Rebecca Root

Rebecca Root (born 10 May 1969) is an English actress, comedian and voice coach. She was rated 18th in The Independent on Sunday's Rainbow List 2014, which named her as an openly transgender actress in mainstream television, alongside Alexandra Billings, Laverne Cox and Adèle Anderson.[1] She played the leading role in the 2015–2016 BBC Two sitcom Boy Meets Girl.[2]

Rebecca Root
Root in September 2018
Born (1969-05-10) 10 May 1969
Woking, Surrey, England
Alma materRoyal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • voice coach
Years active1995–present
Websiterebeccaroot.co.uk

Biography

Root is also a voice coach,[3] teaching at the East 15 Acting School and from her home in Highgate, London. She started that career after she transitioned from male to female and acting work became harder to find.[4] She graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a Master of Arts in Vocal Studies. Her thesis, "There and Back Again: Adventures in Genderland", has since been published in the peer reviewed journal Voice and Speech Review, and she advertises voice therapy specifically for transgender people to help them "find a voice they feel fits their gender".[5][6][7][8]

In 2015 Root starred in the BBC Radio 4 drama 1977,[9] about the transgender popular composer Angela Morley who had become a household name to British radio audiences as Wally Stott. Written by Sarah Wooley,[10] it followed the year in which Morley was enlisted to complete composition of the musical soundtrack to the film Watership Down in three weeks flat.[11]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1995 Keeping Up Appearances The Engineer Episode: "Hyacinth Is Alarmed"
1996 Eight for Eight Thirty Julian Short film
The Detectives Vet Episode: "Back in Class"
1997 Casualty Psychiatric SHO 2 episodes
2012 Normal: Real Stories from the Sex Industry Cynthia Film premiered at the 2012 Raindance Film Festival[12]
2015–2016 Boy Meets Girl Judy BBC TV series[13]
2015 1977 Angela Morley BBC Radio 4 drama[9]
The Danish Girl Lili's nurse Root auditioned for the role of the transgender character Lili Elbe, but the role was given to actor Eddie Redmayne,[4][14] with Root being given the role of Lili's nurse
2017 Doctor Who: Zaltys Sable Big Finish Doctor Who audio drama[15]
2017–2018 Doctors Samantha Eustace 4 episodes
2018 Colette Rachilde
The Sisters Brothers Mayfield
The Romanoffs Dana Episode: "The One That Holds Everything"
2019 Moominvalley Misabel Episode #1.1
Flack Allie Gregs Episode: "Dan"
Last Christmas Dr. Addis
Gallifrey: Time War 2 Cantico Big Finish audio drama boxset[16]
2020 Doctor Who: Stranded Tania Bell Big Finish Doctor Who audio drama boxset[17]
2020 The Queen's Gambit Miss Lonsdale 2 episodes

References
  1. "Rainbow List 2014, 1 to 101". The Independent on Sunday. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  2. "Boy Meets Girl". BBC online. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  3. Gill, Nicola (22 September 2015). "Rebecca Root interview: 'I'm not fighting myself any more'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  4. Enfield, Laura (23 March 2015). "Highate Actress Rebecca Root talks being transgender, her BBC2 sitcom and starring with Eddie Redmayne". Enfield Independent. Newsquest. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. Merz, Theo (8 January 2015). "'Transgender women often want to sound like Fiona Bruce'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  6. Root, Rebecca. "Biography". Rebecca Root. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  7. Sherwin, Adam (21 August 2014). "BBC2 commissions Britain's first transgender sitcom Boy Meets Girl". The Independent. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  8. Root, Rebecca (2009). "There and Back Again: Adventures in Genderland". Voice and Speech Review. Voice and Speech Trainers Association. 6 (1): 144–155. doi:10.1080/23268263.2009.10761517.
  9. "Drama: 1977". BBC online. 3 December 2015.
  10. "Sarah Wooley, writer for radio, TV, film, theatre". Wooley's website. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  11. "About so much more than 'a transgender woman in the 1970s'". BBC/blogs/writersroom. 30 November 2015.
  12. Root, Rebecca. "News and upcoming events". Rebecca Root. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  13. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (4 February 2015). "BBC starts filming sitcom starring transgender actor". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  14. Pate, Caroline (1 May 2014). "Eddie Redmayne Cast as Transgender — Do We Need Another Straight, Cisgender Dude in a LGBTQ Role?". Bustle. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  15. "223. Doctor Who: Zaltys - Doctor Who - The Monthly Adventures - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  16. "10. Gallifrey: Time War 2 - Gallifrey - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  17. "Paul McGann comes down to Earth with a bump in Doctor Who - Stranded - News - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 21 December 2019.

Further reading
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