Claire L. Skinner is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career. Born and brought up in Hemel Hempstead, Skinner, the youngest daughter of a shopkeeper and an Irish-born secretary, was shy as a child. Her dream was to be an actress and she immersed herself in her ambition. She acted all the time, neglecting school work, at Cavendish School in Hemel Hempstead, and "barely scraped through [her] A-levels". She went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her first role was in Hanky Park, by Walter... Greenwood at the Oldham Repertory Theatre, which she describes as a "really traditional start." Skinner is known for her role as Clare in the British TV comedy Life Begins and more recently as Sue in the BBC's award-winning sitcom Outnumbered. For many years, she has preferred theatre to screen roles because she's been disappointed with her TV projects , "not just when you see the final thing, but also because it hasn't taken off.
more