Joanna Lumley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dame Joanna Lumley DBE FRGS
Lumley in 2015
Born	Joanna Lamond Lumley (1946-05-01) 1 May 1946 (age 79) Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actress author activist presenter model producer
Years active	1967–present
Television	Coronation Street The New Avengers Sapphire & Steel Absolutely Fabulous Finding Alice
Spouse(s)	Jeremy Lloyd ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1971)​ Stephen Barlow ​ (m. 1986)​
Partner(s)	Michael Claydon (1960s)
Children	1

Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is a famous British actress, presenter, author, and activist. She was born in India and also worked as a model. She is well-known for playing Patsy Stone in the TV show Absolutely Fabulous. For this role, she won two BAFTA TV Awards. She also received a special award at the National Television Awards in 2013 and the BAFTA Fellowship in 2017.

Joanna Lumley has appeared in many other TV shows, including The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Finding Alice. She also played Elaine Perkins in Coronation Street. Her film roles include On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Shirley Valentine, James and the Giant Peach, Ella Enchanted, Corpse Bride, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Beyond acting, Lumley is a strong supporter of human rights and animal welfare. She works with groups like Survival International and the Gurkha Justice Campaign. She was made a Dame (DBE) in 2022 for her work in entertainment and charity.

Early Life and Education

Joanna Lamond Lumley was born on 1 May 1946 in Srinagar, which was then part of British India. Her mother, Thyra Beatrice Rose, was English. Her grandfather was an army officer in Kashmir and a friend of the 13th Dalai Lama.

Her father, Major James Rutherford Lumley, was born in Lahore (now in Pakistan). He served in the British Indian Army during World War II in Burma. His life was saved by a brave Gurkha soldier named Tul Bahadur Pun.

Joanna's parents married in 1941. She remembers living in warm, tropical places when she was very young. When her parents returned to Asia, she stayed in England and went to boarding school at Mickledene School in Kent. She was only eight years old, which she later said felt "paralysingly young." From ages 11 to 17, she attended Holmhurst St Mary's Convent School. She loved this school, describing the nuns as "brainy and lovely."

After school, Lumley attended the Lucie Clayton Finishing School in London. She had been turned down by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art when she was 16.

Joanna's Acting Career

Lumley on the set of On Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazenby in 1969

Joanna Lumley started her career as a photographic model for three years. She even appeared on a BBC2 show in 1967. She also worked as a model for fashion designer Jean Muir.

Her acting career began in 1969 with a small role in the film Some Girls Do. She also appeared as a Bond girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. She had a memorable role as Elaine Perkins in Coronation Street and appeared in other popular TV shows like Are You Being Served? and Steptoe and Son. In 1973, she was in the film The Satanic Rites of Dracula with Christopher Lee.

Major Roles on Screen

Lumley alongside Christopher Lee in The Satanic Rites of Dracula in 1973

Joanna Lumley often played upper-class characters because of her distinctive voice and accent. Her first big role was as Purdey in The New Avengers from 1976 to 1977.

In 1979, she starred in another popular series called Sapphire & Steel with David McCallum. She played a mysterious being named Sapphire who fixed problems with time.

More than ten years later, Lumley became even more famous for playing Patsy Stone in the BBC comedy Absolutely Fabulous. Patsy was a fun, often tipsy fashion director and best friend to Edina Monsoon, played by Jennifer Saunders. The show ran from 1992 to 2012, and a movie, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, was released in 2016.

From 1994 to 1995, Lumley starred in Class Act as Kate Swift, a high-society lady facing tough times. She also voiced Annie the rag doll in The Forgotten Toys and Sims the chicken in The Foxbusters.

Lumley worked with director Tim Burton on two films: James and the Giant Peach (1996) and Corpse Bride (2005). She also appeared in Ella Enchanted (2004) with Anne Hathaway and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

In 2010, she starred in the play La Bête in London and New York. She was even nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance.

Media and Travel Shows

Joanna Lumley's voice is very well-known in the UK. She has done many voice-overs, including the "Welcome" and "You have email" greetings for AOL in the UK.

She has also presented many popular travel documentaries for ITV. In 2010, she presented Joanna Lumley's Nile, traveling up the River Nile. In 2011, she explored Greece in Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey. In 2012, she searched for Noah's Ark in a documentary called Joanna Lumley's Ark.

Later, she presented Joanna Lumley's Trans-Siberian Adventure (2015), traveling 6,400 miles from Hong Kong to Moscow. She also explored Joanna Lumley's Japan (2016) and Joanna Lumley's India (2017). In 2018, she presented Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure, covering eight countries along the ancient trade route. Her most recent travel series, Joanna Lumley’s Danube, is set to air in 2025.

In May 2024, Lumley was the UK's jury spokesperson for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Activism and Charity Work

Joanna Lumley is a dedicated activist. She supports the Gurkhas, the Tibetan people, and the Khonds indigenous people of India. Her father served with Gurkha soldiers in World War II, which inspired her support for them.

