Happy 60th Birthday Scottish actress Shirley Henderson.
Shirley was born 24th November 1965 in Forres, Moray, but grew up in Kincardine, Fife, she began performing young and at the age of 13 found herself singing in a boxing ring between bouts after winning a local singing competition going on to sing in the local working men’s clubs on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Reading through a few interviews I found it interesting that her big days out as a youngster was going to the York Cafe in the town I used to live, Falkirk, the cafe is still there, but has been through a few changes in ownership since I came here 8 years ago.
Anyway back to the lass herself, after deciding upon acting as a career, she uprooted to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
After graduating in 1986 Henderson embarked upon a stage career that included spells at the National Theatre, the Royal Court, the Traverse, Hampstead, the Citizens, and the Whitehall Theatre.
I first remember her in Hamish Macbeth where she played Isobel Sutherland, who was head over heels in Robert Carlyle’s character, though he didn’t know it, she bowed out in the penultimate episode.
There are very different roles that you might remember Shirley from, in my case she played Gail in the two Trainspotting films, if you need another reminder who she was, well remember Spud’s girlfriend and the incident with “dirty” bedding that he wanted to was and got into a tugging contest?
Other film fans will know Shirley as Moaning Myrtle in a couple of the Harry Potter films. Romcom fans will know her for her role as Jude in Bridget Jones’s Diary who is always in the ladies’ room crying about her boyfriend.
She has of course been in numerous other shows and films including Wish Me Luck, Casualty, The Bill, Rob Roy, Dr Who, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, Happy Valley and she plays Lucille Hardy, wife of Oliver Hardy about the comedy duo, called Stan and Ollie.
In 2022 Shirley appeared in the comedy mystery film See how they run, and the excellent Channel 5 drama The House Across the Street.
Shirley likes to keep busy, the media web page IMDb credits her with 101 acting appearances, her most recent is the excellent film, I Swear, a true story about a lad from the Scottish Borders who has Tourrettes. In another Scottish film, Glenrothan, Shirley teams up with Brian Cox and Aalan Cumming among others, I have yet to see this and must look for it. The film is described as a "love letter to Scotland". Summerwater is another one I have to catch up with, Shirley, Dougray Scott and Colin MacDougall are among the cast in this channel 4 series described as "Tensions arise amidst a disparate group of holidaymakers in a rural Scottish holiday park" Sounds just like your normal Scottish Holiday!
The Independent have an article about Shirley and Summerwater, Henderson plays Annie, a woman whose declining health and cognitive functioning, due to dementia, mean she’s often at one remove from reality, increasingly residing in the realm of the past.
We also saw Shirley in the fantastic Crime Drama Dept Q, series two of that is in the pipeline.
Shirley has a great attitude and has said;
“ I never get the tall, blonde, glamorous roles because I’m not tall, blonde and glamorous. I’m more the wee, disturbing characters because of the way I look or sound.” And as a Scot;
“I like doom and gloom with a sense of humour. Maybe it’s a Scottish thing, we like to undercut indulgence with a laugh.” And on fame;
“I like to be left alone,” she tells me at one point. “I’m happy to be anonymous and just to lead my own wee quiet life.”
