Joanna Lumley
Encyclopedia
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS (born 1 May 1946) is a British actress, voice-over
artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous
portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel
, and Sensitive Skin
. She is a former Bond girl
. Her distinctive voice has been supplied for animated characters, film narration, and AOL
's "You have email" notification in the UK. She has spoken out as a human rights activist for Survival International
and the Gurkha Justice Campaign
, and is now considered a "national treasure" of Nepal
because of her support. She is an advocate for a number of charities and animal welfare
groups such as CIWF and Viva! She has won three BAFTA awards and a British comedy award.
, in the princely state
of Kashmir and Jammu, which was then part of British India
. Her parents were Major James Rutherford Lumley, who served in the 6th Gurkha Rifles
, a regiment
of the British Indian Army
, and Beatrice Rose Weir. They married in 1941. After the independence of India
in 1947, the Lumleys moved to Malaya
(now Malaysia) and later settled in Kent
, England. Lumley was educated at St Mary's Convent School in St Leonards-on-Sea
, East Sussex
, England, and afterwards attended the Lucie Clayton School of modelling. She then went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
(RADA). Lumley states RADA rejected her at the age of 16.
by whom she was photographed with her son. She also worked as a house model for Jean Muir
. Over forty years later, she participated in another photoshoot - again with her son - for Duffy as part of a retrospective of the photographer's work.
Lumley appeared in an early episode of The Bruce Forsyth
Show in 1966. She appeared in a UK television advertisement for Nimble bread first screened in 1969.
Lumley did not receive any formal training at drama school
. Her acting career began in 1969 with a small role in the film Some Girls Do
and as a Bond girl
in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
; she played the English girl among Blofeld's 'Angels of Death' and had two lines. She went on to have a brief but memorable role in Coronation Street
, in which her character turned down Ken Barlow's offer of marriage
.
In the Are You Being Served?
episode "His and Hers" (season 1; episode 4), she was featured as Miss French, a perfume
representative. In the episode "German Week" (season 3; episode 6), she appeared as "German Lady".
She appeared as "Jessica" on the big screen in The Satanic Rites of Dracula
, released in the UK on 13 January 1974, which was the last of Hammer Film's Dracula series starring Peter Cushing
and Christopher Lee
.
She appeared in the TV series Steptoe and Son
in the episode "Loathe Story".
. Although critical reaction to the series was lukewarm, the casting of Lumley was seen as inspired and following the tradition of iconic Avengers actresses Honor Blackman
, Diana Rigg
and Linda Thorson
.
In 1979, she appeared in another series which acquired a following
: Sapphire & Steel
, with David McCallum
. Conceived as ITV's
answer to Doctor Who
, Lumley played a mysterious elemental being ('Sapphire') who, with her collaborator 'Steel', dealt with breaches in the fabric of time.
Over a decade later, Lumley's career was boosted by her portrayal of the louche, solipsistic and frequently drunken fashion director Patsy Stone, companion to Jennifer Saunders
' Edina Monsoon in the BBC
comedy television series Absolutely Fabulous
(1992–1996) and (2001–2004).
Other work has included: Lovejoy
as widow Victoria Cavero, a film about a journey made by her grandparents in Bhutan
- In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon (1996) - and A Rather English Marriage (nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress 1999) and Dr Willoughby
(1999). In 1995, she provided the voice of Annie the rag doll in the animated series The Forgotten Toys. In 1999, she also provided the voice for Sims the chicken in the BAFTA award winning animated series The Foxbusters
. In 2000, she co-produced a new drama series The Cazalets. She has also appeared in a TV series on Sarawak
, where she spent time in her childhood. She has demonstrated her ability to go beyond stereotypical images, most notably in the monologue
series of playlets Up In Town (2002), written by Hugo Blick, and focusing on a society hostess's realisation that her star is fading.
Lumley starred as the elderly Delilah Stagg in the 2006 sitcom Jam & Jerusalem with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Sue Johnston
. In July 2007, she starred in the second series of the drama Sensitive Skin
where she played the main character Davina Jackson. The BBC said this will be the final series of the dark comedy.
She starred in David Hirson
's La Bête
- Comedy Theatre, London, 26 June - 28 August 2010 with David Hyde Pierce
and Mark Rylance
, directed by Matthew Warchus
.She also starred in La Bête
at the Music Box Theater, Broadway, New York which opened on the 14 October 2010. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play, for her performance.
in the United Kingdom are familiar with Joanna Lumley's voice. She recorded the greetings "Welcome to AOL" and "You have e-mail" for that company. She also did a voice over for the BBC series Posh Nosh
as a voice-over usually saying "From the Posh Nosh range (a faux product)."
She appeared as a guest host on Channel 4
's The Friday Night Project
, which aired on 3 August 2007.
From 2005-2006, she appeared in adverts for insurance
brokers Privilege
.
Lumley has also appeared on the last run of ITV1
's Parkinson
as a guest, on 27 October 2007, discussing the subject of young girls across the UK and how they need to behave better if they hope to be successful. She was asked to write the introduction to a re-edition in November 2007 of the book called The Magic Key To Charm written by the pioneering female journalist Eileen Ascroft
. This is a book of tips to women, first written by Ascroft in 1938 about how to be glamorous. "I thought it was absolutely enchanting, it's how young women were told how to behave in the old days and I think it might be just coming back for a bit of a revival," she explained in the interview.
In 1999, she appeared in the Comic Relief
Doctor Who parody The Curse of Fatal Death as the final incarnation of the Doctor. She also appeared with Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Sienna Miller in the French and Saunders pastiche of Mamma Mia
for Comic Relief 2009 in which she played the role of Tanya (Patsy in the spoof).
In 2004, Lumley appeared as the "Woman with the Sydney Opera House Head" in Dirk Maggs's long-awaited radio adaptation of the third book of the Douglas Adams
series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
.
In 2005, she published her autobiography No Room for Secrets which was serialized by The Times
, for which she was once a regular contributor.
In September and December 2008, and April 2009, the BBC showed Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights, a documentary about her search to see the Northern Lights
in northern Norway.
In May 2009, she supported the Green Party
during the 2009 European Elections
campaign. For Joanna Lumley, the work of Green MEPs in the European Parliament
in pursuing human rights and animal rights made the Green Party "the obvious choice", and urged UK voters "to cast a positive vote for a better future by voting Green in the European Elections". Lumley also appeared in literature to support changing the British electoral system from first-past-the-post
to alternative vote
for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the Alternative Vote referendum in 2011.
In 2009, she portrayed a rock star, believed to be dead for 35 years, in the "Counter Culture Blues" episode of the British television mystery series Lewis (known in the U.S. as Inspector Lewis).
In 2010, she donated £
1,000 to Caroline Lucas
's campaign to become the first Green
MP during the 2010 General Election campaign.
