Charlie Hardwick

Charlie Hardwick
Hardwick portraying Val Pollard in Emmerdale
Born	Claire Elizabeth Hardwick (1960-11-03) 3 November 1960 (age 56) Wallsend, Northumberland, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1992-present

Charlie Hardwick (born Claire Elizabeth Hardwick; 3 November 1960) is an English actress best known for playing Val Pollard from 2004 to 2015 in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. For this role, she won the 2006 British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance.

In addition to her role in Emmerdale, she also starred in the 2000 comedy film Purely Belter, Billy Elliot and won the best actress award at the Monte Carlo International Television Festival in 1998 for her role in Amber Films' The Scar, about a County Durham pit community in crisis. She also starred as Sian in Byker Grove, the mother of Duncan, played by Declan Donnelly. Played the part of Mrs Castellino in the BBC Radio 4 production "The Little World of Don Camillo", and Our Mam in "My Uncle Freddie", both alongside fellow Emmerdale actor Shaun Prendergast (Greg Dolland). In 2007 Hardwick was an occasional contributor on Grumpy Old Women. For her role on Emmerdale, Hardwick has been nominated 6 times at the British Soap Awards, winning in 2006 for Best Comedy Performance.

Hardwick has acted in a number of stage productions, including starring in Cooking with Elvis alongside Frank Skinner, which toured nationally. In 2012 she starred in the comedy play The Awkward Squad.