Sophie initially trained to be a dancer, but after tearing a muscle in her groin she was forced to give it up and she turned to acting instead. She trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and during this time she secured her first acting role when she became a regular cast member in BBC’s Grange Hill. After graduating from drama school in 1988, Lawrence was instantly cast as Diane Butcher, the bohemian daughter of Frank Butcher (Mike Reid), in the popular soap opera EastEnders. She remained in the role until 1991, and returned for three brief stints in 1993, 1994 and 1997. Sophie initially quit her role in EastEnders to launch herself as a pop star. She enjoyed minor chart success in 1991 when her cover of Donna Summer’s 1977 classic hit Love’s Unkind (produced by Pete Hammond and Simon Cowell) reached number 21 in the UK singles chart. A further nine songs were recorded for an album but the project was shelved after she went on to work with the successful pop writers and producers, Stock Aitken and Waterman, recording a brand new follow-up single entitled Secrets, a track taken from Kylie Minogue’s ‘Rhythm Of Love album. However, the single was withdrawn before its release, her pop career stalled and she returned to acting. Sophie’s other notable television credits include Brother Cadfael (1994) with Derek Jacobi and playing Neil Morrissey’s girlfriend in the BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly (1995). She has also tried her hand at presenting on the children’s television shows Going Live and with Timmy Mallet on Timmy Towers. In theatre, Sophie has played Janet in the West End’s adaptation of The Rocky Horror Show and was also a lead in Daisy Pulls It Off. She has appeared in many touring plays, most notably in Alan Bennett’s one-woman show Talking Heads. Sophie began her association with the hit 1970s musical Boogie Nights in 2001 and has played the leading female, Debs, on two major tours. She also starred in the sequel Boogie Nights 2 - This Time It’s The 80s, alongside David Essex, which did a nationwide tour in 2004 and 2005[1][2]. In December 2006, Lawrence starred as Peter Pan (opposite Nigel Havers’s Captain Hook) at the Wycombe Swan and in 2007 opposite David Essex again as Peter Pan at the Derngate in Northampton. In December 2007, it was announced that Sophie will return to her role as Diane Butcher in EastEnders for four episodes in the spring of 2008, for the funeral of Diane’s father Frank Butcher (played by Mike Reid, who died in real life on 29 July 2007). She is also involved in the touring show Simply Ballroom as one of the presenters. |
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