Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lamond Lumley
1946 -
British born Kashmir

Height 5' 8" (1.73 m) . Joanna Lumley was born in Kashmir, India on 1 May 1946. Her father was a major in the Gurka Rifles & she spent most of her early childhood in the Far East where her father was posted.An aspiring actress, she first came to fame as a model in the 'swinging' 60s London where she was photographed by the greats, including her friend the late Lord Lichfield. She was the designer Jean Muir's muse & house model for several years before carving a career as a freelance model where she became one of the top 10 most-booked models of the 60s. Lumley's breakthrough role was as Purdey in 'The New Avengers' (1976-77), a role 800+ girls had auditioned for. Purdey propelled Lumley to instant fame & created one of the 'must-have' hairstyles of the 70s - the 'Purdey' bob. Lumley became a pin-up figure for a generation of British males who grew up watching her as the high-kicking action girl.Other roles followed, most notably as Sapphire in 'Sapphire & Steel'(1979-1982) opposite David McCallum - a sci-fi precursor to the X-Files - an under-rated gem of a series which has gained a cult following in recent years, despite the fact it has only ever been shown ONCE on terrestrial TV.During the 80s Lumley returned to the theatre, making notable appearances as Hedda Gabler, & as Elvira in Blithe Spirit - a role that seemed tailor-made for her. Lumley also made cameo appearances in several films, including 2 Pink Panther films & a screen-stealing role in 'Shirley Valentine' (1989).It was her reinvention as a comic actress in 'Absolutely Fabulous' (1992) that shot Lumley to wider international acclaim. Her role as Patsy in AbFab is regarded as one of the greatest female comic performances ever, earning Lumley a stream of awards, including several BAFTAs.Since AbFab, Lumley has cemented her role as one of the UK's most-loved & respected actresses. She is rarely off UK TV screens & has also built a successful film career as a character/voice-over actress.She recently teamed up with the writer/director Hugo Blick for the series of acclaimed monologues 'Up In Town' (2002) which were critically regarded as the performance of a lifetime, & the recent 'Sensitive Skin' (2005).It has been announced that she will be making a return to the stage for the first time in over a decade in 2007 in a new production of Chekov's 'The Cherry Orchard' directed by Sir Jonathan Miller. Spouse Stephen Barlow (1986 - present), Jeremy Lloyd (23 May 1970 - September 1970) (divorced).

"Untitled Jennifer Saunders/Joanna Lumley Project" (2007) , "Jam and Jerusalem" (2006) , "Sensitive Skin" (2005) , Corpse Bride (2005) , "Absolutely Fabulous" (2003) , The Magic Roundabout (2005) , Stories of Lost Souls (2005) , Marple: The Body in the Library (2004) , Ella Enchanted (2004) , EuroTrip (2004), Standing Room Only (2004/I) , "Up in Town" (2002) , The Cat's Meow (2001) , Mirrorball (2000) , Maybe Baby (2000) , Whispers: An Elephant's Tale (2000) , BBC Reports: Dot.Com Fever (2000) , "Dr Willoughby" (1999) ,Mad Cows (1999) , "Foxbusters" (1999) , "The Forgotten Toys" (1999) , Nancherrow (1999) , Parting Shots (1999), Alice in Wonderland (1999) , Comic Relief: Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death (1999) , A Rather English Marriage (1998) , The Tale of Sweeney Todd (1998) , Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Not! (1998) , Coming Home (1998) , Prince Valiant (1997) , "Roseanne" (1996) , James and the Giant Peach (1996) , Innocent Lies (1995) , The Forgotten Toys (1995) , Cold Comfort Farm (1995) , "Class Act" (1994) , "Girl Friday" (1994) , "Cluedo" (1990) , "Lovejoy" (1992) , "A Perfect Hero" (1991) , A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990) , Shirley Valentine (1989) , "The Two Ronnies" (1986) , The Glory Boys (1984) , "Oxbridge Blues" (1984) , "Mistral's Daughter" (1984) , Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) , The Weather in the Streets (1983) , Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) , "Sapphire and Steel" (1981) , "The Morecambe & Wise Show" (1981) , The Plank (1979) , "The New Avengers" (1977) , "The Cuckoo Waltz" , "Are You Being Served?" (1973) , The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974) , "Coronation Street" (1960) , Don't Just Lie There, Say Something (1973) , "Steptoe and Son" (1972), "It's Awfully Bad for Your Eyes, Darling" (1971) , Tam Lin (1970) , The Breaking of Bumbo (1970) , The House That Dripped Blood (1970) , Games That Lovers Play (1970) , On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) , "The Wednesday Play" (1969) , The Mark Two Wife (1969) , Some Girls Do (1969) , "The Bruce Forsyth Show" (1966)