Joanna Lumley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joanna Lumley
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Lumley in 2015
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Joanna Lamond Lumley
1 May 1946 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1967–present |
| Television |
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Partner(s) | Michael Claydon (1960s) |
| Children | 1 |
Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is a famous British actress, TV presenter, writer, and activist. She is well-known for her role as Patsy Stone in the TV comedy show Absolutely Fabulous. For this role, she won two BAFTA TV Awards.
Joanna Lumley has also starred in other popular TV shows like The New Avengers and Sapphire & Steel. She has appeared in many films, including On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Shirley Valentine, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Beyond acting, Lumley is a strong supporter of human rights. She works with groups like Survival International and the Gurkha Justice Campaign. She also helps animal welfare charities. In 2022, she was made a Dame for her work in entertainment and charity.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Joanna Lumley was born on 1 May 1946 in Srinagar, which was part of British India at the time. Her family had a long history of working in India. She has an older sister named Aelene.
Her mother, Thyra Beatrice Rose, was English. Her grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Weir, was an army officer in Kashmir. He was a close 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. He fought in Burma, and his life was saved by a brave soldier named Tul Bahadur Pun.
Joanna's parents got married in 1941. She remembers living in warm, tropical places when she was very young.
When her parents returned to Asia, Joanna stayed in England. She went to Mickledene School in Rolvenden, Kent, when she was eight. She later said this felt "paralysingly young." From ages 11 to 17, she attended St Mary's Convent School. She loved this school, describing the nuns as "brainy and lovely."
After school, she went to the Lucie Clayton Finishing School in London. She had been turned down by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art when she was 16.
Starting Her Career
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Joanna Lumley started her career as a photographic model for three years. She appeared on a BBC2 show in 1967. She also worked as a model for fashion designer Jean Muir.
Her acting career began in 1969. She had a small role in the film Some Girls Do. She also appeared as a Bond girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Lumley then had a memorable role as Elaine Perkins in the TV soap opera Coronation Street. Her character turned down a marriage proposal from Ken Barlow. She also appeared in other popular TV series like Are You Being Served? and Steptoe and Son. In 1973, she played Jessica Van Helsing in the film The Satanic Rites of Dracula.
Major Acting Roles
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Joanna Lumley often played upper-class characters because of her clear voice and accent. Her first big role was as Purdey in The New Avengers (1976–1977). This show was a follow-up to the secret agent series The Avengers.
In 1979, she starred in another popular series called Sapphire & Steel. She played a mysterious being named Sapphire who, with her partner Steel, fixed problems in time.
More than ten years later, Lumley's career became even more famous. She played Patsy Stone in the BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012). Patsy was a stylish, funny, and sometimes selfish fashion director. She was best friends with Jennifer Saunders' character, Edina Monsoon. A movie based on the show, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, was released in 2016.
From 1994 to 1995, Lumley starred in Class Act. She played Kate Swift, a high-society lady who had lost her money.
Other notable works include:
- Lovejoy (1992) as Victoria Cavero.
- In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon (1996), a film about her grandparents' journey in Bhutan.
- A Rather English Marriage (1998), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA award.
- Providing voices for animated shows like The Forgotten Toys (1995) and The Foxbusters (1999).
She also worked with director Tim Burton on two films: James and the Giant Peach (1996) and Corpse Bride (2005). In 2013, she appeared in the crime drama The Wolf of Wall Street.
In 2010, she starred in the play La Bête in London and New York. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance.
Media and Travel Shows
Joanna Lumley has a very recognizable voice in the UK. She has done many voice-overs, including the "Welcome" and "You have email" greetings for AOL in the United Kingdom.
She has also presented many travel documentaries for ITV:
- Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights (2008), where she searched for the Northern Lights in Norway.
- Joanna Lumley's Nile (2010), where she traveled up the River Nile.
- Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey (2011), exploring Greece.
- Joanna Lumley's Trans-Siberian Adventure (2015), a 6400-mile journey from Hong Kong to Moscow.
- Joanna Lumley's Japan (2016) and Joanna Lumley's India (2017).
- Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure (2018), covering eight countries along the ancient Silk Road.
- Joanna Lumley's Hidden Caribbean: Havana to Haiti (2020).
