Jacqueline Boatswain was born in Bedford on June 22nd 1962 and as a child demonstrated a musical talent, attending ballet school in London at age seventeen. For some fifteen years she sang and danced on the West End stage in the RSC's 'Kiss Me, Kate', 'Jesus Christ, Superstar' and the revivals of 'Carousel' and 'Chicago'. In the early 2000s it was suggested to her that she should turn her hand to acting and in 2003, after a four week spell in hospital soap 'Casualty' she took on the role of the headmistress in school drama 'Grane Hill', remaining there for three years. Since then she has appeared in other long running series - 'East Enders', 'Hollyoaks' and as the pretentious Patreesha in 'Shameless' as well as a rather sinister scientist in the children's fantasy 'Wolfblood'. On stage she has appeared in 'Coriolanus', 'One Monkey Don't Stop No Show', James Baldwin's 'The Amen Corner' with Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Sharon D. Clarke and Sarah Rutherford's 'Adult Supervision', the last three being plays dealing with racial concerns.