Clare Perkins is an English actress who is known for her roles as Denise Boulter in Family Affairs and Ava Hartman in EastEnders.

Clare Perkins
Born
England
OccupationActress
Years active1985–present

Career

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Perkins' first role was as Opal in the 1991 TV film Hallelujah Anyhow in the Screen Two strand. On TV she has appeared in Family Affairs, All in the Game, Pig Heart Boy, Casualty, EastEnders, Men Behaving Badly, Big Women, and Clapham Junction.[1][better source needed]

She played the role of Ava Hartman in EastEnders.[2]

She played Kerene Nagashi in the Amazon fantasy series The Wheel of Time.[citation needed]

In 2021, she appeared in the horror film Censor, and stars in the TV comedy-drama The Outlaws, which was first broadcast in that year.[citation needed]

Radio

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Perkins has been a member of the BBC Radio Drama Company, and played the character of Mel for eight years in the BBC World Service soap Westway.[citation needed]

In 2011 she performed in many radio dramas for Radio 4, including The Winter House, Landfall, Corrinne Come Back and Gone, and Best Intentions.[citation needed]

From 2021 she played Denise Metcalf, a veterinary nurse, in the long-running radio soap opera The Archers.[3][4]

Film

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Her film credits include Jill in the Palme d'Or-winning Ladybird, Ladybird (Ken Loach), Secrets & Lies (Mike Leigh), Bullet Boy (Saul Dibb) and 7 Lives.[citation needed] She played Beverly in the film Bullet Boy, which opened the London Film Festival in 2004; she won Best Actress for this role at the Screen Nation Awards.[citation needed]

Stage

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Perkins has appeared on stage in many theatres, such as the Royal Court, Young Vic, National Theatre, and Soho Theatre.[citation needed] Perkins was in two West End productions in 2019 - Emilia which transferred from The Globe, and Sweat, which transferred from the Donmar Warehouse, with the consequence that at one point her face was on the front of two West End theatres simultaneously for a month, The Vaudeville and The Gielgud; it is believed that she is the only actress to achieve this.[citation needed]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Ladybird, Ladybird Jill
1996 Secrets & Lies Hortense's Sister-in-Law
2004 Bullet Boy Beverley
2006 Shoot the Messenger Mary Gibbs
2007 Deadmeat De Costa
2009 Normal: The Düsseldorf Ripper Nurse Susan
2011 7 Lives Kids Mum
2016 Kaleidoscope Launderette Assistant
2018 Been So Long Snowqueen
2021 Censor Anne
2022 Medusa Deluxe Cleve
TBA Love Without Walls Faye Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 Screen Two Opal Episode: "Hallelujah Anyhow"
1993 Grange Hill Marcia Episode: "Series 16, Episode 10"
1994 The Bill Delia Fisher Episode: "Skinning Cats"
1996 My Wonderful Life Bridget Groves
1997 Men Behaving Badly Deborah's Friend Episode: "Stag Night"
EastEnders Darts Team Leader 1 episode
1998 Big Women Cleo Episode: "A Nest of Randy Vipers"
1999 Pig Heart Boy Cathy Kelsey Main role
2000 Whole New Heart Cameron's Mother TV film
2001 Always and Everyone Gloria Edmunds Episode: "Series 3, Episode 10"
Merseybeat Joy Patterson Episode: "Deep End"
Casualty Bernice Healey Episode: "On the Edge"
2002 Doctors Miriam Akinbiyi Episode: "Happy Days Are Here Again"
2003–2005 Family Affairs Denise Boulter Main role
2006 Holby City Gabrielle Horner Episode: "Brother's Keeper"
All in the Game Mrs. Lamone TV film
2007 The Bill Olivia Vaughan Episode: "Day of Reckoning"
Talk to Me Childminder Episode: "The Wedding"
Clapham Junction Dolly TV film
2008 Casualty Rachel O'Hara Episode: "Sex and Death"
2011 Holby City Simone Tait Recurring role, 7 episodes
Doctors Lorraine Greenhall Episode: "Hitting the Wall"
2012 BBC Learning: True Stories Rosa Parks Episode: Episode 1.2
2012–2013 EastEnders Ava Hartman Series regular
2018 Doctors Ellen Morrison Episode: "The Woman Who Runs"
Death in Paradise Fabienne Jordan Episode: "The Healer"
2020 Flack Shirelle Episode: "Sofi"
The Crown Social Worker Episode: "Fagan"
2021 The Outlaws Myrna Okeke Main role
The Wheel of Time Kerene Nagashi Main role
2023 Silo Carla Episode: "Outside"

Theatre

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Year Play Role Venue Notes
1990 Meridian Meridian Contact Theatre, Manchester
1996 Mules Bridie Royal Court Theatre, London with Clean Break
1997 Ready or Not Various roles Theatre Royal Stratford East, London
2001 Generations of the Dead Lenore Young Vic, London
2002 Cyrano de Bergerac Lise/Mother/Usherette Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
Our Country's Good Liz Morden/Lieutenant Dawes Nuffield Theatre, Southampton
2006 Fabulation Mother/Caseworker/Inmate Tricycle Theatre, London
How Long Is Never? Darfur - A Response Tricycle Theatre, London
2008 A Fag Burning the Carpet King's Head Theatre, London
Any Which Way Sylvia Only Connect Theatre, London
2009 The Hounding of David Oluwale Alice/Patience West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds with "Eclipse Theatre"
The Caucasian Chalk Circle West Yorkshire Playhouse - Leeds, Richmond Theatre - London, Nottingham Playhouse - Nottingham & Unicorn Theatre - London with Shared Experience
2010 Welcome to Thebes Helia/Aglaea Olivier Theatre, London
2012 Neighbours Manny HighTide Festival, Aldeburgh
The Rover Moretta Hampton Court Palace, London with "Artluxe Ltd"
2014 How to Be Immortal Henrietta Lacks/Deborah Lacks/Loretta Pleasant UK tour with "Penny Dreadful Theatre"
The House That Will Not Stand Marie Josephine Tricycle Theatre, London
Twelve Teacher UK tour with "Kali Theatre"
Little Revolution Elaine Almeida Theatre, London
2015 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mrs Shears/Mrs Gascoyne Cottesloe Theatre, London also, UK tour
2016 Play On Almeida Theatre, London
Removal Men Beatrice The Yard Theatre, London
2017 The Convert Mia Tamba Gate Theatre, London
Roundelay Ring Mistress Southwark Playhouse, London
Primetime Various roles Royal Court Theatre, London also, UK tour
Nora Krista Project Arts Centre, Dublin
Three Mothers Khady Waterloo East Theatre, London
Daisy Pulls It Off Monica/Belinda Park Theatre, London
2018 The Immigrant Ama Hoxton Hall, London
Genesis Inc Larissa/Sharon Hampstead Theatre, London
Mrs Dalloway Clarissa Dalloway Arcola Theatre, London
2019 Sweat Cynthia Donmar Warehouse, London
Emilia Emilia Vaudeville Theatre, London
2021 The Wife of Willesden Alvita Kiln Theatre, London

References

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  1. ^ "Flavors.me : Closed". flavors.me. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013.
  2. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (4 September 2012). "'EastEnders': Cora's daughter arrival confirmed". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  3. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Archers - Denise Metcalf". BBC. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  4. ^ "The Archers". Twitter. 7 July 2022.
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