Joanna Lumley
Known for: Acting
Born: May 1, 1946
Place of birth: Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley DBE FRGS (born 1 May 1946) is a British actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012), and was nominated for the 2011 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the Broadway revival of La Bête. In 2013, she received the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards, and in 2017 she was honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship award. Lumley's other television credits include The New Avengers (1976–1977), Sapphire & Steel (1979–1982), Sensitive Skin (2005–2007), Jam & Jerusalem (2006–2008) and Finding Alice (2021–present) as well as playing Elaine Perkins in Coronation Street in 1973. Her film appearances include On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Shirley Valentine (1989), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Ella Enchanted (2004), Corpse Bride (2005), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016). She had roles in two episodes of Are You Being Served? (1973–1975) written by Jeremy Lloyd, whom she had married and divorced three years prior to her first appearance on the show. Lumley is an advocate and human rights activist for Survival International and the Gurkha Justice Campaign. She supports charities and animal welfare groups, such as Compassion in World Farming and Vegetarians' International Voice for Animals. Lumley was made a Dame (DBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to drama, entertainment and charity.
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Filmography
97 movies · 92 TV shows, newest first
7.5
A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Room in the Tower
2025
5.5
Netflix Tudum 2025
2025
2.5
Joanna Lumley's Danube
2025
7.7
Twiggy
2025
6.9
David Frost Vs
2025
6.8
Amandaland
2025
8.0
The House of Clemens
2025
6.0
Jewel of the Med: Majorca and Menorca
2025
NR
Jewels of the Med
2025
8.0
Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out
2024
10.0
My Week with Maisy
2024
7.2
Fool Me Once
2024
7.0
imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter
2023
5.0
Joanna Lumley's Spice Trail Adventure
2023
NR
Joanna Lumley: My Best Bits - In My Own Words
2023
4.3
Late Night Lycett
2023
NR
Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive
2022
8.3
Wednesday
2022
2.8
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
2022
1.0
Joanna Lumley's Great Cities of the World
2022
10.0
Quentin Blake – The Drawing of My Life
2021
NR
Joanna Lumley and the Human Swan
2021
7.0
Blankety Blank
2021
6.5
Falling for Figaro
2021
3.8
Rosie Jones' Trip Hazard
2021
3.0
The Picture of Dorian Gray
2021
NR
The Vicar of Dibley: Inside Out
2021
6.2
Joanna Lumley’s Home Sweet Home – Travels in My Own Land
2021
1.0
Joanna Lumley's Britain
2021
5.6
Finding Alice
2021
6.5
Coronation Street: 60 Unforgettable Years
2020
7.6
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse
2020
8.0
Michael Palin: Travels of a Lifetime
2020
1.0
Joanna Lumley's Unseen Adventures
2020
6.0
Joanna Lumley's Hidden Caribbean: Havana to Haiti
2020
8.4
In Search of Dracula
2020
7.1
RuPaul's Drag Race UK
2019
NR
Counting Tigers
2019
6.6
Celebrity Gogglebox
2019
7.5
7 Up & Me
2019
9.0
20 Years of the Black Eyed Peas
2018
5.3
Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure
2018
7.7
Summer Camp Island
20187.0
Saturday Knight Takeaway
2018
7.0
Finding Your Feet
20177.0
The Missing Crown Jewels
2017
10.0
Joanna and Jennifer: Absolutely Champers
2017
6.3
And the Winner Isn't
2017
7.5
Paddington 2
2017
7.2
Motherland
2017
5.3
Joanna Lumley's India
2017
NR
The Man You're Not
2017
4.0
Joanna Lumley's Postcards
2017
6.4
Carnage: Swallowing the Past
2017
5.7
British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves
2016
6.3
Joanna Lumley's Japan
2016
5.3
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
2016
7.9
Me Before You
2016
8.0
Attenborough at 90
2016
NR
Joanna Lumley: Elvis and Me
2015
5.8
Joanna Lumley's Trans-Siberian Adventure
2015
6.7
Britain's Busiest Airport: Heathrow
2015
5.9
She's Funny That Way
2015
5.9
Absolutely Anything
2015NR
Bette Midler: One Night Only
2014
8.0
50 Years of BBC Two Comedy
2014
NR
Joanna Lumley Meets Will.I.Am
2014
4.0
The Michael McIntyre Chat Show
2014
5.8
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
6.1
Gangsta Granny
2013
8.0
The Wolf of Wall Street
2013
7.1
Car S.O.S.
