Dawn French | |
|---|---|
 French in 2005 | |
| Born | Dawn Roma French (1957-10-11)11 October 1957 (age 68) Holyhead, Wales |
| Education | Central School of Speech and Drama (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Notable work | The Comic Strip Presents... French and Saunders Murder Most Horrid The Vicar of Dibley |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | BAFTA Fellowship (2009) |
Dawn Roma French[1] (born 11 October 1957) is a Welsh actress, comedian and writer. She is known for writing and starring on theBBC sketch comedy seriesFrench and Saunders (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partnerJennifer Saunders, and for starring in the BBC comedy anthology seriesMurder Most Horrid (1991–1999) and the BBC sitcomThe Vicar of Dibley (1994–2007). French has been nominated for sevenBritish Academy Television Awards and won aBAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009.[2]
French was born on 11 October 1957 inHolyhead, Wales, to English parents Felicity Roma (née O'Brien; 1934–2012)[3] and Denys Vernon French (5 August 1932 – 11 September 1977),[4] who married in their home town ofPlymouth in 1953. French has an older brother, Gary. Her father served in theRoyal Air Force, stationed atRAF Valley and laterRAF Leconfield, whereQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother went to tea at French's home when French was three years old. RAF archive footage of this event was included in French's comedy tour/videoThirty Million Minutes.
The RAF partly funded French's private education.[5] When her father was stationed atRAF Faldingworth, French attendedCaistor Grammar School for one year. She later attended boarding school atSt Dunstan's Abbey School for Girls in Plymouth (since absorbed byPlymouth College), where she was a member of Downton house. After finishing her schooling, she spent a year studying at theSpence School in New York on a debating scholarship that she won while at school.[5]
French has said that her self-confidence and self-belief stem from her father, who told her how beautiful she was each day.[6] She stated, "He taught me to value myself. He told me that I was beautiful and the most precious thing in his life."[7] Denys had a history ofsevere depression and made two suicide attempts, but managed to conceal his illness from Dawn and Gary.[6] When French was 19, her father died by suicide.[8]
In 1977, French began studying drama atRoyal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she met her future comedy partner,Jennifer Saunders.[6][9] Both came from RAF backgrounds. They had grown up on the same camps, even having had the same best friend, although never meeting.[10] Saunders recalled her first perception of French was that she was a "cocky little upstart"; French considered Saunders to be snooty and aloof.[10] The comic duo originally did not like each other as French wanted to become a drama teacher[9] whereas Saunders loathed the idea and thus disliked French for being enthusiastic and confident about the course.[6]
French and Saunders shared a flat while at college and were influenced to do comedy by their flatmates as part of their projects for college. After talking in depth for the first time, they came to be friends.[6] While at college, French broke up with her fiancé, a formerRoyal Navy officer. After French and Saunders graduated from the Royal Central School, they decided to form a double-act called the Menopause Sisters. Saunders has described the act, which involved wearingtampons in their ears, as "cringeworthy".[11] The manager of the club recalled, "They didn't seem to give a damn. There was no star quality about them at all."[10]
French has had an extensive career on television, debuting onChannel 4'sThe Comic Strip Presents series in an episode called "Five Go Mad in Dorset" in 1982.[9] Each episode presented a self-contained story and, in addition to French and Saunders, showcasedComic Strip performersPeter Richardson,Rik Mayall,Nigel Planer,Robbie Coltrane andAdrian Edmondson. She acted in 27 of the 37 episodes and wrote two of them.[9] One episode featured a parody of spaghetti westerns and another a black and white film about a hopelessly goofy boy. Some of French's first exposure to a wider audience occurred when comedy producerMartin Lewis recorded aComic Strip record album in 1981 which featured sketches by French & Saunders. The album was released on Springtime!/Island Records in September 1981 and presented French and Jennifer Saunders to an audience outside London. In 1985, French starred with Saunders,Tracey Ullman,Ruby Wax andJoan Greenwood inGirls on Top, which portrayed four eccentric women sharing a flat in London.[9]
