Daughter of publisher and literary agent Roger Schlesinger, and niece of his siblings director John Schlesinger and actress Susan Maryott. Her mother, a stage manager, was a niece of Peggy Ashcroft, and is thought to be the sister of Margaret Ashcroft.
Great niece of Dame Peggy Ashcroft.
The romance of Jane Austen's novels were partly responsible for inspiring her to become an actress.
Left drama school in 1984.
Her first job was as a fairy and maids in Regents Park Open Air Theatre.
West End debut as Pandora in 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole' in 1987.