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Sophie Lawrence (born in Ilford,Essex, England in 1972) is an English actress, best known for playing the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders.

Lawrence initially trained to be a dancer, but after tearing a muscle in her groin she was forced to give it up and she turned to acting instead. She trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and during this time she secured her first acting role when she became a regular cast member in BBC's Grange Hill. After graduating from drama school in 1988, Lawrence was instantly cast as Diane Butcher, the bohemian daughter of Frank Butcher (Mike Reid), in the popular soap opera EastEnders. She remained in the role until 1991, and returned for three brief stints in 1993, 1994 and 1997.

Lawrence initially quit her role in EastEnders to launch herself as a pop star. She enjoyed minor chart success in 1991 when her cover of Donna Summer's 1977 classic hit Love's Unkind (produced by Pete Hammond and Simon Cowell) reached number 21 in the UK singles chart. She went on to work with the successful pop writers and producers, Stock Aitken and Waterman, recording a follow-up single entitled Secrets, a track taken from Kylie Minogue's 'Rhythm Of Love album. However, the single was withdrawn before its release, her pop career stalled and she returned to acting.

Lawrence's other notable television credits include Brother Cadfael (1994) with Derek Jacobi and playing Neil Morrissey's girlfriend in the BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly (1995). She has also tried her hand at presenting on the children's television shows Going Live and with Timmy Mallet on Timmy Towers.

In theatre, Sophie has played Janet in the West End's adaptation of The Rocky Horror Show and was also a lead in Daisy Pulls It Off. She has appeared in many touring plays, most notably in Alan Bennett's one-woman show Talking Heads.

Lawrence began her association with the hit 1970s musical Boogie Nights in 2001 and has played the leading female, Debs, on two major tours. She also starred in the sequel Boogie Nights 2 - This Time It's The 8Os, alongside David Essex, which did a nationwide tour in 2004 and 2005[1][2].

In December 2006, Lawrence starred as Peter Pan (opposite Nigel Havers's Captain Hook) at the Wycombe Swan.

• Sophie Lawrence at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC interview with Sophie Lawrence