Carol Drinkwater is an English-Irish actress, author and filmmaker. She cut her teeth at the National Theatre Company under the leadership of Laurence Olivier before acting in TV series including Bouquet of Barbed Wire and Golden Pennies.
She went on to star in many films including Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and An Awfully Big Adventure alongside Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman.
But the role she is best-loved for is as Helen Herriot in the BBC TV adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small alongside Robert Hardy.
How old is Carol Drinkwater?
Carol was born on 22 April 1948, making her 73 years old.
Who is Carol Drinkwater's husband?
Carol is married to French TV producer Michel Noll, who in 1987 launched his own production house Quartier Latin specialising in Children's programs and Documentaries.
Does Carol Drinkwater have a daughter or son?
No, Carol does not have any children but she is a step-mum to her husband Michel's two daughters. She told Yours, "When I was told by doctors that I wasn’t able to have children, I felt incomplete; less than a full woman. I’ve worked my way through that sadness and I realise I have other ways of being creative and nurturing, such as the land and my work."
Carol Drinkwater in All Creatures Great and Small
Carol is best known for her award-winning portrayal of Helen Herriot in the television adaptation of the James Herriot books, All Creatures Great and Small (1978–85), which led to her receiving the Variety Club Television Personality of the Year award in 1985.
In a recent article she wrote for the Daily Mail, Carol revealed that her relationship with her co-star Christopher Timothy was not an easy one, despite their on-screen chemistry.
'My earliest encounters with Chris were not the easiest.
'It took months before we found common ground; a basis for friendship. A friendship that later blossomed into a love affair. I think it’s fair to say that we didn’t hit it off in those early days.
'Yet viewers have often remarked on the obvious attraction between Chris and I. They claimed it shone out of the screen.
'Unfortunately, that’s not true. It wasn’t until after Chris’s terrifying car accident that we began to understand each other.'
Carol Drinkwater's books
Carol has written many books including The Forgotten Summer, The House on the Edge of the Cliff and Kindle single, A Simple Act of Kindness.
She has also written a number of children's books, the first of which, The Haunted School, was made into a Disney film.
Carol Drinkwater's The Olive Farm
Carol's most famous books are The Olive series about her experience on her olive farm in Provence. Two of these books The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil in the South of France and The Olive Route: A Personal Journey to the Heart of the Mediterranean were made into documentary films in 2013. Other books in the series include The Olive Tree, Return to the Olive Farm and The Olive Harvest.
Carol said of her experience of buying the olive farm: "I’ve always had an adventurous streak. Only six months after meeting my husband (filmmaker Michel Noll) we decided to buy an abandoned olive farm in the South of France. I barely knew him and my parents were holding their heads in their hands. 30 years later the farm is thriving, it’s a beautiful home and Michel and I are still very much in love. "
A year in Provence with Carol Drinkwater
We've really been enjoying Carol's most recent series where she invites audiences into her idyllic home in the South of France where she has lived for the past 35 years, to share her local secrets and show some of her favourite areas which have inspired her books.
From beekeeping and making music to gardening and making wine and perfume, it's been a real treat to escape to Carol's life.
If you've missed the series, you can catch up with Carol Drinkwater Secret Provence now on My5.
Carol Drinkwater on her mum
Carol recently told Yours: "My mother, Phyllis, died aged 91. She was my best friend and my guardian angel. My book, The Lost Girl, features a character called Kurtiz who is searching for her missing daughter. She meets an elderly actress, Marguerite, in a café who becomes her sort of guardian angel. Without realising it straight away, my mother inspired the character of Marguerite. I feel Mummy is still with me, helping me every minute of the day."