Frances Barber

Frances Barber (née Brookes, born 13 May 1958) is an English actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays Camille, and Uncle Vanya (1997). Her film appearances include three collaborations with Gary Oldman in Prick Up Your Ears (1987), We Think the World of You (1988) and Dead Fish (2005); as well as Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987); Soft Top Hard Shoulder (1992); and latterly Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017). Barber's numerous television credits include The Street (2009), Doctor Who (2011), Silk (2012–2014), and Whitstable Pearl (2021–2025).

Life and career Barber was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. Her parents are S.W. Brookes and Gladys Simpson; Barber is the fourth of six children. She attended the Wolverhampton Municipal Grammar School.

Barber studied drama at the University College of North Wales in Bangor, where she was a contemporary of director Danny Boyle, who became her boyfriend.

She appeared in the Pet Shop Boys' musical Closer to Heaven in 2001 as well as being guest singer for the song "Friendly Fire" on the Pet Shop Boys' 2006 live concert at the Mermaid Theatre. She also appeared alongside Ian McKellen and Roger Allam in the Old Vic's pantomime production of Aladdin in the 2005–2006 Christmas season. She again starred with Ian McKellen in 2007 playing Goneril in Trevor Nunn's production of King Lear and as Arkadina in Chekhov's The Seagull with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon followed by a world tour throughout the year. They again performed the two plays in repertory at the New London Theatre on Drury Lane, opening in November 2007 and closing mid-January 2008.

In 2011, Barber guest-starred in the Doctor Who episodes "A Good Man Goes to War" and "The Wedding of River Song" (and five other episodes, sometimes uncredited) as Madame Kovarian. She also acted in the television film We'll Take Manhattan as Diana Vreeland. In 2019, she starred in the Pet Shop Boys' musical Musik.

In May 2022, Barber appeared as Lesley in series 8 episode 4 of BBC dark comedy series, Inside No. 9 (2022), in the episode titled "Love Is a Stranger".

Political views She signed a letter supporting a No vote ahead of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. After the Scottish National Party won 56 seats at the 2015 general election, she caused controversy after making comments on Twitter comparing the SNP to the Third Reich, further stating "God help us all is all I can say when the racist S.N.P. try to take over, England will react we will have civil war."

She supported Remain during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.

Barber urged a vote for the Labour Party at the 2017 UK general election. Critical of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, she said "I will vote Labour holding my nose. Urge you too." In September 2017, she resigned from the party, saying: "I can't belong to a party full of Misogyny, Anti-Semitism and Thuggery". In the 2019 United Kingdom general election, she backed the Liberal Democrats.

In 2018, she was among the signatories to a letter published in The Observer arguing that debate surrounding reforms of the Gender Recognition Act were being silenced. In September 2020, she signed a further letter in support of J.K. Rowling, against what The Scotsman described as "the abuse and death threats" Rowling had received after publicising her views.

Recognition In 2006, Barber received an honorary fellowship from the University of Wolverhampton.

Theatre

Ooh La La (Hull Truck Theatre, 1979) Riff Raff Rules (Theatre Royal Stratford East) Space Ache (Tricycle Theatre, 1980) Emilia in Othello (Oxford Playhouse) La Guerra (The Battle), Desperado Corner and Madame Louise (Glasgow Citizens', 1980, and Venice Biennale Festival, 1981) The Treat (Institute of Contemporary Arts) The Mission (Soho Poly) Hard Feelings (Oxford Playhouse and The Bush, 1983) Turning Over (The Bush, 1983) Marguerite in Camille (Royal Shakespeare Company, The Other Place, 1984, and Comedy Theatre, 1985 – Olivier nomination for Most Promising Newcomer) Ophelia in Hamlet (RSC Barbican Theatre, 1985) Love's Labour's Lost (RSC The Other Place, Comedy Theatre, 1985) The Dead Monkey (RSC The Pit, 1986)) Summer and Smoke (Haymarket Theatre) Viola in Twelfth Night (Renaissance, Riverside Studios, 1987) Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (Royal Exchange, Manchester, 1988) My Heart's a Suitcase (Royal Court, 1990) Over a Barrel (Watford Palace Theatre) Imagine Drowning (Hampstead Theatre, 1991) Maxine Faulk in The Night of the Iguana (National Theatre, 1992) Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion (National Theatre, 1992) Insignificance (Donmar Warehouse, 1995) Uncle Vanya (Minerva Theatre, Chichester and Albery Theatre, 1996 – TMA Award and Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actress) Closer (Lyric Theatre, National Theatre West End transfer, 1998) Billie Trix in Closer to Heaven (Arts Theatre, 2001) Valerie in Tales from the Vienna Woods (National Theatre, 2003) Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Gielgud Theatre, 2004) Dim Sum in Aladdin (Old Vic pantomime, 2005) The Narrator in Shane Cullinan's The Pieta St Paul's, Covent Garden, 2006) Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare's Globe, London, 2006) Arkadina in The Seagull and Goneril in King Lear (RSC, Courtyard Theatre Stratford-upon-Avon, and New London Theatre, 2007) Madame de Sade (Donmar West End, Wyndham's Theatre, 2009) Afterplay (Edinburgh Festival, then Gate Theatre, Dublin, 2009) Julius Caesar (Donmar Theatre, 2012–2013) Lady Sneerwell in The School for Scandal (Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City, 2016) Mrs Cheveley in An Ideal Husband (Vaudeville Theatre, London, May 2018) Billie Trix in Musik (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, August 2019 and Leicester Square Theatre, London, September 2019 and February 2020)

