Famous for her roles in the films of Lars von Trier and Mike Leigh, Cartlidge appeared in movies such as Topsy-Turvy and Career Girls. She is also remembered for her starring roles in several of the films of Macedonian writer and director Milcho Manchevski.
Early in her career, she played the role of Lucy Collins on the early 1980s soap opera Brookside. Her first leading big-screen role was in the 1993 Mike Leigh feature Naked.
Tragically, she died suddenly in her early forties as the result of a rare type of tumor. After her death, her colleagues established the Katrin Cartlidge Foundation in her honor.
She grew up in London as the child of a German-Jewish mother and a British father. She later had a long-term relationship with Peter Gevisser.
In 2001, she appeared with Toni Collette in the indie film Hotel Splendide.
