| This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (April 2009) | | This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2008) | Helen Victoria Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English actress, known for her roles in Cold Feet, Friends and Cardiac Arrest. Biography Early life Helen Baxendale was born on 7 June 1970 in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire.[1][2] 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. Career It was from the Glasgow Citizens Theatre that she was cast in the hospital TV series Cardiac Arrest (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 Grey, 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 also played Pandora Braithwaite in Adrian Mole - the Cappuccino Years 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.[1] In 2008 and 2009 she has also appeared in several TV adverts for Morrisons, a British supermarket chain[3]. In 2010, she will co-star with Trevor Eve in the three-part ITV drama Kidnap and Ransom, to be filmed on location in South Africa.[4] Personal life Baxendale has been with her partner David Williams since her Glasgow days and together they have three children: Nell Marmalade, Eric Mustard, and Vincent Mash[5]. Her first pregnancy was written into An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and her second was written into the fourth series of Cold Feet.[5] Her first pregnancy (and the fact that she lived in England, not the USA) caused her character to be written out of Friends a lot earlier than intended, meaning she only played in just over 15 episodes, despite her character dating, then marrying, then divorcing Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), one of the show's main characters.[5][6] Baxendale is a patron of the charity Childhope.[7] References - ^ a b Jarvis, Alica-Azania (2007-11-10). "The 5-minute interview: Helen Baxendale". The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article3146392.ece. Retrieved 2007-12-20. "A common misperception of me is…that my birthday is on Valentine's Day. It's on 7 June."
- ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005. Volume 2d, page 1778.
- ^ http://www.visit4info.com/advert/Better-than-Half-Price-British-Strawberries-at-Morrisons-Morrisons/72985
- ^ Deans, James (8 February 2010). "Trevor Eve to star in ITV1 thriller". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). Retrieved on 8 February 2010.
- ^ a b c Laws, Roz (13 April 2009). "Helen Baxendale gets the balance right after Cold Feet and Friends". Birmingham Post (Trinity Mirror Midlands).
- ^ Bright, Kevin S.; Marta Kauffman; David Crane. (2004). Friends: The Complete Fourth Season DVD audio commentary for "The One with Ross's Wedding". [DVD]. Warner Home Video.
- ^ www.childhope.org.uk
External links - Helen Baxendale at the Internet Movie Database
- The Helen Baxendale Web Experience (fan site)
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