Alice Maud Krige was born in Upington, South Africa on June 28, 1954 where her father, Dr. Louis Krige, worked as a young physician. The Kriges later moved to Port Elizabeth where Alice grew up in what she describes as a "very happy family," a family that also included two older brothers (Jake and Luke, who both became physicians) and her mother, Pat, a clinical psychologist. "I just remember it as being supremely safe and very warm," she says. "It was an absolutely golden childhood." Interestingly, she 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 she left the country to pursue an acting career in London...the South African system of apartheid would continue for yet another 18 years).
Although Alice appeared in various local stage productions as a child, including a performance as Juliet in a 1969 production of Romeo and Juliet at the Port Elizabeth Opera House, she had no dreams or aspirations of pursuing an acting career. As a child, she had actually wanted to become a dancer, but her father disapproved. When she later announced her decision to become a doctor, like her father and brothers, she was dissuaded by them for they predicted that she'd quickly abandon the profession for marriage and children and would therefore take up a place at medical school that they felt should go to a man. Instead then, Alice prepared to follow in the footsteps of her mother by earning an undergraduate degree in psychology and literature from Rhodes University in Grahamstown (graduating in 1975). As luck or fate would have it, however, she decided to "take up a bit of timetable" by enrolling in a drama class in order to make use of a free credit. This decision would prove to be a life-altering one, resulting in an honors degree in drama from Rhodes, 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."
Krige credits her mother with giving her the courage to follow where her career led. "My mother was a social worker when she married my father,"
she says. "They went into a desolate part of South Africa and started a practice. She ran the family and the financial side. Then when I was 13,
she went back to university with my father's love and encouragement and got several degrees. She's a very accomplished, compassionate therapist who has made a difference in a lot of people's lives. To have a vital mother who pursued her work with such a passion is probably why it seemed quite natural for me to go off and pursue acting in
England. It just seemed the way to be." *
Before leaving for England, Alice made her film debut in the 1975 South African production, Vergeet My Nie. She arrived in England at age 22 and began three years of study at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. Following this she had a tiny television role in a BBC production of The Happy Autumn Fields, but got her big break in 1980 playing "Sybil Gordon" in the Academy Award winning Best Picture, Chariots of Fire (released in 1981). She then appeared in the 1980 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, which was followed by her memorable, dual role as the avenging spirit in 1981's Ghost Story.
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. Following this early success on the stage, she then focused her career on the theatre by spending some time working with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company. During her two seasons with the RSC (1982-83), she 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, Alice returned to work in film and television and established a career that 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 Krige 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), she 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, of course, was the film Star Trek: First Contact (1996) for which she 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 one of the most commercial, mainstream films with which she has been involved. Due to the amount of make-up and prosthetics that the role required, however, she 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).
Of course the Trek phenomenon has clearly had a lasting impact on her career through her initiation into the world of Star Trek/Sci-fi conventions. These weekend-long conventions take place all over the US and Europe (primarily the UK and Germany) and feature "guests" such as Alice, who give presentations, sign autographs, etc. Although it's been over a decade since her first appearance as the "Borg Queen," she continues to remain a popular draw at these events.
In the new millennium, Alice's credits include such works as The Little Vampire (2000), a repeat performance as the "Borg Queen" in Star Trek Voyager: "End Game" (2001), Attila (2001), Dinotopia (2002), Reign of Fire (2002), Children of Dune (2003), a recurring guest role in the HBO series Deadwood (2005), Silent Hill (2006), Lonely Hearts (2007), The Contract (2007), Ten Inch Hero (2007) and Skin (2008). Upcoming projects include StringCaesar (2008), Solomon Kane (2008) and the stage production of Toyer (2009). In addition, she continues to make sporadic convention appearances and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in literature from Rhodes University (2004).
Alice Krige is married to writer/director, Paul B. Schoolman (61), whom she met on the set of Chariots of Fire. The couple, who married in 1988, have been working together with inmate actors on a film about the early life of Julius Caesar for over 20 years. 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 in what Krige desciribes as being an "itinerant" lifestyle.
Fun Facts: Alice Krige is a non-smoking, vegetarian who is two inches shorter than Tom Cruise (assuming he's actually 5'7"). Her upcoming film, Skin (2008), will be the first film since 1975 in which she'll portray a South African. |