In 2010, Lumley worked on the show, for ITV, Joanna Lumley's Nile, where she takes a journey down the Nile, from source to sea. This was broadcast in four parts on ITV1 from 28 to 31 December 2010.
s, the exiled Tibetan people and government, the Kondha
indigenous people of India, and the Prospect Burma charity, which offers grants to Burmese students, for whom she broadcast a BBC Radio 4 charity appeal in 2001.
In 2008, she became the public face of a campaign to provide all Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 the right to settle in Britain. Those serving after 1997 had already been granted permission, but the UK Government has not extended the offer to all of the Gurkhas, who are natives of Nepal. They have served Britain for more than 200 years with over 50,000 dying in service, and 13 have been awarded the Victoria Cross
. On 20 November 2008, Lumley led a large all-party group including Gurkhas starting from Parliament Square to 10 Downing Street with a petition signed by 250,000 people. She supports the Gurkha Justice Campaign
. On 24 April 2009, she stated that she was "ashamed" of the UK administration's decision to affix five criteria to the Gurkhas' right to settle in the UK. With the support of both Opposition parties and Labour rebel MPs on 29 April 2009, a Liberal Democrat motion that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence was passed, allowing Gurkhas who served before 1997 residence in the UK. Following the Government defeat, the Minister for Immigration
Phil Woolas
announced that a further review would be completed by the middle of July.
On 5 May, Lumley said that she had received private assurances of support from a senior member of the Royal Family
, and attended a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
at 10 Downing Street
the following day. Afterwards, she described the meeting as "extremely positive", and praised Mr Brown, saying, "I trust him. I rely on him. And I know that he has now taken this matter into his own hands and so today is a very good day."
However, on the day following the meeting with Brown, five Gurkha veterans who had applied for residency in the United Kingdom received letters telling them that their appeals had been rejected - many saw this as a betrayal, despite the fact that for the letters to have been received immediately following the meeting they must have been sent previous to it. Ms Lumley confronted Phil Woolas
at the BBC Westminster studios about the issue and, after pursuing him around the studio, the pair held an impromptu press conference in which she pressured him into agreeing to further talks over the issue.
Following a Commons Home Affairs Committee
meeting in which talks were held between campaigners, the Ministry of Defence
and the Home Office
on 19 May, Gordon Brown announced to the House of Commons on 20 May that the Home Secretary
Jacqui Smith
would make a statement on the issue the following day. Ms Smith subsequently announced that all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 would be allowed to settle in Britain.
As a result of her campaigning skills, there were calls for Joanna Lumley to stand as a Member of Parliament at the forthcoming general election. However, she has dismissed the suggestion. During an appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
on 29 May, she reiterated that she had no desire to run for election to the House of Commons.
In July 2009, Lumley went on a visit to Nepal, upon her arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport
she was greeted by crowds of Gurkha supporters, Lumley said in a statement, "I feel so humbled by the fact I'm going to meet so many ex-Gurkhas and their families, and see where they are and how they live." Whilst there, Lumley was hailed 'Daughter of Nepal' by the crowds of fans at the airport.
In August 2010, Lumley teamed up with British food company Sharwood's to help develop a limited edition Mango Chutney with Kashmiri Chilli, an ingredient from her birthplace. Sharwood’s will donate 10p from each jar sold to the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
and the cause of indigenous rights. She was the narrator of Survival's documentary, Mine: story of a sacred mountain. The film tells the story of the remote Dongria Kondh tribe in India and their battle to stop a vast bauxite mine from destroying their land and way of life. In defence of the Dongria tribe, she has said, "It greatly disturbs me that a British company will be responsible for the destruction of these wonderful people. I urge the public to support the Dongria, who simply want to be allowed to live in peace. Unlike so many of India's rural poor, the Dongria Kondh actually live very well in the Niyamgiri hills, and it's a terrible irony that what Vedanta is proposing to do in the name of 'development' will actually destroy this completely self-sufficient people." Later, Lumley contributed her writing for the book, We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, released in October 2009, with profits going in support of Survival. The book, composed by a collection of photographs, statements from tribal people, and essays from international authors, explores the richness of the culture of the indigenous peoples around the world, as well as the risks to their existence. In her essay for the book, Lumley speaks of the Dongria way of life, the threat they face in the name of corporate interests, and she calls for action to stop such decisions.
, since 1993. Tree Aid is a charity which enables communities in Africa's drylands to fight poverty and become self-reliant, while improving the environment.
(Are You Being Served? see early career). In 1986, she married conductor Stephen Barlow; they live in London. They also have a house near the village of Penpont
in Southern Scotland
.
Lumley was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
in 1995. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). She was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Kent
in July 1994. In 2006, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of St. Andrews and in July 2008, she was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Queen's University Belfast.
Alongside her work for the Gurkhas, Lumley is a supporter of many charities, including Suffolk Family Carers and Kids for Kids
. She has been a vegetarian for forty years, and a keen supporter of animal rights charities, including CIWF and Viva!. She has donated signed books for the literacy and international development charity Book Aid International
. She is patron of the Born Free Foundation
and passionate about the Free Tibet
campaign. Other charities supported include Mind, ActionAid
and SANE
.
Lumley was named an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin
.
Lumley also supports the Burma Campaign UK
, an NGO that aims to stop the oppression of the Burmese people by the military regime.
Lumley was the special guest at the 35th anniversary gala of the theatre company Chickenshed
at London's Royal Albert Hall
on 17 November 2009.
She has also narrated a number of audiobooks and provided forewords for works by other authors.
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel is a British television science-fiction fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The...
, and Sensitive Skin
Sensitive Skin (TV series)
Sensitive Skin is a British black comedy/drama, produced by Baby Cow Productions for BBC Two. It stars Joanna Lumley and first aired in 2005, with a second series following in 2007. Series 1 and 2 have aired on CBC Country Canada. Series 1 aired in Australia on ABC TV in mid 2007 .On 16 April 2008,...
. She is a former Bond girl
Bond girl
A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
. Her distinctive voice has been supplied for animated characters, film narration, and AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's "You have email" notification in the UK. She has spoken out as a human rights activist for Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
and the Gurkha Justice Campaign
Gurkha Justice Campaign
The Gurkha Justice Campaign is a campaign group in the United Kingdom fighting for the rights of the Gurkhas.It wants the Gurkhas who fought for the UK to gain the same rights as their British and Commonwealth counterparts...
, and is now considered a "national treasure" of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
because of her support. She is an advocate for a number of charities and animal welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
groups such as CIWF and Viva! She has won three BAFTA awards and a British comedy award.
