Jane Danson
Encyclopedia
Jane Danson is an English
actress, most famous for playing the role of Leanne Battersby
in Coronation Street
.
series G.B.H. playing the part of Eileen Critchley.
Danson first came to prominence in the acclaimed ITV
children's television drama Children's Ward
, playing the role of Paula from 1995 to 1997. She also appeared in the first episode of the BBC's Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
which was aired in January 1996.
In 1997, she landed parts in the ITV
period drama series "The Grand
", in which she played the role of Monica Jones for seven episodes, and then in the top-rated ITV
soap opera
Coronation Street
, playing teenager Leanne Battersby
. The Battersby family were dubbed the "Neighbours From Hell" and made an immediate impact on the long-running show's loyal audience. Danson left the show in 2000 — a year which also saw her win the Rear of the Year
award — not long after a harrowing storyline that saw her character become a drug addict.
Danson's next role was as a nurse in the drama series A&E, before joining the cast of ITV
police drama The Bill
in 2002. Danson portrayed Gemma Osbourne, the first lesbian
police officer in the show's history. However the role was short-lived and she left in 2003.
In 2004 she rejoined the cast of Coronation Street, reprising the role of Leanne. In early 2006 it was announced that Danson was pregnant and she left Coronation Street at the end of July for maternity
leave. She returned to filming in January 2007, making her first appearance back on screen in March of that year.
Danson appeared in the second series of Soapstar Superstar
in January 2007 but was eliminated after the overnight vote on the second show. However, a subsequent investigation into malpractice on the part of ITV
in viewer voting revealed that whilst Danson and Tupele Dorgu
were both put forward for elimination at the end of the first episode, it had in fact been Verity Rushworth
and Leon Lopez
who scored the lowest in the poll, and should therefore have been the two options.
near Bury in Greater Manchester
.
Danson married former Brookside
actor Robert Beck
in December 2005. They have two sons together, Harry Alexander Jack (born 14 July 2006) and Sam Alfie Robert (born 26 February 2009).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress, most famous for playing the role of Leanne Battersby
Leanne Battersby
Leanne Anika Barlow is a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Jane Danson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 4 July 1997....
in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Acting
At the age of 11, Danson made her television debut under the name Jane Dawson in the 1991 Alan BleasdaleAlan Bleasdale
Alan Bleasdale is an English television dramatist, best known for writing several social realist drama serials based on the lives of ordinary people.The Bleasdales live in prescot,liverpool,wales and london.-Early life:Bleasdale is an only child; his father worked in a food factory and his mother...
series G.B.H. playing the part of Eileen Critchley.
Danson first came to prominence in the acclaimed ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
children's television drama Children's Ward
Children's Ward
Children's Ward is a British children's television drama series produced by Granada Television and broadcast on the ITV network as part of its Children's ITV strand on weekday afternoons...
, playing the role of Paula from 1995 to 1997. She also appeared in the first episode of the BBC's Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is a genteel British crime–comedy drama television series which aired from 1996 to 1998 on BBC One. The series starred Patricia Routledge as the title character , Derek Benfield as her patient husband Robert, Dominic Monaghan as their lodger Geoffrey Shawcross...
which was aired in January 1996.
In 1997, she landed parts in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
period drama series "The Grand
The Grand (TV series)
The Grand was a British television drama series first broadcast on ITV in 1997-1998. It was written by Russell T Davies and set in a hotel in Manchester in the 1920s....
", in which she played the role of Monica Jones for seven episodes, and then in the top-rated ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, playing teenager Leanne Battersby
Leanne Battersby
Leanne Anika Barlow is a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Jane Danson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 4 July 1997....
. The Battersby family were dubbed the "Neighbours From Hell" and made an immediate impact on the long-running show's loyal audience. Danson left the show in 2000 — a year which also saw her win the Rear of the Year
Rear of the Year
Rear of the Year is a light-hearted British award for celebrities who are considered to have a notable posterior. It was created by publicity consultant Anthony Edwards and is organised by Rear of the Year Limited.-History:...
award — not long after a harrowing storyline that saw her character become a drug addict.
Danson's next role was as a nurse in the drama series A&E, before joining the cast of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
in 2002. Danson portrayed Gemma Osbourne, the first lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
police officer in the show's history. However the role was short-lived and she left in 2003.
In 2004 she rejoined the cast of Coronation Street, reprising the role of Leanne. In early 2006 it was announced that Danson was pregnant and she left Coronation Street at the end of July for maternity
Maternity
Maternity or motherhood is the social and legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a mother and her child.It is specially related with the protection of the baby and the mother within and after the childbirth.-See also:...
leave. She returned to filming in January 2007, making her first appearance back on screen in March of that year.
Danson appeared in the second series of Soapstar Superstar
Soapstar Superstar
Soapstar Superstar was a reality singing competition produced by Granada Television which first aired on British television station ITV in 2006. In the competition, ten soap opera actors perform in front of a celebrity panel, which included Cilla Black, Billy Sammeth and Chris Cowey...
in January 2007 but was eliminated after the overnight vote on the second show. However, a subsequent investigation into malpractice on the part of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in viewer voting revealed that whilst Danson and Tupele Dorgu
Tupele Dorgu
Tupele Dorgu is a British actress, best known for playing the role of Kelly Crabtree on the soap opera Coronation Street from 2004 to 2010....
were both put forward for elimination at the end of the first episode, it had in fact been Verity Rushworth
Verity Rushworth
Verity Rushworth is an English actress who is best known for her role as Donna Windsor-Dingle in the ITV1 soap Emmerdale, having taken over the role from Sophie Jeffery in 1998.- Life and career :...
and Leon Lopez
Leon Lopez
-Biography:Leon Lopez is an English actor, singer-songwriter and occasional model, best known for playing the role of "Jerome Johnson" in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside from 1998 to 2002. He is a former student of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, established by Sir Paul McCartney...
who scored the lowest in the poll, and should therefore have been the two options.
Personal life
Danson went to Radcliffe High School, RadcliffeRadcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
near Bury in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
Danson married former Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
actor Robert Beck
Robert Beck (actor)
Robert Thomas Beck real name Mark Thompson, is an English actor. Educated at St. Mary's University College, Twickenham, Middlesex.He has been appearing on British television since 1991...
in December 2005. They have two sons together, Harry Alexander Jack (born 14 July 2006) and Sam Alfie Robert (born 26 February 2009).
External links
- Jane Danson's Coronation Street profile at What's on TV