Beauty and the Beast - Gemma Craven

GEMMA CRAVEN
(Mrs. Potts)
Gemma has a career that spans theatre, film and television.

Her most recent film credits include the films The Last Bus Home and The Words Upon the Window Pane both filmed in Ireland, a thriller Still Life with Roger Daltry and Nikolas Grace and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Gemma's first film role was as Cinderella in Brian Forbes' film The Slipper and the Rose which was chosen as the Royal Film Performance and brought her two major film awards: The Variety Club's Film Actress of the Year and the Evening News Film Awards' Most Promising New Actress. Her other film credits are Why Not Stay for Breakfast?, the epic Wagner in which she played the composer's tragic first wife Minna opposite Richard Burton and the thriller Double X.

"The Marshal" with Alfred Molina, "The Bill", "Boon", "Father Ted" and Catherine Cookson's "The Man Who Cried" are among Gemma's recent television appearances, and her many contrasting television roles include Joan in Dennis Potter's acclaimed series "Pennies From Heaven", the title role in Jilly Cooper's "Emily", Barbara Hare in "East Lynne", Amelia in the musical She Loves Me and Lilleth, the wicked witch, in Robin of Sherwood. She has starred in several musical specials, notably "Gemma", "Girls and Gershwin", "Must Wear Tights", "Song by Song by Alan J Lerner", "Song by Song" by Noel Coward and a host of other shows ranging from her own "This is Your Life" and four guest appearances on "The Morecambe and Wise Show" and two Royal Variety performances.

Gemma's theatre work includes the title role in Calamity Jane, Anna in The King and I, at the Olympia in her native Dublin, Godspell at the Barbican, Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, Doris in Same Time Next Year, the lead in Brian Friel's play The London Vertigo with John Hurt again in Dublin and starring in Noel Coward's Present Laughter and Private Lives both on tour. Before starring as Nellie Forbush in the hugely successful West End Production of South Pacific at The Prince of Wales, Gemma played leading roles for two years at the Royal National Theatre working with directors Alan Ayckbourn, Michael Rudman and Jonathan Lynn in the original production of Aykbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval, also The Magistrate, Jacobowsky and the Colonel and Three Men on a Horse. Gemma won the Best Actress in a Musical for They're Playing our Song and the 'City Limits' Best Comedy Actress Award for the much praised Loot with Leonard Rossiter. She starred in Song and Dance at the Palace Theatre, the award winning Songbook at the Globe, Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy at the Shaw, Dandy Dick with Alistair Sim at The Garrick and the title role in the musical Trelawny at The Prince of Wales. Gemma played leading roles in The Confederacy and A Month in the Country amongst other plays during two seasons at Chichester, as well as the part of Polly in Brecht's The Threepenny Opera at the Bristol Old Vic. Alongside Paul Nicholas and Gary Bond she was in the original presentation of Cats in concert form at Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton Festival.

Gemma has made regular appearances on the concert platform, with The City of London Orchestra at The Barbican, with The London Symphony Orchestra as the soloist in the popular Filmharmonic concert at the Royal Albert Hall and with the BBC Concert Orchestra on several major radio concerts. Gemma has also recorded a series of albums featuring hit shows and composers.

Most recently Gemma has been in Dublin playing in Stella by Starlight at the Gate Theatre and starred in the UK tour of 42nd Street, was in Beauty and the Beast at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing, Cinderella at the Anvil, Basingstoke and has filmed, again in Dublin, Hell for Leather by Roddy Doyle, an episode of "The Bill" for Thames Television and starred in the world première of Shadow of Doubt at the Theatre Royal, Windsor.