Ruthie Henshall

Valentine Ruth Henshall (born 7 March 1967), known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre.

Henshall was born on 7 March 1967 in Orpington, London.

Her father, David, was a journalist, later the editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, a Suffolk morning newspaper.

Henshall once dated Prince Edward for a number of years, before becoming engaged to actor John Gordon Sinclair.

After she took the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago on Broadway, they broke up.

She met actor and singer Tim Howar, her male co-star lead in the West End production of Peggy Sue Got Married.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she took part in a touring production of A Chorus Line as Maggie.

Her West End debut came shortly thereafter when she was cast in Cats, making appearances as Jemima, Demeter, Griddlebone and Grizabella.

She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End debut in Cats in 1987.

In 1988, at the age of 21, Henshall was cast in Miss Saigon as one of the bargirls, showing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

She then went on to originate the role of Aphra in Children of Eden at the Prince Edward Theatre.

The summer of 1989 saw her at the Chichester Festival Theatre performing in plays by Shakespeare, Molière as well as a role in the musical Valentine's Day, based on You Can Never Tell by George Bernard Shaw.

In 1992, at the age of 25, Henshall was cast as Fantine in Les Misérables.

Henshall's other Olivier nominated roles are Polly Baker in the original London production of Crazy for You (1993–1994), Roxie Hart in the revival of Chicago (1997–1998) and the title roles in the original productions of Peggy Sue Got Married (2001) and Marguerite (2008).

Her first starring role came in the 1993 trans-Atlantic transfer of the Broadway production Crazy for You which opened at the Prince Edward Theatre.

Her performance earned her the first of five Olivier Award nominations.

A five-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Amalia Balash in the London revival of She Loves Me (1994).

In 1995, Henshall starred in She Loves Me, winning the Olivier as Best Actress in a Musical.

That same year, she performed a concert of Gershwin songs at London's Royal Festival Hall.

In 1996, she took on the role of Nancy in producer Cameron Mackintosh's hit revival of Oliver! at the London Palladium.

In 1997, Henshall originated the role of Roxie Hart in the West End transfer of the Broadway revival of Chicago.

For this role, she received her third Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, which went to her co-star Ute Lemper.

She made her Broadway debut in 1999 as Velma Kelly in Chicago and returned to the Broadway production to play Roxie Hart in 2010.

In 2000 she guest-starred in an episode of Law & Order titled "Panic"; she played an author named P.K. Todd.

Henshall was cast in the title role of the stage musical adaptation of the Francis Ford Coppola film Peggy Sue Got Married, which opened in London in August 2001 to mixed reviews.

Although it closed after a run of just eight weeks, she was once again nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance.

Henshall has also appeared at the Chichester Festival Theatre, has toured Britain in the revue The Magnificent Musicals, and has performed in Hey, Mr. Producer!, a celebration of the works of Cameron Mackintosh.

Her solo recordings include The Ruthie Henshall Album, Pilgrim, and Love Is Here to Stay, a collection of Gershwin tunes.

The couple married in 2004 and have two daughters, Lily and Dolly.

Her first feature film, a musical version of A Christmas Carol with Kelsey Grammer, aired on NBC in the United States in November 2004 and was released as a commercial attraction to theatres in the UK and Europe.

She succeeded the role of Marian Halcombe from Maria Friedman in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White, from July 2005 until February 2006.

She was also cast in the title role in Marguerite, a new musical from the pens of Michel Legrand, Herbert Kretzmer, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg.

The show opened on 7 May 2008 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, but closed early on 13 September 2008.

Henshall's Broadway credits include Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together, Chicago (as both Velma and Roxie), and off-Broadway The Vagina Monologues.

The couple separated in August 2009 and later divorced in January 2010.

Prior to making her stage debut at the age of 19, Henshall trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey.

Her debut performance was in the Cascade Revue at the West Cliff Theatre in Clacton-on-Sea.

Later, in October, she recreated her role of Fantine for the 10th Anniversary Concert performance of Les Misérables at the Royal Albert Hall.

She also starred as Mrs Wilkinson for two years in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical (2014–2016).

She returned to television acting in 2021 by appearing as Miranda Evans in the BBC soap opera Doctors.