Early life
Joanna Lamond Lumley was born on 1 May 1946 in SrinagarSrinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, in the princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Kashmir and Jammu, which was then part of British India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. Her parents were Major James Rutherford Lumley, who served in the 6th Gurkha Rifles
6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles
The 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles was a regiment of the British Indian Army, before being transferred to the British Army following India's independence. Originally raised in 1817 as part of the army of the British East India Company, the regiment has been known by a number of names...
, a regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, and Beatrice Rose Weir. They married in 1941. After the independence of India
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
in 1947, the Lumleys moved to Malaya
Malayan Union
The Malayan Union was a federation of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government so as to simplify administration. The Malayan Union later became the independent...
(now Malaysia) and later settled in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England. Lumley was educated at St Mary's Convent School in St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England, and afterwards attended the Lucie Clayton School of modelling. She then went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
(RADA). Lumley states RADA rejected her at the age of 16.
Career
Tall, slim and blonde, she spent three years as a photographic model, notably for Brian DuffyBrian Duffy (photographer)
Brian Duffy was a celebrated English photographer and film producer, best remembered for his fashion photography of the 1960s and 1970s and his creation of the iconic "Aladdin Sane" image for David Bowie.-Early life:...
by whom she was photographed with her son. She also worked as a house model for Jean Muir
Jean Muir
Jean Elizabeth Muir, CBE, FCSD was an English fashion designer .-History and early career:...
. Over forty years later, she participated in another photoshoot - again with her son - for Duffy as part of a retrospective of the photographer's work.
Lumley appeared in an early episode of The Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
Show in 1966. She appeared in a UK television advertisement for Nimble bread first screened in 1969.
Lumley did not receive any formal training at drama school
Drama school
A drama school or theatre school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution ; which specialises in the pre-professional training in drama and theatre arts, such as acting, design and technical theatre, arts administration, and...
. Her acting career began in 1969 with a small role in the film Some Girls Do
Some Girls Do
Some Girls Do is a 1969 British comedy spy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was the second of the revamped Bulldog Drummond films made following the success of the James Bond films of the 1960's.-Cast:...
and as a Bond girl
Bond girl
A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby...
; she played the English girl among Blofeld's 'Angels of Death' and had two lines. She went on to have a brief but memorable role 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...
, in which her character turned down Ken Barlow's offer of marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
.
In the Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
episode "His and Hers" (season 1; episode 4), she was featured as Miss French, a perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
representative. In the episode "German Week" (season 3; episode 6), she appeared as "German Lady".
She appeared as "Jessica" on the big screen in The Satanic Rites of Dracula
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a 1974 Hammer Horror film directed by Alan Gibson. It is the eighth film in the Hammer Dracula series, and the seventh and final to feature Christopher Lee as Dracula. The film also the third film to reunite Peter Cushing as Van Helsing with Christopher Lee together...
, released in the UK on 13 January 1974, which was the last of Hammer Film's Dracula series starring Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
and Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
.
She appeared in the TV series Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old...
in the episode "Loathe Story".
Major roles
Throughout her career, she has specialised in playing upper-class parts, and her distinctive voice has reinforced this. Lumley's first major role was as Purdey in The New Avengers, a revival of the secret agent series The AvengersThe Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
. Although critical reaction to the series was lukewarm, the casting of Lumley was seen as inspired and following the tradition of iconic Avengers actresses Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
, Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
and Linda Thorson
Linda Thorson
Linda Thorson is a Canadian actress, most famous for her work as Tara King in The Avengers.-Personal life:...
.
In 1979, she appeared in another series which acquired a following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
: Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel
Sapphire & Steel is a British television science-fiction fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The...
, with David McCallum
David McCallum
David Keith McCallum, Jr. is a Scottish actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Illya Kuryakin, a Russian-born secret agent, in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., as interdimensional operative Steel in Sapphire & Steel, and Dr...
. Conceived as ITV's
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...
answer to Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, Lumley played a mysterious elemental being ('Sapphire') who, with her collaborator 'Steel', dealt with breaches in the fabric of time.
Over a decade later, Lumley's career was boosted by her portrayal of the louche, solipsistic and frequently drunken fashion director Patsy Stone, companion to Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
' Edina Monsoon in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy television series Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
(1992–1996) and (2001–2004).
Other work has included: Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
as widow Victoria Cavero, a film about a journey made by her grandparents in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
- In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon (1996) - and A Rather English Marriage (nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress 1999) and Dr Willoughby
Dr Willoughby
Dr Willoughby is a British sitcom broadcast on ITV from 14 November - 13 December 1999.The show was set on the set of a fictional soap opera, also called Dr Willoughby and followed the often over dramatic storylines and the personal lives of the cast and crew.Joanna Lumley plays Donna Sinclair, who...
(1999). In 1995, she provided the voice of Annie the rag doll in the animated series The Forgotten Toys. In 1999, she also provided the voice for Sims the chicken in the BAFTA award winning animated series The Foxbusters
Foxbusters
The Foxbusters is a British animation very loosely based on the Dick King-Smith book The Fox Busters. It was made by Cosgrove Hall and consists of two series of thirteen 11-minute episodes each, made between 1999 and 2000. The show was co-written by the animation partnership of David Max Freedman...
. In 2000, she co-produced a new drama series The Cazalets. She has also appeared in a TV series on Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, where she spent time in her childhood. She has demonstrated her ability to go beyond stereotypical images, most notably in the monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
series of playlets Up In Town (2002), written by Hugo Blick, and focusing on a society hostess's realisation that her star is fading.
Lumley starred as the elderly Delilah Stagg in the 2006 sitcom Jam & Jerusalem with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Sue Johnston
Sue Johnston
Susan "Sue" Johnston, OBE is a BAFTA nominated English actress best known for playing Sheila Grant in the long-running soap opera Brookside , Grace Foley in Waking the Dead from 2000 to 2011 and Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy The Royle Family between 1998 and 2000, and again in 2006, 2008, 2009,...
. In July 2007, she starred in the second series of the drama Sensitive Skin
Sensitive Skin (TV series)
Sensitive Skin is a British black comedy/drama, produced by Baby Cow Productions for BBC Two. It stars Joanna Lumley and first aired in 2005, with a second series following in 2007. Series 1 and 2 have aired on CBC Country Canada. Series 1 aired in Australia on ABC TV in mid 2007 .On 16 April 2008,...
where she played the main character Davina Jackson. The BBC said this will be the final series of the dark comedy.
She starred in David Hirson
David Hirson
David Hirson is an American dramatist, best known for his award winning Broadway comedies, La Bête and Wrong Mountain.-Biography:Hirson was born in New York City to actress, Alice, and playwright, Roger O. Hirson...
's La Bête
La Bête
La Bête is a comedy by American playwright, David Hirson. Written in rhymed couplets of iambic pentameter, the Molière-inspired story, set in 17th century France, pits dignified, stuffy Elomire, the head of the royal court-sponsored theatre troupe, against the foppish, frivolous street entertainer...
