Genevieve Barr

Genevieve Barr was born on the 12 December 1985 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire to parents Robert and Caroline. She is the oldest of four siblings, with a sister Antonia, 25 and twin siblings Robbie and Sabrina aged 17.Born profoundly deaf, the doctors told her parents that she would never learn to speak or fully adapt to a hearing world. Despite this, Genevieve attended mainstream primary school and went onto Harrogate Ladies College as a day pupil. She achieved top grades at GCSE and a full set of As at A Level. She also played sport at a high level, competing nationally and internationally in high-board diving, playing lacrosse for Scotland and rounders for England.Genevieve was known by her teachers to be doubly cheeky and passionate. She was also a dreamer. Whilst she loved acting, time and time again she was encouraged to go up for the main parts in school plays and was rejected every time. She never knew whether this was because of the speech impediment that came naturally with profound deafness or because of a lack of acting talent. This was a difficult and sensitive issue for her, and with her academic abilities she opted to go to Edinburgh University to study English and History.Genevieve graduated Edinburgh University in 2008 with an MA(Hons) in English Literature and History, receiving the Anne Lewis History prize for outstanding results. Whilst at university, Genevieve continued to play lacrosse for Scotland.Whilst at University, Genevieve applied for the Teach First graduate scheme, similar to Teach America and was the first ever deaf person to get in. Teach First is a challenging graduate scheme, which provides six weeks gruelling teaching training before sending its graduates to failing or impoverished schools around the country. Genevieve went to teach English at an inner city secondary comprehensive in South London.This was a huge challenge for her - her deafness was not a forgiving trait in the classroom, and it was a huge battle to earn the respect of pupils and teachers alike. However, she worked hard and embraced this steep learning curve and it prepared her for other battles in ways in which she could not have envisioned.In the summer of 2009, a close friend from university contacted her and asked her if she would audition for a deaf part in a Channel 4 comedy, 'The Amazing Dermot' produced by Rough Cut productions. Genevieve decided to audition and got the part. It was a cathartic time for her, she loved every second of it but mentally restrained herself - viewing it as a one-off exciting opportunity. When she finished, she went straight back to school and into her second year of teaching with renewed confidence and determination.A few months into teaching, Genevieve was approached by a casting director who was auditioning deaf and hearing people to play the lead role in BBC1 drama 'The Silence'. 'The Silence' was the story of a deaf teenager who witnesses a murder, who is also adapting to hearing for the first time after a cochlea implant operation. Genevieve auditioned after school hours and finally got the part. Genevieve filmed in Dublin for four months, and 'The Silence' came out in July 2010 to rave reviews.Genevieve was nominated for a BAFTA and an International Emmy for best actress.Since then, Genevieve has been working hard with a speech coach to improve the clarity of her voice, as well as expanding into different accents.In 2011, Genevieve gained her first hearing role, playing Maddie in BBC3 BAFTA award winning drama series 'The Fades', going on to play roles in Channel 4 BAFTA award winning comedy series 'Shameless' and film several other television and film roles.Genevieve keeps busy in many ways, with her charity work for Hear the World, Action on Hearing Loss and AFASIC - a charity for children with speech, language and communication difficulties.Genevieve also runs acting courses and workshops with the aim of widening the talent pool of disabled actors and building their confidence and skills. Genevieve is also a professional lip-reader - for the media, law, courts, police and private investigators.Genevieve speaks regularly at events, notable occasions being at the House of Commons, House of Lords and the BBC. At the end of 2011, Genevieve was awarded with Yorkshire's Young Achiever of the Year, due to her achievements in the arts industry.In her spare time, Genevieve plays rugby for Hackney Rugby club and has recently taken on the role of Club Secretary. She also likes to play tennis, squash, netball and spend quality time with her friends and family. Show less «