Who is Sharon Small?
Sharon Small is a Scottish actress from Glasgow, renowned for her works across television, film, theatre and radio. She is best known as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries' DS Barbara Havers.
Childhood
Raised in Glasgow and Fife as a child by her single mother Sandy, Sharon was born the eldest of five siblings. She attended Kinghorn Primary School as a child, then attended Balwearie High School in the town of Kirkcaldy. During her college years at Kirkcaldy College she studied drama, which led to her relocating to London to continue her studies at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
Career
Sharon's first forays into television and theatre started in 1994, with appearances in ITV's Taggart and Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera respectively. The following years would see her weave through a variety of different shows and productions, with standout inclusions such as The Bill, Cutting It and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.
© David M. BenettTowards the end of the 90s, Sharon started starring in films. Between 1997 and 2008 she would appear in eight productions, including 1997's Bumping the Odds, for which her performance as Terry took home the Best Actress Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival that year.
In 2002 she starred alongside Hugh Grant in About a Boy, playing Grant's character's ex-girlfriend Christine. Throughout the 2010s, Sharon could be spotted in some of British television's now-modern classics. Those eagle-eyed will have spotted her in Flesh and Blood, Agatha Christie's Marple, Downton Abbey, Silent Witness, Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise, and Midsomer Murders, to name but a few.
In the world of theatre, Sharon has starred in over 35 titles across the years. She has performed up and down the UK with some of the nation's most respected acting companies, including the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. She has also starred in the West End production of When Harry Met Sally, playing Sally's best friend Marie (originally played by Carrie Fisher).
Private life
Whilst Sharon maintains a quiet private life, she lives in London with her photographer partner Daniel Bridge. She has two sons, Leo and Zac, and lives in Muswell Hill, North London.