French has co-written and starred in her and Saunders' comedy series,French & Saunders, which debuted in 1987.[9] On their show, the duo have spoofed many celebrities such asMadonna,Cher,Catherine Zeta-Jones and theSpice Girls. They have also parodied films such asThe Lord of the Rings,Star Wars andHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. After 20 years being on television together, their sketch seriesA Bucket o' French & Saunders, began airing on 8 September 2007.[6]
French and Saunders have also followed separate careers. During French's time starring inMurder Most Horrid, from 1991 to 1999, she played a different character each week, whether it was the murderer, victim, or both.[9]
French's biggest solo television role to date has been as the title figure in the long-running BBC comedyThe Vicar of Dibley, whichRichard Curtis created for her. The show began in 1994. She stars as Geraldine Granger, a vicar of a small fictional village called Dibley. An audience of 12.3 million watched the final full-length episode to see her character's marriage ceremony.[12] She appeared onThe Vicar of Dibley withDamian Lewis in a mini-episode made forComic Relief in 2013. She was nominated for aBAFTA for Best Comedy Performance in the last episode ofThe Vicar of Dibley. Repeats of the show on BBC One still attract millions of viewers and it also retains a following amongstPBS viewers in the United States.[13] Although the main series ended in 2007, the show has returned for numerous short special episodes since, the latest four of which aired in December 2020.
In 1995, she appeared as a talk-show host in a Comic Relief sketch calledDawn, written byVictoria Wood. The sketch also featured Wood herself,Celia Imrie,Lill Roughley,Anne Reid,Philip Lowrie, Robert Kingswell, Bryan Burdon,Duncan Preston,Jim Broadbent, andLynda Bellingham.[14][15]
In 2002, French appeared in the comedy/drama mini-seriesTed and Alice. In the series, set in theLake District, French played a tourist information officer who falls in love with an alien.[16] She appeared once in the Saunders led sitcomAbsolutely Fabulous as TV interviewer Kathy in 1992, a parody ofLorraine Kelly, she reprised that role forAbsolutely Fabulous: The Movie in 2016 as a more established veteran journalist as Kelly is now. She also appeared in the BBC sitcomWild West, withCatherine Tate,[17] in which she played a woman living inCornwall who is a lesbian, more through lack of choice than any specific natural urge. This series did not meet with as much success as her earlier roles and it ended in 2004 after two years.[18]
French played a major role inJam & Jerusalem as a woman called Rosie who hasdissociative identity disorder and with it analter ego called "Margaret". She co-starred alongsideSue Johnston,Jennifer Saunders (who also created and wrote the series) andJoanna Lumley.[19] She made a guest appearance inLittle Britain asVicky Pollard's mother. French also appeared in a special version ofLittle Britain Live which featured several celebrity guests and was shown by the BBC as part ofComic Relief. She played the part of a lesbian barmaid in a sketch withDaffyd Thomas.[20]
In 2006, French appeared inAgatha Christie's Marple in the 2006 episode "Sleeping Murder".[21] She appeared as Caroline Arless in the BBC television dramaLark Rise to Candleford in 2008. Talking about her role, she has stated, "I'm quite a vibrant character. She's quite extreme, in that she drinks too much, laughs too much and sings too much. But she loves her family very much; it's just that she goes over the top sometimes."[22]
In late 2010, French starred inRoger & Val Have Just Got In with actorAlfred Molina, which aired for two series.[23]
French appeared inLittle Crackers, short comedy films which were broadcast over Christmas in 2010.[24]
French appeared as a special guest onMichael Bublé'sHome For Christmas in December 2011.[25] In July 2012, she was a judge in ITV'sSuperstar live shows.[26] In March 2013, it was announced that French would replaceBrian McFadden on the judging panel ofNine Network'sAustralia's Got Talent alongsideKyle Sandilands,Geri Halliwell (who replacedDannii Minogue) andTimomatic who is the additional fourth judge.[27] French departed the show after one series and was replaced byKelly Osbourne.
