Ms. French is best known for her role as one of the stars in the BBC comic sketch program “French and Saunders,” which she also created. French gained even more fame as Geraldine Granger in the BBC comedy “The Vicar of Dibley”.
She made her film debut in 1996’s “The Adventures of Pinocchio” as The Baker’s Wife and has since acted in other films, including the 2004 adaption of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” as Fat Lady. “A Tiny Bit Marvellous” (2010), “Oh Dear Silvia” (2012), “According to Yes” (2015), and “Because of You” (2016). (2020).
Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4 named French one of the 100 most influential women in the UK in February 2013.
In October 2021, she disclosed how she despised an unauthorised biography and bribed her followers £20 not to read it. She considered going to court but decided to write her own rebuttal.
Her fame has grown to over 538k followers on Twitter: @Dawn French and over 240k followers on Instagram: @dawnrfrench.
Dawn Frenchis Famous For
- Actress, comedian, and writer.
- “French and Saunders” and “The Vicar of Dibley” star.
Dawn French’s Origins
Dawn French was born in Holyhead, Wales, on 10/10/57. Dawn Roma French was born. She is British. French is White and her zodiac sign is Libra.
Dawn was reared in her hometown with her older brother Gary by her English parents Felicity Roma and Denys Vernon French. At 3 years old, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother drank tea with French at RAF Leconfield, where her father served in the Royal Air Force.
French spent one year at Caistor Grammar School when her father was stationed at RAF Faldingworth. She afterwards went to St Dunstan’s Abbey School for Girls in Plymouth, where she was in Downton house and received a debate scholarship. After graduation, she spent a year at the Spence School in New York.
Her father often told her she was the most important thing in his life, strengthening her self-esteem. She later learned that her father had a history of serious depression and had attempted suicide twice before his death by automobile exhaust when French was barely 19.
In 1977, she enrolled in the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. While there, she met Jennifer Saunders, with whom she shared a flat, and they were inspired to perform comedy by their flatmates as part of their undergraduate projects.
They established the Menopause Sisters after graduation and performed several “cringeworthy” performances until they became known as members of the Comic Strip in the early 1980s.
Dawn French’s Career
- Dawn French began her career in 1982 on “The Comic Strip Presents” on Channel 4. She appeared in 27 of the 37 episodes, and wrote two.
- Her and Jennifer Saunders’ collaboration on the album “Comic Strip” (1981) gained them a broader popularity.
- In 1985, she co-starred with Saunders in “Girls on Top” on ITV.
- In the 1987 comedy series “French & Saunders”, French co-starred with Saunders. She co-wrote the episodes as well as starred in them.
- With millions of spectators, the program continued for 20 years until 2007.
- From 1991 until 1999, she starred in the dark comedy series “Murder Most Horrid.”
- In 1992, she co-starred in the Saunders-led comedy “Absolutely Fabulous,” which she reprised in 2016.
- In 1996, she made her cinematic debut in “Pinocchio”.
- In 2002, she starred in “Ted and Alice,” a comedy/drama.
- She starred in “Wild West” opposite Catherine Tate from 2002 to 2004.
- Her most famous solo television appearance was in the long-running BBC sitcom “The Vicar of Dibley” (1994). The program got a 12.3 million viewership on one episode and aired irregularly from 2004 until 2020.
- In 2004, she starred as Rosie in the comedy “Jam & Jerusalem.”
- In the same year, she portrayed The Fat Lady in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Mrs. Beaver in Disney and Walden Media’s 2005 film version of C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe”
- In the 2008 BBC drama Lark Rise to Candleford, she played Caroline Arless.
- In 2010, she co-starred with Alfred Molina in “Roger & Val Have Just Got In.”
- “Delicious” on Sky 1 from 2016 to 2019.
- In 2020, she appeared in “The Trouble with Maggie Cole” opposite Mark Heap.
- Her stage credits include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “My Brilliant Divorce,” and “Smaller.”
- She has authored many books and novels, including her best-selling autobiography, “Dear FAtty.”
- “A Tiny Bit Marvellous” (2010), “Oh Dear Silvia” (2012), “According to Yes” (2015), and “Because of You” (2016). (2020).
Awards
- Honorary Golden Rose of Montreux Award in 2002 Rose d’Or Light Entertainment Festival Award in 2002 BAFTA Fellowship – granted alongside Jennifer Saunders in 2009
- Listed among the top 100 most influential women in the UK in 2013.
Dawn French’s Relationship Status
Dawn French has two husbands. Her first marriage was to Lenny Henry, whom she met on the alternative comedy circuit. She married Henry, a well-known British actor, comedian, and singer, on October 20, 1984, in Covent Garden, London. On April 6, 2010, the couple announced their separation after 25 years of marriage and adoption of Billie.
Frances started dating charity CEO Mark Bignell a year after their divorce. After two years of courting, the pair married on April 22, 2013 at a home overlooking Readymoney Cove in Fowey, Cornwall. Dawn sold her Fowey home in May of 2021 and moved into an 1868 Gothic Revival home in Calstock.
She also supports the LGBT community and the Plymouth Argyle football team. She even backed Keir Starmer for Labour Party leader in 2020.
Dawn French’s Net Worth
Dawn French is a successful actress and comedian. Dawn began her professional career as a comedian in 1982, and has since become one of the most successful comedians of all time.
French has established herself as a great performer in several comedies, series, and films. As for her literary career, she received a £1.5 million advance for her self-written memoirs. Her net worth is estimated at $10 million, including her salary.
Dawn French’s Body Measurements
Dawn French is a stunning 60-year-old woman. Her height is 1.50m and her weight is 65kg. As a result of her health issues, she began losing weight in 2011. She was 4ft 11in tall and weighed 19 stone at her heaviest.
She had a hysterectomy in 2014 due to a cancer scare, which caused her to lose weight. She has a fair skin, freshly styled grey hair, and green eyes.
Do you Know?
- A £1.5 million advance for Dawn French’s self-written memoirs “Dear Fatty”
- She is a Plymouth Argyle fan.
- At 4ft 11in, she reportedly weighed 19 stone at her heaviest.