Claire Benedict was born in Antigua and trained at LAMDA and with the Black Theatre Workshop of Montreal. Other classical roles have included the title role in Euripides's Medea at the Royal Exchange, Manchester in 1991 (directed by Phyllida Lloyd). Benedict won a Time Out Award for Best Performance for her portrayal of Sophia Adams in Errol John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, directed by Maya Angelou.

Charmian (u/s Cleopatra), Antony and Cleopatra, RSC directed John Caird - ?? check programme