# Kate Ashfield
**Kate Ashfield** (born 1972) is a British actress, writer, and producer best known to international audiences for playing Liz, Simon Pegg's girlfriend, in the zombie comedy *Shaun of the Dead* (2004).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) She won a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for *Late Night Shopping* (2001) and a [Royal Television Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-television-society) award for the television film *This Little Life* (2003).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) |
| Signature role | Liz in *Shaun of the Dead* (2004), opposite Simon Pegg[3](https://www.focusfeatures.com/shaun_of_the_dead) |
| BIFA record | Won Best Actress 2001 for *Late Night Shopping*; nominated 2000 for *The Low Down* and 2003 for *This Little Life*[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate) |
| RTS award | Best Actor – Female, 2004, for *This Little Life*[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-ashfield/bio/3030230254/) |
| Writing credits | Creator of *Born to Kill* (2017), *Man in Room 301* (2019), and *Süü* (2021)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) |
| Recent roles | Mary Parker in *Sanditon* (2019–2023), Detective Alison Brown in *Harlan Coben's Lazarus* (2025)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40797/kate-ashfield) |
## Early life and training
Ashfield was born in 1972.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) Her birthplace is reported inconsistently: IMDb and Encyclopedia.com give Oldham, Lancashire, England, while TMDB and Entertainment.ie state Birmingham, England.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate) • [6](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11110-kate-ashfield) A London Evening Standard profile describes her as Birmingham-raised.[7](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/rising-star-kate-ashfield-6311615.html) She graduated in drama from Rose Bruford College in Kent, having previously worked in ordinary jobs including for the soft-drinks company Britvic and as a waitress.[7](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/rising-star-kate-ashfield-6311615.html)
## Acting career
Ashfield began in features with a small part in the period drama *Princess Caraboo* (1994), then guest-starred in British television series including the military drama *[Soldier Soldier](https://www.edgepedia.org/soldier-soldier)*, the miniseries *No Bananas*, and the comedy *Fist of Fun*.[8](https://www.fandango.com/people/kate-ashfield-26754/biography) **Independent film recognition.** Her performance as Ruby in Jamie Thraves's *The Low Down* (2000) brought a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) nomination, and she won BIFA Best Actress for playing Jody in Saul Metzstein's *Late Night Shopping* (2001).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate) In 2001 she was named one of European films' Shooting Stars by European Film Promotion.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) She earned a further BIFA nomination for the television film *This Little Life* (2003), in which she played Sadie MacGregor, and won the Royal Television Society award for Best Actor – Female for the same role in 2004.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-ashfield/bio/3030230254/)
**Shaun of the Dead.** In 2004 she played Liz in [Edgar Wright](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgar-wright)'s comedy-horror *Shaun of the Dead*, alongside [Simon Pegg](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-pegg), Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, and [Penelope Wilton](https://www.edgepedia.org/penelope-wilton).[3](https://www.focusfeatures.com/shaun_of_the_dead) Accounts of her career credit the film's success with introducing international audiences to her work and leading to steadier television roles.[8](https://www.fandango.com/people/kate-ashfield-26754/biography) She received an Empire Award nomination for Best British Actress for the film in 2005.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate)
**Television work.** Her subsequent credits include the BBC miniseries version of *The Diary of Anne Frank*, the comedy series *Never Better* (2008), the miniseries *Collision*, and the films *United* (2011) and *Late Bloomers* (2011).[8](https://www.fandango.com/people/kate-ashfield-26754/biography) In recent years she played Mary Parker in *Sanditon* (2019–2023), Yvonne Fulcher in *A Confession* (2019), Rachel in *Life* (2020), and Joanne Webster in *Moonflower Murders* (2024).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) In 2025 she starred as Detective Alison Brown in *Harlan Coben's Lazarus*, a Prime Video thriller series with six episodes.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40797/kate-ashfield)
## Stage and voice work
Ashfield has an extensive stage background, including the role of Cate in [Sarah Kane](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-kane)'s *Blasted* at the Royal Court in 1995, Alice in Patrick Marber's *Closer* at the Lyric Theatre in the West End, Cecily in *The Importance of Being Earnest* at the Royal Exchange Theatre, and Irina in *Three Sisters* with [Bristol Old Vic](https://www.edgepedia.org/bristol-old-vic), the Royal Court, and Out of Joint.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate) • [7](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/rising-star-kate-ashfield-6311615.html) A Birkbeck thesis notes that her portrayal of Cate in the original 1995 *Blasted* production depicted the character with a developmental disability, playing her as extremely vulnerable.[9](https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40449/1/Thesis%20Full%20postviva%20final%20digital-merged.pdf) She has also done voice work, playing Primrose in the animated series *Watership Down* (1999), Nikki in the [BBC Radio 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio-4) play *Island*, and Atal in *His Dark Materials* (2022).[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/)
## Writing and producing
Since 2017 Ashfield has worked behind the camera as a creator, writer, and executive producer. She created and wrote the television miniseries *Born to Kill* (2017), created and wrote *Man in Room 301* (2019), and served as executive producer on both *Born to Kill* and *Man in Room 301*; she created the series *Süü* (2021).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/) Her television writing brought a British Screenwriters' Award nomination for Best Crime Writing on [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) in 2017 and a BAFTA Cymru nomination for Best Television Drama in 2018.[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-ashfield/bio/3030230254/)
## References
1. [Kate Ashfield, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038918/)
2. [Ashfield, Kate, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ashfield-kate)
3. [Shaun of the Dead, Focus Features](https://www.focusfeatures.com/shaun_of_the_dead)
4. [Kate Ashfield Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-ashfield/bio/3030230254/)
5. [Kate Ashfield, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40797/kate-ashfield)
6. [Kate Ashfield, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11110-kate-ashfield)
7. [Rising star – Kate Ashfield, London Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/rising-star-kate-ashfield-6311615.html)
8. [Kate Ashfield Biography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/kate-ashfield-26754/biography)
9. [Sarah Kane performance scholarship, Birkbeck ORBIT thesis repository](https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40449/1/Thesis%20Full%20postviva%20final%20digital-merged.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames A to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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