Victoria Shalet


Victoria Shalet is an English former actor, known for her role as Harmony in the CBBC adaptation of the Dick King-Smith book The Queen's Nose.

Acting

Victoria Jane Shalet was born in Enfield, Greater London, the only daughter of four children of Lawrence and Elaine Shalet. She is English on her mother's side and her father has Russian and Jewish heritage. She attended Southgate School. Shalet was sent to after-school acting, singing and dancing classes run by the local church, and the agent who ran the classes sent her for her first audition, for the BBC series Testimony of a Child. She won the role of Rosie Taylor and made her acting debut, the series airing in 1989.
She was next cast as Anna, the daughter of Miranda Richardson and Michael Kitchen's rowdy family, in Andrew Davies's Ball-Trap on the Cote Sauvage. In 1990 she attended an audition in America for Jim Henson, who cast her in Mother Goose Stories. Shalet later played the daughter of King Minos in Henson production The Greek Myths.
By this time Shalet was finding work all over the world. In 1991 she guest starred in two episodes of ITV's Spatz and an episode of the Dutch series Van Der Valk. She played her largest role to date in the French film The Maid, playing the bratty daughter of Jacqueline Bisset. The following year she was cast in Shining Through alongside Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith, John Gielgud and Liam Neeson. That same year she acted in two BBC series, Love Hurts and Natural Lies. In 1993 she played a role in Goggle Eyes, an adaptation of Anne Fine's award-winning novel, and two years later appeared in the film Haunted.
In 1995 she was cast in the role she became best known for, the BBC children's series The Queen's Nose. In a podtail interview Shalet mentioned that Carol Wiseman had previously worked with her on Goggle-Eyes and had wanted to work with the actress again, which led to Shalet being cast in The Queen's Nose. Shalet played the lead role of Harmony Parker, a lonely tomboy who is given a magic coin that grants wishes. The series quickly became a critical and popular success, winning a Royal Television Society Award and leading to Shalet appearing in various magazines and television interviews, including Blue Peter and Comic Relief. Shalet played the role for five years, juggling her filming commitments with her education, and eventually with other roles.
In 1997, after three years of playing Parker, she was cast in Andrew Davies' adaptation of his novel Getting Hurt, which aired the following year as part of BBC2's Obsessions season. The adult drama featured a scene of Nicholas Hope "photographically seducing her" which was described by the Times as one of the most powerful and chilling scenes in the drama. 1998 saw her make her stage debut, appearing in Philip Ridley's FairyTaleHeart at the Hampstead Theatre. She also acted in numerous radio dramas, including CS Lewis' The Last Battle in 1998, Ballet Shoes , The River and National Velvet .
Shalet left The Queen's Nose in 2000, returning for two cameoes in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Her next role was in The Vice, her character ultimately becoming a significant character and being revealed as the daughter of Ken Stott's Inspector Pat Chappel. In a podtail interview she said that it was the role she had wanted the most in her adult career that she actually succeeded in getting. She had also auditioned for the roles in both Junk and As If, but lost out both times to the actress Jemima Rooper.
Over the next few years, she guest starred in The Bill, Doctors, Midsomer Murders, Jonathan Creek and MIT: Murder Investigation Team, and appeared in the films The Affair of the Necklace, Eroica and in David Jason's semi autobiographical drama The Quest. Despite critical acclaim for her stage role in the 2005 Salisbury Playhouse production of My Mother Said I Never Should and a 2007 fringe theatre production of The Things Good Men Do, screen roles dried up, and Shalet worked primarily in voice-overs and TV commercials, also acting in several short films.

Personal life

Shalet is the second cousin of the actress Kacey Barnfield.
She previously dated reporter and economist Conor Woodman, who lists her among his dedications in his 2011 book Unfair Trade.
By 2012 Shalet was becoming increasingly disenchanted with acting, and decided to change careers.
In 2013 she then became engaged to actor Adam James, and they married in September 2015. Their first child was born in September 2016, and she is stepmother to his daughter from a previous relationship.

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1989ScreenplayRosie TaylorEpisode: "Testimony of a Child"
1989Ball Trap on the Cote SauvageAnnaScreen One
1990Jim Henson's Mother Goose StoriesDorothy / Jenny 2 Episodes
1991Van der ValkBrigid van HoornEpisode: "A Sudden Silence"
1991SpatzEmily Jane MudgeEpisodes:
"Star Attraction"
"Talent Contest"
1991The Storyteller: Greek MythsKing Minos' 2nd DaughterEpisode: "Daedalus & Icarus"
1991The Maid/ Un Amour de BanquierMarie, Jacqueline's DaughterTV Movie
1992Love HurtsBen Hamilton3 Episodes
1992Thinkabout ScienceHeatherEpisode: "Soap and Bubbles"
1992Natural LiesSally FellTV Mini-Series; 3 Episodes
1993Goggle-EyesJude KillenTV Mini-Series; 4 Episodes
1995–2001The Queen's NoseHarmony ParkerMain role; 24 Episodes
1998Getting HurtClare CrossBBC2 Obsessions series
1999ChucklevisionComic Relief Special
2001The ViceSarah Farrell3 Episodes
2001The BillSophieEpisode: "Crush"
2002The QuestVivienneTV Movie
2002/2009Midsomer MurdersJulia Carter / Melony Episodes:
"Murder on St Malley's Day"
"The Black Book"
2003Jonathan CreekCarrie BergmanEpisode: "The Tailor's Dummy"
2003EroicaKirstinTV Movie
2004Every Seven YearsWaitressShort Film
2005M.I.T.:Murder Investigation TeamNurse1 Episode
2007DoctorsBeth PritchardEpisode: "The Story Of My Life"
2008CloseMagsShort Film
2008We Saw ZebrasMotherShort Film
2009–2012DoctorsPC Vickie HiltonRecurring role

Film

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Dragon Quest VIIIPrincess MedeaVoice