- Comedy Theatre, London, 26 June - 28 August 2010 with David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce is an American actor and comedian best known for playing psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier, for which he received many accolades including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.-Early life:Pierce, the youngest of four siblings,...
and Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
, directed by Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus
-Life:Warchus studied music and drama at Bristol University. He has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and in the West...
.She also starred in La Bête
La Bête
La Bête is a comedy by American playwright, David Hirson. Written in rhymed couplets of iambic pentameter, the Molière-inspired story, set in 17th century France, pits dignified, stuffy Elomire, the head of the royal court-sponsored theatre troupe, against the foppish, frivolous street entertainer...
at the Music Box Theater, Broadway, New York which opened on the 14 October 2010. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play, for her performance.
Media work
As the possessor of one of the most recognised voices in the United Kingdom, Lumley has gained prominence as a voice-over artist. Users of AOLAOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
in the United Kingdom are familiar with Joanna Lumley's voice. She recorded the greetings "Welcome to AOL" and "You have e-mail" for that company. She also did a voice over for the BBC series Posh Nosh
Posh Nosh
Posh Nosh is a 2003 BBC television programme parodying television chefs; the title and basic outline a reference to a cooking show pilot pitched by Neil Hamilton and Christine Hamilton. Written by Jon Canter and Arabella Weir from an idea by Weir, and directed and script edited by Chris Langham,...
as a voice-over usually saying "From the Posh Nosh range (a faux product)."
She appeared as a guest host on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
, which aired on 3 August 2007.
From 2005-2006, she appeared in adverts for insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
brokers Privilege
Privilege (insurance company)
Privilege is a division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group that specialises in selling insurance over the phone and internet. The company's slogan is You don't have to be posh to be Privileged....
.
Lumley has also appeared on the last run of ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's Parkinson
Parkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
as a guest, on 27 October 2007, discussing the subject of young girls across the UK and how they need to behave better if they hope to be successful. She was asked to write the introduction to a re-edition in November 2007 of the book called The Magic Key To Charm written by the pioneering female journalist Eileen Ascroft
Eileen Ascroft
Eileen Ascroft was a journalist and writer. Her first husband was celebrated film-maker, Alexander Mackendrick, who produced Whisky Galore, The Ladykillers and A High Wind in Jamaica among other projects. Ascroft worked as a journalist at the Daily Mirror where she met her second husband, Hugh...
. This is a book of tips to women, first written by Ascroft in 1938 about how to be glamorous. "I thought it was absolutely enchanting, it's how young women were told how to behave in the old days and I think it might be just coming back for a bit of a revival," she explained in the interview.
"Because, I have to say I adore our young ones and I think we have got some of the prettiest and loveliest girls in the world but I think sometimes the behaviour gets a bit bad and I think the girls let themselves down. They are so pretty and so lovely but they should behave better, I think, then they will be more successful."
In 1999, she appeared in the Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
Doctor Who parody The Curse of Fatal Death as the final incarnation of the Doctor. She also appeared with Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Sienna Miller in the French and Saunders pastiche of Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
for Comic Relief 2009 in which she played the role of Tanya (Patsy in the spoof).
In 2004, Lumley appeared as the "Woman with the Sydney Opera House Head" in Dirk Maggs's long-awaited radio adaptation of the third book of the Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary to Quintessential Phases
The Tertiary Phase, Quandary Phase and Quintessential Phase are radio adaptations of the books Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish and Mostly Harmless produced in 2003 and 2004 by Above the Title Productions for BBC Radio 4...
.
In 2005, she published her autobiography No Room for Secrets which was serialized by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, for which she was once a regular contributor.
In September and December 2008, and April 2009, the BBC showed Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights, a documentary about her search to see the Northern Lights
Aurora (astronomy)
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
in northern Norway.
In May 2009, she supported the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
during the 2009 European Elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
campaign. For Joanna Lumley, the work of Green MEPs in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in pursuing human rights and animal rights made the Green Party "the obvious choice", and urged UK voters "to cast a positive vote for a better future by voting Green in the European Elections". Lumley also appeared in literature to support changing the British electoral system from first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
to alternative vote
Instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...
for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the Alternative Vote referendum in 2011.
In 2009, she portrayed a rock star, believed to be dead for 35 years, in the "Counter Culture Blues" episode of the British television mystery series Lewis (known in the U.S. as Inspector Lewis).
In 2010, she donated £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1,000 to Caroline Lucas
Caroline Lucas
Caroline Patricia Lucas is a British politician. Lucas is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and the Green Party's first and only Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom...
's campaign to become the first Green
Green Party (UK)
The Green Party was a Green political party in the United Kingdom. It has been succeeded by three political parties:* the Green Party of England and Wales* the Green Party in Northern Ireland* the Scottish Green Party- PEOPLE, 1973–1975 :...
MP during the 2010 General Election campaign.
In 2010, Lumley worked on the show, for ITV, Joanna Lumley's Nile, where she takes a journey down the Nile, from source to sea. This was broadcast in four parts on ITV1 from 28 to 31 December 2010.
Activism
As an activist, Lumley is best known for her support for GurkhaGurkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the Gorkha District. Gurkhas are best known for their history in the Indian Army's Gorkha regiments, the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and the Nepalese Army. Gurkha units are closely associated with the kukri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife...
s, the exiled Tibetan people and government, the Kondha
Kondha
The Kondha are indigenous tribal groups of India. They live in Orissa, a state in Eastern India. Their highest concentration is found in the blocks of Rayagada, Kashipur, Kalyansinghpur, Bissamcuttack and Muniguda....
indigenous people of India, and the Prospect Burma charity, which offers grants to Burmese students, for whom she broadcast a BBC Radio 4 charity appeal in 2001.
Gurkha Justice Campaign
In 2008, she became the public face of a campaign to provide all Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 the right to settle in Britain. Those serving after 1997 had already been granted permission, but the UK Government has not extended the offer to all of the Gurkhas, who are natives of Nepal. They have served Britain for more than 200 years with over 50,000 dying in service, and 13 have been awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. On 20 November 2008, Lumley led a large all-party group including Gurkhas starting from Parliament Square to 10 Downing Street with a petition signed by 250,000 people. She supports the Gurkha Justice Campaign
Gurkha Justice Campaign
The Gurkha Justice Campaign is a campaign group in the United Kingdom fighting for the rights of the Gurkhas.It wants the Gurkhas who fought for the UK to gain the same rights as their British and Commonwealth counterparts...
. On 24 April 2009, she stated that she was "ashamed" of the UK administration's decision to affix five criteria to the Gurkhas' right to settle in the UK. With the support of both Opposition parties and Labour rebel MPs on 29 April 2009, a Liberal Democrat motion that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence was passed, allowing Gurkhas who served before 1997 residence in the UK. Following the Government defeat, the Minister for Immigration
Minister of State for Borders and Immigration
The Minister of State for Immigration is a Minister of State in the Home Office of the Government of the United Kingdom. The current minister is Damian Green MP who was appointed to his new post following the formation of a coalition government under David Cameron at the 2010 general...
