Alice Krige

Biography: Alice Maud Krige was born in Upington, South Africa on June 28, 1954. She grew up primarily in Port Elizabeth in what she describes as a "very happy family." Interestingly, Alice also grew up without television, something which the actress calls a "huge black hole in my education" (South Africa didn't start getting television until 1976, a year after Alice left the country to pursue an acting career in London...the South African system of apartheid would continue for yet another 18 years).

Apparently while growing up, Ms. Krige had no dreams or aspirations of pursuing an acting career. Instead, she prepared to follow in the footsteps of her mother, a clinical psychologist. She attended Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa where she pursued an undergraduate degree in psychology and literature (graduating in 1975). As luck or fate would have it, however, Alice happened to have one free credit during her senior year. Thus in her effort to "take up a bit of timetable," Alice chose to take an drama class at the suggestion of her parents, Louis and Pat. This experience would prove to be a life-altering one for Ms. Krige, resulting in an honors degree in drama, a move to London and a new career path. As Alice explains, "I really got into it and it took over my life... it became my life-calling, all consuming."

After arriving in England, Ms. Krige began three years of study at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. Her first professional acting performance was a tiny role in a 1979 BBC "Play for Today." This was followed by her role as "Sybil Gordon" in the Academy Award winning Best Picture, Chariots of Fire (released in 1981). Alice then did the 1980 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Also in 1981, Alice debuted in a West End theatre production of Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, for which she received the honors of both a Plays and Players Award and a Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer.

It was this early success in theatre that Ms. Krige decided to focus on next by spending some time working with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company. During her three and a half years with the RSC, Alice performed in such productions as King Lear, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew and Cyrano de Bergerac (*click here to listen to Alice speak about her RSC experiences).

After her stint with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Ms. Krige returned to work in film and television. Her career could best be described as an eclectic mix of both mediums. She appeared in a diverse range of films, such as King David (1985), Barfly (1987), Haunted Summer (1988), Code Name: Chaos (1988) and See You in the Morning (1989). Her work in television included critically acclaimed mini-series, such as Ellis Island (1984) and Wallenberg: A Hero's Story (1985), as well as a healthy dose of what Alice herself calls, "kitchen sink dramas."

This eclectic trend continued into the 1990s. In addition to numerous roles in television (including appearances on Beverly Hills, 90201 and Becker), Alice also appeared in the films Sleepwalkers (1992), Institute Benjamenta (1995), Donor Unknown (1995), Amanda (1996), Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997), Habitat (1997), The Commissioner (1998) and Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999). One notable standout, however, is the film Star Trek: First Contact (1996) for which Ms. Krige won a 1997 Saturn Award for her portrayal of the "Borg Queen" (*click here to listen to Alice speak about this role). This is without a doubt the most commercial, mainstream film with which she has been involved. Due to the amount of make-up and prosthetics that the role required, however, Alice claims that even today she is still most recognized from her role in 1981's Ghost Story (*click here to listen to Alice speak on this subject).

One obvious and lasting impact of Ms. Krige's experience with Star Trek: First Contact has been her initiation into the world of Star Trek/Sci-fi conventions. These weekend-long conventions take place all over the US and Europe (primarily in the UK and Germany). They feature "guests," such as Alice, who give presentations, sign autographs, etc.

The new millenium finds Ms. Krige with several new projects to her credit, which include such works as The Little Vampire (2000), Star Trek Voyager: "End Game" (2001), Attila (2001), Dinotopia (2002), Reign of Fire (2002) and Children of Dune (2003). Upcoming projects include the films Shadow of Fear and Deadly Friends, a film about the life of Julius Caesar, a Natalie Wood bio-film, the Borg Invasion 4D theme park attraction and a tv docu-drama about the series Dynasty. In addition, Ms. Krige continues to make sporadic convention appearances and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in literature from Rhodes University.

Alice Krige is married to director, Paul Schoolman, and lives what she describes as an "itinerant" lifestyle. Although she and her husband maintain a permanent home in the United States (Malibu, CA), they spend much of their time living and working abroad.… Expand