Biography for
Joanna Lumley More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

1 May 1946, Srinagar, Kashmir, India

Birth Name

Joanna Lamond Lumley

Height

5' 8" (1.73 m)

Mini Biography

Joanna Lumley was born in Kashmir, India, on 1st May 1946. Her father was a major in the Gurkha Rifles, and 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 London's swinging 1960s, where she was photographed by the greats, including her friend, the late Patrick Lichfield. She was designer Jean Muir's muse and house model for several years before carving a career as a freelance model where she became one of the top ten most-booked models of the 1960s.

Lumley's breakthrough role was as Purdey in "The New Avengers" (1976), a role for which over 800 girls auditioned. Purdey propelled Lumley to instant fame and created one of the "must-have" hairstyles of the 1970s -- 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) opposite David McCallum -- a sci-fi precursor to "The X Files" (1993) and 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 1980s, Lumley returned to the theater, making notable appearances as "Hedda Gabler" and as "Elvira" in "Blithe Spirit" -- a role that seems tailor-made for her. Lumley also made cameo appearances in several films, including Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), and 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 "Absolutely Fabulous" (1992) is regarded as one of the greatest female comic performances ever, earning Lumley a stream of awards, including several BAFTAs. Since "Absolutely Fabulous" (1992), Lumley has cemented her role as one of the UK's most-loved & respected actresses. She is rarely off UK TV screens and 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, and 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 Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" directed by Sir Jonathan Miller.

IMDb Mini Biography By: hunnybunny

Spouse

Stephen Barlow	(1986 - present)
Jeremy Lloyd	(23 May 1970 - September 1970) (divorced)

Trade Mark

One of the most recognisable voices in the UK.

Trivia

Is a vegetarian and an active crusader for animal rights.

Born at 7:30pm-IST.

Her father was a major in the Gurkha Rifles.

Joanna was awarded an OBE in 1995.

After Joanna failed her RADA audition she went into modeling. She was told she was "Too fat and too ugly!".

Has one son, Jamie Lumley, born in 1967, from a relationship with photographer Michael Claydon.

Received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 1994 from Kent University in Canterbury "for her contribution to the entertainment industry and her active charitable work."

Her grandfather was Colonel Leslie Weir, CIE, a political officer of the British Raj in India, were she was born. Joanna recreated the trip he and his wife made in 1931 to visit the King of Bhutan in "Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunderdragon" (1997).

Has an honorary degree From Oxford Brookes University.

In an episode of "Absolutely Fabulous" (1992) her character claims to have been a "Bond Girl", then says "Julian Bond." Lumley actually was a Bond Girl in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).

Is one of the most respected British actresses despite the fact she has had no acting training.

Awarded an honorary doctorate from St Andrews University in 2006.

In 1991, an Oxford University college changed the name of its common room from Nelson Mandela to Joanna Lumley.

The BBC programme "Girl Friday" (1994) in which Lumley was left to fend for herself on a desert island for 10 days, heralded a new reality TV genre, which spawned "Shipwrecked", "Survivor", etc.

Despite having a very small part in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), she spent two months on the production, dubbing the voices of a whole line up of international beauties in German, Chinese and Norwegian accents.

She is a self-confessed Bond fan and of his creator Ian Fleming, being very proud of her role as a 'Bond Girl'.

Personal Quotes

At boarding school I even kept mice in my underclothes drawer. It made me smell most attractive, as you can imagine.

Giraffes are completely tranquil-they have no predators as adults because there's not an animal in the jungle stupid enough to go for them.

Giraffes are fairytale animals, almost heraldic-as if from the land of fables. They have extremely beautiful faces, huge eyes, very sensitive nostrils and Oh, blue tongues!

Hundreds of political prisoners still suffer in Tibetan prisons. Freedom of speech is not allowed in any sense. It is illegal to possess a photo of the Dalai Lama.

I can't see any difference in having your hair dyed, your teeth fixed, your nose done, or your face smoothed out or lifted.

I like to keep up the image of smoking, only because it's getting such a bad press!

When you are in a country where nobody has ever seen television, people look at you with eyes that don't know who you are.

I don't think men are that attracted by glamour. I think women are attracted by glamour. I think men are attracted by a sense of friendship.

I've got lots of good friends. I could have affairs. I can read a book all night, put the cat on the end of the bed. I can pick up my passport and go to France. I don't have to ask anybody.

You have to feel more involved than just writing out a cheque. Charity is almost the wrong word - I think people are beginning to feel more responsible for the world.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z