From 2016 until 2019, French starred in three series ofDelicious onSky 1, co-starring as a talented cook who is having an affair with her celebrity chef ex-husband (Iain Glen) who has remarried and started a successful hotel business with his new wife (Emilia Fox) inCornwall.[28]
In 2020, she appeared in the six-part seriesThe Trouble with Maggie Cole alongsideMark Heap.
In 2021, French appeared as a celebrity guest judge on thesecond series ofRuPaul's Drag Race UK, where she judged the final five contestants,Lawrence Chaney,Bimini Bon-Boulash,Tayce,Ellie Diamond andA'Whora, on their comedy stand-up routines.[29]
In 1996, French appeared inThe Adventures of Pinocchio as "The Baker's Wife" alongsideMartin Landau and starJonathan Taylor Thomas. French playedThe Fat Lady in the film adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,[30] replacingElizabeth Spriggs, who played the character in the first film of the series. French's then-husband,Lenny Henry, provided the voice of the Shrunken Head in the same film, though they shared no screen time. In 2005, French provided the voice for the characterMrs. Beaver in Disney and Walden Media's film adaptation ofC. S. Lewis'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[31] In 2010, French lent her voice to the role of Angie the Elephant in the English dub of the German-British environmental animated filmAnimals United.
She has also taken roles in the theatre. French has appeared in plays such asA Midsummer Night's Dream,[32]My Brilliant Divorce,[33] andSmaller,[34] the latter of which she played a schoolteacher caring for her disabled mother. January 2007 saw French performing as the Duchesse de Crackentorp at theRoyal Opera House,Covent Garden, London, inThe Daughter of the Regiment (La fille du régiment) byGaetano Donizetti starringNatalie Dessay andJuan Diego Flórez.[35] French returned to Covent Garden andLa Fille du règiment in the 2010 revival.[36]
In December 2022, French began appearing inJack and the Beanstalk at theLondon Palladium.[37]
In 2014, French toured an autobiographical one woman show30 Million Minutes in the UK and Oceania.[38] The title is based on the number of minutes she had been alive at the time of producing the show.[39]
In 2022, she toured the UK with a further show titledDawn French is a Huge Twat. In late 2022 it was announced that she would continue touring the UK with the same show in Autumn 2023, with further shows taking place in Australia in 2024.[40][41]
French was chosen as the face ofTerry's Chocolate Orange,[42] from 1997 until August 2007.[43] She has also been in advertisements for theChurchill Insurance Company.
In 2019, French provided her voice for numerous Station idents forGreatest Hits Radio. This was produced in partnership with Bespoke Music.
In 2021, French was chosen to play the voice of a fairy lady for the Christmas food advertisements for leading retailerMarks and Spencers alongsideTom Holland voicing the company's mascotPercy Pig (who came to life for the first time in 29 years). In the main advert French as the fairy drops her magic wand onto a box covered in Percy pig wrappings, the lid opens and Percy pops out of the box. Throughout the rest of the advertisement she shows Percy all of the items which the retailer was selling for Christmas food.[44]
She later reprised the role for the 2022M&S Christmas advert, playing alongsideJennifer Saunders voicing a sidekick called 'Duckie'. The pair, in the main advert, go on a journey to fill Duckie with 'some festive cheer' while showing off the M&S Food Christmas range for 2022.[45]
French has also written a best-sellingepistolary[46] autobiography, which she has titledDear Fatty. French was paid a£1.5 million advance for the book, which was released in 2008.[47] On an appearance onThe Paul O'Grady Show on 6 October 2008, French said that "Fatty" is her nickname for Jennifer Saunders, as a joke about her own size. French said that she became great friends with Saunders well before they started working together, which was "over 30 years ago". The book consists of letters to the different people who have been in her life. In 2017,Me. You. A Diary, French's second non-fiction book, was released.[48] She has also written four novels –A Tiny Bit Marvellous (2010),[49]Oh Dear Silvia (2012),[50]According to Yes (2015)[51] andBecause of You (2020).Because of You was longlisted for the 2021Women's Prize for Fiction. Her third non-fiction book,The Twat Files, tied in to her second stand-up showDawn French is a Huge Twat, was published in October 2023.