Gurkha Justice Campaign

Lumley with David Cameron, Bob Russell and Nick Clegg celebrating the vote for Gurkha veterans' right to live in the UK

In 2008, Lumley became the public face of the Gurkha Justice Campaign. This campaign aimed to give all Gurkha veterans who served in the British Army before 1997 the right to live in Britain. Gurkhas who served after 1997 already had this right, but the government had not extended it to all.

On 20 November 2008, Lumley led a large group, including Gurkhas, to 10 Downing Street with a petition signed by 250,000 people. After much effort and public support, a motion was passed on 29 April 2009, allowing Gurkhas who served before 1997 to live in the UK and access housing, social security, and healthcare.

Lumley met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 6 May 2009. She described the meeting as "extremely positive." Following further discussions, all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 were given the right to settle in Britain. Lumley's success in this campaign led to calls for her to become a Member of Parliament, but she declined.

Supporting Indigenous Peoples

Lumley has long supported Survival International, an organization that helps indigenous people. She narrated their documentary, Mine: Story of a Sacred Mountain. This film tells the story of the Dongria Kondha tribe in India and their fight to stop a large mine from destroying their land. Lumley urged the public to support the Dongria, who simply want to live in peace.

She also contributed to the book We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, which raises money for Survival International. In her essay, Lumley highlights the Dongria's way of life and the threats they face from big companies.

Other Charitable Causes

Since 1984, Lumley has been a Patron of the Born Free Foundation, which works to keep wildlife in the wild. She has supported many of their campaigns, including helping endangered giraffes in Kenya.

She is also a Patron of Population Matters, an organization that campaigns for a sustainable global population. Since 1993, Lumley has been a Patron of Tree Aid, which helps communities in Africa's drylands fight poverty by improving their environment.

Lumley supports Kids for Kids, a charity that helps children in Darfur, Sudan, access education. She is also a Patron of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, which is renovating the house and gardens that inspired J. M. Barrie to create Peter Pan.

She is a Patron of the UK environmental charity Earth Restoration Service, which supports planting trees and wildflowers in UK schools. In 2008, she spoke in the House of Lords about the need for a stronger environmental movement.

Lumley is also a Patron of Trust in Children, which helps children from poor backgrounds get an education. Her family's connection to Nepal led her to become a Vice Patron of The Gurkha Welfare Trust in 2009.

London Garden Bridge Project

Lumley first suggested building a garden bridge across London's River Thames in the late 1990s. She wanted it to be a memorial to Princess Diana. Her idea was not successful then. In 2012, she proposed the idea again to Boris Johnson, who was then the Mayor of London. She suggested Thomas Heatherwick as the designer.

The project faced many challenges and criticisms, including rising costs and concerns about public access. It was also revealed that the bridge would be closed at night and involve cutting down 30 mature trees. The project was eventually canceled in August 2017 by the new Mayor, Sadiq Khan, due to lack of funds and planning issues. About £46.4 million of public money had been spent on the project.

Personal Life and Interests

Joanna Lumley has one son, born in 1967. She was briefly married to actor Jeremy Lloyd from 1970 to 1971. In 1986, she married conductor Stephen Barlow. They live in Central London and also have a home in Scotland.

Lumley supports over 60 charities and has been a vegetarian for more than 40 years. She is passionate about the Free Tibet campaign. In 2009, she supported the Green Party in the European Elections, believing they worked for human and animal rights. She also supported changing the British electoral system in 2011.

In August 2015, Lumley supported "GivingTales," a children's fairytales app that helps UNICEF. In July 2021, she joined other actors in calling for the Great Barrier Reef to be listed as a world heritage site in danger. In 2023, Lumley attended the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. She also shared in July 2023 that she has prosopagnosia, a condition that makes it hard to recognize faces.

Awards and Recognition

Joanna Lumley was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1995. She was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2022 for her contributions to drama, entertainment, and charity.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). She has also received several honorary degrees from universities, including the University of Kent (1994), Oxford Brookes University (2002), University of St Andrews (2006), Queen's University Belfast (2008), and the University of Chester (2019).

In February 2013, Lumley was named one of the 100 most influential women in the United Kingdom by BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Film and Television Roles

Here are some of Joanna Lumley's roles in films and TV shows:

Film Appearances

Television Roles

Theatre Performances

• Private Lives – UK tour, 1982
• Blithe Spirit – Vaudeville Theatre, 1986
• La Bête – Comedy Theatre and Music Box Theater, New York, 2010
• Joanna Lumley: It's All About Me – UK and Ireland tour, 2018

Books by Joanna Lumley

• Stare Back and Smile: Memoirs (1989)
• Girl Friday (1994)
• In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon (1997)
• No Room for Secrets (2005)
• Absolutely (2011)
• A Queen for All Seasons: A Celebration of Our One and Only Queen Elizabeth II on Her Platinum Jubilee (2021)

See also

In Spanish: Joanna Lumley para niños