Raquel Cassidy

Raquel Josephine Dominic Cassidy (born 22 January 1968) is an English actress. She played the role of Phyllis Baxter in the last three seasons of the television series Downton Abbey (2013–2015), winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, and the 2019 feature film sequel of the same name.

Raquel Cassidy
Born
Raquel Josephine Dominic Cassidy

(1968-01-22) 22 January 1968
Fleet, Hampshire, England
EducationFarnborough Hill
Girton College, Cambridge
OccupationActress
Years active1997–present

She has played leading roles in the casts of the television series Teachers, Party Animals, Moving Wallpaper, Lead Balloon and The Worst Witch.

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 and then biological anthropology. She later pursued a PhD in biological anthropology, but she 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. In 2001 she took the role of Susan Gately in Teachers, returning for the second series in 2002. 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.

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. In 2015 the cast won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She reprised the role for the show's 2019 feature film sequel, also called Downton Abbey.

She has subsequently played the role of Miss Hardbroom in four series of the 2017 television revival of The Worst Witch.

Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
2002Do I Love YouRomy
2002Before You GoFelicia
2005FestivalPetra Loewenberg
2007The Boat PeopleAlice
2007Tick Tock LullabyMaya
2008NightwalkingMarthaShort film
2013Das Andere KindValerie Almond
2019Cliffs of FreedomChristina Vakrinos
2019Downton AbbeyPhyllis Baxter
2019Official SecretsAnne Emmerson

Selected television
Year Programme Role Notes
1998Killer NetWPC Pamela Boxer
1999The BillLola Chaves1 episode ("Lola")
2001Table 12Yolanda
2001–2002TeachersSusan GatelyMain role
2003Red CapStaff Sgt. Neve Kirland
2003Holby CityJulie Redding1 episode
2004The Worst Week of My LifeCassie TurnerSeries 1
2005According to BexChris
2006–2011Lead BalloonMel Davies
2007Party AnimalsJo Porter
2008Agatha Christie's PoirotMaureen SummerhayesEpisode: "Mrs McGinty's Dead"
2008–2009Moving WallpaperNancy Weeks
2009New TricksSusanna Morton1 episode ("The Truth Is Out There")
2011DCI BanksDr Elizabeth Waring1 episode ("Friend Of The Devil")
2011Land GirlsDiana Granville
2011Doctor WhoForeman Miranda Cleaves2 episodes ("The Rebel Flesh"/"The Almost People")
2012HustleDana DevilleEpisode 4, series 8
2012Midsomer MurdersDiana DeQuetteville
2013Heading OutSabine
2013A Touch of ClothClare Hawkchurch
2013–2015Downton AbbeyPhyllis Baxter
2014Jonathan CreekSharonEpisode 1, series 5
2015VeraGloria Edwards
2017–The Worst WitchMiss Hardbroom52 episodes
2017Silent Witness Dr Eva VasquezEpisode 9–10, series 20
2017W1ATasmin HowardEpisode 5, series 3
2018StrangersRachel Hargreaves5 episodes, series 1

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[6][7] Almeida Theatre

References
  1. "School's out forever Raquel Cassidy has graduated from Teachers to Glasgow's Tron, reports Neil Cooper". HeraldScotland. 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. "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. "Raquel Cassidy | Hamilton Hodell". www.hamiltonhodell.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  7. "Shipwreck". Almeida Theatre. Retrieved 22 December 2020.


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