Biography & Career Of Joanna Lumley

Forum 3 years ago

Biography & Career Of Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist..

Early Life

Joanna Lamond Lumley was born in 1946 in Srinagar, India, during the waning days of the British Raj. Her mother, Thyra Beatrice Rose, was English, while her father, Major James Rutherford Lumley, was Indian-born with English and Scottish roots. At the age of eight, Lumley decided to stay in England after initially visiting with her parents on leave. There, she boarded at Mickledene School in Rolvenden, Kent, and later attended St. Mary's Convent School on the Ridge. After being turned down by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art when she was sixteen, Lumley attended the Lucie Clayton Finishing School in London.

Early on, Lumley spent three years as a model, most notably for portrait photographer Brian Duffy and fashion designer Jean Muir. In 1969, her acting career began with an uncredited bit part in the comedy spy film "Some Girls Do." The same year, she appeared as a Bond girl in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Other screen appearances around this time included a brief role on the TV soap opera "Coronation Street," and a part opposite Christopher Lee in 1973's "The Satanic Rites of Dracula."

Career

In 1976, Lumley landed her first major role as Purdey in "The New Avengers," a revival of the popular 1960s series "The Avengers." Another substantial part came in 1979, when Lumley was cast as a mysterious creature in the supernatural series "Sapphire & Steel." The actress's real claim to fame, however, arrived over a decade later in the BBC comedy series "Absolutely Fabulous." On the show, which had multiple runs between 1992 and 2012, Lumley starred as dissolute fashion director Patsy Stone, who was the memorable companion of drug-abusing PR agent Edina Monsoon, played by Jennifer Saunders. The acclaimed program won multiple TV honors, and was adapted into a movie in 2016.

Among other significant TV roles, Lumley played Kate Swift on the British program "Class Act" from 1994 to 1995. In 1999, she was nominated for a Best Actress BAFTA for her role in the BBC TV movie "A Rather English Marriage." Lumley also provided her distinctive voice to a number of animated projects, including the award-winning series "The Foxbusters," and Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" and "James and the Giant Peach." Due to her recognizable voice, Lumley recorded the standard greetings of "Welcome" and "You've got post" for AOL in the United Kingdom. Beyond TV and movies, the actress has appeared in a variety of theatrical productions, notably the Broadway revival of "La Bête," for which she earned a Tony Award nomination in 2011.

Personal Life

In 1967, Lumley had a son, James, with partner Michael Claydon. Her first marriage was to actor Jeremy Lloyd, whom she both wed and divorced in 1970. Later, in 1986, she married opera conductor Stephen Barlow; the two live in London, and also own a cottage in the Southern Uplands of Scotland.

Net Worth

Joanna Lumley is a British actress and producer who has a net worth of $25 million. Joanna is best known for playing Patsy Stone on the hit BBC sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous." The show, often considered one of the UK's greatest television programs, garnered Lumley two BAFTA TV Awards. In addition to acting, Lumley is an outspoken human rights activist, and advocates for various charities and animal welfare organizations.