Who is Raquel Cassidy?
Raquel Josephine Dominic Cassidy was born on 22 January 1968 in Fleet, Hampshire, England; her zodiac sign is Aquarius, and she is of British nationality. She is an actress best known for her depiction of Phyllis Baxter in the final three seasons of Julian Fellowes’ romantic drama series “Downton Abbey,” in which she co-starred with Hugh Bonneville, Phyllis Logan, and Elizabeth McGovern. The drama aired from 2010 to 2015 and follows the Crawley family in early twentieth-century Britain. It was also a hit in Europe and the United States, winning 57 accolades, including three Golden Globes, and being nominated for 226 other awards.
Childhood, Family, And Education
Raquel Cassidy (Pinterest)Raquel Cassidy was reared in Fleet with her two older brothers by their British father, a barrister, and their Spanish mother, a model who became a housewife after giving birth to Raquel – the family was very close and frequently dined together.
Raquel spent her childhood fantasizing about becoming a model. She was studying at Farnborough Hill Covenant when she began going to a local theatre and gradually fell in love with performing. She entered Girton College, Cambridge, in 1985, and graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in modern languages. She continued her education, pursuing a Ph.D. in biological anthropology, but shortly dropped out to focus on her acting career.
She appeared in several stage plays over the next ten years before landing a role on the big screen.
TV Series Characters
Raquel has appeared in almost 70 films and television programs, and we will discuss some of her most memorable performances in this post.
In 1998, she made her TV series debut as Pamela Boxer in the British criminal mini-series “Killer Net,” and the following year, she appeared in a single episode of the British police procedural series “The Bill.” She rose to prominence in 2001 when she was cast as the lead character Susan Gately in the comedy-drama “Teachers,” which also starred Ursula Holden Gill, Gillian Bevan, and Lloyd McGuire and followed the private and professional lives of the school teachers.
In the years that followed, she appeared in several programs, including the British medical drama “Holby City” in 2003, the British sitcom “The Worst Week of My Life” in 2004, and another sitcom “According to Bex” in 2005.
Raquel first appeared as Maureen Summerhayes in the mystery drama “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” in the episode “Mrs. McGinty’s Dead” in 2008. She then appeared in the British procedural crime drama “New Tricks” in 2009, the British crime drama “DCI Banks” in 2011, and the British crime series “Hustle” in 2012. In 2013, she played as Sabine in the British comedy series “Heading Out,” alongside Dominic Coleman, Shelley Conn, and Steve Oram. The series portrays a successful lady who is given an ultimatum by her friends: either come out to her parents or they will inform them.
She appeared in single episodes of both the British mystery crime drama “Jonathan Creek” in 2014 and the British crime drama “Vera” in 2015 before being cast as Miss Hardbroom in the British-German fantasy children’s series “The Worst Witch.” It has been on the air since 2017 and chronicles the life of a girl who attends Cackle’s Academy, where she learns how to be a witch – the series has won two awards and has been nominated for five more.
Raquel’s most recent series appearances include “Silent Witness,” a British crime drama, and “W1A,” a British comedy, both in 2017, and “Strangers,” a crime thriller drama (also known as “White Dragon”) in 2018.
Movie Characters
Raquel made her film debut in 2002 as Romy in Lisa Gornick’s romantic comedy “Do I Love You?” which starred Harri Alexander, Birgitta Bernhard, and Darren Black and is about life and the questions one may have about love. In the same year, she starred as Felicia in the comedy “Before You Go,” about three sisters who meet and discuss their lives at their mother’s burial.
Raquel first appeared as Petra Loewenberg in the British black comedy “Festival” in 2005, and two years later she starred in the thriller “The Boat People,” which received little attention. Raquel also appeared as Maya in the 2007 British-Indie comedy “Tick Tock Lullaby.”
She starred in her debut short film, “Nightwalking,” in 2008, and in 2013, Raquel played Valerie Almond in the drama “The Other Child” (original “Das Andere Kind”), which starred Neil Bell, Satnam Bhogal, and Cliff Burnett and was based on Charlotte Link’s eponymous novel.
Raquel’s most recent film performances were in the independent historical romance drama “Cliffs of Freedom,” the historical drama “Downton Abbey” based on the same-titled television series, and the docudrama “Official Secrets,” all of which were released in 2019.
Radio Plays And Stage Plays
Raquel played Viola in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at the Royal Court Theatre in 1997, Desdemona in Shakespeare’s “Othello” and Ruth in the comedy “Threesome” at the Old Red Lion Theatre in 1998.
In 2002, she starred as Joyce in John Mighton’s “Possible Worlds” at Tron Theatre, and three of her final roles in theatre plays before retiring from stage acting were in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” in 2004, the adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina” in 2005, and the comic opera “Mirandolina” in 2006.
Raquel has appeared as a guest on two radio shows Jo in “Spending My Inheritance” in 2008 and Suzan in the 2015 sitcom “Ed Reardon’s Week.”
Relationship Status
Raquel is very cautious about her concerns and has kept the facts of her love life hidden from the media.
Rumors are circulating on the internet that she is a married woman who married her husband sometime in the early 2000s and that the two have since been living together in Los Angeles, California but have agreed not to have children – this hasn’t been confirmed by Raquel, and no proof has been provided to support these rumors.
Some believe Raquel is a lesbian, and two of her followers have written on the Reddit forum about seeing her getting too near to a female friend at a bar in the late ’90s, but these postings have since been removed.
Raquel is unmarried, has never married, and has no children as of September 2020.
Other Interests And Hobbies
Raquel is engaged in charitable work and has participated in various charity events as well as donated money to organizations that assist disadvantaged children and war veterans.
She was physically quite active in her 20s and 30s, going to the gym three to four times per week and occasionally running and jogging – she is also concerned with her mental health, and has been meditating and doing yoga since then.
She adores animals, with cats being her favorite.
Raquel has favorite actors and actresses, including Bruce Willis, Elvis Presley, and Natalie Portman, and her favorite movies include “The Sixth Sense,” “Viva Las Vegas,” and “Leon: The Professional.”
Body Structure And Relationship Status
Raquel Cassidy (Pinterest)Raquel is 52 years old. She has long brown hair and brown eyes, is 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, and weighs approximately 135lbs (61kgs).
Her net worth is projected to be around $1 million as of September 2020.