Liz Crowther

Liz Crowther (born 9 December 1954) is an English theatre actress, with over 50 years' experience on the stage. She comes from a theatrical background, as the daughter of actor, comedian and presenter, Leslie Crowther, and Jean Crowther, actress and dancer.

Theatre work

Beginning her stage career in 1966, Crowther debuted with London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet), playing Clara, the lead role in the annual production of The Nutcracker. At the time, she was training at Arts Educational Schools, London, where she studied from ages 10-17. She later went on to train at École Jacques Lecoq, Paris, where she focused primarily on mime and physical theatre.

Since then, Liz has proceeded to feature in over a hundred theatre productions, touring the length and breadth of England, as well as performing internationally.

A mere snapshot of her more recent work includes: A Passage to India (Simple8 Theatre/ Theatre Royal, Northampton/ Park Theatre) ^[1], Running Wild (Chichester/ Regents Park Theatre, UK tour) ^[2], Oliver Twist (Regents Park) and Kite (Wrong Crowd/ Soho Theatre) as part of the London International Mime Festival.

Working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford, Liz was involved in productions of The Roaring Girl, The White Devil, Song of Songs, The City Madam, Marat/Sade, Cardenio and The Witch of Edmonton.

Similarly Shakespearean, Liz played the challenging title role in Richard III, performing the show and conducting workshops on tour across the USA, with ‘Actors from the London Stage’.^[3] She has also performed in Romeo and Juliet (Rose Theatre, Bankside, and Globe Theatre), Macbeth (Theatre Royal, Northampton), Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Regents Park).

Appearing in over twenty-five plays for the same theatre, Crowther’s credits at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, include: Middlemarch Trilogy, The Memorandum, Bodies, What the Heart Feels, Four Attempted Acts and King Lear.^[4]

Elsewhere, Crowther has appeared in Cyrano de Bergerac (Royal Exchange), Blithe Spirit (Nottingham Playhouse), Mr Whatnot, The Elephant Man, Piaf, Wait Until Dark and David Copperfield (Theatre Royal, Northampton), Abigail’s Party (Hampstead Theatre & UK Tour), Communicating Doors (Stephen Joseph and Chicago Theatre Festival), The Real Thing (UK Tour), and Be My Baby and Pat and Margaret (Salisbury Playhouse).

Finally, Crowther’s noteworthy appearances in London’s West End include: The Country Wife (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Gambling (Royal Court), Onassis (Novello Theatre), Animal Farm (National Theatre) and Ducktastic (Noël Coward Theatre), written by comedy double-act The Right Size and directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Television and film work

Although primarily a stage performer, Crowther has also made multiple film and television appearances. Notably, she first graced our screens in black and white, playing Lucy in ABC’s 1967 production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. More recently, she has featured in The Dumping Ground, Outnumbered, Mansfield Park, Holby City, London’s Burning, Doctors, Miss Marple, EastEnders and A Very Peculiar Practice.

Beyond these appearances, Crowther was a regular cast member in soap opera Family Affairs, playing Annie Hart, from its debut in 1997, until 1999. She also played Sgt Jane Kendall in The Bill for nine months in 1993.

In film, Crowther has most recently played Romola Garai’s mother in The Unicorn (Daybreak Pictures), a short film by award-winning writer Penelope Skinner. She has also featured in Funseekers (Comic Strip) and The Thirty-Nine Steps (Rank). ^{[5] [6]}

Charity work

Liz Crowther proudly works with 'Scene and Heard', a playwriting charity committed to benefitting disadvantaged children in Somers Town, Kings Cross, London. Performing alongside other volunteer theatre professionals, Crowther brings to life some of the wacky and wonderful characters created by the children who the charity support. She also works as a trustee and volunteer at Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare in Hampton, Richmond.

References

External links

• Liz Crowther on IMDb
• http://www.scottmarshall.co.uk/female-actors/liz-crowther/