Helen Baxendale
Encyclopedia
Helen Victoria Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English actress of stage and television, possibly best-known for her roles in Cold Feet
, Friends
and Cardiac Arrest
.
, West Riding of Yorkshire
.
She grew up in Shenstone, Staffordshire
and wanted to be a ballet dancer when she was younger. She trained at the Elmhurst School for Dance
but dropped out at 17 in favour of an acting career. She moved to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
, and then worked at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre from 1992–1994.
(although it was not her first television role). Her role as Dr. Claire Maitland earned her a Scottish BAFTA
nomination in 1995.
She was one of the stars of the popular TV series Cold Feet
, playing Rachel Bradley
, a role which gained her a British Comedy Award nomination in 1997. She also starred in An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
, playing Cordelia Gray, and made notable recurring appearances on the American
series Friends
as Ross Geller
's girlfriend, wife and finally ex-wife Emily Waltham, which gained her wide exposure on American network television. Other notable roles include Lorna Johnson in Truth or Dare (in which John Hannah
also starred), Caroline Meagher in The Investigator, and Julie Matthews in Dead by Monday.
She was nominated for another Scottish BAFTA in 1997 for her role as Lorna Johnson. Dead by Monday won the Angel Award for Best Film at the Monaco International Film Festival in 2003 and the Portland Festival of World Cinema award for best feature film in 2001.
She starred on-stage as Christine in Patrick Marber
's After Miss Julie
, and has most recently appeared as Romy, the eponymous title role in The Woman Before at the Royal Court
alongside Nigel Lindsay
, Saskia Reeves
, Tom Riley and Georgia Taylor
but has also played various roles including that of Ophelia in Hamlet
(the Marovitz Hamlet) along with Henry Ian Cusick
. She was a finalist for the 1993 Sunday Times Royal National Theatre Ian Charleson
Award (best classical actor under 30).
She played Pandora Braithwaite
in Adrian Mole: the Cappuccino Years in 2001 and "Maggie" in the multiple award-winning Bolse Vita. She also appeared in Saving Nellie, a physics programme running on Teachers TV
. In 2007 to January 2008 she starred in Swimming With Sharks alongside Christian Slater
at London's Vaudville Theatre. In 2008 and 2009 she has also appeared in several TV adverts for Morrisons
, a British supermarket chain.
In January 2011, she co-starred with Trevor Eve
in the three-part ITV drama Kidnap and Ransom
, filmed on location in South Africa
. Later in the same year, she starred as DCI Marion Bettany in Val McDermid
's radio crime drama Village SOS.
and her second was written into the fourth series
of Cold Feet
.
Her first pregnancy (coupled with the fact that her country of residence was England, rather than the USA) meant that her character was written out of Friends
earlier than the writers had originally intended. Baxendale appeared in only 16 episodes, despite her character dating, marrying, and then divorcing Ross Geller
(David Schwimmer
), one of the show's main characters.
Cold Feet
Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
, Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
and Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac Arrest (TV series)
Cardiac Arrest is a British medical drama series made by World Productions for BBC One and first broadcast between 1994 and 1996. The series was controversial due to its depiction of doctors, nurses, and the National Health Service.-Creation:...
.
Early life
Helen Baxendale was born on 7 June 1970 in WakefieldWakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
.
She grew up in Shenstone, Staffordshire
Shenstone, Staffordshire
Shenstone is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England, close to Stonnall and between Lichfield and Birmingham. In a recent survey Shenstone was found to be one of the ten worst places in England for finding single women....
and wanted to be a ballet dancer when she was younger. She trained at the Elmhurst School for Dance
Elmhurst School for Dance
Elmhurst School for Dance is one of the foremost classical ballet schools in the United Kingdom and is the official associate school of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. First established in Camberley, Surrey, the school is the oldest established vocational dance school in the United Kingdom and...
but dropped out at 17 in favour of an acting career. She moved to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
, and then worked at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre from 1992–1994.
Career
It was via Glasgow Citizens' Theatre that she was cast in the hospital TV series Cardiac ArrestCardiac Arrest (TV series)
Cardiac Arrest is a British medical drama series made by World Productions for BBC One and first broadcast between 1994 and 1996. The series was controversial due to its depiction of doctors, nurses, and the National Health Service.-Creation:...
(although it was not her first television role). Her role as Dr. Claire Maitland earned her a Scottish BAFTA
BAFTA Scotland
BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1997, the branch holds an annual awards ceremony, the British Academy Scotland Awards , to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, television and video games...
nomination in 1995.
She was one of the stars of the popular TV series Cold Feet
Cold Feet
Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
, playing Rachel Bradley
Rachel Bradley
Rachel Louise Bradley is a fictional character portrayed by Helen Baxendale in the British comedy-drama television series Cold Feet. Rachel is introduced in the pilot episode , where she begins a relationship with Adam Williams...
, a role which gained her a British Comedy Award nomination in 1997. She also starred in An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
An Unsuitable Job For A Woman is the title of a 1972 detective novel by P. D. James - and also the title of a TV series of four dramas developed from that novel....
