Raquel Cassidy
Born
Fleet, Hampshire, England
EducationFarnborough Hill
Alma materGirton College, Cambridge
OccupationActress
Years active1997–present

Raquel Cassidy is an English actress. She played the role of Phyllis Baxter in the television series Downton Abbey (2013–2015), winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She has reprised the role for both the 2019 feature film of the same name and its 2022 sequel.

She has played leading roles in other television series including Teachers, Party Animals, Moving Wallpaper, Lead Balloon, The Worst Witch and The Good Karma Hospital.

Early life and education

Born to a Spanish mother and an English father, she was the third child and only daughter born to the couple.[1] Born and brought up in Fleet, Hampshire,[2] she was educated at Farnborough Hill Convent,[3][4] and then Girton College, Cambridge, where she studied modern languages. She later pursued a PhD in biological anthropology, but abandoned it to pursue a career in acting.[5]

Career

In an early role, Cassidy played Lola Chaves in an episode of The Bill, speaking predominantly in Spanish.[6] In 2001 she took the role of Susan Gately in Teachers, returning for the second series in 2002.[7] She has also played the Home Office Junior Minister Jo Porter in Party Animals, Cassie Turner in The Worst Week of My Life, Nancy Weeks in Moving Wallpaper and Mel in Lead Balloon.[7][8]

In 2013 Cassidy joined the cast of Downton Abbey, playing the role of rehabilitated thief and ladies maid Phyllis Baxter for the show's final three series.[7] In 2015 the cast won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.[9] She reprised the role for the show's 2019 feature film, also called Downton Abbey and its 2022 sequel.[7][10]

She has subsequently played the role of Miss Hardbroom in four series of the 2017 television revival of The Worst Witch.[11] In 2022, she appeared in series 4 of The Good Karma Hospital as Frankie Martin.[12] In 2023, she played Maria Swanson in an episode of British crime drama series The Chelsea Detective.[13]

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
1999PerdieMiss JenningsShort
2000Thin IceDS BeckettTV film
2002ShootersTess
Do I Love YouRomy
Before You GoFelicia
2004Out of TimeAliceShort
2005Blake's Junction 7JennaShort
FestivalPetra Loewenberg
2007The Boat PeopleAlice
Tick Tock LullabyMaya
BritzJoyTV film
2008NightwalkingMarthaShort
2010On ExpensesHouse of Commons CounselTV film
An Act of LoveCatherineShort
BleachRebeccaShort
2012Routine VaccinationNurseShort
2013WisdomEmily EximoShort
To LeechMaryShort
2014The Ballad of Langley LaneMotherShort
2016The Twisted Death of a Lonely MadmanMystic-57Voice role
Two Is a FamilyMaitresse Gloria
2019Cliffs of FreedomChristina Vakrinos
Downton AbbeyPhyllis Baxter
Official SecretsAnne Emmerson
2022Downton Abbey: A New EraPhyllis Baxter
2023FerrymanMother

