The multi award-winning actress Helen McCrory has just finished working with Stephen Frears in his forthcoming satire 'The Queen' with Michael Sheen and Helen Mirren, playing Cherie Blair.This followed on from a sell-out run in the West End, playing her much anticipated Rosalind in 'As You Like It', for which she is nominated in the Theatergoer Choice Awards 2006 for Best Actress.Helen began her career at the National Theatre, playing leading roles including the Bride in Lorca's 'Blood Wedding' (Manchester Evening News Best Actress Award) Trelawney in 'Trelawney of The Wells' and Nina in the critically acclaimed `The Seagull' with Judi Dench and Bill Nighy.Helen's theatre work has continued to win her critical praise and a large fan base through such work as the Royal Shakespeare Company's 'Les Enfant du Paradis' opposite Joseph Fiennes, Rupert Graves and James Purefoy. At the Almeida theatre her productions have included 'The Triumph of Love' opposite Chewital Bjiofor and the radical production 'Five Gold Rings' opposite Damian Lewis.Helen has also worked extensively at Sam Mendes' Donmar Warehouse playing lead roles in 'How I Learnt to Drive', 'Old Times' directed by Roger Michelle, and in Mendes' farewell double bill 'Twelfth Night' and 'Uncle Vanya'. Helen was nominated for the Evening Standard Best Actress Award, and the New York Drama Desk Awards. The productions were a triumph in both London and New York.Other work includes Lady Macbeth, for which she won Most Promising Newcomer at the Shakespeare Globe Awards. Helen starred in the controversial 'Keely and Po' opposite Louise Fletcher in Dublin.Helen also found time to found the production company `The Public' with Michael Sheen, producing new work at the Liverpool Everyman, The Ambassadors and the Donmar (in which she also starred).With over twenty productions under her belt, Michael Coveny recently wrote `We celebrate the careers of great actors Olivier, Ashcroft, Richardson, Gielgud, Dench, the Redgraves, Gambon, Walter, Sher, Russell Beale and McCrory'.On the small screen Helen's first television film, Karl Francis' 'Street life' with Rhys Ifans, won her the Welsh BAFTA, Monte Carlo Best Actress Award and the Royal Television society Best Actress Award, for her extraordinary performance as Jo. The Edinburgh Film Festival wrote 'Simply the best performance this year'.She went on to win 'Critics Circle Best Actress Award' for her role as the Barrister Rose in the Channel 4 series 'North Square', having been previously nominated for her performance in 'Fragile Heart' with Nigel Hawthorne the year before and has been nominated by the Royal Television Society for a variety of roles.She most recently appeared opposite Ken Stott in the psychological thriller 'Messiah'. Helen has shown her diversity as an actress, appearing in comedies such as 'Lucky Jim' with Stephen Tompkinson or 'Dead Gorgeous' with Fay Ripley as well as Dramas such as Joe Wright's 'Charles II', (for which she was nominated for the LA Television Awards), Anna Karenina, or series such as 'In a Land of Plenty' or `The Jury'. 2004 saw her acclaimed performance as Mrs Logan in 'Enduring Love' opposite Daniel Craig and directed by Roger Michell. 2006 will see her star opposite Heath Ledger in Lasse Hallstrom's anticipated 'Casanova'. Helen has become both something of a household name and arguably the most respected actress of her generation.
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