Clare Grogan's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Red Dwarf (UK) Kristine Ko…

Main Movie Roles 2006 - The Penalty King 1984 - Comfort And Joy

BIOGRAPHY:

Clare Grogan (born Claire Patricia Grogan, 17 March 1962, Glasgow) is a Scottish actress and singer. She is sometimes credited as C. P. Grogan.
Early life Grogan and her two sisters all attended the Notre Dame Convent School. She was discovered by film director Bill Forsyth when she was waitressing in a Glasgow restaurant. She subsequently shot to fame at the age of 19 in Forsyth's film Gregory's Girl.
Singing career Grogan developed her singing career as the lead singer of Altered Images, originally a five-piece that included Johnny McElhone (later of the Scottish rock band Texas), whom she met while studying for her Highers. It became a four-person band with the departure of two members and the addition of Stephen Lironi, who played both guitar and drums. The band had a string of hits in the early 1980s, including "Happy Birthday", "Don't Talk To Me About Love", "I Could Be Happy" and "See Those Eyes". The group split up after the release of their third album, Bite (1983).
Grogan later attempted a solo career, but after her single "Love Bomb" failed to gain chart success in 1987, her album Trash Mad was never released. Grogan formed Universal Love School in 1989 with Lironi, performing a series of gigs around the UK. However, it was short-lived and produced no hit singles. In 2000 she contributed vocals to the song "Night Falls Like a Grand Piano" on The 6ths' album Hyacinths and Thistles. She recorded a version of "Angels With Dirty Faces" for the Frankie Miller tribute album. The track "Her Hooped Dream" appears on The Ultimate Celtic Album.
In 2002, Grogan performed as "Altered Images" on the Here and Now Tour which featured other famous acts from the 1980s. She performed on similar tours in 2005, 2008 and 2009. She appeared with Chesney Hawkes, Toyah Willcox and Limahl as The 80s Supergroup in the 2011 series of Let's Dance for Comic Relief.[1]
Acting career Her breakthrough role was in Gregory's Girl as the character Susan in 1981. Obliged to appear as C. P. Grogan because there was already a member of Equity named Claire Grogan (the other Claire Grogan went on to become a photographer), she would later drop the i from her first name. Grogan almost lost the part after being cast when she suffered a severe facial wound in a Glasgow pub just weeks prior to filming. However, director Bill Forsyth refused to recast the role and Grogan was filmed mostly profile; when filmed in close up, makeup artists covered Grogan's scar with morticians wax.[2]




TRIVIA:

• Had success as lead singer of "Altered Images", including hits "Happy Birthday" and "I Could Be Happy", from 1980.
• Adopted daughter Lucia in 2005.
• Was obliged to appear on television as "C.P. Grogan" because there was already a Clare Grogan in Equity (the British Actors Union).
• Appeared in a British girls' teen magazine "My Guy" in a 1981 photo story as "Gemma Tate".
• Married record producer Stephen Lironi in Glasgow in 1994. Like Clare he is also a former member of "Altered Images" (guitar/drums).