Joanna Lumley was born in Kashmir. She spent three years as a photographic model finally becoming a house model for the late Jean Muir, before becoming an actress. Her early films included “Some Girls Do” (1968), “On her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969), two Pink Panther films “The Trail of the Pink Panther” and “The Curse of the Pink Panther” (both 1982), The Satanic Rights of Dracula” (1973) and “Shirley Valentine” (1988). More recent films include “James and the Giant Peach”, “Innocent Lies”, Funny Bones” a television film of “Cold Comfort Farm” (all 1994), “Prince Valiant” (1996); “Sweeney Todd” (1997); “Parting Shots” (1997) “Whispers” (1998); “Mad Cows” (1998)“Maybe Baby” (1999); "The Cat's Meow" (2000); “Ella Enchanted” (2002); “Ugly Americans”;“Magic Roundabout” (voice);”Corpse Bride” (voice); “The Audition”. Most recently she has appeared in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Absolutely Fabulous” the movie.
Joanna played “Purdey” in twenty-four episodes of “The New Avengers” and recorded thirty-four episodes of “Sapphire and Steel” both programmes are constantly being transmitted world-wide. Her experiences of living alone on a desert island were filmed for a BBC Special “Girl Friday”. Joanna is probably best known on television for her hugely popular role of ‘Patsy’ in the award winning series “Absolutely Fabulous” for the BBC. In 1996 she travelled to Bhutan to film a journey made by her grandparents “In The Kingdom Of The Thunder Dragon”; other television work includes “A Rather English Marriage” (for which she was nominated for a BAFTA as Best Actress in a Drama ) and in 2000 found a new role as co-producer, for the series "The Cazalet Chronicles" for the BBC.
She has written five books, has an extensive theatre career and was awarded an OBE in the 1995 New Years Honours. Among the many charities she supports are The Princes’s Trust, SightSavers, The Born Free Foundation, Thames Reach Bondway, Ataxia and famously The Gurkha Welfare Trust.
Joanna is also the presenter of several highly respected travelogue documentaries. In 2018 she presented the BAFTA awards in London.
