Her plays deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture — both physical and psychological — and death. They are characterised by a poetic intensity, pared-down language, exploration of theatrical form and, in her earlier work, the use of...
. She has since performed in numerous plays associated with the In-yer-face theatre
In-yer-face theatre
In-yer-face theatre describes drama that emerged in Great Britain in the 1990s. This category coined by British theatre critic Aleks Sierz is the title of his book, In-Yer-Face Theatre, first published by Faber and Faber in March 2001...
movement, and was invited to speak on the subject at the University of the West of England
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
's 2002 Theatre's Shock Therapy conference.
In 2009 she appeared in a short film "War School", raising awareness on the use of child soldiers. The film won the CTRL.ALT.SHIFT film competition, where the public were able to 'Take action' and buy a football, in which all proceeds went to The Coalition to Stop the use of Child Soldiers.
She has featured in The Diary of Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank (TV serial)
The Diary of Anne Frank is a BBC adaptation, in association with France 2, of The Diary of a Young Girl, written by Deborah Moggach.It was shown from 5–9 January 2009 in five half-hour episodes. Representatives of the BBC have said that they "hope [that] this drama will bring Anne [Frank] alive to...
, Collision
Collision (TV series)
Collision is a five-part television drama miniseries, which debuted on ITV in November 2009. In the same month, it was also on PBS as a series in two parts. It tells the story of a group of strangers whose lives intertwine following a devastating car crash...
and will next work on the thriller Hush.
Filmography
- 7lives (2011) - Cynthia
- New Tricks (2011, TV series) - Hilary Newell
- Silent WitnessSilent WitnessSilent 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...
(2011, TV drama) - Chief Inspector Rebecca Woods - UnitedUnited (TV drama)United is a British television film directed by James Strong and written by Chris Chibnall. It is based on the true story of Manchester United's "Busby Babes" and the aftermath of the 1958 Munich air disaster...
(2011, TV series) - Alma George - Three Act TragedyThree Act TragedyThree Act Tragedy is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1934 under the title Murder in Three Acts and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in January 1935 under Christie's original title...
(2010, TV adaptation of Agatha Christie novel) - Muriel Wills - CollisionCollision (TV series)Collision is a five-part television drama miniseries, which debuted on ITV in November 2009. In the same month, it was also on PBS as a series in two parts. It tells the story of a group of strangers whose lives intertwine following a devastating car crash...
(2009, five part ITV drama) - Ann Stallwood - The Diary of Anne FrankThe Diary of Anne Frank (TV serial)The Diary of Anne Frank is a BBC adaptation, in association with France 2, of The Diary of a Young Girl, written by Deborah Moggach.It was shown from 5–9 January 2009 in five half-hour episodes. Representatives of the BBC have said that they "hope [that] this drama will bring Anne [Frank] alive to...
(2009, five-part BBC drama) - Miep GiesMiep GiesMiep Gies was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family and several family friends in an attic annex above Anne's father's place of business from the Nazis during World War II... - The ChildrenThe Children (2008 miniseries)The Children is a three part 2008 drama miniseries written by Lucy Gannon and produced for ITV. It stars Lesley Sharp, Geraldine Somerville and Kevin Whately, and premiered on ITV at 9pm on Monday 1 September, 2008....
(2008 three-part ITV drama) - Natasha - Never BetterNever BetterNever Better is a British television sitcom which started on BBC Two on 10 January 2008. It stars Stephen Mangan as recovering alcoholic Keith Merchant and Kate Ashfield as his suffering wife Anita...
(2008, TV series) - Anita Merchant - The Baker (2007) - Rhiannon
- Talk To MeTalk to Me (TV series)Talk to Me is a British television serial, written by writer Danny Brocklehurst, produced by Company Pictures for ITV. The four-part serial began on 10 June 2007 and stars Max Beesley as Mitch Moore, a womanising radio host whose producer is also his best mate and about to get married to Claire...
(2007, TV series) - Kelly - Random QuestRandom QuestRandom Quest is a science fiction short story, which is also a love story, by John Wyndham. It was included in his 1961 collection Consider Her Ways and Others...
(2006, TV) - Ottilie/Kate - Leave Before the Lights Come OnLeave Before the Lights Come On"Leave Before the Lights Come On" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. The song was released on 14 August 2006 as the band's third single in the United Kingdom...
Video - Arctic Monkeys (2006) - Suicidal Lady - Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006, TV) - Ellen
- The Best ManThe Best Man (2005)The Best Man is a comedy film starring Stuart Townsend, Amy Smart, Seth Green and Kate Ashfield. It was directed by Stefan Schwartz from a script by Schwartz and Ed Roe.- Plot :Childhood friends Olly Pickering and Murray go their separate ways Olly goes to university...
