Jane Horrocks Biography

Date of Birth: January 18, 1964

Born in Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England, Jane Horrocks grew up with two older brothers. She became interested in acting at a young age, and after high school, went to a technical college in Oldham. Following her education, Horrocks attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with such luminaries as Imogen Stubbs and Ralph Fiennes. While attending, Horrocks won the Bronze Award.

After graduation, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. From the age of 10, Horrocks enjoyed singing and mimicking famous singing stars such as Edith Piaf, Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey. While starring in the play Road, she attended the cast party and decided to get up and do a party turn by singing several songs. British playwright Jim Cartwright was present and so impressed by her imitations of such wonderful old singers that he decided to write a play for her. The result, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, was a great success in London, and starred Horrocks as Little Voice.

The movie rights for the play were bought up soon after the play opened in 1992, but it was almost six years before it became a film. For awhile there was talk of changing the location from England to America, but ultimately the film was made in England with Horrocks and Michael Caine.

From 1992 to 1995, Horrocks appeared on the British television series Absolutely Fabulous, playing the ditzy public relations assistant Bubbles.

Horrocks has appeared in many British films and television shows, including Life is Sweet, The Witches, Bad Girl, Deadly Advice and King Henry IV. She has appeared on stage in Cabaret and Girls Will Be Girls. For her latest excursion, Horrocks has lent her voice to Nick Park's stop-motion animation feature, Chicken Run.

For several years she dated Sam Mendes, the British Academy Award-winning director, but Horrocks may have made a slip in describing him as 'extremely right wing' , though she claimed she was misreported. The couple split up shortly thereafter. She began dating British TV writer Nick Vivian whom she lived with for several years before marrying him.

At the end of January, 2000, Horrocks was honored at Madame Tussaud's famous wax museum when she unveiled an uncannily similar wax figure of herself as she appeared in the film Little Voice.

Filmography:

Chicken Run (2000) (voice)
Born Romantic (2000)
Faeries (1999) (voice)
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis (1998)
Little Voice (1998)
Combination Skin (1996) (voice)
Some Kind of Life (1995)
Second Best (1994)
Deadly Advice (1993)
Life Is Sweet (1990)
Memphis Belle (1990)
The Witches (1990)
Getting It Right (1989)
The Dressmaker (1988)
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1988)
Road (1987)