Harriet Amelia Thorpe was born on 8 June 1957 in Hampstead, London.[1][2] She is the daughter of Gillian (née Freeman), a writer, and Edward Thorpe, an actor and writer. Her younger sister is the actress Matilda Thorpe.[3][4]
She appeared in the 1990s British television sitcom The Brittas Empire, playing Carole Parkinson, the receptionist who was prone to depression and fits of emotion who permanently kept her children with her in drawers under her desk, and would sometimes be seen feeding them or washing their clothes. Thorpe also starred in a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link as Madame Morrible, in which she was voted off in the first round.
Thorpe has appeared in numerous films, such as Calendar Girls as the rather patronising and superior head of the Women's Institute; Mike Leigh's Life is Sweet; Greystoke; The Calling; and S.N.U.B. Also The Lenny Henry Show in the early 80s.
On 14 April 2008, she took over the role of Madame Morrible from Susie Blake in the West End production of Wicked.[8] She played her final performance on 27 March 2010, and was replaced by Julie Legrand.[9]
Thorpe took over the role of Tanya from Jane Gurnett in the West End production of Mamma Mia! on 14 June 2010.[10]
Thorpe returned to Wicked to play Madame Morrible from Monday 22 April 2013 until Saturday 16 November 2013, in place of Louise Plowright who withdrew from the role due to illness.[11]
In 2018, Thorpe joined the cast of Ruthless! The Musical as Miss Myrna Thorn.[12]
Ambassador
Thorpe is an ambassador for Walk the Walk,[13] the UK's largest grant-making breast cancer charity, and the UK's Diversity In Media Awards (DIMAS)
^Riet, Richard van't (30 December 2023), Episode #16.8, Pointless Celebrities, Alexander Armstrong, Richard Osman, Chizzy Akudolu, retrieved 17 April 2024{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
