Books and Wands - Biography

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"It’s gotten to the stage where my father, who lives in
Ireland, sometimes has people driving to his house with their
children to see the place where Harry Potter’s [grandparents]
live. It does take a bit of head bending to work that out; 'you
know Mrs. Dursley's dad lives there.' And then somehow the book
has a life beyond the book! It’s incredible!"

Vital Stats:

Fiona Shaw

Full Name:

hilomena Mary Wilson

Nickname:

e Fe

Date of Birth:

0 July 1958

Place of Birth:

County Cork, Ireland

Siblings:

---

Fiona Shaw was born to an eye surgeon father, Denis, and physicist
mother, Mary. Christened Philomena, she liked to be called “FeFe”
as a young girl which may have led to her adopting ‘Fiona’ later
in life; unfortunately, not much information is available on the
subject.

She found her love of performance at school in poetry competitions
– the spark created by reading poetry ignited into a much greater
passion. Her pragmatic father, however, persuaded her to get a
university degree before pursuing acting.

Relenting, she studied philosophy at University College Cork and
received her BA Honors degree before training at the Royal Academy
of Dramatic Arts, or RADA, in London. There she won the Bancroft
Gold Medal and made her professional debut as Rosaline in Love's
Labor's Lost in 1982.

Journalist Richard Covington described Shaw as a “fixture with the
Royal Shakespeare Company and London's National Theatre.” Since
her 1983 appearance in the National Theatre’s production of The
Rivals, Shaw has shown herself to be a preeminent force on the
world stage. Often heralded as “one of our finest classical
actresses” and even “the next Vanessa Redgrave,” Shaw maintains a
strong sense of self and humility.

The proof, however, is in the pudding, as they say. Shaw has won
two London Evening Standard Awards, two London Critics' Awards, a
Drama Desk Award, a Theater World Award, a Tony nomination, and
has been nominated for an Olivier Award four times and won twice!

Her talent coupled with her independent nature has risen more than
a few eyebrows. Controversy over her performance of Shakespeare’s
Richard II – as the title character – had many in the British
press asking questions, but those questions soon turned into
applause.

From Richard II, Shaw gained critical and popular acclaim as well
as a lasting partnership with director, Deborah Warner. The two –
often referred to as the “Terrible Two” – have continued to work
together for 20 years.

Their collaboration has resulted in a slew of awards and accolades
for the talented pair. In 2007, they worked together on Beckett’s
Happy Days. The play traveled from the London stage, across
Europe, eventually landing on stage in NYC at BAM where the New
York audiences went crazy for Shaw.

Perhaps best known - or at least most widely known - as Aunt
Petunia in the Harry Potter film series, Shaw is a talented and
well-established actor and brings years of experience and
professionalism to the set. She is as proud to be a part of such a
monumental production as she is to be known for her work on stage.
When asked by Gothamist.com in 2007 about Aunt Petunia, she jokes
that the Potter films have made her very popular with kids.

Biography:

Honors and Awards: