Shirley Henderson (born 24 November 1965) is a Scottish actress. Henderson's film roles include Gail in Trainspotting (1996) and its 2017 sequel, Jude in the Bridget Jones films (2001–2025), and Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). Her other notable credits include Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002), Intermission (2003), American Cousins (2003), Frozen (2005), Marie Antoinette (2006), Anna Karenina (2012), Filth (2013), and Stan & Ollie (2018).
Henderson starred as Isobel Sutherland in the BBC series Hamish Macbeth (1995–97) and played Frances Drummond in the BBC drama Happy Valley (2016). She was in the BBC miniseries The Way We Live Now (2001), the ITV television film Dirty Filthy Love (2004), and played Claire Salter in the Channel 4 miniseries Southcliffe (2013).
She won the 2018 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Elizabeth in the original Old Vic production of Girl from the North Country. Her other accolades include two Scottish BAFTA Awards and a VFCC Award, along with BAFTA Award, BIFA Award, London Critics' Circle Award, Chlotrudis Award, Gotham Award, RTS Award, and Canadian Screen Award nominations.
Early life and education
Henderson was born in November 1965 in Forres, Moray, and grew up in Kincardine-on-Forth, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, in Fife. She attended Dunfermline High School. As a child, she began singing in local clubs, at charity events, holiday camps, and even a boxing contest.
At age 16, Henderson completed a one-year course at Adam Smith College, resulting in a National Certificate in Theatre Arts. At 17, she moved to London, where she spent three years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1986.
Career
thumbnail|right|Henderson in 2009
Henderson's first television performance was in the leading role of Elizabeth Findlay in the 1987 ITV children's television drama Shadow of the Stone, for which she was cast by Leonard White.
Small-screen appearances have included playing Marie Melmotte in The Way We Live Now (2001); Catherine of Braganza in Charles II: The Power and The Passion (2003); Charlotte in Dirty Filthy Love (2004); Ursula Blake in the Doctor Who episode "Love & Monsters" (2006); Emmeline Fox in The Crimson Petal and the White (2011); DS Angela Young in Death in Paradise (2011); and Meg Hawkins in Treasure Island (2012). She played Karen, the lead role, opposite John Simm in Channel 4's Everyday and Meme Kartosov in Anna Karenina.
In 2022, HBO Max announced that Henderson would star in Dune: Prophecy as Tula Harkonnen. However, in early 2023, director Johan Renck and Henderson were reported to have exited the production due to a "creative shift" and production delays.
In 2023 Henderson was awarded an Outstanding Contribution by BAFTA Scotland for her contribution to Scottish Film and TV.
Henderson appeared in Scottish film I Swear in 2025.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
!
|-
| 1992 || Salt on Our Skin || Mary || ||
|-
| 1995 || Rob Roy || Morag || ||
|-
| Wonderland || Debbie Phillips || ||
|-
| Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself || Alice || Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor/Actress||
|-
| Villa des Roses || Ella || Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Actress ||
|-
| rowspan=4| 2003 || American Cousins || Alice || ||
|-
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ||Moaning Myrtle|| ||
|-
| rowspan=2| 2010 || Meek's Cutoff || Glory White || ||
|-
| rowspan=2| 2015 || Tale of Tales || Imma || ||
|-
| 2018 || Stan & Ollie || Lucille Hardy || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2019 || Greed || Margaret || ||
|-
| 2023 || The Trouble with Jessica || Sarah || ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2025 || Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy || Jude || ||
|-
| Elio || OOOOO || Voice ||
|-
| I Swear || Heather Davidson || ||
|-
| Glenrothan || Jess || ||
|-
| 2026 || The Mandalorian and Grogu || Anzellans || Voice ||
|-
| TBA || || || ||
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
!
|-
| 1987 || Shadow of the Stone ||Elizabeth Findlay || 6 episodes ||
|-
| rowspan=2| 2005 || ShakespeaRe-Told || Katherine Minola|| The Taming of the Shrew ||
|-
| Death in Paradise || DS Angela Young || Episode: "An Unhelpful Aid" ||
|-
| The Gruffalo's Child ||The Gruffalo's Child ||||
|-
| 2012 || Treasure Island || Meg Hawkins ||TV movie ||
|-
| 2014 || Jamaica Inn || Hannah || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2020 || The Nest || Siobhan || 5 part TV series ||
|-
| Worzel Gummidge || Saucy Nancy || ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2021 || Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses || Herself || Special appearance ||
|-
| Summer Camp Island || Susie's Mom || Voice ||
|-
| 2022 || The House Across The Street || Claudia || ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2023 || The Mandalorian || Anzellan Crew || Voice, 4 episodes ||
|-
| Tom Jones || Aunt Western || ||
|-
| Hilda || Fairy Entity || Voice, 1 episode ||
|-
| 2024 || Kiff || Roo || Voice, 1 episode ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2025 || Summerwater || Annie || Main cast ||
|-
| Dept. Q || Claire Marsh || Main cast ||
|-
|}
===Theatre=== <!-- fuller venue, date and production details required for these listings -->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Dates !! Title !! Role !! Venue !! Notes !! Ref.
