| Françoise Pascal | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pascal 14 October 1949 Mauritius |
| Ethnicity | White |
| No. of adult films | 13 |
| Website | |
| francoisepascal.co.uk | |
Françoise Pascal (born 14 October 1949) is an actress/model who was born to French Mauritian parents; Mauritius was then a colony of the United Kingdom. She is best known for her comedy role in the British sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–79).
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She had her start in show business in London as a dancer for Top of the Pops.[1] She had two minor film roles in 1968, but her breakthrough role was playing Paola in There's a Girl in My Soup (1970) with Peter Sellers. She also appeared in Penthouse magazine in 1970.[2] She went on to do the 1971 black comedy Burke & Hare, playing Marie. In 1974, she appeared in another Sellers' film, Soft Beds, Hard Battles. After that appearance, she moved to France where she starred in such films as Si tu n'en veux pas (French Undressing, 1974). In 1972 the producer of the Jean Rollin's horror film La Rose de Fer offered her the lead in the film, although she was not Rollin's choice. Her performance won rave reviews but the film was not a success. She later appeared in Rollin's Les Raisins de la Mort (1978). Meanwhile, by 1976 she had returned to England to star in Keep It Up Downstairs alongside Diana Dors, Jack Wild and William Russell.
Her first television work came in October 1971 with a role in Coronation Street, playing Ray Langton's friend. Then came two roles in BBC's Play of the Month anthology strand Tennessee Williams' Summer & Smoke (1972) with Lee Remick and The Adventures of Don Quixote (1973) with Rex Harrison. She did numerous guest starring appearances in many television comedy series including My Honourable Mrs (1975) with Derek Nimmo, Happy Ever After (1976) with Terry Scott, and the game show Blankety Blank, hosted by Terry Wogan, all for the BBC. She co-starred in an episode of the thriller You're On Your Own starring Denis Quilley, also for the BBC.
In the mid 1970s, she met comedy writer Vince Powell at Thames Television while co-starring on one of his TV comedy shows, Rule Britannia! Later, she learned that he was writing the part of Danielle Favre for her in his sitcom Mind Your Language. She did three seasons of the show. She then commenced on a stage career with Happy Birthday (reuniting with Frazer Hines), and starred in a pantomime of Aladdin. Pascal left for the United States in 1982, where she had a two year contract in The Young and The Restless. Other shows she appeared in while in Hollywood included Gavillan, My Man Adam, and Lightning, the White Stallion. Her stage presence in Twelfth Night as Olivia won her rave reviews.
She lived with film actor Richard Johnson for eleven turbulent years, which ended in 1980. They never married: "We are both free spirits so there are no hurdles in the way of our relationship except marriage itself" Francoise Pascal said. A son Nicholas was born in 1976.
Whilst in Hollywood she lived for two years with the lead singer Tim Hauser of The Manhattan Transfer.[3] She returned to England in 1987 where she has been an advocate for the disadvantaged, whether children, or the elderly.
On 4 December 2010, she joined Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood at Claygate Village Christmas Lights where she joined the guitarist in turning on the village lights[4] and singing a solo of Silent Night.
She will be resuming her acting career in January 2011 in a comedy film for the first time in 20 years. She has written her autobiography, Mind Your Language...Please, to be published later this year.