Caroline Sheen (born 1976) is a Welsh actress who has played various roles on stage in the West End and at other venues across London and the UK. She played the role of Mary Poppins on the First National Tour of America. She appeared as Fantine in Les Misérables alongside Ramin Karimloo and Hadley Fraser, and appears in the film version as well.
Born and raised in South Wales, Sheen is the cousin of actor Michael Sheen. In 2008 she married fellow actor Michael Jibson. A member of the National Youth Theatre of Wales and Gwent Young People's Theatre, she graduated with first class honours from Guildford School of Acting.
Sheen made her West End debut as Marty in Grease at the Cambridge Theatre. She went on to play Florinda in Into the Woods at the Donmar Warehouse and then went into the original cast of Mamma Mia! at the Prince Edward Theatre, understudying the lead role of Sophie. She created the role of Jennifer Gabriel in the world premiere production of The Witches of Eastwick at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Other West End credits include Eponine in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre, Sandy in Grease at the Victoria Palace, and Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.
Work at the National Theatre includes Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum', Susan Walker in Once in a Lifetime Sheen originated the role of Carrie in Three Sides at the Finborough theatre and also performed the role when the musical went to New York as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2006. She returned to the Finborough to perform in Adam Guettel's Myths and Hymns, after making her pantomime debut as Alice Fitzwarren in the Barbican's production of Dick Whittington. Other recent theatre work was in the Minerva theatre in Chichester in If Love Were All. In 2008 Caroline played Mary Poppins in the UK Tour of the Cameron Mackintosh/Disney production. She played the role in Plymouth, Birmingham and Edinburgh, before passing the role onto Lisa O'Hare. In the May 2009 Caroline created the role of Clara Johnson in the European Premiere of The Light in the Piazza at Curve Theatre in Leicester. Starting in February 2010, Sheen reprised the role as Mary Poppins in the US National Tour of the musical, starring alongside Gavin Lee and Nichols Dromard as Bert. She played the role until February 2011. For this role she won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Non-Resident Production.
TV work includes episodes of Hotel Babylon, Doctors and Torchwood all for the BBC. Caroline also played the part of Elizabeth of York in the Channel 4 TV documentary; Henry VIII, Mind of a Tyrant.
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