Jan Francis

Jan Francis
Born Janet Stephanie Francis
5 August 1947 (1947-08-05) (age 64)
Westminster, London, England[1]
Years active 1972–present
Spouse Martin Thurley (1 August 1977 to date), (two daughters Josephine & Anna)

Jan Francis (born 5 August 1947) is an English actress, best known for playing Penny Warrender in the 1980s romantic comedy Just Good Friends.

Contents

Early life

Francis was born at the former Charing Cross Hospital near Trafalgar Square, London. She is the eldest child of Frank Francis (a clerical officer with the Agricultural Society) and the former Marjorie Watling, an employment agent, who were married in 1944.[2] She was raised in Streatham and was educated at the Lady Edridge Grammar School.

After training as a dancer at the Royal Ballet Senior School from which she graduated in 1965, Francis performed with the Royal Ballet Touring Company in Britain, in the rest of Europe and the United States. She left the Royal Ballet in September 1969 to pursue an acting career.

Acting

She made the transfer to becoming an actress through choreography, and performed with the Cheltenham Repertory Company between 1969 and 1970. She first appeared on television in 1971, before landing BBC television drama roles roles including Kschessinska in Fall of Eagles and Lisa Colbert in Secret Army (1977–78).

In 1979 she starred in Dracula as Mina Van Helsing, opposite Laurence Olivier as Abraham Van Helsing.

She played the part of Susie Dean in Alan Plater's adaptation of the J. B. Priestley novel The Good Companions (1980) which was produced by Yorkshire Television. Writer John Sullivan met Francis and later created her best known part as Penny Warrender in the 1980s BBC sitcom Just Good Friends.

She later played Nick's "old enough to be his mother" girlfriend in the sitcom My Family, and co-starred with Dennis Waterman as Sally Hardcastle in the 1989-1992 ITV drama series Stay Lucky.

During the late 80s - early 90s she starred in the Lloyds Bank television commercials alongside Nigel Havers.

In 2006, she guest starred in ITV1 prison drama Bad Girls as interior designer, Catherine Earlham who was sent to Larkhall on remand for embezzlement and played a key role in the exit storyline for fellow inmate, Darlene Cake (played by Antonia Okonma). She is also a regular performer (and part of the original cast) of the touring play Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners.

In 2009, she appeared as Julia in the second series of Mistresses on BBC1. In November 2009, she starred in the ITV1 drama Collision (2010). She is currently starring as Rodney Blackstock's (Patrick Mower) love interest in ITV1 soap Emmerdale.

Personal life

She married the actor-writer Martin Thurley in Newton Abbot on 1 August 1977. They have two daughters Josephine (born 1982) and Anna (born 1988) and reside in Woodchurch, Kent.

Work

Film

Television

Theatre

References

  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=Ooxbk7kh4WH8NjoKEIq4oQ&scan=1. Retrieved March 14, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=9j1U47zg%2FsslQCJ439zCkw&scan=1. Retrieved March 14, 2011. 
  3. ^ IMDB citation
  4. ^ IMDB citation

External links

www.jan-francis.co.uk