Polonius in Hamlet (Theatre Royal Windsor, 2021) Elsa Jean Krakowski in The Unfriend (Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, 2022 and The Criterion, London, 2023)

Selected filmography

Film + Year Title Role Notes 1982 The Missionary Mission Girl 1982 Get Well Soon BFI health and safety film; made at Lewisham Abbey National Building Society 1983 A Flame to the Phoenix Wanda Grabinska 1985 Acceptable Levels Jill 1985 A Zed & Two Noughts Venus de Milo 1985 White City Alice 1986 Castaway Sister Saint Winifred 1987 Prick Up Your Ears Leonie Orton 1987 Sammy and Rosie Get Laid Rosie Hobbs 1988 We Think the World of You Megan 1988 Victim of the Brain 1989 Chambre à part Gert 1991 Young Soul Rebels Ann 1991 Secret Friends Angela 1992 Soft Top Hard Shoulder Miss Trumble 1994 Du fond du coeur Anna Lindsay 1994 Giorgino Marie 1997 Photographing Fairies Beatrice Templeton 1998 Still Crazy Lady in Black 1999 The Escort Jessica 2000 Esther Kahn Rivka Kahn 2000 Shiner Georgie 2001 Superstition Isabella Flores 2002 The Red Siren Eva 2002 24 heures de la vie d'une femme Betty 2002 Flyfishing Frances 2003 Boudica Agrippina 2004 Suzie Gold Joyce Spencer 2004 Evilenko 2005 Goal! Carol Harmison 2005 Dead Fish S & M Prostitute 2007 Goal II: Living the Dream Carol Harmison 2012 May I Kill U? Bernice 2015 Mr. Holmes Madame Schirmer 2016 The Chosen Natalia Sedova 2017 Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool Joy 2017 The Escape Alison 2017 The Bookshop Jessie 2018 An Ideal Husband Mrs. Cheveley 2018 Blue Iguana Princess 2021 A Bird Flew In Marie 2025 A Hand to Hold Moira 2026 Virginia Woolf's Night and Day

Televisiona + Year Title Role Notes 1988 Twelfth Night Viola / Cesario Television film 1989 Behaving Badly Rebecca Mini-series 1989 Red Dwarf Genny Episode: "Polymorph" 1990 Agatha Christie's Poirot Lady Millicent Episode: "The Veiled Lady" 1992 Inspector Morse Nicole Burgess Episode: "The Death of the Self" 1992 The Leaving of Liverpool Ellen Television film 1993 The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries Episode: "Scales of Justice" 1995 Space Precinct Erika Brandt Series 1996 Rhodes Princess Catherine Radziwill Mini-series 1997 The Ice House Diana Goode Mini-series 1997 A Royal Scandal Lady Jersey Television film 1998 Dalziel and Pascoe Amanda "Cap" Marvell Episode: "The Wood Beyond" 1999 Murder Most Horrid Gloria Twigge Series 1999 Plastic Man Louise Ferman Mini-series 1999 Bremner, Bird and Fortune Series 2001 Gimme Gimme Gimme Janine 2002 Manchild Elizabeth Series 2003 My Family Vanessa Series 2003 Monkey Dust Voice 2005 Agatha Christie's Marple Lizzie Hinchcliffe Episode: "A Murder Is Announced" 2005 Funland Connie Woolf Mini-series 2006 The IT Crowd Doctor Mendall Episode: "Aunt Irma Visits" 2006 New Tricks Anita Walsh Episode: "Dockers" 2007 Hustle Clarissa Series 2008 Beautiful People Miss Prentice Series 2008 King Lear Goneril Television film 2009 Agatha Christie's Poirot Merlina Rival Episode: "The Clocks" 2009 The Fattest Man in Britain Janice Television film 2009 The Royal 2010 Midsomer Murders Constance Fielding Episode: "Master Class" 2011 Doctor Who Eye Patch Lady / Madame Kovarian Series 2011 Great Expectations Mrs. Brandley Mini-series 2011 Friday Night Dinner Sheila Bloom Series 2012 We'll Take Manhattan Diana Vreeland Television film 2012 Vexed Pat Poynter Series 2012–2014 Silk Caroline Warwick QC Series 2014 The Life of Rock with Brian Pern Series 2014 Mapp & Lucia Amelia Mini-series 2016 Benidorm Daisy Series 2016 Medici: Masters of Florence Piccarda Series 2017 Father Brown Davina Malmort Episode: "The Labyrinth of the Minotaur" 2017 Midsomer Murders Ingrid Lockston Episode: "Crime and Punishment" 2018 The Queen and I Margaret Television film 2019 Casualty Nancy / Claire Wakelins Series 2020 Cold Feet Maxine Ibsen 2021 Whitstable Pearl Dolly Nolan Series 2021 The Mezzotint Mrs Ambrigail Television film 2022–2025 The Chelsea Detective Olivia Arnold Series 2023 Inside No. 9 Lesley Episode: "Love Is A Stranger"2026 Coronation Street Celeste

Music video + Year Title Role Notes2011 Deeper Understanding Wife of a computer junkie Kate Bush album Director's Cut