Sophie Lawrence
| Sophie Lawrence | |
|---|---|
| Born |
12 June 1972 Ilford, London |
| Occupation | Actress |
Sophie Lawrence (born 12 June 1972,Ilford, London) is an English actress, singer, director and choreographer. She played the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as a regular cast member from 1988 to 1991, making subsequent guest appearances in 1993, 1994, 1997, 2008 and 2012. In 1991, Lawrence achieved a top 30 hit in the UK single's chart with her cover of Donna Summer's hit single, Love's Unkind. Since 2001, she has been most active on stage in musical theatre and pantomime.
Lawrence initially trained to be a dancer, but after tearing a muscle in her groin she was forced to give it up and she turned to acting instead. She trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and during this time she secured her first acting role when she made on/off appearances in BBC's Grange Hill.
After graduating from drama school in 1988 at the age of 15, Lawrence was instantly cast as Diane Butcher, the bohemian daughter of Frank Butcher (Mike Reid), in the popular soap opera EastEnders. She remained in the role until 1991, when she quit. Lawrence commented, "I left because I wanted to play something different. In doing that, you have to grow out of the public's perception of you as an EastEnders character. But I wanted variety of roles. I felt I couldn't just carry on being Diane indefinitely. I wanted to be an actor, not just a personality."
Lawrence returned for brief stints in 1993, 1994 and 1997. Lawrence quit weeks after making her comeback in 1997 and she had since commented: "Going back to EastEnders was like going back to school and none of your friends are there. I was [originally] there with people like Nick Berry (Simon Wicks) and Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) and they'd all gone. One of the young actors, who will remain nameless, made me a coffee and started telling me all about what it was like. He had no idea I'd been in the soap before." Bosses at EastEnders had reportedly been keen for Lawrence to remain on the cast, as they were hoping for an on-screen reunion of the Butcher family; Mike Reid had agreed to reprise his role as Frank, though Diane departed before his reintroduction.
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