Phil Woolas
Phil Woolas
Philip James Woolas was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth from his election in 1997 to 2010. He was the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration in the Home Office, as well as being the Minister of State for the Treasury...
announced that a further review would be completed by the middle of July.
On 5 May, Lumley said that she had received private assurances of support from a senior member of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, and attended a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
the following day. Afterwards, she described the meeting as "extremely positive", and praised Mr Brown, saying, "I trust him. I rely on him. And I know that he has now taken this matter into his own hands and so today is a very good day."
However, on the day following the meeting with Brown, five Gurkha veterans who had applied for residency in the United Kingdom received letters telling them that their appeals had been rejected - many saw this as a betrayal, despite the fact that for the letters to have been received immediately following the meeting they must have been sent previous to it. Ms Lumley confronted Phil Woolas
Phil Woolas
Philip James Woolas was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth from his election in 1997 to 2010. He was the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration in the Home Office, as well as being the Minister of State for the Treasury...
at the BBC Westminster studios about the issue and, after pursuing him around the studio, the pair held an impromptu press conference in which she pressured him into agreeing to further talks over the issue.
Following a Commons Home Affairs Committee
Home Affairs Select Committee
The Home Affairs Select Committee is a Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Remit:The Home Affairs Committee is one of the House of Commons Select Committees related to government departments: its terms of reference are to examine "the expenditure,...
meeting in which talks were held between campaigners, the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
and the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
on 19 May, Gordon Brown announced to the House of Commons on 20 May that the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Jacqui Smith
Jacqui Smith
Jacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith is a member of the British Labour Party. She served as the Member of Parliament for Redditch from 1997 until 2010 and was the first ever female Home Secretary, thus making her the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher and...
would make a statement on the issue the following day. Ms Smith subsequently announced that all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 would be allowed to settle in Britain.
As a result of her campaigning skills, there were calls for Joanna Lumley to stand as a Member of Parliament at the forthcoming general election. However, she has dismissed the suggestion. During an appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
on 29 May, she reiterated that she had no desire to run for election to the House of Commons.
In July 2009, Lumley went on a visit to Nepal, upon her arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport
Tribhuvan International Airport
Tribhuvan International Airport is an international airport situated in Kathmandu, Nepal.Tribhuvan is the sole international airport in Nepal. There are two terminals, one domestic and one international...
she was greeted by crowds of Gurkha supporters, Lumley said in a statement, "I feel so humbled by the fact I'm going to meet so many ex-Gurkhas and their families, and see where they are and how they live." Whilst there, Lumley was hailed 'Daughter of Nepal' by the crowds of fans at the airport.
In August 2010, Lumley teamed up with British food company Sharwood's to help develop a limited edition Mango Chutney with Kashmiri Chilli, an ingredient from her birthplace. Sharwood’s will donate 10p from each jar sold to the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
Work for Survival International
Lumley has been a supporter of Survival InternationalSurvival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
and the cause of indigenous rights. She was the narrator of Survival's documentary, Mine: story of a sacred mountain. The film tells the story of the remote Dongria Kondh tribe in India and their battle to stop a vast bauxite mine from destroying their land and way of life. In defence of the Dongria tribe, she has said, "It greatly disturbs me that a British company will be responsible for the destruction of these wonderful people. I urge the public to support the Dongria, who simply want to be allowed to live in peace. Unlike so many of India's rural poor, the Dongria Kondh actually live very well in the Niyamgiri hills, and it's a terrible irony that what Vedanta is proposing to do in the name of 'development' will actually destroy this completely self-sufficient people." Later, Lumley contributed her writing for the book, We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, released in October 2009, with profits going in support of Survival. The book, composed by a collection of photographs, statements from tribal people, and essays from international authors, explores the richness of the culture of the indigenous peoples around the world, as well as the risks to their existence. In her essay for the book, Lumley speaks of the Dongria way of life, the threat they face in the name of corporate interests, and she calls for action to stop such decisions.
Patron of Tree Aid
Lumley has been a patron of the UK charity Tree AidTree Aid
Tree Aid is a forestry focused development charity providing funding and on the ground training and support to local communities in the Sahel of Africa. Tree Aid has a head office in Bristol, UK, and a West African office in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso...
, since 1993. Tree Aid is a charity which enables communities in Africa's drylands to fight poverty and become self-reliant, while improving the environment.
Personal life
Following her rise to fame, Lumley revealed that she had been an unmarried mother during the 1960s when it was socially unacceptable; her son, James, was born in 1967. James Lumley's natural father is the photographer Michael Claydon and is of Anglo Indian ethnicity. The first of her two subsequent marriages was to comedy writer Jeremy LloydJeremy Lloyd
Jeremy Lloyd is an English writer, screenwriter, author and actor, best known as co-author and writer of several successful British sitcoms.-Career:...
(Are You Being Served? see early career). In 1986, she married conductor Stephen Barlow; they live in London. They also have a house near the village of Penpont
Penpont
Penpont is a small village in the region of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, two miles west of Thornhill.It is situated near the confluence of the Shinnel Water and Scaur Water rivers in the foothills of the Southern Uplands, and has a population of roughly 400 people...
in Southern Scotland
South of Scotland (Scottish Parliament electoral region)
South of Scotland is one of the eight electoral regions of the Scottish Parliament which were created in 1999. Nine of the parliament's 73 first past the post constituencies are sub-divisions of the region and it elects seven of the 56 additional-member Members of the Scottish Parliament...
.
Lumley was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1995. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). She was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
in July 1994. In 2006, she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of St. Andrews and in July 2008, she was also awarded an honorary doctorate from Queen's University Belfast.
Alongside her work for the Gurkhas, Lumley is a supporter of many charities, including Suffolk Family Carers and Kids for Kids
Kids for Kids
Kids for Kids is a British charity that was created to help children struggling to survive in remote villages in Darfur, Sudan. It is one of the three nominees for International Development Charity of the Year at the UK Charity Awards....
. She has been a vegetarian for forty years, and a keen supporter of animal rights charities, including CIWF and Viva!. She has donated signed books for the literacy and international development charity Book Aid International
Book Aid International
Book Aid International is an NGO that exists to encourage literacy and access to books particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East by distributing books to libraries and other locations that increase community access. Book Aid International currently work in 12 countries in sub-Shahran...
