Laura Sadler
Encyclopedia
Laura Ruth Sadler was an English
actress best known for her role as nurse Sandy Harper in the BBC One
hospital
drama
series Holby City
.
, Berkshire
, and took up television acting as a young girl. She was spotted as a future talent at the age of six by Dustin Hoffman
, who had seen her in a play and asked to meet her. Before joining the cast of Holby City, her best-known role had been as the character Judi Jeffreys in the children's television series
Grange Hill from 1997 to 1999. Her Grange Hill character was killed after slipping and falling out of a burning building, tragically paralleling her real life death four years later. Laura also played the part of Skirty Marm in a BBC1 children's comedy, Belfry Witches
. Skirty Marm and her friend Old Noshie (Lucy Davis
) were teenage witches banished to earth from Witch Island, settling in a sleepy village where they caused mischief.
In 1996 she starred in the feature film Intimate Relations alongside Julie Walters
, where she played a Lolita
-like girl with a crush on her mother's adulterous lover. She joined the cast of Holby City
, a spin-off
series from the long-running BBC medical drama series Casualty, in the show's third series, playing the nurse Sandy Harper.
flat of her boyfriend and Holby City co-star George Calil
. She had consumed a large quantity of alcohol and was later found to have had "derivatives of cocaine
and traces of diazepam
" in her blood. Sadler suffered severe head injuries and never regained consciousness. Her family decided to take her off life support
on 18 June 2003 and she died at Charing Cross Hospital
a day later. Calil was questioned by police, but later released on bail and never charged. Sadler's death was ruled as an accident.
Sadler continued to feature in pre-recorded episodes of Holby City after her death. Her mother aided the show's writers in conceiving an exit storyline for Sadler's character Sandy Harper. In the episode, which was broadcast in September 2003, Sandy is revealed to have won the lottery and subsequently emigrated to Australia
.
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 best known for her role as nurse Sandy Harper in the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series 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...
.
TV career
Sadler was born in AscotAscot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, and took up television acting as a young girl. She was spotted as a future talent at the age of six by Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, who had seen her in a play and asked to meet her. Before joining the cast of Holby City, her best-known role had been as the character Judi Jeffreys in the children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
Grange Hill from 1997 to 1999. Her Grange Hill character was killed after slipping and falling out of a burning building, tragically paralleling her real life death four years later. Laura also played the part of Skirty Marm in a BBC1 children's comedy, Belfry Witches
Belfry Witches
Belfry Witches was a television show broadcast by the BBC during its CBBC slot. It ran for just over a year, airing in September 1999 and running its thirteenth and final episode in November 2000....
. Skirty Marm and her friend Old Noshie (Lucy Davis
Lucy Davis
Lucy Clare Davis is an English actress. She is best known for playing the character Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy The Office and as Dianne in the horror-comedy movie Shaun of the Dead.-Career:...
) were teenage witches banished to earth from Witch Island, settling in a sleepy village where they caused mischief.
In 1996 she starred in the feature film Intimate Relations alongside Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
, where she played a Lolita
Lolita
Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian...
-like girl with a crush on her mother's adulterous lover. She joined the cast of 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...
, a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series from the long-running BBC medical drama series Casualty, in the show's third series, playing the nurse Sandy Harper.
Death
In the early hours of 15 June 2003, Sadler fell 40 feet (12 metres) from the balcony of the Holland ParkHolland Park
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London, England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
flat of her boyfriend and Holby City co-star George Calil
George Calil
George Calil is an English actor and is the son of businessman Ely Calil.His most notable role to date was in the TV mini-series Band of Brothers where he portrayed Sergeant James H. "Mo" Alley, Jr....
. She had consumed a large quantity of alcohol and was later found to have had "derivatives of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and traces of diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam , first marketed as Valium by Hoffmann-La Roche is a benzodiazepine drug. Diazepam is also marketed in Australia as Antenex. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures including status epilepticus, muscle spasms , restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawal,...
" in her blood. Sadler suffered severe head injuries and never regained consciousness. Her family decided to take her off life support
Life support
Life support, in medicine is a broad term that applies to any therapy used to sustain a patient's life while they are critically ill or injured. There are many therapies and techniques that may be used by clinicians to achieve the goal of sustaining life...
on 18 June 2003 and she died at Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
a day later. Calil was questioned by police, but later released on bail and never charged. Sadler's death was ruled as an accident.
Sadler continued to feature in pre-recorded episodes of Holby City after her death. Her mother aided the show's writers in conceiving an exit storyline for Sadler's character Sandy Harper. In the episode, which was broadcast in September 2003, Sandy is revealed to have won the lottery and subsequently emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.