Dawn French

British actress and comedian

Dawn French (born 11 October 1957) is a British comedian and actress.

Dawn French
French at the 2005 Make Poverty History march.
Birth nameDawn Roma French
Born (1957-10-11) 11 October 1957 (age 66)
Holyhead, Wales, UK
MediumActress, writer, comedienne
NationalityBritish
Years active1981–present
InfluencesJohn Cleese
Spouse
Lenny Henry (m. 19842010)
(divorced); One adopted daughter: Billie
Notable works and rolesVarious in French & Saunders
The Reverend Boadicea Geraldine Granger in The Vicar of Dibley
Various in Murder Most Horrid
BAFTA Awards
Fellowship with Jennifer Saunders

French studied acting at the London Central School of Speech and Drama, and met Jennifer Saunders there in 1977. French and Saunders became famous when they appeared on a comedy series called The Comic Strip. They wrote the famous comedy series French & Saunders which was first on BBC TV in 1987. She has been nominated for seven BAFTA Awards and also won a Fellowship BAFTA along with Saunders.

French is also well known for appearing as Geraldine Granger in British sitcom The Vicar of Dibley. In her career in movie, French played "The Fat Lady" picture in the movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and voiced the beaver in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

French is known for her larger figure. She tries to promote the idea that "big" can be beautiful. As a result, she has her own line of clothes, Sixteen47. The name is from the statistic that 47% of British females are at least a size 16. The clothes are made to look good on larger women.

Credits change

Television change

Theatre change

  • Me and Mamie O'Rourke
  • When I Was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout
  • All Souls' Night, Lyric Theatre
  • Swan Lake (1996)
  • Then Again (1997)
  • Side By Side (1997)
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (2001)
  • My Brilliant Divorce (2003)
  • Smaller (2005)
  • La fille du régiment (2007)
  • Still Alive (2008–2009) the last comedy sketch show done by French and Saunders

Movies change

Awards and recognition change

French and Saunders won the Golden Rose of Montreux award in 2002 and in 2003. She was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. In a 2006 poll French was named as the most admired female celebrity amongst women in Britain.[1]

BAFTA Awards change

  • 1989 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance in French and Saunders
  • 1991 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance in French and Saunders
  • 1998 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2000 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2001 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2007 – Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2009 – WonBAFTA Fellowship – awarded with Jennifer Saunders[2]
  • 2011 – Nominated – BAFTA Best Female Performance In A Comedy Role in Roger and Val Have Just Got In

British Comedy Awards change

National Television Awards change

  • 1998 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performer in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2000 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performer in The Vicar of Dibley
  • 2002 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performance in Ted and Alice
  • 2003 – Nominated – National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performance in Wild West

Other change

  • 1991 – Won – Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for TV- Light Entertainment in French and Saunders
  • 2001 – Along with Jennifer Saunders, declined an OBE.
  • 2002 – WonRose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award shared with Jennifer Saunders

References change

  1. David Beckham, Dawn French named top idols" Archived 2009-05-17 at the Wayback Machine Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  2. British Academy of Film and Television Arts Fellowship Archived 2009-04-24 at the Wayback Machine presented on Sunday 26 April 2009.

Other websites change