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Jenny Runacre | |
|---|---|
 Runacre inThe Optimist (1985) | |
| Born | (1946-08-18)18 August 1946 (age 78) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Website | www |
Jenny Runacre (/ˈrʌnəkər/RUN-ə-kər; born 18 August 1946) is a South African actress. Her film appearances includeThe Passenger (1975),The Duellists (1977),Jubilee (1978),The Lady Vanishes (1979), andThe Witches (1990).
Runacre was born inCape Town,South Africa.[1] She moved toLondon as a child, attended the Actors' Workshop there, and trained in theStanislavski System.
While attending the Actors' Workshop, Runacre was approached by fellow student (and future agent)Tom Busby, who was working as a runner for an American film production that was seeking fledgling English actresses to play oppositeJohn Cassavetes inHusbands, a film to be shot the following year in London. The young actress auditioned with Cassavetes,Ben Gazzara andPeter Falk, and was told six weeks later that she was being offered the part of Mary Tynan in the film. Runacre accepted the offer andHusbands became her first important film role.
Runacre then joined the original London cast ofOh! Calcutta!. Runacre left the cast after a year and starred in such films asPier Paolo Pasolini'sThe Canterbury Tales,John Huston'sThe Mackintosh Man,Robert Fuest'sThe Final Programme,Michelangelo Antonioni'sThe Passenger, andDerek Jarman'sJubilee, in which she starred asElizabeth I and "Bod". She was active in the theatre as well as on British television, including an appearance as an art con artist in an episode ofLovejoy as well as playing Brenda Champion in the noted seriesBrideshead Revisited.
Runacre focused on higher education in the 1990s. She has a Master's in Fine Art Practice fromCentral Saint Martin's College of Art and Design. She is currently a lecturer in residence in art, and has worked ininstallation art and experimental filmmaking.
In 2007, Runacre directed Gareth Parker and Andrew Swann'sFrozen, which was nominated for Best Direction, Best Writing and Best Overall Production in the LOST Theatre Festival. She also directed theWireless Theatre Company's audio adaption ofFrozen after its successful stage run, featuring the original cast. In 2008, she made her Edinburgh Fringe directing debut withGullibility Factor by Peter Yates.
In 2008, Runacre appeared in John Maybury'sThe Edge of Love (2008) and starred as Alice in Volcano Theatre Company's National tour ofAlice in Wonderland.[2]
