Dubliner Helen Roche is a graduate of the Brendan Smith Theatre Academy, although her route to acting came via music. Having studied violin and piano at the Dublin College of Music she gradually realised that she’d rather be up on the stage than down in the orchestra pit. Helen has lived and worked in places as diverse as Nairobi, Singapore and Perth WA, not to mention touring Ireland, north and south, many times over.

Early TV appearances included KILMORE HOUSE and SCRUPLES. Favourite theatre roles include Judith Hearne (Brian Moore’s BELFAST), M’Lynn (STEEL MAGNOLIAS), Nurse (ROMEO AND JULIET), and Mrs Hardcastle (SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER).

Helen’s career then took a change of direction as she set up and developed Stagecoach Theatre Arts Schools for children in Dublin over an eight-year period. (The company continues to thrive under new management.)

Since returning to the acting profession, Helen has played in a couple of seasons of TV’s FAIR CITY; she has also been a thieving nun in MATTIE (RTE), a murderess in MARU: THE MURDER OF JOHN COUSINS (TG4), a dotty disco dancer in FRAN2,(Setanta), and a bewildered neighbour in ROY2 (BBC).

Most recently she played Jim Norton’s long-suffering wife in TV3’s DECEPTION.

Helen is also an experienced radio drama performer and has voiced countless TV and radio commercials down through the years.