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Sophie Ward

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Sophie Ward
Born
Sophie Anna Ward

(1964-12-30) 30 December 1964 (age 59)
London, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)Actress and writer
Years active1974–
Notable workLove and Other Thought Experiments (2020)
Spouse
Paul Hobson
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 1996)​
Rena Brannan
​
(m. 2014)​
Children2
ParentSimon Ward
Websitesophieannaward.com

Sophie Anna Ward (born 30 December 1964)[1] is a British stage and screen actress, and a writer of non-fiction and fiction from London. As an actress, she played Jocelyn Sheffield in The Nanny, she also played Elizabeth Hardy, the female lead in Barry Levinson's Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), and in other feature film roles including in Cary Joji Fukunaga's period drama Jane Eyre (2011), and Jane Sanger's horror feature, Swiperight (2020). In 1982 she had a role in the Academy Award-winning best short film, A Shocking Accident. On television she played Dr Helen Trent in the ITV police period drama series Heartbeat from 2004 to 2006, the character Sophia Byrne in the series Holby City from 2008 to 2010, the role of Lady Ellen Hoxley in the series Land Girls from 2009 to 2011, and that of Lady Verinder in the mini-series The Moonstone (2016). She has had a variety of other roles on stage and in short and feature films.

Ward returned to higher education, earning a PhD from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2019, in English and Comparative Literature, focusing on the intersection between literature and philosophy, including the use of narrative and thought experiments in philosophy, the philosophy of mind in particular. She has written for The Guardian, The Times, and The Spectator, won the 2018 Royal Academy Pin Drop Award for her short story "Sunbed", and had her first novel, Love and Other Thought Experiments (2020), longlisted for both the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Booker Prize in its publication year. She and her wife, Korean-American poet and writer, Rena Brannan, divide their time between the United Kingdom and the United States.[2]

Early life and education

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Sophie Anna Ward was born in Hammersmith, London, in 1964,[3] the eldest of the three daughters of Alexandra (née Malcolm) and actor Simon Ward,[4] one of whom, Kitty, went on to marry to comedian Michael McIntyre.[5] In childhood, Sophia Ward trained at the Anna Scher Theatre.[6][third-party source needed] She earned a BA honours degree in English with Philosophy from the Open University.[when?][citation needed]

She returned to higher education, earning a PhD in English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London in 2019, where, according to Ward, her research focused on "thought experiments in philosophy of mind and the use of narrative in philosophy, looking at issues of consciousness and AI, and the meeting between literature and philosophy."[7][8]

Acting career

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Ward started work as an actress when she was aged 10,[9] and has worked in film, television and theatre.[10][11] She trained as a dancer under ballerina Merle Park. She had an early film role in Full Circle (1977). In 1983, she had a brief, non-speaking role at the very end of the Tony Scott vampire movie The Hunger; in the credits, her character is listed as "Girl In London House".[10] Another early film role was in the film Young Sherlock Holmes (1985), directed by Barry Levinson.[10] Other films included Return to Oz (1985) playing Princess Mombi II, Little Dorrit (1987) and A Summer Story (1988), and she also portrayed a dancer in Roxy Music's 1982 music video "Avalon".[12][13]

She has appeared in several Glasgow Citizens' Theatre productions including Private Lives (as Amanda), Don Carlos (as Queen Elizabeth) and in Hamlet (as Ophelia).[14][15]

Her later films include Out of Bounds (2003), in which she co-starred with Sophia Myles and Celia Imrie, and Book of Blood (2008), co-starring Jonas Armstrong and Reg Fuller.[12] She also appeared in Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre (2011).[16] She has worked with Susan Sarandon in The Hunger directed by Tony Scott, Liv Ullmann in A Time of Indifference [it], directed by Mauro Bolognini, and Elizabeth Taylor in Young Toscanini (1988), directed by Franco Zeffirelli.[10]

Her television work includes the mini-series A Dark-Adapted Eye with Helena Bonham Carter, and the fantasy Dinotopia.[17] From 2004 until 2006, Ward had the recurring role of Dr Helen Trent in long-running ITV drama Heartbeat.[18] In 2008, Ward joined the cast of Holby City in a recurring role as Sophia Byrne.[19][20] She appeared in the BBC series Land Girls from 2009 to 2011.[21]

Ward was considered a "Face of the 1980s" as a Vogue model.[22]

Acting awards and recognition

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Ward acted in the 1982 Academy Award-winning short film, A Shocking Accident.[23][24] Her role in the first (2009) series of Land Girls earned her a regional (Midlands) RTS Television Award for best acting performance (by a female) in that year.[25]

Writing

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Especially since beginning her advanced academic work, Ward has been writing professionally, including for newspapers The Guardian, The Times, and The Spectator, and the online journalism network, The Conversation.[6][third-party source needed] While undertaking her post-graduate study, Ward wrote a short work, "Sunbed", which won the 2018 Royal Academy Pin Drop Award for new writers, in the short story category.[7]

Ward's debut novel, Love and Other Thought Experiments[26] was published in 2020 by Corsair, an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group.[27] It was longlisted for both the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Booker Prize in its publication year.[7][28][29][30]

Ward's second novel The Schoolhouse was published in 2022.[31]

Activism

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Ward has become known as an LGBT activist,[20] and her 2014 long-form essay, a strong statement regarding equality of marriage rights, was published by Guardian Shorts, The Guardian's e-book publishing house. It later appeared in serialised form in issues of the newspaper.[32] Ward has hosted several of the annual European Diversity Awards, including in 2016, 2019, and 2021.[33][34][35][36]

Personal life

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Ward married veterinary surgeon Paul Hobson in 1988, and the couple have two sons, born in 1989 and 1993.[37] After Ward became involved with Korean-American poet and writer Rena Brannan[2] and came out as a lesbian in 1996, Hobson and Ward divorced.[38] Ward and Brannan had a civil partnership ceremony in 2005, followed by marriage after it was legalised in 2014.[39][40][2]

Ward and Brannan divide their time between Britain and the United States.[2]

Ward's brother-in-law is comedian Michael McIntyre.

