Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley was born in India and educated in the Far East and Sussex. During the Sixties, she was a photographic model which led her into the acting career she had always longed for; but to be an actress without any formal training meant slim times and her first big break came with playing Purdey in The New Avengers when she was nearly thirty. By then, she had appeared in Bond and Dracula films, been in Coronation Street and acted in the West End. She has been lucky enough to have a wide-spanning career, with constant work on stage, film, radio and television.
Probably best remembered as Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, she has employed a scattergun technique to choosing parts - which has taken her in documentaries to Bhutan and India, Malaysia, Kenya and Norway, and left her abandoned on a desert island in Girl Friday. She has written five books, had a regular column in The Times and is married to the musician Stephen Barlow.
Her son Jamie and his wife have provided two adorable granddaughters. They all live in London and love it dearly.