Nicola Cowper - Career

Career

Cowper's career began in the 1980s. She made early appearances on television in programmes such as Break in the Sun (1981), S.W.A.L.K (1982) and Minder (1984) and then went on to appear in several feature films. Her film credits include Dreamchild; (1985); Underworld (1985); Lionheart (1987) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (1989). Leading film directors David Puttnam and Francis Ford Coppola tipped Cowper "for the top" after she appeared in the American films Lionheart and Dreamchild— her performance in Dreamchild has been described as "excellent" and "impressive". However, it has since been commented that Cowper "never went onto consolidate her career" and "fairly much vanished into occasional appearances on British television."

Cowper has since appeared in a variety of British television series, which includes: Inspector Morse (1991); Rides (1992–1993); Casualty (1992); Holby City (2000); The Bill; Devices and Desires (1990); as Deborah Wade in the BBC's Real Men (2003); as Edith West in The Grand (1998) and Judge John Deed (2007), among others. She has also played the recurring character Gina Williams—the sister of Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins)—in BBC's EastEnders on three separate occasions—she first appeared in 1998, then returned briefly in 1999 and she reprised the role again in 2007. However, Cowper is possibly best known for playing D.S Helen Diamond in three series of the BBC's police drama, Dangerfield, between 1996 and 1999.