Sarah Gordy
Sarah Gordy (born c.1978)[1] is a British actress who has Down syndrome. She is best known for her portrayal of Lady Pamela Holland in the 2010 BBC TV series of Upstairs Downstairs. She has also acted in episodes of Call the Midwife, Holby City and Doctors. As well as these BBC shows, she has acted in short films, radio dramas, commercials and many theatre productions.
Early life
Born in London to a British mother and American father, she has lived in both the UK and US.[2] Sarah Gordy grew up in Bromley and attended primary school in Orpington, Kent. Because of her father's job, the family moved to the United States where she attended middle school in Houston, Texas.[3] The family returned to the UK when Gordy was 16 years old. They moved to Lewes, East Sussex, where she attended South Downs College and became increasingly involved in acting.[3]
Career
Gordy gained her first professional acting job on the ITV television series, Peak Practice, as Jessica Bain in "Walls of Jericho" (Series 10, Episode 11). She subsequently landed many other TV and theatre roles.[4]
In summer 2010 Gordy found out she had been chosen for the role of Lady Pamela Holland in the new BBC One production of Upstairs Downstairs. Lady Pamela was the long-lost sister of the lead character, Sir Hallam. Part of her role was written to illustrate the 1930s attitudes to disabilities.[5] Her character was introduced in the third episode of the three-part drama. Lady Pamela became a regular character in the second series, which was televised in February 2012.
Gordy starred in Series 3, of an episode of Call the Midwife, which was first broadcast on BBC One on 16 February 2014. She played Sally Harper,[6] a young woman with Down's Syndrome who fell pregnant from her relationship with Jacob Milligan, a young man with cerebral palsy, played by Colin Young. Written by series creator, Heidi Thomas, the episode highlighted the treatment of people with physical and intellectual disabilities in British society in the late 1950s.
She also appeared in the BBC Radio 4 play, Resurrection, in April 2012[5] and has read four "Bedtime Stories" for CBeebies.
in 2012, Sarah starred in the short film "TimeSlip" as time traveller Rose. The film was made with the support of the Oyster Project in Lewes. The film was entered into the Oska Bright Film Festival 2013 (Writer/Director: Suchi Chatterjee) It won the best story award for 2013. It also won the Our Story Class in the Australian 2014 Sit Down Shut Up & Watch (SDSW) Festival and was short-listed for the Picture This Film Festival in Calgary, Canada.
Sarah also play Mary in "The Infant King" in 2012 for the Oyster Project. She also helped produce and co-direct it.
Sarah's dedication to helping disabled people realise their potential in the world of the arts, especially film and theatre was honoured in 2013 when she was nominated for the BBC Sussex and Surrey Community Heroes Award which she subsequently won.
Gordy broke new ground in 2014 by playing a central character without a disability in the play Crocodiles at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre.[7] She has done a lot of theatre work, appearing in Once We were Mothers by Lisa Evans for the New Vic, Newcastle under Lyme, and in its second production at The Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. She co-starred in two-person play Into the Blue at The Arcola Theatre, London. She played the leading role in a touring theatre production, Seize the Day, with Hijinx Theatre,[8] and has also toured with The Theatre Centre and Kazzum Theatre.
Gordy is also one of the principle dancers for Culture Device Dance Project, an experimental dance company for professional dancers with Down's Syndrome.[9] She has performed in Germany, Macedonia, UK and Ireland.
Sarah also performed a series of dance pieces at the My Perspective International Photography Competition Awards Ceremony in June 2016 which is held each year by the Downs Syndrome Association (DSA). It was judged by Dame Judi Dench.
Personal life
Sarah has a younger sister Catherine.[3] Their mother, Jane Gordy, acts as Sarah's drama coach,[4] travelling with her and helping with her lines.[3] Jane has said "The interesting thing about Sarah is she doesn’t really act. She feels very emotional on set. She can’t fake emotion, so instead she believes everything about her character."[1]
Gordy lives in Lewes, East Sussex.[5] She loves dancing and working out at the gym. When she is not acting she volunteers at the local British Heart Foundation charity shop.[5]
Sarah is a celebrity ambassador for Mencap[7] and Patron of Circus Starr.
References
- 1 2 Thompson, Kate; Francis, Jenny (21 March 2012). "My son loves Lady Gaga, football and cuddles... and he also has Down's". The Sun. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
- ↑ "Sarah Gordy". IMDb. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
- 1 2 3 4 Sanderson, Elizabeth (20 February 2012). "The actress with Down's syndrome who has earned a milestone role in BBC's Upstairs Downstairs drama". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
- 1 2 "Sarah Gordy - 'I didn't get bullied and was lucky to avoid that'". Sussex Courier. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
- 1 2 3 4 Wallin, James (21 February 2012). "Upstairs Downstairs actress's new-found fame". The Argus (Sussex). Retrieved 2012-09-25.
- ↑ Eley, Adam (8 May 2015). "The struggle to find work when you have Down's syndrome". BBC. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- 1 2 Salman, Saba (2014-10-14). "'I am different, that is good': how an actor with Down's syndrome is changing perceptions". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
- ↑ "The Ouch Assessment: Sarah Gordy". 11 September 2006. BBC Ouch!. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
- ↑ Device, Culture. "Culture Device - ABOUT -". Culture Device. Retrieved 2016-03-30.