Storme Toolis
{{short description|British actress from London (born 1992)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Storme Toolis
| image =
| other_names =
| birth_name = Storme Toolis
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|11|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Actor
| known_for =
| spouse =
| children =
| parents = Dea Birkett
Kevin Toolis
}}
Storme Toolis (born 26 November 1992) is a British actress from London.{{Cite news|title=Storme Toolis: We need more disabled actors|language=en-GB|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/entertainment-arts-49810559|access-date=10 November 2020|work=BBC News|date=24 September 2019}}
Early life
Toolis was born and raised in London. Her father journalist Kevin Toolis was born in Edinburgh; his parents originated from Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland.{{Cite web|title=Daughter of Achill native hits small screen|url=https://www.mayonews.ie/?option=com_content&view=article&id=18413:daughter-of-achill-native-hits-small-screen&catid=23:news&Itemid=46|access-date=10 November 2020|website=The Mayo News|date=27 August 2013}} Her mother is Dea Birkett, a British television and print journalist from Surrey; she has a younger brother and a younger sister.{{cite news|author=Emma Broomfield |url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Magazine/a_life_in_the_day/article694558.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408225752/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Magazine/a_life_in_the_day/article694558.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 April 2014 |title=Storme on the horizon |website=The Sunday Times |date=14 August 2011 |access-date=3 September 2013}} Toolis spent seven years as an aspiring actress at the Ovalhouse.{{Cite web|title=Storme Toolis {{!}} Ovalhouse|url=https://www.ovalhouse.com/support/our-supporters/storme-toolis|access-date=10 November 2020|website=Ovalhouse}}
Career
She first appeared on film in Channel 4's The Inbetweeners as an extra, and then as a minor character in The Inbetweeners Movie, based on the earlier television series, subsequently joining the cast of New Tricks as Holly Griffin in August 2013 in series 10 episode 5, "Cry Me a River", of the show.
Toolis has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.{{cite web|url=http://kenningtonrunoff.com/kennington-actress-storme-toolis/ |title=Kennington actress Storme Toolis breaks TV taboos |publisher=Kennington Runoff |date=28 August 2013 |access-date=3 September 2013}}{{cite news|author=Dea Birkett |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8681292/My-daughter-stars-in-The-Inbetweeners-Movie-so-does-her-wheelchair.html |title=My daughter stars in The Inbetweeners Movie – so does her wheelchair |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=5 August 2011 |access-date=3 September 2013}} She is an advocate of the rights of disabled actors to play disabled roles.{{cite news|author=Jo Usmar |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/new-tricks-storme-toolis-what-2233214 |title=New Tricks' Storme Toolis: What you need to know about actress with cerebral palsy set to feature in 'TV's first disabled character sex scene' |website=Mirror Online |date=28 August 2013 |access-date=3 September 2013}}
For her role in New Tricks, Toolis was described as "one of the few disabled actors in Britain, and across the world, to play a minor role in a mainstream drama where the disability of her character is not a feature of the plot, and her role has been compared to Walt Jr in the US Breaking Bad series."{{cite news|author=Jo Usmar |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/should-only-disabled-actors-allowed-2233289 |title=Should only disabled actors be allowed to play disabled roles on TV? |website=Mirror Online |date=28 August 2013 |access-date=3 September 2013}}
Toolis also partook in the Malteser series of adverts for the Paralympics. The advert was praised for its portrayal of people with disabilities.{{Cite web|last=O'Connor|first=Rory|date=9 September 2016|title=WATCH: The 'brilliantly filthy' Maltesers advert that's got everybody talking|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/708906/WATCH-The-brilliantly-filthy-Maltesers-advert-thats-got-everybody-talking|access-date=10 November 2020|website=Express.co.uk|language=en}}
Toolis was the first disabled actress to take on the title role of Josephine in the West End version of the play A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.{{Cite web|date=16 September 2019|title=Storme Toolis: I put aside my fears to be first disabled Joe Egg star|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/day-in-the-death-of-joe-egg-cast-storme-toolis-a4237606.html|access-date=10 November 2020|website=Evening Standard|language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|nm4842975|name=Storme Toolis}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toolis, Storme}}
Category:British actors with disabilities
Category:Actresses from London
Category:British film actresses
Category:British people of Irish descent
Category:British stage actresses
Category:British television actresses
Category:British disability rights activists
Category:People with cerebral palsy
Category:British activists with disabilities
Category:British wheelchair users
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