In 1986, she appeared inKate Bush's music video "Experiment IV" alongsideHugh Laurie,Richard Vernon andPeter Vaughan.
French has appeared in the videos forAlison Moyet's songs "Love Letters" (which also featured Saunders) in 1987 and "Whispering Your Name" in 1994.
She also appeared in twoComic Relief music videos. In 1989 she joinedJennifer Saunders andKathy Burke to formLananeeneenoonoo and, along withBananarama, they created acharity single to raise money for Comic Relief. It was acover version ofThe Beatles song "Help!", and was released on theLondon Records label, entering theUK Singles Chart on 25 February 1989 and reaching a high of No. 3. It remained in the chart for nine weeks.[52]
French, Saunders and Burke returned for Comic Relief in 1997 as "The Sugar Lumps," along with Llewella Gideon andLulu, to parodyThe Spice Girls, with whom they performed a version of "Who Do You Think You Are?".[53]
French met comedianLenny Henry on thealternative comedy circuit. The couple married on 20 October 1984 inCovent Garden, London.[54] They adopted a daughter, Billie.[55] French has stated that Billie has always known that she was adopted,[55] but once took out an injunction when a biographer came close to revealing the identity of Billie's biological mother. When faced with a question about how she and Henry would feel if Billie wanted to find out about her birth mother, French commented, "Whatever she wants to do when she's 18, we'll support her. What I do worry about is anyone else making the decision for her."[55]
During the2010 general election campaign, French was cited as a supporter of theLabour Party.[56] She supportedKeir Starmer during the2020 Labour leadership election.[57]
On 6 April 2010, French and Henry announced they were separating after 25 years of marriage. It was reported that the separation was amicable. They had decided to separate in October the previous year but left announcing it until some months later, as they were still in discussion over the separation.[58] Their divorce was finalised later that year.[59]
French began dating charity executive Mark Bignell in 2011. On 22 April 2013, it was reported that they had just married.[59] The couple resided inFowey, Cornwall.
In September 2014, French was named as the newChancellor ofFalmouth University.[60]
In May 2021 it was announced that French had sold her Fowey property, having moved to an 1868Gothic Revival property inCalstock.[61]
In June 2025, French was heavily criticised for a video she posted onInstagram about thewar in Gaza. Following a backlash, she later removed the video, saying she apologised unreservedly for it. Critics accused her of appearing to mock the7 October 2023 attack that triggered the war. She acknowledged on Instagram that the video appeared one-sided and said she never meant to mock, dismiss or diminish the horror of that day. In the 40-second video, she had shared her views on the ongoing war.[62]
French is a supporter ofPlymouth Argyle.[63]
French is a supporter of theOrchid Project, a London-based charity, founded by Julia Lalla-Maharajh in 2010, with a vision to free the world from female genital cutting, a practice which has affected more than 200 million women and girls around the world. It works with people and grassroots organisations in those countries where the practice is prevalent, such as Kenya, Senegal and India, to try to change attitudes and practices.[citation needed]
French and Saunders won the honoraryGolden Rose of Montreux award in 2002 and in 2003, she was listed inThe Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a 2006 poll consisting of 4,000 people, French was named as the most admired female celebrity amongst women in Britain.[64]
In February 2013, she was assessed as one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom byWoman's Hour onBBC Radio 4.[65]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Comic Strip | Various roles | |
| Five Go Mad in Dorset | George | ||
| 1982–1984 | The Young Ones | Insane Christian Woman/Mrs Easter Bunny/She-Devil | |
| 1983 | Five Go Mad on Mescaline | George | |
| 1985 | Happy Families | Cook | |
| 1985–1986 | Girls on Top | Amanda Ripley | |
| 1987 | The Storyteller | Bad sister | Episode: "Sapsorrow" |