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Killer Net P.C. Pam Boxer 2 episodes
1999 The Bill Lola Chaves Episode: "Lola"
Peak Practice Cheryl Parker Episode: "Hearts and Minds"
2000 Nature Boy Ros 1 episode
Hearts and Bones Mary Jones Episode: "Once There Was a Way to Get Back Home"
2001 Table 12 Yolanda Episode: "Aphrodisiac"
2001–2002 Teachers Susan Gately Series regular
2003 Trust Elizabeth Blackwood 1 episode
Red Cap Staff Sergeant Neve Kirland Recurring role
Holby City Julie Redding Episode: "Desperate Measures"
Trevor's World of Sport Caroline Bradley Recurring role
2004 The Worst Week of My Life Cassie Turner Series regular
2005 According to Bex Chris Series regular
Last Rights Nadine Mini-series
Twisted Tales Lynne 1 episode
2006 Comedy Lab Jane Episode: "FM"
2006–2011 Lead Balloon Mel Series regular
2007 Party Animals Jo Porter Series regular
Sold Yvette Daniels 1 episode
2008 Casualty Monica Batchelor Episode: "Before a Fall"
No Heroics Kim the Agent Episode: "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
Agatha Christie's Poirot Maureen Summerhayes Episode: "Mrs McGinty's Dead"
2008–2009 Moving Wallpaper Nancy Weeks Series regular
2009 New Tricks Susannah Morton Episode: "The Truth Is Out There"
2011 Land Girls Diana Granville Recurring role
Doctor Who Cleaves 2 episodes
DCI Banks Dr. Elizabeth Waring Episode: "Friend of the Devil"
2012 Midsomer Murders Diana DeQuetteville Episode: "The Dark Rider"
Hustle Dr. Dana Deville Episode: "Eat Yourself Slender"
A Touch of Cloth Clare Hawkchurch Episode: "The First Case"
2013 The Other Child DI Valerie Almond TV series
Jo Pauline Langlois Episode: "Notre Dame"
Heading Out Sabine 1 episode
Law & Order: UK Lydia Smythson Episode: "Dependent"
2013–2015 Downton Abbey Phyllis Baxter Series regular
2014 Jonathan Creek Sharon Episode: "The Letters of Septimus Noone"
2015 Vera Gloria Edwards Episode: "Shadows in the Sky"
2015–2017 Uncle Teresa Series regular
2016 Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge Hayley Episode: "Grundy + Snow"
2017 Silent Witness Dr. Eva Vasquez Episode: "Awakening"
W1A Tasmin Howard 1 episode
2017–2020 The Worst Witch Miss Hardbroom Series regular
2018 Strangers Rachel Hargreaves Series regular
2022 The Good Karma Hospital Frankie Martin Series 4
Safe Space Lucy Leer Episode: "Episode 1.0"
2023 The Chelsea Detective Maria Swanson Episode: "Golden Years"

Selected radio

Year Programme Role
2008Spending My InheritanceJo
2015Ed Reardon's WeekSuzan

Theatre

Year Play Role Theatre
1997Twelfth NightViolaRoyal Court Theatre
1998OthelloDesdemonaNational tour
ThreesomeRuthOld Red Lion Theatre
2002Possible WorldsJoyceTron Theatre
2004MacBethLady MacBeth[4]International tour
2005Anna KareninaAnna Arkadyevna KareninaRoyal Lyceum Theatre
2006MirandolinaMirandolina[4]Royal Exchange Theatre
2019 Shipwreck Jools/Donald J. Trump's Secretary[14][15] Almeida Theatre

References

  1. ↑ "School's out forever Raquel Cassidy has graduated from Teachers to Glasgow's Tron, reports Neil Cooper". HeraldScotland. 17 September 2002. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  2. ↑ Raquel Cassidy reopens Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice shop in Fleet | Fleet People Archived 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Archived 14 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 3 "Raquel stars in record-breaking comedy show – News – gethampshire". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  5. ↑ Morganstern, Adam. "Attending 'Downton Abbey' Film Premieres (And Drinking Hot Chocolate) With Star Raquel Cassidy". Forbes. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  6. ↑ "Lola (1999)". BFI. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Raquel Cassidy". BFI. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Raquel Cassidy". TVGuide.com.
  9. ↑ Strause, Jackie (30 January 2016). "SAG Awards: 'Downton Abbey' Wins Best Cast in a Drama Series". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ↑ Brazier, Tori (24 April 2022). "Downton Abbey: A New Era's Raquel Cassidy teases 'most amazing, sumptuous ride'".
  11. ↑ "The Worst Witch". www.bbc.com.
  12. ↑ Morris, Lauren (21 January 2022). "Meet the cast of The Good Karma Hospital". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "The Chelsea Detective Season 2: Cast & Characters Explained, Plot, Release Date, Time, Where to Watch & Other Details". 28 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Raquel Cassidy | Hamilton Hodell". www.hamiltonhodell.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  15. ↑ "Shipwreck". Almeida Theatre. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
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