Pamela Stephenson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pamela Stephenson
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Stephenson in 1992
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Pamela Stephenson
4 December 1949 Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand
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| Alma mater | California Graduate Institute (PhD, Clinical Psychology) |
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| Years active | 1971–present |
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| Children | 3 |
Pamela Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a talented person from New Zealand. She is known as a psychologist, writer, actress, and comedian. In 1953, she moved to Australia with her family. There, she studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). After acting in plays and TV shows, Stephenson moved to the United Kingdom in 1976.
Pamela Stephenson appeared in British TV shows like Space: 1999 and The Professionals. She became very famous for her role in the comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982). She starred alongside well-known comedians like Rowan Atkinson and Mel Smith. In 1981, she was nominated for a BAFTA award for her acting in this series. She also appeared in movies such as History of the World, Part I (1981) and Superman III (1983). From 1984 to 1985, she was part of the American comedy show Saturday Night Live.
In the late 1980s, Stephenson helped start a group called Parents for Safe Food. This group successfully worked to ban a chemical called Alar in the UK. This chemical was sprayed on apples and pears and was thought to be harmful. Later, Pamela Stephenson changed her career to become a clinical psychologist. She earned a special degree called a doctorate in this field. She has written several books, including two about her husband, Billy Connolly. She also hosted a TV show called Shrink Rap (2007), where she interviewed celebrities about psychology. In 2010, she was a finalist on the BBC TV show Strictly Come Dancing. Her autobiography, The Varnished Untruth, was published in 2012.
Contents
Early Life & Education
Pamela Helen Stephenson was born on December 4, 1949. Her birthplace was Takapuna, a town in Auckland, New Zealand. In 1953, when she was four years old, she moved to Australia. She lived there with her parents, who were scientists, and her two sisters.
Pamela went to Boronia Park Primary School in Sydney. After that, she attended Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School in Darlinghurst. She later studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).
Acting Career
Pamela Stephenson had a busy career in acting. She worked in both Australia and the United Kingdom.
Early Acting Roles
In Australia, Pamela Stephenson played Elsie in the opera The Yeomen of the Guard (1972). She also played Julie King in the TV series Ryan from 1972 to 1973. In 1974, she was Josephine in another opera, The Violins of Saint-Jacques.
She moved to the UK in 1976. There, she appeared in many TV shows and films. These included an episode of Space: 1999 (1976) and New Avengers (1977). She also had a role in the first episode of Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected in 1979. In 1978, she played three different characters in the British TV show The Professionals.
Not the Nine O'Clock News
Pamela Stephenson became very well-known for her role in Not the Nine O'Clock News. This was a British sketch-comedy TV show that aired from 1979 to 1982. She starred with Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, and Griff Rhys Jones. The show was famous for its funny and sometimes silly sketches. It made fun of news and everyday life.
Critics praised Pamela Stephenson's performances on the show. She often made fun of TV newsreaders like Angela Rippon. In one funny sketch, she sang a song called "Oh England, My Leotard." This song was a parody of a famous song by musician Kate Bush.
Not the Nine O'Clock News won an award called the Golden Rose in 1980. It also won a BAFTA award for Best Light Entertainment Programme in 1981. Pamela Stephenson herself was nominated for two BAFTA awards for her acting. The show was so popular that it led to books, music albums, and a stage show.
Movies and TV in the 1980s
In 1981, Pamela Stephenson acted in the comedy film History of the World, Part I. She also appeared in the music video for the song "Norman Bates" by the band Landscape. This video was a funny version of the movie Psycho.
In 1983, she was in the movie Superman III. She played Lorelei Ambroisa, the girlfriend of the bad guy. Critics had different opinions about her role. Some thought she was excellent, while others felt her talent was not fully used. She also starred in the films Scandalous (1984) and Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984).
From 1984 to 1985, Pamela Stephenson joined the cast of the American comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). She was the first female cast member on SNL who was born outside North America. On the show, she played funny versions of famous people like Billy Idol and Cyndi Lauper. Even though it was a tough season for the show, many people thought she was a bright spot.
In 1986, she hosted an episode of the UK show Saturday Live. She also took on a serious acting role in the drama Lost Empires. In 1987, she was part of a charity TV special called The Grand Knockout Tournament. She also toured with her one-woman theatre show, Scandalous Behaviour.
