One-half of the Britpack's "It-couple" (with husband Jude Law), the lovely, lively blue-eyed Sadie Frost has eschewed Hollywood for the more authentic experience of acting in independent films. The product of a free-wheeling, bohemian childhood, she began her career at the age of three in a Jelly Tots commercial and won a scholarship at the age of 11 to London's Italia Conti Academy, a private theatrical conservatory. Although she made her film debut starring in "A Horse Called Jester" (1980) while still a pre-teen, she dropped out of acting briefly during her rebellious "punk" years, returning to work primarily onstage and in British TV before playing a small role in the feature thriller "Empire State" (1987). She attracted some attention as Gabriel Byrne's sexually active little sister in "Diamond Skulls" (1989), a stylish melodrama about sex and violence among the British aristocracy, and also appeared in Peter Medak's popular crime film "The Krays" (1990), co-starring her then-husband, Gary Kemp.
Frost's work in "Diamond Skulls" helped her land the role of Lucy Westenra, the flirtatious, upper-crust adventuress turned blood-sucking vampire in Francis Ford Coppola's operatic "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992). Sinking her teeth into the vivacious, quirky portrayal of the spooky, tragic vampire victim, Frost won some of the film's best notices, but her compelling performance also helped typecast her as a gothic presence, making it hard for her to find a good follow-up project. Her next three films went largely unnoticed by the movie-going public: the zany Brit comedy "Splitting Heirs" (1993, with Rick Moranis), the gritty crime drama "Shopping" (1994, opposite Law), and the multi-national fairy tale "Magic Hunter" (also 1994). Frost finally hit the jackpot again as the tough American waitress and love object in the dark comedy "A Pyromanic's Love Story" (1995). Disgusted with the type of roles offered, she formed Natural Nylon with fellow actors Law, Jonny Lee Miller, Sean Pertwee and Ewan McGregor, and the production company received its first producing credit on David Cronenberg's "eXistenZ" (1999), starring Law.
Terrible reviews for her work in "Crimetime" (1996) did nothing for Frost's career, and following a small role as one of Max's friends in the acclaimed "Bent" (1997), she appeared in the seafaring mess "Captain Jack" (1998) and the aptly named "Rancid Aluminum" (1999). Reteaming with "The Krays" producers Ray Burdis and Dominic Anciano on their feature writing-directing debut, "Final Cut" (1999), and their follow-up, "Love, Honor and Obey" (2000), offered her the chance to work improvisationally as both projects invited the public to eavesdrop on loosely-scripted hymns to spontaneity featuring talented casts (i.e., Law, Ray Winstone). Whereas "Final Cut" was the worst kind of pretentious self-indulgence in which all of the characters were despicable, "Love, Honor and Obey" (2000) managed to be fun (with its silly costumes and Viagra jokes) as the filmmakers returned to the improvisational comedy which made their reputations on the award-winning BBC2 series "Operation Good Guys". Frost, playing a soap star, made her film singing debut with a karaoke rendition of the 1971 hit "When You Are a King".
Family
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Daughter: Iris Law. accidentally ingested an Ecstasy tablet found on the floor at a children s party at London club the Soho House on October 5, 2002; treated and released in good health
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Father: David Vaughn. painted John Lennon s Rolls Royce; admitted to an asylum in the 1960s after a bad LSD experience; jailed in 1994 for anarchy ; was seventeen at time of Frost s birth
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Mother: Mary Davidson. was sixteen and unmarried when Frost was born; ran away to London and hid after giving birth; performed in Manchester; worked in Camden Lock antiques market, and in the summers packed up an old Citroen and travelled across Europe with her five daughters
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Sister: Holly Frost. younger
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Son: Finley Kemp. born c. 1990
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Son: Rafferty Law. born in 1995
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Son: Rudy Law. born five weeks premature
Education
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Hampstead Comprehensive, London, England
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Italia Conti Academy, London, England
Milestones
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1970 Appeared in a Jelly Tots commercial at the age of three (date approximate)
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1971 Confined to a hospital at age four with a collapsed lung (date approximate)
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1978 Won a scholarship at age 11 to the Italia Conti Academy, a private theatrical conservatory (date approximate)
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1980 Film debut, A Horse Called Jester
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1981 Ran away to Liverpool and shaved her head at age 14; found and returned to conservatory but promptly expelled (date approximate)
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1983 Returned to acting at age 16 (date approximate)
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1986 Acted in director Matthew Jacobs s debut short film, Vardo
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1986 Became a member of Manchester s Royal Exchange Theatre (date approximate), where she appeared in Mumbo Jumbo , the only female in a cast of 14
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1987 Was featured in the English thriller Empire State
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1989 Attracted some attention in the US for her work in Diamond Skulls , helping her to land Dracula role
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1989 Had recurring role on the popular British children s show The Press Gang
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1990 Appeared in Peter Medak s English gangster film, The Krays , starring first husband Gary Kemp and his twin brother Martin
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1992 American film debut in Francis Ford Coppola s version of Bram Stoker s Dracula ; played the free-spirited Lucy Westenra
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1993 Acted with John Cleese and Eric Idle, among others, in Splitting Heirs
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1994 First film with future husband Jude Law, Shopping ; played his girlfriend
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1994 Starred opposite Gary Kemp in Hungarian helmer Ildiko Enyedi s fantasy thriller Magic Hunter
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1995 Played a spunky American waitress in A Pyromaniac s Love Story
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1997 Had small role as one of Max s friends in Bent ; Law also appeared as a stormtrooper
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1998 Filmed the role of Mrs. Cheveley in a modern-dress version of Oscar Wilde s An Ideal Husband ; unreleased as of April 2000
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1999 Acted in Ray Burdis and Dominic Anciano s feature writing-directing debut, Final Cut , an infuriating piece of cinema verite that also featured Law; she had previously worked with the pair as producers of The Krays
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2000 Arrested in Berlin, Germany after becoming stuck in an elevator in the apartment block where Law was staying while filming in the city; when she told police she had left her passport in her husband s apartment, they refused to believe her and locked her up for eight hours
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2000 Co-starred as Rhys Ifans lover in the critically drubbed Rancid Aluminum
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2000 Made screen singing debut covering the White Plains 1971 hit When You Are a King in Love, Honor and Obey , written and directed by Burdis and Anciano; Law, Miller, Pertwee and Ifans also featured
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2000 Portrayed young governness in Presence of Mind , an adaptation of Henry James Turn of the Screw with Harvey Keitel and Lauren Bacall
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2001 Had featured role in the NBC miniseries Uprising ; briefly released in theaters after its TV showing; also released theatrically in Europe in 2002
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Appeared on stage and in children s films
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Formed production company Natural Nylon with fellow actors Law, Jonny Lee Miller, Sean Pertwee and Ewan McGregor; company received a producing credit on David Cronenberg s eXistenZ (1999), starring Law
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Raised by her mother and a succession of different men, the last a follower of the Indian mystic Baghwan Shree Rajneesh