. She is patron of the Born Free Foundation
Born Free Foundation
The Born Free Foundation is a conservation and animal rescue organization in the United Kingdom. It originated in 1984 as the "Zoo Check Campaign" by actors Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Travers along with their son Will Travers and four associates....
and passionate about the Free Tibet
Free Tibet Campaign
Free Tibet or Free Tibet Campaign is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 1987 and based in London, England. It stands for the rights of Tibetans to determine their own future and campaigns for "an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the fundamental human rights of...
campaign. Other charities supported include Mind, ActionAid
ActionAid
ActionAid was founded in 1972 as a child sponsorship charity when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya, the focus primarily being to provide children with an education. Global accounts are now reported in Euros and in 2007 and 2008 turnover was close to 180m Euros...
and SANE
SANE (charity)
SANE is a mental illness charity in the UK. It provides telephone and email support services and has established a research centre. The opinion of SANE's founder and chief executive, Marjorie Wallace, is often quoted in media reports on mental health issues....
.
Lumley was named an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
Lumley also supports the Burma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK
Burma Campaign UK founded in 1991 is a London based Non Governmental Organisation that aims to achieve the 'restoration of human rights and democracy in Burma . BCUK campaigns on behalf of the Burmese pro-democracy movement and is the largest campaigning organisation for Burma in Europe...
, an NGO that aims to stop the oppression of the Burmese people by the military regime.
Lumley was the special guest at the 35th anniversary gala of the theatre company Chickenshed
Chickenshed
Chickenshed is a British theatre company based in Cockfosters, London. It was founded in 1974 in a disused chicken shed by Mary Ward and Jo Collins. The company produces theatrical and musical productions, performed by children, teenagers and adults of all backgrounds and abilities...
at London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on 17 November 2009.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1969 | Some Girls Do Some Girls Do Some Girls Do is a 1969 British comedy spy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was the second of the revamped Bulldog Drummond films made following the success of the James Bond films of the 1960's.-Cast:... |
Uncredited | |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film) On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby... |
The English Girl | ||
| 1970 | The Breaking of Bumbo The Breaking of Bumbo The Breaking of Bumbo is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Andrew Sinclair and starring Richard Warwick, Joanna Lumley, Jeremy Child and Edward Fox.-Cast:* Richard Warwick - Bumbo* Joanna Lumley - Susie* Natasha Pyne - Sheila* Jeremy Child - Billy... |
Susie | |
| Games That Lovers Play Games That Lovers Play Games That Lovers Play is a 1970 British comedy film written and directed by Malcolm Leigh and starring Joanna Lumley, Penny Brahms and Richard Wattis.-Cast:* Joanna Lumley - Fanny Hill* Penny Brahms - Constance Chatterley* Richard Wattis - Lothran... |
Fanny Hill | ||
| Tam-Lin Tam-Lin (film) Tam-Lin, also known as The Ballad of Tam-Lin, The Devil's Widow and The Devil's Woman, is a 1970 British film made by Commonwealth United Entertainment, Winkast Film Productions Ltd. and distributed by American International Pictures . It was directed by Roddy McDowall and produced by Alan Ladd, Jr... |
Georgia | ||
| 1971 | The House That Dripped Blood The House That Dripped Blood The House That Dripped Blood is a 1970 British horror anthology film directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions. It stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee... |
Uncredited | |
| 1973 | Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! is a 1973 British film based on the popular "Whitehall Farce" written by Michael Pertwee, who also wrote the screenplay.-Plot summary:... |
Giselle Parkyn | |
| The Satanic Rites of Dracula The Satanic Rites of Dracula The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a 1974 Hammer Horror film directed by Alan Gibson. It is the eighth film in the Hammer Dracula series, and the seventh and final to feature Christopher Lee as Dracula. The film also the third film to reunite Peter Cushing as Van Helsing with Christopher Lee together... |
Jessica Van Helsing | ||
| 1982 | Trail of the Pink Panther Trail of the Pink Panther Trail of the Pink Panther is a 1982 comedy film starring Peter Sellers. It was the seventh film in the Pink Panther series, and the last in which Peter Sellers starred as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, although Sellers died before production began and the film thus contains no original material... |
Marie Jouvet | |
| 1983 | Curse of the Pink Panther Curse of the Pink Panther Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film, the eighth installment of the The Pink Panther series of films started by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s.... |
Countess Chandra | |
| 1989 | Shirley Valentine Shirley Valentine (film) Shirley Valentine is a 1989 British/American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. The screenplay by Willy Russell is based on his 1986 one-character play of the same title.-Plot:... |
Marjorie Majors | |
| 1995 | Innocent Lies Innocent Lies Innocent Lies is a 1995 British-French thriller film directed by Patrick Dewolf and starring Stephen Dorff, Gabrielle Anwar, Adrian Dunbar and Joanna Lumley. It is a loose adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel Towards Zero. Keira Knightley had an early role in the film, playing the younger... |
Lady Helena Graves | |
| 1996 | James and the Giant Peach James and the Giant Peach (film) James and the Giant Peach is a 1996 musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick, based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was produced by Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi. The film is a combination of live action and stop-motion animation.... |
Aunt Spiker | |
| 1997 | Prince Valiant Prince Valiant (1997 film) Prince Valiant is a 1997 independent sword and sorcery film directed by Anthony Hickox. It is based on the long running Prince Valiant comic strip of Hal Foster, some panels of which were used in the movie.-Plot:... |
Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay , alternatively known as Morgane, Morgaine, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician... |
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| 1999 | Parting Shots Parting Shots Parting Shots is a 1999 film starring Chris Rea, Felicity Kendal, Oliver Reed and Joanna Lumley. It was the last film directed by Michael Winner to date.... |
Freda | |
| Mad Cows | Gillian | ||
| 2000 | Maybe Baby | Sheila | |
| Whispers: An Elephant's Tale | Half Tusk (voice) | ||
| 2001 | The Cat's Meow The Cat's Meow The Cat's Meow is a 2001 drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes, Joanna Lumley, and Jennifer Tilly. The screenplay by Steven Peros is based on his play of the same title, which was inspired by the mysterious death of film... |
Elinor Glyn | |
| 2004 | Standing Room Only | Last in Line | Short film |
