Born:
February 26, 1980
in
Wigan
Best Known For:
Playing Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street and Ruth Winters on Casualty.
Early-life:
Born Claire Jackson on February 26, 1980, in Wigan. After leaving school, she went to Winstanley College in Wigan, where one of her subjects was Theatre Studies. Her first acting role was as a singer alongside Darren Day in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
Career:
Her big break came in 1997 when she landed the role of Coronation Street's Toyah Battersby, while still studying at college. She trod the famous Weatherfield cobbles for five years, picking up a British Soap Award along the way in 2001. Her first part after leaving Corrie was alongside Dennis Waterman in an episode of Where the Heart Is. Since then, Taylor has appeared in military drama Red Cap, Blackpool, The History Boys (on the big screen) and New Street Law. In 2007, she landed the part of junior doctor Ruth Winters in BBC medical drama Casualty, a role she played until December 2011. She joined the cast of Law & Order: UK in 2013.
Quote:
"I've never regretted my decision to leave the Street, even when I'm not working. I wasn't too worried about being typecast, because the girl who left was different from the one that arrived."
Trivia:
Her theatre credits include Christmas is Miles Away at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.