Jacqueline Leonard
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline Leonard is an English
television, film and theatre actress.
Best known for her appearances in long-running British television shows, she played Lorraine Wicks
in the London-based
soap opera EastEnders
, and also appeared in the Glasgow-based
soap River City
as gangster's wife Lydia Murdoch.
). Leonard trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
and was the winner of the Michael Warre Award for Best Actress in 1988.
(1992); A Time to Dance (1992); Inspector Morse
(1993) and Peak Practice
(1993–1996), where she played Sarah Preston for four series.
Following this she was cast in one of her most notable roles. She played Lorraine Wicks
in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
from 1996-97. Leonard took a year off work when she left EastEnders to relocate from London
to Lancashire and care for her sick mother.
Subsequent television appearances include Doctors where she played one of the original characters Dr. Caroline Powers from 2000–2001; Nice Guy Eddie (2002); Holby City
(2003); The Bill
(2004); The Courtroom (2004), Goldplated
(2006) and Hollyoaks
(2007). In 2007, Leonard joined the cast of Scottish soap opera River City
playing Lydia Murdoch.
Film credits include Chaplin (1992); ID
(1995) and There's Only One Jimmy Grimble
(1999).
On stage she has appeared in Look Back in Anger
; The Taming of the Shrew
; A Midsummer Night's Dream
; A Clockwork Orange
; Wuthering Heights
and Behind The Green Curtain.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
television, film and theatre actress.
Best known for her appearances in long-running British television shows, she played Lorraine Wicks
Lorraine Wicks
Lorraine Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jacqueline Leonard between 1996 and 1997.-Storylines:...
in the London-based
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
soap opera EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, and also appeared in the Glasgow-based
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
soap River City
River City
River City is a Scottish television soap opera, first broadcast in Scotland on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch in Glasgow...
as gangster's wife Lydia Murdoch.
Early life
Jacqueline Leonard was a pupil of Greenlands High School in Blackpool (now Bispham High School Arts CollegeBispham High School Arts College
Bispham High School Arts College is a secondary school situated in Bispham, Lancashire, England, with a mixed intake of both boys and girls aged 11–16.-History:Bispham High School was formerly an all girls school, founded in the 1950s....
). Leonard trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read, who recently succeeded Peter James...
and was the winner of the Michael Warre Award for Best Actress in 1988.
Career
Leonard is best known for appearing on British television. She has had roles in May to DecemberMay to December
May to December was a British sitcom which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC1. The series was written by Paul Mendelson and produced by Cinema Verity....
(1992); A Time to Dance (1992); Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
(1993) and Peak Practice
Peak Practice
Peak Practice is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most successful series at the time...
(1993–1996), where she played Sarah Preston for four series.
Following this she was cast in one of her most notable roles. She played Lorraine Wicks
Lorraine Wicks
Lorraine Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jacqueline Leonard between 1996 and 1997.-Storylines:...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
from 1996-97. Leonard took a year off work when she left EastEnders to relocate from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Lancashire and care for her sick mother.
Subsequent television appearances include Doctors where she played one of the original characters Dr. Caroline Powers from 2000–2001; Nice Guy Eddie (2002); Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
(2003); The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(2004); The Courtroom (2004), Goldplated
Goldplated
Goldplated is an eight-part drama series from World Productions which made its debut on Channel 4 on Wednesday 18 October 2006 at 10.00pm. It follows self-made businessman John White , as he struggles to complete a business deal that could be compromised by past indiscretions...
(2006) and Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
(2007). In 2007, Leonard joined the cast of Scottish soap opera River City
River City
River City is a Scottish television soap opera, first broadcast in Scotland on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch in Glasgow...
playing Lydia Murdoch.
Film credits include Chaplin (1992); ID
ID (film)
I.D. is a 1994 British film made by BBC Films about football hooliganism, directed by Philip Davis and starring Reece Dinsdale, Sean Pertwee and Warren Clarke. It is set in the 1980s, in England, mainly London, and also shot at Millmoor and Valley Parade football grounds in Rotherham and Bradford...
(1995) and There's Only One Jimmy Grimble
There's Only One Jimmy Grimble
There's Only One Jimmy Grimble is a 2000 film set around Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The film centred on one young boy's dream to play for Manchester City F.C.-Plot:...
(1999).
On stage she has appeared in Look Back in Anger
Look Back in Anger
Look Back in Anger is a John Osborne play—made into films in 1959, 1980, and 1989 -- about a love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected young man , his upper-middle-class, impassive wife , and her haughty best friend . Cliff, an amiable Welsh lodger, attempts to keep the peace...
; The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
; A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
; A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
; Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
and Behind The Green Curtain.