Kate Crutchley
Biography
Kate Crutchley trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and acted in Rep, TV and radio before appearing in Fringe productions such as Steve Gooch’s Female Transport at the Half Moon and the musical The Lady or The Tiger. She directed early Gay Sweatshop productions including Care and Control, and was a co-organiser of the Women’s Festival at the Drill Hall, 1977. In 1980 she was appointed Theatre Programmer at the Oval House where she put on an exciting mix of work including ground-breaking women’s and gay and lesbian companies and experimental work. She also directed many productions with her company Character Ladies including the acclaimed Patience and Sarah. She continued to work as an actress and director in a range of contexts. She died on 21st July 2013 after a long illness.
Known For & Full Filmography5 Titles
Drama Series - 1997, 16 episodes • as Jean Wildacre
The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.
Drama Series - 2001, 16 episodes • as Ma
A series of self-contained stories, each recounting a murder scene as seen from the chilling viewpoint of the killer. Explore the inner workings of a criminal's brain, revealing humanity at its darkest.
Drama Series - 1987, 16 episodes • as Annie Sheffield
Rockliffe's Babies is a British television police procedural devised by Richard O'Keefe, and starring Ian Hogg as maverick Detective Sergeant Alan Rockliffe, who is assigned to train seven young recruits to the CID, all fresh out of uniform. Under his irascible guidance, it is hoped that they will blossom into full-blown detectives. But Rockliffe is human – so human that he makes more mistakes than the 'Babies' he's supposed to be training. A follow-up series, Rockliffe's Folly, follows Rockliffe through his relocation to Wessex, dealing with rural crimes as part of a new team of investigators. The seven episode third series proved to be the last, with many citing a change in the programme's formula for the heavy ratings decline. Many viewers stated that the success of the two Babies series came not from Rockliffe himself, but from the popular ensemble cast.
Movie - 1980, 2h 15m • as Louise
The tale of two women: Sandra, an ambitious but naive Birmingham working girl who moves to London with the hope of securing wealthier patrons, and Louise, her social worker friend, who is fighting to change the antiquated and hypocritical prostitution laws. As both strive to achieve their goals, a cold dose of reality dashes their hopes, and the built-in biases against women in society are unmasked.
Movie - 1982, 2h 15m • as Badgie Dyke
Invites a diverse throng of gay men and lesbians to a party in the hallowed arches of London’s Heaven nightclub. Lesbian punks, drag queens and moustachioed muscle Marys mingle and chat about the problems facing queer people in Britain and how to tackle them. Grace Jones performs.