Frances Ruffelle

Acting

Frances Ruffelle

Born 1965-08-29 · London, England, UK

Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", finishing 10th. The song became a UK Top 30 hit. In 1984, Ruffelle starred as Dinah in the original West End production of Starlight Express. From 1985, she was the original Éponine in the first English-language productions of Les Misérables in the West End and on Broadway, winning the 1987 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Other stage roles include Yonah in Children of Eden (1991), Roxie Hart in Chicago (2003–04, 2007), the title role in Piaf (2013), Bella in The A–Z of Mrs P (2014), and Queenie in The Wild Party. Her albums include Fragile (1994), Frances Ruffelle (1998), Showgirl (2004), Imperfectly Me (2010), and I Say Yeh-Yeh (2015).

Acting credits

Les Misérables poster
7.3

An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

Les Misérables

2012

Locked Down poster
5.2

During a COVID-19 lockdown, sparring couple Linda and Paxton call a truce to attempt a high-risk jewellery heist at one of the world's most exclusive department stores, Harrods.

Locked Down

2021

Secrets & Lies poster
7.6

After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cynthia, a working class white woman.

Secrets & Lies

1996

Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert poster
8.3

This concert, recorded to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the landmark musical Les Miserables, gathers the casts of the show's 2010 original production at the Queen's Theatre, the 1985 original production by the London company, and the 2010 production at the Barbican together for one performance. Together with talents like Michael Ball, Hadley Fraser, and John Owen-Jones, the performers present the play's musical numbers in a semi-theatrical style, fully costumed and with all the emotion of the musical's heyday.

Les Misérables: 25th Anniversary in Concert

2010

Les Misérables: The History of the World's Greatest Story poster
7.7

From Victor Hugo`s classic French novel of the nineteenth century to Tom Hooper`s award winning blockbuster, Les Misérables has undergone one of the most successful transitions from book to stage to screen. In this new documentary, the scintillating journey of Hugo`s universal story is traced from book to stage to screen with contributions from those who have starred in and helped to create the entertainment phenomenon which has captured a place in everyone`s hearts. Helmed by entertainment and celebrity journalist Neil Sean, this insightful documentary traces the events of the Paris insurrection in 1832 and features excerpts from the restored 1978 Les Misérables lm starring Anthony Perkins alongside interviews with Frances Ruffelle, Hugh Jackman, Nick Jonas, Tom Hooper, Alfie Boe, Amanda Seyfried, Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Anne Hathaway.

Les Misérables: The History of the World's Greatest Story

2013

The Hiding Place poster
6.9

Corrie and Betsie ten Boom are middle-aged sisters working in their father's watchmaker shop in pre-World War II Holland. Their uneventful lives are disrupted with the coming of the Nazis. Suspected of hiding Jews and caught breaking rationing rules, they are sent to a concentration camp, where their Christian faith keeps them from despair and bitterness.

The Hiding Place

1975

P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang poster
6.8

Summer, 1948. 14-year-old Alan has just three wishes: that there will be lasting peace, that England will win the Ashes, and that he will finally kiss classmate Ann. So when he's cast opposite her in a play that requires a kiss and England seem to be doing well in cricket, life couldn't be better.

P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang

1982

The Wildcats of St Trinian's poster
4.3

The girls of St Trinian's decide they are being asked to do too much work so they go on strike.

The Wildcats of St Trinian's

1980

Broadway's Lost Treasures II poster
8.3

The annual Tony Award broadcast provides the only filmed record of Broadway's best for audiences to experience as if they were front-row-center on opening night. This second compilation of great musical moments from the Tonys features another dazzling array of stars and performances. Hosts Lauren Bacall, Bebe Neuwirth, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jerry Orbach introduce these one-of-a-kind performances and share their personal Broadway and Tony memories.

Broadway's Lost Treasures II

2004

Devil's Tower poster
3.6

Abused, broke and down on her luck, Sarah is given a new shot at life when she moves into a new apartment. At first the apartment seems to have been the right choice for Sarah, she even meets some new friends including Sid (Jason Mewes). But before long tenants begin disappearing, when Sarah and Sid go looking for them, they discover an evil lurks, hell bent on not only taking over their building, but the city as well. As Sarah and Sid fight for survival, the bitter and vengeful ghost begins inhabiting the bodies of the tower’s tenants turning them to bloodthirsty zombies.

Devil's Tower

2014

Long Forgotten Fields poster
4.8

On Sam's return from military service, Lily sets her heart on revitalising their relationship, but with Sam's worsening PTSD isolating him from friends, family and the community, she too is drawn deeper into his post-war world.

Long Forgotten Fields

2017

Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream poster
NR

Les Miserables is the world's best-loved musical. It has been seen by 57 million people and in 2010 celebrated its 25th anniversary with its two largest ever productions at London's O2 Arena. Matt Lucas, a lifelong fan of 'Les Mis', was invited to fulfil his dream of performing in these shows alongside more than 300 stalwarts from previous productions. This documentary tells the story of a musical that many thought would fail, but which became a worldwide phenomenon with unforgettable songs like I Dreamed A Dream. We follow Matt as he prepares for the performance of a lifetime, we hear from those involved with the show's creation, including Cameron Mackintosh and Michael Ball, and of course we enjoy wonderful moments from the show itself.

Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream

2010

How to be Human poster
NR

If you were forced to flee your own war-ridden country, would you sacrifice what makes you human to survive?

How to be Human

2017

Les Misérables: In Concert at Hylands Park poster
NR

Proshot of the Chelmsford concert of Les Misérables on 24th August 1997.

Les Misérables: In Concert at Hylands Park

Marks poster
NR

Les is an aimless young man, unemployed and still living with his mother. He decides to give her a present - her name tattooed on his arm…

Marks

1982