Fiona Shaw CBE

About:

Fiona Shaw was born in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. She studied Philosophy at the University of Cork before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and then moving on to dominate the British theatrical scene. Since rising to public and critical acclaim in the Royal National Theatre’s 1983 production of Sheridan’s The Rivals, playing the often dully portrayed Julia, she went on to revolutionise the perception of other previously minor roles such as Celia in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1984 production of As You Like It. Having progressed to a mastery of the major roles in the theatre she continued the revolutionary theme with her long term collaborator the iconic director Deborah Warner, with such ground breaking performances as Richard II in 1995, in which she played the king.

She is naturally extremely funny which as well as allowing her the gentle subversions of the theatrical establishment has meant the film world has taken her to its bosom. She has won great acclaim in such disparate films as, My Left Foot and the Harry Potter Series.

Her awards are numerous but they include three Laurence Olivier Awards for best actress, two London’s Critics’ Awards and one New York Critics’ Award for her performance in The Waste Land by T S Eliot. She was made an Officier des Arts et Lettres in France in 2000 and was made an honorary CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 2001.

Selected Filmography:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Black Dahlia
Fracture
The Avengers
Jane Eyre