UK actress Katrin Cartlidge, who starred in several of Mike Leigh's films and was one of the first stars of TV soap Brookside, has died.
Cartlidge, 41, began her career playing Lucy Collins in Brookside, for six years from 1982.

She went on to star in films including From Hell, with Johnny Depp, Oscar-winning No Man's Land and Mike Leigh's Career Girls.

Her agent said she died over the weekend, but did not disclose any details of the circumstances.

'Enormous humour'

One report said she died of complications arising from pneumonia and septicaemia.

Cartlidge was described as "one of the most fearless and passionately committed performers" to have emerged from Britain in recent years.

"She worked with enormous humour and an intensity extraordinary because it was so light, positive and considerate of others," actor Simon McBurney wrote in The Guardian.

She recently starred as Katerina Ivanovna in an acclaimed BBC Two adaptation of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Oscar winner

On the big screen, she was seen alongside Depp and Heather Graham in the Jack the Ripper thriller From Hell.

Her role as a journalist during the Bosnian war helped No Man's Land win the best foreign film Oscar in 2002.

Before that, she had become known as one of director Mike Leigh's favourite actresses, appearing in his films Naked, Career Girls and Topsy Turvy.

She also starred with Emily Watson in 1996's acclaimed drama Breaking the Waves

There's a rather nasty lad in that film sporting a tshirt with a rather oversized pic of Moz's face from when he wore glasses and "The Smiths" written vertically beside the pic.
Mike Leigh always portray Smiths fans as complete bastards in his films when such a character is in it and Cure fans as really nice people that get hurt by the fan of The Smiths.
Anyway, she deserves a mention in here for being in some great UK films that do say so much more than the ones from Tinseltown.

R.I.P.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38243000/jpg/_38243425_katrin_300.jpg

True, Cartlidge isn't a "Smiths actress" per se, but the films she was in share many things in common with the British kitchen sink dramas that Morrissey so loves. Morrissey has gone on record as despising most modern filmmakers-- except Mike Leigh.

I think it's entirely appropriate that someone posts a quick memorial for Cartlidge here because most Smiths fans who understand the context of the music, first, and Morrissey's influences, second, would appreciate the fact that Mike Leigh's work has a meaningful affinity with The Smiths and the Northern scene in general. Cartlidge was an unforgettable actress to boot and will be missed by a lot of film fans.

> True, Cartlidge isn't a "Smiths actress" per se, but the films
> she was in share many things in common with the British kitchen sink
> dramas that Morrissey so loves. Morrissey has gone on record as despising
> most modern filmmakers-- except Mike Leigh.

Morrissey on the "Career Girls" Smiths connection :-) [from the Tom Calderone radio interview, Modern Rock Live, 16th August 1997]

Tom Calderone: "Um, we talked earlier about, you know, when you visit America you're obviously watching.. television and things like that... Is there any movies that are out that you like right now, that you've had a chance to see that maybe we haven't seen yet...?"

Morrissey: "Um, well, I'd like to see the new Mike Lee film Career Girls. Have you heard of that one?"

TC: "Yes, it's opening here in about two weeks, yes."

M: "Yes, apparently, there's an interesting sex scene in the film and one of the people in the film is wearing a t-shirt with my face on it."

TC: "Ah."

M: "Which is probably the nearest I'll get to a sex scene... on film. Maybe not, I don't know."

TC: [laughs] "Maybe not."

yourself one after this?
doubt it!

I'm very upset at this news, only 41, what can I say. RIP
Out of everything she did, Career Girls was my favourite, and ranks as one of my top 10 films. I'm really shocked to hear this.

> UK actress Katrin Cartlidge, who starred in several of Mike Leigh's films
> and was one of the first stars of TV soap Brookside, has died.
> Cartlidge, 41, began her career playing Lucy Collins in Brookside, for six
> years from 1982.

> She went on to star in films including From Hell, with Johnny Depp,
> Oscar-winning No Man's Land and Mike Leigh's Career Girls.

> Her agent said she died over the weekend, but did not disclose any details
> of the circumstances.

> 'Enormous humour'

> One report said she died of complications arising from pneumonia and
> septicaemia.

> Cartlidge was described as "one of the most fearless and passionately
> committed performers" to have emerged from Britain in recent years.

> "She worked with enormous humour and an intensity extraordinary
> because it was so light, positive and considerate of others," actor
> Simon McBurney wrote in The Guardian.

> She recently starred as Katerina Ivanovna in an acclaimed BBC Two
> adaptation of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.

> Oscar winner

> On the big screen, she was seen alongside Depp and Heather Graham in the
> Jack the Ripper thriller From Hell.

> Her role as a journalist during the Bosnian war helped No Man's Land win
> the best foreign film Oscar in 2002.

> Before that, she had become known as one of director Mike Leigh's
> favourite actresses, appearing in his films Naked, Career Girls and Topsy
> Turvy.

> She also starred with Emily Watson in 1996's acclaimed drama Breaking the
> Waves