Pauline Quirke discovered acting at the age of 9 when two after school clubs were formed by the local teachers. One was Country Dancing and the other was a Drama Club. Not fancying Country Dancing Pauline chose the Drama Club. From this, professional work followed almost by accident. In that very year (still aged 9), she was cast in her first professional role as a child arsonist in Dixon of Dock Green and it all evolved from there.

Since then Pauline has appeared in numerous programmes including her own chat show at the age of 15 entitled Pauline’s People going on to such productions as The Further Adventures of Oliver Twist The 80’s hospital series Angels and Shine On Harvey Moon. Some of her 90’s roles were in; Our Boy, Real Women, Maisie Raine, David Copperfield, Being April, Office Gossip and North & South. And of course Pauline is most famous for her role as Sharon in 101 episodes of Birds of a Feather and for her portrayal of Olive Martin in the award wining drama The Sculptress.

Although not really known for films, amongst others she has appeared in The Elephant Man, Little Dorrit, Still Lives - Distant Voices and more recently in Redemption Road and Arthur’s Dyke.

Pauline has won the Royal Television Society award for ‘Best Comedy New-Comer’ the coveted Fipa D’or Biarritz award at the Cannes Television Awards, and a BAFTA nomination.

Pauline is vice-patron to the Rhys Daniels Trust, a Honorary member of The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a patron of the Ian Rennie Hospice at Home, a supporter of Children with Leukaemia, and Children in Crisis. Pauline also appeared for charity in The Royal Variety Performance.

Although for the past 18 months Pauline has been hands on getting the academy up and running she has still found time to appear in the BBC’s twentieth celebration of Casualty and a guest star in 3 episodes of The Bill, along with being seen as The Headmistress and very soon in her latest role as D.C Norton in Granada’s Cold Blood series.

2008 will see Pauline celebrate an amazing 40 years in this business we call ‘Show’ and she sees the birth of the Pauline Quirke Academies as the ultimate legacy.

Simon read Law at Cambridge before becoming a trainee director at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington. As a director his work includes The Diary of Me (Harlow Playhouse), The Taming of the Shrew (National tour) and Art (National Tour). As Associate or Resident director; The Rocky Horror Show (West End and national tour), Simply Heavenly (West End) and ten productions of the smash-hit comedy Art (West End), as well as seasons for the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park.

His writing credits include The Great Sleigh Robbery which premiered last December at Brentwood Theatre and The Diary of Me – a new musical which received a workshop production last summer. He is currently developing a number of television and film projects with Sarah Counsell.

Simon has worked extensively in drama education and youth theatre. As well as working for some of the UK’s top drama schools, he has facilitated projects for organisations such as Croydon Youth Theatre Organisation, East-Side Educational Trust, the Young Vic Theatre and the Mousetrap Foundation.

www.simonjamesgreen.com

Sarah trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and has gone on to appear in many stage, television and radio roles. Her credits include Les Miserables (West End), Desires of Frankenstein (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park), Soldiers Wives (Radio 4), IT…(BBC television), and many more.

 Sarah has also worked with some fantastic directors such as Trevor Nunn, John Caird, Jonathan Kent and Richard Curzon-Smith. Sarah has also had the privelege of working with Claude Michel-Schonberg, Alan Boublil and Michele Le Grand on their new musical project Marguerite.

Sarah has extensive knowledge of the industry – working for a top theatrical agent for over five years and more recently as a freelance casting assistant, working on a number of high profile television and film projects.

As well as working for a large number of drama schools and youth theatres on a freelance basis, Sarah also ran her own hugely successful drama school for over five years.

Sarah is currently developing a number of television and film projects with writing partner Simon James Green.

Steve started his career at Anchor (CBS) Records and was in the music industry for 10 years before moving to Television in the early nineties.

He became an agent to Pauline Quirke & an Independent Producer. Working on such TV productions as ‘Birds of Feather,’ ‘Maisie Raine,’ ‘The Sculptress’, ‘Down to Earth’, and many others. Steve also produced the successful theatre tour of ‘Dinner with George’, and raised the finance to produce a $5 million Feature film entitled ‘Arthur’s Dyke’.

More recently he has been involved in independent project development for TWI as well as being the driving force behind The Pauline Quirke Academy.  Steve is a fellow of the RSA and a voting member of Bafta. Steve and Pauline were married in 1996 and have three children between them.