Biography
Raquel Cassidy is an English actress. Born on 22 January 1968 in Fleet, Hampshire, she was educated at Farnborough Hill Convent and studied modern languages at Girton College, Cambridge. She began a PhD in biological anthropology but left to pursue acting.
Her television roles include Susan Gately in Teachers (2001–2002), Jo Porter in Party Animals (2007), Mel in Lead Balloon (2006–2011), and Phyllis Baxter in Downton Abbey (2013–2015). She reprised the latter role in the feature films Downton Abbey (2019), Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025). The Downton Abbey ensemble won a Screen Actors Guild Award. Other credits include appearances in Doctor Who (2005) and The Worst Witch (2017).