Written works

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  • Love and other thought experiments. London: Corsair. 2020. ISBN 978-1-4721-5460-6. OCLC 1085164094. (Novel)
  • A Marriage Proposal: The importance of equal marriage and what it means for all of us. Guardian Shorts. 2014. (Non-fiction)

Filmography

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Film

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Television

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Guest appearances

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Short films

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Child performances

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References

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  1. ^ "Sophie Ward". BFI. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Scott, Caroline (16 October 2016). "Relative Values: Sophie Ward, actress, and her wife, Rena Brannan, poet and writer". The Times. London. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  3. ^ Smith, Julia Llewellyn (12 September 2020). "Sophie Ward: model, gay icon, Booker nominee". The Times. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. ^ BBC News Staff (22 July 2012). "The Tudors actor Simon Ward dies after long illness". BBC News. London. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b Ward, Sophie (15 December 2021). "Actor Bio". SophieAnnaWard.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Ward, Sophie (15 December 2021). "Sophie Ward [contributor biography]". TheConversation.com. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  8. ^ Ward, Sophie (January 2020). The Narrative of Thought Experiments: Development and Uses of Fictional Narrative in Thought Experiments in Philosophy of Mind (Doctoral thesis). Goldsmiths, University of London. doi:10.25602/GOLD.00030115. Full text embargoed until 31 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Actress Sophie Ward on Go Back for Murder at Oxford Playhouse". Oxford Times. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d "Sophie Ward". BFI. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
  11. ^ "Sophie Ward | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  12. ^ a b "Sophie Ward" at AllMovie.
  13. ^ Arnold, Gina; Cookney, Daniel; Fairclough, Kirsty; Goddard, Michael (30 August 2017). Music/Video: Histories, Aesthetics, Media. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9781501313936 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ "Sophie Ward Stars in World Premiere of The Paradise Circus". 10 September 2018.
  15. ^ Whetstone, David (29 July 2017). "Actress Sophie Ward chats about the Ruth Rendell thriller coming to the Theatre Royal". nechronicle.
  16. ^ "Jane Eyre | TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
  17. ^ "Sophie Ward". www.aveleyman.com.
  18. ^ Rees, Caroline (25 September 2015). "Heartbeat actress Sophie Ward: My six best books". Express.co.uk.
  19. ^ "BBC One - Holby City, Series 12, For the Greater Good". BBC.
  20. ^ a b "Leading actress and LGBT-campaigner Sophie Ward speaks at Chichester". University of Chichester. 18 November 2015.
  21. ^ BBC Press Office (16 June 2011). "Cast announced for third series of "Land Girls"" (Press release). BBC. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  22. ^ Pogorzelski, Janina (1 September 2009). "Sophie Ward on mind-expanding sci-fi, adventure travel and why it's fabulous being in your 40s" (PDF). The Lady. p. 82. Retrieved 1 April 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ a b Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "The 55th Academy Awards: 1983". Oscars.org. SHORT FILM (live action) - WINNER: A Shocking Accident (Christine Oestreicher, Producer)
  24. ^ "NYT Arts, Movies: A Shocking Accident (1983)". The New York Times. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  25. ^ a b Royal Television Society. "2010 Regional Awards". RTS Centre Awards 2010/11. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 28 February 2022. Midlands: Best Acting Performance (Female) – Sophie Ward, "Land Girls", BBC Drama, Birmingham
  26. ^ Ward, Sophie (2020). Love and other thought experiments. London: Corsair. ISBN 978-1-4721-5460-6. OCLC 1085164094.
  27. ^ Davies, Stevie (6 February 2020). "Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward review – the power of empathy". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  28. ^ The Booker Prize Foundation (28 July 2020). "The 2020 Booker Prize for Fiction Longlist". thebookerprizes.com.
  29. ^ NCW staff (7 April 2020). "Desmond Elliott Prize 2020 longlist revealed". National Centre for Writing. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  30. ^ Flood, Alison (27 July 2020). "Hilary Mantel up for third Booker prize as 2020 longlist announced". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  31. ^ Clark, Clare (11 May 2022). "The Schoolhouse by Sophie Ward review – uneasy history of a betrayed childhood". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  32. ^ Ward, Sophie (2014). A Marriage Proposal: The importance of equal marriage and what it means for all of us. Guardian Shorts. {{cite book}}: |newspaper= ignored (help)
  33. ^ Hartley, Eve (30 November 2016). "European Diversity Awards Honour Charity For Supporting Transgender Children". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  34. ^ European Diversity Awards (2019). "EDA 2019 Celebrating the best in diversity and inclusion across Europe". EDA2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022. Sophie Ward hosted the fantastic event
  35. ^ "Lego Group, WarnerMedia and the Premier League are all nominated for European Diversity Awards". Celebrity News. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  36. ^ "SHORTLIST 2018". European Diversity Awards 2020.
  37. ^ "Through to the private Ward". Evening Standard. 14 March 2001.
  38. ^ "Sophie Ward: Our kids have two mums". The Guardian. 5 June 2017.
  39. ^ "Gay marriage: In the pink". BBC News. 18 September 2000.
  40. ^ Woods, Judith (15 August 2015). "Sophie Ward: How I raised my children with my wife". The Telegraph.
  41. ^ "Meet the cast of A Very British Scandal". Radio Times. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
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