Clare Perkins is an English actress, known for her roles as Denise Boulter in Family Affairs and Ava Hartman in EastEnders.
Career TV 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, My Wonderful Life, Pig Heart Boy, Casualty, EastEnders, Men Behaving Badly, Big Women, and Clapham Junction.
She played the role of Ava Hartman in EastEnders.
She played Kerene Nagashi in the Amazon fantasy series The Wheel of Time.
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.
Perkins plays Carla McLain in the Apple+ science fiction drama series Silo from 2023.
Radio 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.
In 2011, she performed in many radio dramas for Radio 4, including The Winter House, Landfall, Corrinne Come Back and Gone, and Best Intentions.
From 2021, she played Denise Metcalf, a veterinary nurse, in the long-running radio soap opera The Archers.
Film 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. 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.
Stage Perkins has appeared on stage in many theatres, such as the Royal Court, Young Vic, National Theatre, and Soho Theatre. 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.
Filmography
Film Year Title RoleNotes 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 Love Without Walls Faye Post-production
Television Year Title RoleNotes 1991 Screen Two Opal Episode: "Hallelujah Anyhow" 1993 Grange Hill Marcia Episode: "Series 16, Episode 10" 1994 The Bill Delia Fisher Episode: "Skinning Cats"1997 Men Behaving Badly Deborah's Friend Episode: "Stag Night" EastEnders Darts Team Leader 1 episode 1997–1999 My Wonderful Life Bridget Groves Series regular 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 film2001 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 role2006 Holby City Gabrielle Horner Episode: "Brother's Keeper" All in the Game Mrs. Lamone TV film2007 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 regular2018 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–present Silo Carla Main role 2025 The Guest Annette Recurring role
Theatre 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, London2002 Cyrano de Bergerac Lise/Mother/Usherette Nuffield Theatre, Southampton Our Country's Good Liz Morden/Lieutenant Dawes Nuffield Theatre, Southampton2006 Fabulation Mother/Caseworker/Inmate Tricycle Theatre, London How Long Is Never? Darfur – A Response Tricycle Theatre, London2008 A Fag Burning the Carpet King's Head Theatre, London Any Which Way Sylvia Only Connect Theatre, London2009 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, London2012 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 tour2016 Play On Almeida Theatre, London Removal Men Beatrice The Yard Theatre, London2017 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, London2018 The Immigrant Ama Hoxton Hall, London Genesis Inc Larissa/Sharon Hampstead Theatre, London Mrs Dalloway Clarissa Dalloway Arcola Theatre, London2019 Sweat Cynthia Donmar Warehouse, London Emilia Emilia Vaudeville Theatre, London2021 The Wife of Willesden Alvita Kiln Theatre, London
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