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Claire L. Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television career. Born and brought up in Hemel Hempstead, Skinner, the youngest daughter of a shopkeeper and an Irish-born secretary, was immensely shy as a child. Skinner's childhood dream was to become an actress and she completely immersed herself in achieving her ambition. She acted all the time, neglecting all of her school work, at Cavendish School in Hemel Hempstead, and "barely scraped through [her] A-levels". She went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and... MORE

Claire L. Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television career. Born and brought up in Hemel Hempstead, Skinner, the youngest daughter of a shopkeeper and an Irish-born secretary, was immensely shy as a child. Skinner's childhood dream was to become an actress and she completely immersed herself in achieving her ambition. She acted all the time, neglecting all of her school work, at Cavendish School in Hemel Hempstead, and "barely scraped through [her] A-levels". She went on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and then later on joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her first role was in Hanky Park, by Walter Greenwood at the Oldham Repertory Theatre, which she describes as a "really traditional start." Skinner is best known for her starring role as Clare in the British TV comedy Life Begins and more recently as Sue in the BBC's award-winning and critically acclaimed sitcom Outnumbered. For many years, Skinner has preferred theatre to screen roles because she's been disappointed with her TV projects ("apart from Mike Leigh's stuff"), "not just when you see the final thing, but also because it hasn't taken LESS