| 1987–2007 | French and Saunders | Various roles | |
| 1991–1999 | Murder Most Horrid | Various Roles | Anthology |
| 1992 | Absolutely Fabulous | Kathy (Interviewer) | Series 1, episode 5 – "Magazine" |
| 1993 | Screen One | Elaine Dobbs | Episode: "Tender Loving Care" |
| The Legends of Treasure Island | Jim Hawkins | Voice; series 1 | |
| 1994 | The Unpleasant World of Penn & Teller | Herself | |
| 1994–2020 | The Vicar of Dibley | Geraldine Granger | Leading role |
| 1997 | Sex & Chocolate | Bev Bodger | |
| 1999 | Let Them Eat Cake | Lisette | |
| David Copperfield | Mrs Crupp | TV film | |
| 2000 | Watership Down | Buttercup | Voice; episode 21–22 – "Winter on Watership Down" |
| French and Saunders Live | Various roles | ||
| 2001 | The Wheels on the Bus | Narrator | |
| 2002 | Ted and Alice | Alice Putkin | |
| 2002–2004 | Wild West | Mary | |
| 2006 | Agatha Christie's Marple: Sleeping Murder | Janet Erskine | |
| Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy | Herself | ||
| Little Britain Abroad | Shelly Pollard | ||
| 2006, 2008–2009 | Jam & Jerusalem | Rosie | Clatterford in the US |
| 2007 | High Table | ||
| The Meaning of Life | |||
| Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy | Herself | ||
| 2008, 2011 | Lark Rise to Candleford | Caroline Arless | |
| 2009 | The Paul O'Grady Show | Guest Host | |
| 2009–2011 | Psychoville | Joy Aston | |
| 2010–2012 | Roger & Val Have Just Got In | Val Stevenson | |
| 2012 | Superstar | Judge | |
| 2013 | Heading Out | Frances | |
| 2013–2014 | Australia's Got Talent | Judge | |
| The Wrong Mans | Linda Bourne | ||
| 2016–2019 | Delicious[68] | Gina | |
| 2017 | 300 Years of French and Saunders[69] | Various | BBC One Christmas special |
| 2017–2018 | Little Big Shots[70] | Presenter | ITV talent show |
| 2020 | The Trouble with Maggie Cole | Maggie Cole | ITV series[71] |
| Cornwall Air 999 | Narrator | Documentary series | |
| Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse | Beatrix Potter | TV film | |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Guest judge | BBC Three; Series 2, episode 8: "Stoned on the Runway" |
| The Secret World of... | Narrator | Documentary series[72] | |
| Walk The Line | Judge | ITV musical game show[73] | |
| 2022 | Red Riding Hood: After Ever After | Twit | Voice[74] |
| 2023 | imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter | Herself | Documentary[75] |
| 2025 | Beddybyes | Gramma Leeba | CBeebies |
| TBA | Can You Keep a Secret? | Debbie Fenton | Filming[76] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Supergrass | Andrea | |
| 1987 | Eat the Rich | Debbie Draws | |
| 1996 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | The Baker's Wife | |
| 1999 | Milk | Virginia | |
| 2000 | Maybe Baby | Charlene | |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | The Fat Lady | |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Mrs Beaver | Voice |
| 2006 | Love and Other Disasters | Therapist | |
| 2009 | Coraline | Miss Miriam Forcible | Voice |
| 2010 | Animals United | Angie | Voice |
| 2016 | Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie | Kathy (Interviewer) | Also executive producer |
| 2022 | Death on the Nile | Mrs Bowers | |
| 2023 | The Magician's Elephant | Sister Marie | Voice |
| Year | Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Me and Mamie O'Rourke | Strand Theatre, London |
| When I was a Girl I used to Scream and Shout | Whitehall Theatre, London | |
| All Soul's Night | Lyric Theatre, London | |
| 1996 | Swan Lake | |
| 1997 | Then Again | |
| Side By Side | ||
| 2001 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | |
| 2003 | My Brilliant Divorce | Apollo Theatre, London |
| 2005 | Smaller | Lyric Theatre, London |
| 2007 | La fille du régiment | Royal Opera House, London |
| 2008–2009 | Still Alive | |
| 2014 | Thirty Million Minutes | |
| 2018–2019 | Snow White at the Palladium | London Palladium |
| 2022–2023 | Jack and the Beanstalk | London Palladium |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Sackboy: A Big Adventure | Scarlet |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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