Biography
Claire Bloom is an English actress. Born Patricia Claire Blume on 15 February 1931 in Finchley, Middlesex, she trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She made her stage debut at sixteen and appeared in Shakespeare productions including Ophelia in Hamlet at Stratford-upon-Avon.
Bloom's film breakthrough came with a leading role opposite Charlie Chaplin in Limelight (1952). She is known for roles such as Theodora in The Haunting (1963), Nancy Perry in The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Hera in Clash of the Titans (1981), Miriam Rosenthal in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Queen Mary in The King's Speech (2010). She has also worked extensively in theatre and television.
She has received two BAFTA Awards and was appointed CBE in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to drama.