(2005, TV - released as Unhitched on US DVD) - Becka - Secret SmileSecret SmileSecret Smile is a drama serial in two parts shown by ITV in December 2005, based on the Nicci French book of the same name, directed by Christopher Menaul and starring David Tennant, Claire Goose and Kate Ashfield.-Overview:...
(2005, TV) - Miranda - FakersFakersFakers is a 2004 British film directed by Richard Janes and starring Matthew Rhys as con-man with a big debt to pay off to wanna-be crime lord Art Malik. It was produced by Richard Janes Claire Bee and Todd Kleparski, three graduates from Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication...
(2004) - Eve Evans - Spivs (2004) - Jenny
- Shaun of the DeadShaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
(2004) - Liz - Beyond BordersBeyond BordersBeyond Borders is a 2003 drama film about aid workers, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. The original music score was composed by James Horner....
(2003) - Kat - PollyannaPollyannaPollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children's literature, with the title character's name becoming a popular term for someone with the same optimistic outlook. The book was such a success, that Porter soon produced a sequel, Pollyanna...
(2003) - Nancy - Collusion (2003) - Sally Waterville
- Killing HitlerKilling HitlerKilling Hitler is a BBC docudrama that examines the Operation Foxley plot to kill Adolf Hitler.-External links:* by Professor Duncan Anderson at BBC History.....
(2003, TV) - Rachel - This Little LifeThis Little LifeThis Little Life is a 2003 drama starring Kate Ashfield, Peter Mullan and Linda Bassett. The story centres around the life of a married couple following the premature birth of their son....
(2003, TV) - Sadie MacGregor - The Trouble with Men and WomenThe Trouble with Men and WomenThe Trouble with Men and Women is a 2003 film written and directed by Tony Fisher.-Plot:Serious and intense Matt is tired of mooning over a woman who has deserted him for a life in the United States. After enduring the bar room philosophising of his friends as they vainly try to cheer him up, he...
(2003, TV) - Susie - Flyfishing (2002) - Helen
- Crime and Punishment (2002, miniseries) - Dounia
- Late Night ShoppingLate Night ShoppingLate Night Shopping is a comedy funded by FilmFour Productions. The film is about four young friends who all work the graveyard shifts in various soul-killing jobs then meet up in a cafe after their shift to talk about nothing and generally kill time.- Synopsis :Each of...
(2001) - Jody - Do or Die (2001, miniseries) - Samantha
- The Low Down (2000) - Ruby
- Guest House ParadisoGuest House ParadisoGuest House Paradiso is a 1999 British slapstick comedy film written by and starring comic duo Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, and directed by Edmondson his directorial debut. The film is semi-officially based on their comedy television series Bottom...
(1999) - Guest - Storm Damage (1999, TV) - Kay
- The War ZoneThe War ZoneThe War Zone is a 1999 drama film written by Alexander Stuart, based on his novel, and directed by Tim Roth. The film takes a blunt look at incest and sexual violence in an English family.Upon its release, the movie won nine awards and 10 nominations....
(1999) - Watership Down (TV series)Watership Down (TV series)Watership Down is an animated television series, adapted from the novel of the same name by Richard Adams. It was a co-production of Alltime Entertainment of the United Kingdom and Decode Entertainment of Canada, and produced by Martin Rosen, the director of the 1978 feature film...
(1999, TV series) - Primrose (Series 1/2 only) - Sweetnight Goodheart (2001) - Juliet
- Please! (1999) - Molly
- A Many Splintered Thing (1998, TV series) - Elly Jackson
- CloserCloser (play)Closer is the third play written by English playwright Patrick Marber. The play was premiered at the Royal National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in London in 1997, and made its North American debut at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on 25 January 1999....
(1998, stage) - Alice - WoyzeckWoyzeckWoyzeck is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. He left the work incomplete at his death, but it has been variously and posthumously "finished" by a variety of authors, editors and translators. Woyzeck has become one of the most performed and influential plays in the German theatre...
(1997, stage) - Marie - Shopping and FuckingShopping and FuckingShopping and Fucking is a 1996 play by English playwright Mark Ravenhill. It was Ravenhill's first full-length play. It received its first public reading at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 1995...
(1996, stage) - Lulu - BlastedBlastedBlasted is the first play by British author Sarah Kane. It was first performed in 1995 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London. This performance was highly controversial and the play was fiercely attacked by most newspaper critics, many of whom regarded it as a rather immature attempt to...
(1995, stage) - Cate
Awards
- British Independent Film Award - Best actress (2001)
- Royal Television SocietyRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society 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...
Television Award - Best actor: female (2004)