| EuroTrip EuroTrip EuroTrip is a 2004 teen comedy film directed by Jeff Schaffer and written by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Schaffer. The main plot follows Scotty "Scott" Thomas from Hudson, Ohio who travels across Europe to search for his German pen pal Mieke , whom he initially mistakes for a man named Mike... |
Hostel Clerk | ||
| Ella Enchanted Ella Enchanted (film) Ella Enchanted is a 2004 British-American romantic-comedy film loosely based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name. The film stars Anne Hathaway as Ella and Hugh Dancy as Prince Charmont. It plays with the usual fairy-tale genre... |
Dame Olga | ||
| 2005 | The Magic Roundabout The Magic Roundabout (film) The Magic Roundabout, , is a 2005 British computer-animated film based on the television series of the same name... |
Ermintrude | |
| Corpse Bride Corpse Bride Corpse Bride, often promoted as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, is a 2005 stop-motion-animated fantasy musical film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton. It is set in a fictional Victorian era village in Europe. Johnny Depp led an all-star cast as the voice of Victor, while Helena Bonham Carter ... |
Maudeline Everglot | ||
| 2006 | Dolls Dolls (2006 film) - Plot :Inspired by a story that appeared in a 1950s newspaper, this short film plays out a year in the life of a young girl, Mouche. Deemed too skinny to make a living at the Moulin Rouge, Mouche is cast out and saved from suicide by a group of puppets traveling from town to town performing street... |
Madame Muscat | Short film |
| 2009 | Boogie Woogie | Alfreda Rhinegold | |
| 2010 | This Beautiful Fantastic | TBA | In production |
| 2011 | Late Bloomers | Charlotte | Filming |
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1969 | The Wednesday Play The Wednesday Play The Wednesday Play was an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. Every week's play was usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured... |
Elsie Engelfield | 1 episode |
| 1971 | It's Awfully Bad For Your Eyes, Darling It's Awfully Bad For Your Eyes, Darling It's Awfully Bad For Your Eyes, Darling was a BBC television situation comedy which ran in 1971 for a single series of seven episodes.It was written by Jilly Cooper, and was about four posh young women sharing a flat in London. The cast included Jane Carr and Joanna Lumley, who went on to become... |
Samantha Ryder-Ross | TV series |
| 1972 | Steptoe and Son Steptoe and Son Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old... |
Bunty | 1 episode 'Loathe Story' |
| 1973 | 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... |
Elaine Perkins | 102 episodes (although some say it was 104) |
| 1973-75 | Are You Being Served? Are You Being Served? Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John... |
Miss French/German Lady | 2 episodes 'His and Hers', 'German Week' |
| 1976 | The Cuckoo Waltz The Cuckoo Waltz The Cuckoo Waltz was a British television sitcom made by Granada Television for the ITV network between 1975 and 1977 and in 1980.The series which was set in 1970s and Manchester, written by Geoffrey Lancashire, produced and directed by Bill Gilmour, dealt with the comic complications that ensue... |
Harriet Paulden | 1 episode 'Babysitter' |
| 1976-77 | The New Avengers | Purdey | 26 episodes. BAFTA win - "Special Award" (2000) |
| 1979 | The Plank The Plank (1979 film) The Plank is a popular 30-minute, 1979 British slapstick comedy, which was a remake of an earlier 1967 version of the film which was written and directed by Eric Sykes. The 1967 version of "The Plank" was, in turn, based on an episode called "Sykes and A Plank", which Eric Sykes wrote for his... |
Hitchhiker | |
| 1979-82 | Sapphire & Steel Sapphire & Steel Sapphire & Steel is a British television science-fiction fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The... |
Sapphire | 34 episodes |
| 1981-85 | The Kenny Everett Television Show Kenny Everett Kenny Everett was an English comedian, radio DJ and television entertainer. Born Maurice James Christopher Cole, Everett is best known for his career as a radio DJ and for the Kenny Everett television shows.-Early life:... |
Various | 5 episodes |
| 1982 | The Weather in the Streets | Kate | TV film |
| 1984 | Mistral's Daughter | Lally Longbridge | TV mini-series |
| The Glory Boys | Helen | TV film | |
| Oxbridge Blues Oxbridge Blues Oxbridge Blues is a British television mini-series, produced by the BBC and first shown in 1984. It is an anthology of seven 75-minute teleplays, most of which focus on relationships of one kind or another... |
Gigi | 1 episode 'That Was Tory' | |
| 1986 | The Two Ronnies The Two Ronnies The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:... |
Miss Dibley | 1 episode |
| 1990 | A Ghost in Monte Carlo A Ghost in Monte Carlo A Ghost in Monte Carlo is a 1951 novel by Barbara Cartland, later adapted as a 1990 film starring Sarah Miles and Lysette Anthony.... |
Lady Drayton | TV film |
| 1991 | A Perfect Hero A Perfect Hero A Perfect Hero is a 1991 TV minseries set in World War II England. It was first broadcast on ITV at 9:00pm on Friday 17 May 1991 and ran for six episodes... |
Loretta Stone | TV miniseries |
| 1992 | Lovejoy Lovejoy Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant... |
Victoria Cavero | 3 episodes |
| 1992–2004 | Absolutely Fabulous Absolutely Fabulous Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks... |
Patsy Stone | 37 episodes. British Comedy Award win - "Best Comedy Actress" (1993) BAFTA win - "Best Light Entertainment Performance" (1993) BAFTA win - "Best Comedy Performance" (1995) BAFTA nomination - "Best Comedy Performance" (1996) BAFTA nomination - "Best Comedy Performance" (1997) BAFTA nomination - "Best Comedy Performance" (2002) |
| 1993 | Cluedo Cluedo (game show) Cluedo was a UK television game show based on the board game of the same name. Each week, a reenactment of the murder at the stately home Arlington Grange of a visiting guest was played and, through a combination of interrogating the suspects and deduction, celebrity guests had to discover who... |
Mrs. Peacock | 6 episodes |
| 1994 | Girl Friday Girl Friday (TV series) Girl Friday is a 1994 BBC reality television series starring Joanna Lumley in which she spends nine days on the desert island of Tsarabanjina near Madagascar.-External links:* Marriott, Edward, , Evening Standard, 25 May 2001... |
TV series | |
| 1994-95 | Class Act Class Act (TV series) Class Act was a short-lived British comedy drama series produced in the early to mid-1990s by Verity Lambert. The series starred Joanna Lumley, Nadine Garner, and John Bowe.- External links:*... |
Kate Swift | 14 episodes |
| 1995 | Cold Comfort Farm Cold Comfort Farm (1995 TV film) Cold Comfort Farm is a 1995 British romantic comedy film directed by John Schlesinger and produced by the BBC and Thames Television, an adaptation of Stella Gibbons' 1932 book of the same name, the film stars Kate Beckinsale, Joanna Lumley, Ian McKellen, and Rufus Sewell... |
Mrs. Mary Smiling | TV film |
| The Forgotten Toys | Annie (voice) | Animated series | |
| 1996 | Roseanne Roseanne (TV series) Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family... |
Patsy Stone | 1 episode 'Satan, Darling' |
| 1998 | The Tale of Sweeney Todd The Tale of Sweeney Todd The Tale of Sweeney Todd is a 1998 American television movie directed by John Schlesinger. The teleplay by Peter Buckman was adapted from a story by Peter Shaw. It was broadcast in the United States by Showtime on April 19, 1998 and released on videotape in France the following month... |
Mrs. Lovett | TV film |
| Coming Home Coming Home (TV serial) Coming Home is a 1998 British serial directed by Giles Foster. The teleplay by John Goldsmith is based on the novel of the same title by Rosamunde Pilcher. Produced by Yorkshire Television, it was broadcast in two parts by ITV in April 1998.-Plot:... |
