Claire Rushbrook

Claire Louise Rushbrook, born on 25 August 1971 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, is a versatile English actress whose career spans stage, screen, and radio. After completing her secondary education at Fearnhill School, she pursued a BA (Hons) in Theatre Art at Rose Bruford College, laying a solid foundation for a five‑year period of intensive theatrical work that included West End productions such as Three Sisters (as Olga) and Festen (as Helene). Transitioning to screen in the mid‑1990s, Rushbrook quickly earned critical attention with her breakout film role as Roxanne in Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies (1996), a performance that showcased her nuanced ability to blend emotional depth with understated humor. She followed this with memorable supporting parts in Spice World (1998) and a notable appearance in the cult‑favorite Doctor Who episodes “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit”, which later secured her a spot on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link. Rushbrook’s television portfolio is equally impressive, featuring lead roles in series such as The Sins (2000), the crime drama Whitechapel (2009–2013), and the beloved coming‑of‑age comedy‑drama My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015), where her portrayal of Linda Earl‑Bouchtat earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2014. In recent years she has continued to diversify her screen work, appearing as Mrs Lane in Enola Holmes (2020) alongside Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill, and sharing the frame with Saoirse Ronan in Ammonite (2020). The 2021 British film Ali & Ava saw her star opposite Adeel Akhtar, while her talent for voice work was highlighted in the BBC Radio 4 drama Jazz and Dice. Across more than two decades, Rushbrook’s consistent commitment to complex, richly drawn characters has cemented her reputation as one of Britain’s most reliable and compelling performers.