Katrin Cartlidge


Katrin Juliet Cartlidge was an English actress. She first appeared on screen as Lucy Collins in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, before going on to win the 1997 Evening Standard Film Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film Career Girls. Her other film appearances included Leigh's Naked, Before the Rain, Breaking the Waves and From Hell.

Early life

Cartlidge was born in London, to Derek, an English father and Bobbi, a German-Jewish refugee mother. She was educated at the Parliament Hill School for Girls in Camden.

Work

Her work on Manchevski's Before the Rain and on No Man's Land made her well-known in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans. Sophie, in Mike Leigh's Naked, was her first leading role. Cartlidge worked in two more Leigh films: in Career Girls she played one of the lead roles, Hannah, at the ages of both 20 and 30, and in Topsy Turvy she was a madam in a Paris brothel. She was due to play the lead role in Polish director Lech Majewski's 2004 film The Garden of Earthly Delights—that of an art historian dying of cancer—but she left shortly before production began.
Cartlidge died at the age of 41, owing to complications from pneumonia and septicaemia, stemming from a pheochromocytoma.

Legacy

The impact of Cartlidge's sudden death saw the creation of the Katrin Cartlidge Foundation by the trustees Mike Leigh, Peter Gevisser, Simon McBurney, Chris Simon, and Cat Villiers. The patrons include Lars von Trier and Cartlidge's sister Michelle. Established at the Sarajevo Film Festival, an annual bursary is awarded by "an elected curator, chosen by the Trustees from a wide and eclectic number of Katrin Cartlidge’s friends and colleagues... a new creative voice... While the new talent nominated each year will be a filmmaker, it is anticipated that the choices will be as varied and extraordinary as Katrin’s own choice of filmmakers and friends from across the arts."
Mike Leigh: "She took to the improvisation and character work instantly, easily and with extraordinary commitment and imagination. Other than in the Royal Court Young Peoples Theatre, she had had no formal training, but you would never have guessed it.. She often talked to me about move into directing. I am in no doubt that we have lost not only one of our greatest actors but also one of the most interesting new directors of the future."
Following her death, British singer Morrissey dedicated a performance of his song "Late Night, Maudlin Street" at the Royal Albert Hall to Cartlidge, describing her as a "brilliant person and fantastic actor".

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
1985Sacred HeartsDorisBarbara Rennie
1987Eat the RichKatrinPeter RichardsonThe Comic Strip feature film
1993NakedSophieMike Leigh
1994Before the RainAnneMilcho Manchevski
1996MerisairasElena PolakovVeikko AaltonenAlternatively titled "Seasick"
1996Breaking the WavesDodo McNeillLars von TrierBodil Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Robert Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1997Career GirlsHannah MillsMike LeighEvening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
—Nominated: European Film Award for Best Actress
1998Claire DolanClaire DolanLodge Kerrigan—Nominated: Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
1998Hi-LifeAprilRoger Hedden
1999The Lost SonEmilyChris Menges
1999Topsy-TurvyMadameMike Leigh
1999The Cherry OrchardVaryaMihalis Kakogiannis
2000Hotel SplendideCora BlancheTerence Gross
2000The Weight of WaterKaren ChristensonKathryn Bigelow
2001No Man's LandJane LivingstoneDanis Tanović
2001From HellAnnie ChapmanHughes Brothers

Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1982-83BrooksideLucy CollinsSoap opera • 51 episodes
1986The CollectorsBeattie HaycockSeason 1, Episode 7: "The Dog It Was..."
1987BulmanRoseSeason 2, Episode 7: "Ministry of Accidents"
1988The Comic Strip Presents...MariaSeason 3, Episode 6: "Funseekers"
1993The ChiefLiz WilliamsSeason 3, Episode 3: "A Long Cold Lonely Winter"
1994Capital LivesCaroleSeason 1, Episode 6: "Repossessed"
1996Screen TwoLover in CafeEpisode: "Look Me in the Eye"

Television film and short works
YearTitleRoleNotes
1993KolinskyUnknown roleShort film
1994Normandy: The Great CrusadeClara Milburn Television short
1994Nobody's ChildrenVioricaTelevision film
1994FeverClaireShort film
19953 Steps to HeavenSuzanne / Candy / BillieTelevision film
1995NaranceManyaShort film
1996NightlifeRobinTelevision film
1996Saint-ExGabrielle de Saint-ExupéryTelevision film
2000CinderellaGonerilTelevision film
2001Sword of HonourJulia StitchTelevision film
2002Crime and PunishmentKaterina IvanovnaTelevision film
2002Surrealissimo: The Scandalous Success of Salvador DaliGala DaliTelevision special
2002Eddie Loves MaryUnknown roleShort film • posthumous release