Diana Carey-Lewis | TV serial | |
| A Rather English Marriage A Rather English Marriage A Rather English Marriage is a novel by Angela Lambert, first published in 1992, and later adapted for television by Andrew Davies for the BBC.-Plot summary:... |
Liz Franks | TV film. BAFTA nomination - "Best Actress" | |
| 1999 | Alice in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland (1999 film) Alice in Wonderland is a television film first broadcast in 1999 on NBC and then shown on British television on Channel 4. It is based upon Lewis Carroll's books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.... |
Tiger Lily | TV film |
| Nancherrow Nancherrow Nancherrow was a TV movie sequel to Rosamunde Pilcher's Coming Home. It aired on ITV television in April 1999.-Plot synopsis:After the Colonel dies it is his irrepressible daughter, Loveday, who inherits the house and all of its problems. Bewitched by the magic of Nancherrow, Loveday fights to... |
Diana Carey-Lewis | TV film | |
| Foxbusters Foxbusters The Foxbusters is a British animation very loosely based on the Dick King-Smith book The Fox Busters. It was made by Cosgrove Hall and consists of two series of thirteen 11-minute episodes each, made between 1999 and 2000. The show was co-written by the animation partnership of David Max Freedman... |
Sims (voice) | Animation series | |
| Dr Willoughby Dr Willoughby Dr Willoughby is a British sitcom broadcast on ITV from 14 November - 13 December 1999.The show was set on the set of a fictional soap opera, also called Dr Willoughby and followed the often over dramatic storylines and the personal lives of the cast and crew.Joanna Lumley plays Donna Sinclair, who... |
Donna Sinclair | 1 series of 6 episodes | |
| 2000 | Mirrorball Mirrorball (TV pilot) Mirrorball was a sitcom pilot in the United Kingdom directed by Adrian Edmondson and written by Jennifer Saunders. It originally aired on 22 December 2000.... |
Jackie Riviera | Pilot |
| 2002 | Up In Town Up In Town Up In Town is a six-part series of short monologues, featuring Joanna Lumley as the middle-aged, divorced and lonely Madison Blakelock. The series was produced for television by Baby Cow Productions, and screened on BBC Two... |
Madison Blakelock | TV series. British Comedy Award nomination - "Best Comedy Actress" |
| 2004, 2009 | Marple Marple (TV series) Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple and other murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It is also known as Agatha Christie's Marple. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first to third series, until her retirement from the role. She was replaced... |
Dolly Bantry | 2 episodes 'The Body in the Library' & 'The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side' |
| 2005-07 | Sensitive Skin Sensitive Skin (TV series) Sensitive Skin is a British black comedy/drama, produced by Baby Cow Productions for BBC Two. It stars Joanna Lumley and first aired in 2005, with a second series following in 2007. Series 1 and 2 have aired on CBC Country Canada. Series 1 aired in Australia on ABC TV in mid 2007 .On 16 April 2008,... |
Davina Jackson | 12 episodes |
| 2006–2008 | Jam & Jerusalem | Delilah Stagg | 6 episodes |
| 2009 | Lewis | Esme Ford | 1 episode 'Counter Culture Blues' |
| 2010 | Mistresses | Vivienne Roden | 4 episodes |
| Documentary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | |
| 2008 | Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights | Herself | |
| Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began was a 2008 documentary presented by Joanna Lumley which explored the life of the author Ian Fleming and the origin of his character James Bond. It was first broadcast on BBC One at 6:10pm on Sunday 19 October 2008 and was commissioned to celebrate the 100th anniversary... |
Herself | ||
| 2009 | Joanna Lumley Catwoman | Herself | |
| 2010 | Joanna Lumley's Nile | Herself | |
| 2011 | Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey | Herself | |
Theatre
- Blithe SpiritBlithe Spirit (play)Blithe Spirit is a comic play written by Noël Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" . The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to...
- Hedda GablerHedda GablerHedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
- Dundee Rep - Noel & Gertie - King's Head
- Private LivesPrivate LivesPrivate Lives is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It focuses on a divorced couple who discover that they are honeymooning with their new spouses in neighbouring rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetually stormy relationship, they realise that they still have feelings for...
- The LetterThe Letter (play)The Letter is a play by W. Somerset Maugham dramatised from a short story that first appeared in his 1926 collection The Casuarina Tree. The story is based on a real-life scandal involving the wife of the headmaster of a school in Kuala Lumpur who was convicted in a murder trial after shooting...
by Somerset Maugham, Lyric Hammersmith, 1995 - Jack and the BeanstalkJack and the BeanstalkJack and the Beanstalk is a folktale said by English historian Francis Palgrave to be an oral legend that arrived in England with the Vikings. The tale is closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant-killer. It is known under a number of versions...
by Roald Dahl, Royal Albert Hall, December 1996 - The Cherry OrchardThe Cherry OrchardThe Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
- Sheffield Crucible, March 2007 - David HirsonDavid HirsonDavid Hirson is an American dramatist, best known for his award winning Broadway comedies, La Bête and Wrong Mountain.-Biography:Hirson was born in New York City to actress, Alice, and playwright, Roger O. Hirson...
's La BêteLa BêteLa Bête is a comedy by American playwright, David Hirson. Written in rhymed couplets of iambic pentameter, the Molière-inspired story, set in 17th century France, pits dignified, stuffy Elomire, the head of the royal court-sponsored theatre troupe, against the foppish, frivolous street entertainer...
- Comedy Theatre, London, 26 June - 28 August 2010 with David Hyde PierceDavid Hyde PierceDavid Hyde Pierce is an American actor and comedian best known for playing psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier, for which he received many accolades including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.-Early life:Pierce, the youngest of four siblings,...
and Mark RylanceMark RylanceMark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
, directed by Matthew WarchusMatthew Warchus-Life:Warchus studied music and drama at Bristol University. He has directed for the National Youth Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, Opera North, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Welsh National Opera, English National Opera and in the West...
. Opened at the Music Box Theater, Broadway, New York - 14 October 2010. 2011 Tony Award Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a play.
As author
- Peacocks and Commas: Best of the "Spectator" Competitions (1983) - Editor
- Stare Back and Smile: Memoirs (1989) - Memoir
- Forces Sweethearts
- Girl Friday (1994)
- In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon (1997)
- No Room for Secrets (2005) - Memoir
- Absolutely (2011) - Memoir
She has also narrated a number of audiobooks and provided forewords for works by other authors.
As subject
- Joanna Lumley — The Biography by Tim Ewbank and Stafford Hildred; an unauthorised biography.
External links
- Biography on the BBC
- Joanna Lumleys' biography