|-
| 10 October–November 1986 || The Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon || || Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh || ||
|-
| December 1986–January 1987 || A Wildcat Christmas Carol || Tiny Tim ||Kilmarnock || ||
|-
| 1987 || The Gorbals Story || Maggie || || play by Robert McLeish ||
|-
| April 1987 || The Threepenny Opera || Lucy Brown|| Dundee Repertory Theatre || ||
|-
| 9 October 1987–26 March 1988 || Entertaining Strangers || Fanny Lock || Royal National Theatre, London || director: Peter Hall ||
|-
| 28 April–24 November 1988 || The Winter's Tale || Perdita|| Royal National Theatre, London || director: Peter Hall ||
|-
| March 1989 || My Mother Said I Never Should || Rosie || Royal Court Theatre, London || author: Charlotte Keatley, director: Michael Attenborough ||<!--From 2 March, probably ended before 6 April-->
|-
| 7 June–28 July 1990 || Eurydice || Eurydice|| Festival Theatre, Chichester || director: Michael Rudman ||
|-
| 1 August–5 September 1992 || The Life of Stuff || Evelyn || Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh || director: John Mitchell ||
|-
| Opened 19 April 1993 || Lion in the Streets || Isobel || Hampstead Theatre, London || author: Judith Thompson, director: Matthew Lloyd ||
|-
| 8–30 October 1993 || Romeo and Juliet || Juliet|| Citizens Theatre, Glasgow || director: Giles Havergal ||
|-
| 23 March–2 April 1994 || The Mill on the Floss || Maggie Tulliver || New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich (followed by tour) || author: George Eliot, directors: Nancy Meckler, Polly Teale ||
|-
| 27 April–20 May 1995 || The Maiden Stone || Mary || Hampstead Theatre, London || author: Rosa Munro, director: Matthew Lloyd ||
|-
| 10–20 September 1997 || The House of Bernarda Alba || Stuart Davids || The Tramway, Glasgow || author: Federico García Lorca, director: Stuart Davids ||
|-
| 9 November–10 December 1997 || Shining Souls || Mandy || Old Vic, London || ||
|-
| 22 November−18 December 1999 || Anna Weiss || Lynn || Whitehall Theatre, London || author: Mike Cullen, director Michael Attenborough ||
|-
| 8 July−7 October 2017 || rowspan="2" | Girl from the North Country|| rowspan="2" | Elizabeth Laine || Old Vic, London || director: Conor McPherson<br>Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical ||
|-
| 30 December 2017–24 March 2018 || Noël Coward Theatre, London || director: Conor McPherson ||
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! scope="col" width="400px" | Category
! Work
! Result
|-
| 2001
| London Critics Circle Film Awards
| Supporting Actress of the Year
| Topsy-Turvy
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2002
| British Independent Film Awards
| Best Supporting Actor/Actress
| Villa des Roses
|
|-
| RTS Television Awards
| Best Actress
| The Way We Live Now
|
|-
| rowspan="5"|2003
| Mademoiselle Ladubay Awards
| Short Film
| The Girl in the Red Dress
|
|-
| London Critics Circle Film Awards
| Supporting Actress of the Year
| 24 Hour Party People
|
|-
| Golden Wave Awards
| Best Actress
| rowspan=2|Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself
|
|-
| British Independent Film Awards
| Best Supporting Actor/Actress
|
|-
| Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish & British Film
| Best Actress
| American Cousins
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|2004
| London Critics Circle Film Awards
| Supporting Actress of the Year
| Intermission
|
|-
| Newport Beach Film Festival Jury Awards
| Best Actress in a Feature Film (Comedy)
| rowspan="2" | American Cousins
|
|-
| Bowmore Scottish Screen Awards
| Actress of the Year
|
|-
| rowspan="6"|2005
| BAFTA Scotland Awards
| Best Actress in a Scottish Film
| Frozen
|
|-
| Chlotrudis Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself
|
|-
| Créteil International Women's Film Festival
| Special Mention for Acting
| rowspan="2" | Frozen
|
|-
| Marrakech International Film Festival Awards
| Best Actress
|
|-
| Angel Film Awards
| Best Ensemble Cast<br><small>(with Danny Nucci, Dan Hedaya, Gerald Lepkowski & Vincent Pastore)</small>
| American Cousins
|
|-
| RTS Television Awards
| Best Actress
| Dirty Filthy Love
|
|-
| 2006
| Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish & British Film
| Best Actress
| Frozen
|
|-
| 2010
| Gotham Awards
| Best Ensemble Performance<br><small>(with Ciarán Hinds, Allison Janney, Michael Lerner, Chris Marquette, Rich Pecci, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy, Dylan Riley Snyder, Renée Taylor & Michael K. Williams)</small>
| Life During Wartime
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2013
| British Independent Film Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| Filth
|
|-
| SPIFF Awards
| Best Actress
| Everyday
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2014
| BAFTA Television Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan="2" | Southcliffe
|
|-
| BAFTA Scotland Awards
| Best Actress – Television
|
|-
| 2017
| VFCC Awards
| Best Actress in a Canadian Film
| rowspan="2" | Never Steady, Never Still
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2018
| Canadian Screen Awards
| Best Actress in a Leading Role
|
|-
| Laurence Olivier Awards
| Best Actress in a Musical
| Girl from the North Country
|
|-
| 2019
| BAFTA Scotland Awards
| Best Actress – Film
| Stan & Ollie
|
|-
| 2020
| LEJA Awards
| Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance
| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
|
|-
| 2023
| BAFTA Scotland Awards
| colspan="2"|BAFTA Scotland Outstanding Contribution
|
|}
References
External links
- Shirley Henderson at Hamilton Hodell Talent Management