, playing Cordelia Gray, and made notable recurring appearances on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
series Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
as Ross Geller
Ross Geller
Ross Eustace Geller, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television series Friends, portrayed by David Schwimmer. The character is noted for his geeky, lovable demeanor.- Origin :...
's girlfriend, wife and finally ex-wife Emily Waltham, which gained her wide exposure on American network television. Other notable roles include Lorna Johnson in Truth or Dare (in which John Hannah
John Hannah (actor)
John David Hannah is a Scottish actor of film and television. He has appeared in Stephen Sommers' Mummy Series, Richard Curtis' Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow...
also starred), Caroline Meagher in The Investigator, and Julie Matthews in Dead by Monday.
She was nominated for another Scottish BAFTA in 1997 for her role as Lorna Johnson. Dead by Monday won the Angel Award for Best Film at the Monaco International Film Festival in 2003 and the Portland Festival of World Cinema award for best feature film in 2001.
She starred on-stage as Christine in Patrick Marber
Patrick Marber
Patrick Albert Crispin Marber is an English comedian, playwright, director, puppeteer, actor and screenwriter.-Early life and education:...
's After Miss Julie
After Miss Julie
After Miss Julie is a play which relocates August Strindberg's naturalist tragedy, Miss Julie , to an English country house in July 1945...
, and has most recently appeared as Romy, the eponymous title role in The Woman Before at 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...
alongside Nigel Lindsay
Nigel Lindsay
Nigel Lindsay is an English actor. He was nominated for Best British Comedy Performance in Film at the 2011 British Comedy Awards for his performance as Barry, the Muslim convert in Chris Morris's BAFTA winning Four Lions and won the 2011 Whatsonstage Award for Best Supporting Actor as Dr Harry...
, Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves is a British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the films Close My Eyes and ID , and the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune....
, Tom Riley and Georgia Taylor
Georgia Taylor
Georgia Taylor is an English actress, known for her role as Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street and currently for playing Ruth Winters on Casualty. She was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester....
but has also played various roles including that of Ophelia in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(the Marovitz Hamlet) along with Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
. She was a finalist for the 1993 Sunday Times Royal National Theatre Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev...
Award (best classical actor under 30).
She played Pandora Braithwaite
Pandora Braithwaite
Dr Pandora Louise Elizabeth Braithwaite is the love interest of Adrian Mole in the Adrian Mole series of books by Sue Townsend. Pandora came to media attention as Labour Member of Parliament under Tony Blair....
in Adrian Mole: the Cappuccino Years in 2001 and "Maggie" in the multiple award-winning Bolse Vita. She also appeared in Saving Nellie, a physics programme running on Teachers TV
Teachers TV
Teachers TV was a website and former free-to-air Distance education television channel which provided video and support materials for those who work in education in the UK, including teachers, school leaders, governors, teacher trainers, student teachers and support staff.Its aims included raising...
. In 2007 to January 2008 she starred in Swimming With Sharks alongside Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
at London's Vaudville Theatre. In 2008 and 2009 she has also appeared in several TV adverts for Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
, a British supermarket chain.
In January 2011, she co-starred with Trevor Eve
Trevor Eve
Trevor John Eve is a British film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series Shoestring and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC television drama Waking the Dead.-Early life:Eve was born in Sutton Coldfield,...
in the three-part ITV drama Kidnap and Ransom
Kidnap and Ransom
Kidnap and Ransom is a three-part television miniseries which aired on the ITV in January 2011. The series revolves around the latest case for expert British hostage negotiator Dominic King...
, filmed on location in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Later in the same year, she starred as DCI Marion Bettany in Val McDermid
Val McDermid
Val McDermid is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of suspense novels starring her most famous creation, Dr. Tony Hill.-Biography:...
's radio crime drama Village SOS.
Personal life
Baxendale has been with her partner David L. Williams since her Glasgow days and together they have three children: Nelly, Eric, and Vincent. Her first pregnancy was written into An Unsuitable Job for a WomanAn Unsuitable Job for a Woman
An Unsuitable Job For A Woman is the title of a 1972 detective novel by P. D. James - and also the title of a TV series of four dramas developed from that novel....
and her second was written into the fourth series
Cold Feet (series 4)
The fourth series of the British comedy drama television series Cold Feet was aired on the ITV network from 18 November to 10 December 2001. Eight episodes were broadcast over four weeks and the final episode was extended to 72 minutes...
of Cold Feet
Cold Feet
Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
.
Her first pregnancy (coupled with the fact that her country of residence was England, rather than the USA) meant that her character was written out of Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
earlier than the writers had originally intended. Baxendale appeared in only 16 episodes, despite her character dating, marrying, and then divorcing Ross Geller
Ross Geller
Ross Eustace Geller, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television series Friends, portrayed by David Schwimmer. The character is noted for his geeky, lovable demeanor.- Origin :...
(David Schwimmer
David Schwimmer
David Lawrence Schwimmer is an American actor and director of television and film. He was born in New York City, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was two. He began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High School. In 1988, he graduated from Northwestern...
), one of the show's main characters.