Dancing and Later Projects
In December 2010, Pamela Stephenson competed in the TV show Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1. She danced with professional dancer James Jordan. They did very well and reached the final, finishing in third place. She returned to the show for a special Christmas episode in 2016.
Pamela Stephenson also started a dance company with a Brazilian dancer named Braz Dos Santos. They created a dance show called Brazouka. This show told the story of Braz Dos Santos and his dancing. It first opened at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014. Then, it toured in South Africa and Australia.
Psychology Career
After achieving her goals in comedy, Pamela Stephenson decided to change her career. She wanted to become a psychologist. In the early 1990s, she studied at Antioch University in the United States. She then became a qualified clinical psychologist.
In 1996, she earned a special degree called a doctorate in clinical psychology. She got this from the California Graduate Institute. After that, she started her own private practice. Her special research for her doctorate was about how famous people feel about being famous. She also became a professor at the California Graduate Institute.
Pamela Stephenson hosted a TV show called Shrink Rap. In this show, she interviewed celebrities about their thoughts and feelings. Some of her guests included Salman Rushdie, Carrie Fisher, and Robin Williams. The show first aired in 2007. In 2009, she received an honorary degree from Robert Gordon University.
Activism
Pamela Stephenson has also been involved in important causes.
In 1987, she ran as a candidate for a fun political party called the Blancmange Throwers Party. She ran in the Windsor and Maidenhead area. One of her promises was "free blancmanges for pensioners and the unemployed." She received 328 votes.
Stephenson also helped create a group called Parents for Safe Food. This group was formed because she was worried about a chemical called daminozide (also known as Alar). This chemical was sprayed on apples and pears. It was believed to cause cancer. In 1989, she led a group of celebrity mothers to 10 Downing Street. They gave a petition to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, asking for the chemical to be banned. Later that year, the use of daminozide on fruit was banned in the UK. Many news sources said this ban was thanks to Stephenson's group.
In 2010, Stephenson traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo. She went with a charity called Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin). There, she met people who had survived violence.
Writing
Pamela Stephenson has written several books.
In 2002, she published Billy, a book about her husband, Billy Connolly. This book was a best-seller in Britain. Two years later, she released Bravemouth. This book was like a diary about Connolly's life after his sixtieth birthday.
In 2004 and 2005, Stephenson went on a year-long sailing trip. She followed a route that writer Robert Louis Stevenson had taken. She wrote about her adventures in the book Treasure Islands: Sailing the South Seas in the Wake of Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson (2005). The book was described as "earnest and endearing." The next year, she sailed her family's boat to follow a route her great-great-grandfather had taken in the South Pacific. This journey was shown in a TV series and in her book Murder or Mutiny: Mystery, piracy and adventure in the Spice Islands (2006).
In 2007, Stephenson published Head Case: Treat Yourself to Better Mental Health. This book helps people understand and improve their mental well-being.
Her autobiography, The Varnished Untruth: My Story, came out in 2012. An autobiography is a book about a person's own life. Reviewers said the book was "compelling" and full of "humour." It also talked about her childhood experiences.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, Pamela Stephenson wrote a musical. It is called Bum Farto – The Musical. It is about a fire chief from the 1970s named Joseph "Bum" Farto.
Personal Life
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In 1978, Pamela Stephenson married actor Nicholas Ball. She became a Buddhist in 1979. She and Ball divorced in 1984.
Pamela Stephenson first met comedian Billy Connolly in 1979. They filmed a sketch together for Not the Nine O'Clock News. They met again the next year. They lived together for ten years before getting married. They got married in Fiji on December 20, 1989. They have three daughters together.
In 1991, Stephenson and Connolly moved to Los Angeles. Later, they split their time between homes in New York and Scotland. In 2002, Pamela Stephenson spoke about her Buddhist faith. She said it helped her feel like she had a wonderful start to life.
In 2017, Billy Connolly was given a special honor and became a knight. This means Pamela Stephenson can formally be called Lady Connolly. As of September 2022, the couple lives in Key West, Florida.
See also
In Spanish: Pamela Stephenson para niños