- Joanna Lumley's Home Sweet Home – Travels in My Own Land (2021), exploring Britain.
- Joanna Lumley's Great Cities of the World (2022).
- Joanna Lumley's Spice Trail Adventure (2023).
In 2024, Lumley was the UK's jury spokesperson for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
Activism and Charity Work
Joanna Lumley is well-known for her activism and support for various causes. Her father served with Gurkha soldiers, which led to her strong support for them. She also supports the exiled Tibetan people and the Khonds indigenous people of India.
Gurkha Justice Campaign
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.
On 20 November 2008, Lumley led a large group to 10 Downing Street with a petition signed by 250,000 people. On 29 April 2009, a motion was passed in Parliament to give all Gurkhas equal rights to live in the UK. This meant Gurkhas who served before 1997 could also 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." After more discussions, on 19 May, all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more 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. However, she said she did not want to enter politics. In July 2009, she visited Nepal and was called 'Daughter of Nepal' by the crowds.
Supporting Indigenous Peoples
Lumley has long supported Survival International, a group that helps indigenous people around the world. She narrated their documentary, Mine: Story of a Sacred Mountain. This film tells the story of the Dongria Kondha tribe in India. They fought to stop a large mine from destroying their land and way of life.
She also wrote for the book We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples. This book highlights the rich cultures of indigenous peoples and the threats they face.
Other Charities
Since 1984, Lumley has been a Patron of the Born Free Foundation. This charity works to keep wildlife in the wild. She has supported many of their campaigns.
She is also a Patron of Population Matters, which works for a sustainable global population. Lumley has supported Tree Aid since 1993. This organization helps communities in Africa's drylands fight poverty by planting trees.
Other charities she supports include:
- The Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa (PENHA).
- Kids for Kids, helping children in Darfur, Sudan.
- The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, which is restoring the house and gardens that inspired J. M. Barrie to create Peter Pan.
- The UK environmental charity Earth Restoration Service, which supports tree planting in UK schools.
- Trust in Children, which helps children from poor backgrounds get an education.
- The Gurkha Welfare Trust, helping Gurkha veterans and their families.
London Garden Bridge Project
Lumley first suggested a garden bridge across London's River Thames in the late 1990s. She wanted it to be a memorial to Princess Diana. This idea was not successful at first. In 2012, after Boris Johnson became Mayor of London again, Lumley sent him a letter about her bridge idea. She had known him since he was four years old.
Thomas Heatherwick was chosen as the designer for the bridge. However, the project faced many problems. The cost kept rising, reaching about £200 million. There was also strong opposition from local residents. It became clear the bridge would be closed at night and involve cutting down trees.
When Sadiq Khan became Mayor in 2016, support for the project was withdrawn. About £46.4 million of public money had been spent. A report found that the plan for the bridge was weak and the process for choosing the designer was "not open, fair or competitive." Lumley later said the cancellation was "absolutely shattering, devastating."
Personal Life
Joanna Lumley has one son, born in 1967, whose father is photographer Michael Claydon. She was briefly married to actor Jeremy Lloyd in 1970. In 1986, she married conductor Stephen Barlow. They live in London and also have a home in Scotland.
Lumley supports over 60 charities. She has been a vegetarian for 40 years. She is also passionate about the Free Tibet campaign.
In 2009, Lumley supported the Green Party in the European Elections. She believed their work on human rights and animal rights made them "the obvious choice." In 2010 and 2015, she supported Caroline Lucas's campaign to become a Green Party MP.
In 2015, Lumley supported "GivingTales," a children's fairytales app that helps UNICEF. In 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 that she has prosopagnosia, a condition that makes it hard to recognize faces.
Awards and Honours
Joanna Lumley has received many awards and honours:
- She was made 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 services to drama, entertainment, and charity.
- She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS).
- She has received several honorary degrees from universities, including the University of Kent, Oxford Brookes University, University of St Andrews, Queen's University Belfast, and the University of Chester.
Images for kids
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Lumley on the set of On Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazenby (1969)
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Lumley alongside Christopher Lee in The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
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Lumley with David Cameron, Bob Russell and Nick Clegg, celebrating the vote in favour of giving Gurkha veterans right of residence
See also
In Spanish: Joanna Lumley para niños
