Sophie Ward

Sophie Ward
Born	30 December 1964 (1964-12-30) (age 44) London, England, United Kingdom
Spouse(s)	Paul Hobson (div.)
Domestic partner(s)	Rena Brannan
Official website

Sophie Ward (born 30 December 1964 in London), is an English actress and the daughter of actor, Simon Ward.

Career

One of Sophie's early film roles was in the film Young Sherlock Holmes. Other early films included Return to Oz, Little Dorrit and A Summer Story, and she also portrayed the unattainable love object in the video of Roxy Music's song "Avalon". Often cast as an icy, distant Victorian or an unattainable object of desire, Ward's choice of roles in the '80s and early '90s did not offer much variation. During the '90s she turned her acting energies to stagework, with considerable acclaim and success. She has appeared in several Glasgow Citizens Theatre productions including Private Lives (as Amanda), Don Carlos (as Queen Elizabeth) and most strikingly in Hamlet as Ophelia. Her most recent films are Out of Bounds (2003), in which she co-stars with Sophia Myles and Celia Imrie, and Book of Blood (2008), co-starring Jonas Armstrong and Reg Fuller.

Her television work includes the acclaimed mini-series A Dark Adapted Eye with Helena Bonham Carter as the perfectly poised yet ultimately doomed Eden and the sweeping fantasy, Dinotopia. More recently, Sophie had the recurring role of Dr Helen Trent in long-running ITV drama Heartbeat. In 2008, Sophie joined the cast of Holby City in a recurring role as Sophia Byrne, sister of surgeon Joseph Byrne.

Personal life

Ward has two sons by her former husband, Paul Hobson, a veterinary surgeon, and a degree in Literature and Philosophy from The Open University. In 1996, Sophie and her husband split and she became involved with Korean-American writer, Rena Brannan. Their relationship caused much stir in London at the time - Ward had long been considered a 'Face of the 1980s' as a Vogue model.^{[citation needed]} On their first public appearance together at the London premiere of Evita in 1996, their lesbian relationship took over the headlines.^{[citation needed]} The previous year, Ward had appeared in the TV film A Village Affair - in which she played a bored housewife who leaves her husband for another woman.

Sophie Ward has been quoted as saying that her experience making "A Village Affair" helped clarify her own feelings regarding her sexuality, but also delayed her decision to come out, as she did not want it to appear as if she were jumping on the bandwagon of the film's theme.^[1]

Sophie Ward is active within the British gay community and supports many charitable causes, including London Friend - promoting the social, emotional, physical and sexual health and well-being of lesbians, gays and bisexuals unsure of their identity.^[2]

In August 2000, Sophie and Rena Brannan were wed in a well-publicized ceremony held in London, before same-sex civil partnerships were legalized in Britain.^[3] They continue to live in the UK, along with Sophie's two children.

Filmography

Film

• Book of Blood - 2008
• Out of Bounds - 2003
• Dead In The Water - 2000
• Bela Donna - 1998
• The Big Fall - 1996
• Crime & Punishment - 1993
• Wuthering Heights - 1991
• Seduction of a Priest - 1990
• A Demon In My View - 1989
• Benevenuto Cellini - 1989
• Young Toscanini - 1988
• A Summer Story - 1986
• Little Dorit - 1985
• Aria - 1985
• Young Sherlock Holmes - 1984
• Return To Oz - 1983

Television

• Land Girls - 2009
• Holby City - 2008
• Heartbeat - 2004
• Dinotopia - 2002
• Inspector Lindley - 2001
• Legacy - 1999
• A Village Affair - 1994
• Chillers: Prophecy - 1994
• MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis - 1994
• Taking Liberty - 1993
• A Dark Adapted Eye - 1992
• Class of '61 - 1991
• Events At Drimaghleen - 1991
• The Strauss Dynasty - 1990
• Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery - 1989
• The Shell Seekers - 1989
• A Time Of Indifference - 1987
• Casanova - 1987
• Too Old To Fight - 1981

Guest appearances

• Peak Practice ("Blind spot")- 2001
• Rhona ("the firdge") - 2000
• The Nanny ("The Wedding Episode", "The Fran in the Mirror", "The Hanukkah Episode") - 1999
• Crusade ("The Path Of Sorrows") - 1999
• Waxwork II - 1990

Short films

• The Missing Link 2003 - 2003
• Extras - 2002
• Bubblegum - 2001
• Chinese Whispers - 1998
• The Malady - 1985
• Rock-a-bye Baby - 1983
• A Prayer for the Dying - 1984
• A Shocking Accident* - 1982
• Roxy Music - Avalon (music video) - 1982

* Oscar Best Short Film

Child performances

• The Hunger - 1982
• The Lords of Discipline - 1981
• Too Old to Fight - 1980
• Ibsen: The Wild Duck - 1977
• The Brensham People - 1977
• The Copter Kids - 1976
• Full Circle (The Haunting of Julia US) - 1975
• The Chester Mysteries - 1974
• The Other Window - 1973

References

1. ^ Article by Locksley Hall, afterellen.com, at Logo Online dated 22 August 2006
2. ^ London Friend - Patrons
3. ^ BBC News online article - "In The Pink", dated 18 September 2000

External links

• Official website
• Sophie Ward's theatre blog
• Sophie Ward at the Internet Movie Database