2013
5.7
The Last Leg
2013
NR
The Great Comic Relief Bake Off
2013
NR
Joanna Lumley: The Search for Noah's Ark
2012
5.9
The Making of a Lady
2012
NR
The Genius of Roald Dahl
2012
5.7
Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey
2011
NR
Wogan on Wodehouse
2011
5.2
Late Bloomers
2011
NR
The Snowman Live Stage Show
2010
5.1
Boogie Woogie
2010
NR
Justin Lee Collins: Good Times
2010NR
The National Television Awards Backstage Live
2010
3.8
Live from Studio Five
2009
4.9
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
7.0
Ian Fleming: Where Bond Began
2008
8.4
Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights
2008
5.7
Mistresses
2008
6.2
A Bucket O' French and Saunders
2007
7.2
The Graham Norton Show
2007
7.6
Lewis
2007
NR
Counting Out Time
2007
7.1
Jam and Jerusalem
2006
4.4
The One Show
2006NR
Betjeman and Me
2006NR
Philip and Elizabeth
2006NR
My Favourite Attenborough Moment
2006
7.4
Sensitive Skin
2005
7.6
Corpse Bride
2005
NR
Final Chance to Save
20056.5
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
2005
6.0
The Friday Night Project
2005
5.4
The Magic Roundabout
2005
7.8
Agatha Christie's Marple
2004
5.7
Stories of Lost Souls
2004
6.5
Ella Enchanted
2004
6.6
EuroTrip
2004
NR
Standing Room Only
2004
7.0
My Dad's the Prime Minister
2003
7.8
Posh Nosh
2003
7.6
Top Gear
2002
6.1
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2002
5.8
The Cat's Meow
2002
7.0
Up in Town
2002
8.5
The Cazalets
2001
8.0
Mirrorball
2000
5.9
Whispers: An Elephant's Tale
2000
5.5
Maybe Baby
2000
7.7
Dr Willoughby
1999
4.4
Mad Cows
1999
9.0
The Foxbusters
1999
5.5
Parting Shots
1999
8.0
Nancherrow
1999
7.4
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death
1999
6.2
Alice in Wonderland
1999
6.2
Nancherrow
1999
5.5
A Rather English Marriage
1998
7.7
Absolutely Fabulous: A Life
1998
5.7
The Tale of Sweeney Todd
1998
NR
Coming Home
1998
5.4
Coming Home
1998
NR
Parkinson
1998
4.5
Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunderdragon
1997
5.2
Prince Valiant
1997
7.5
The Forgotten Toys
1997
7.3
Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout
1996
6.6
James and the Giant Peach
1996
4.6
Innocent Lies
1995
7.0
In the Best Possible Taste: A Tribute to Kenny Everett
1995
6.8
The Mrs Merton Show
1995
7.0
How to Be Absolutely Fabulous
1995
6.8
Cold Comfort Farm
1995
8.1
The Forgotten Toys
1995
NR
Girl Friday
1994
NR
Class Act
1994
7.6
Absolutely Fabulous
1992
6.8
Cluedo
1990
5.3
A Ghost in Monte Carlo
1990NR
Plunder
1990NR
Challenge Anneka
1989
6.3
Shirley Valentine
1989
6.8
Roseanne
19886.0
Comic Relief
1988
8.0
Going Live!
1987
7.4
Lovejoy
1986
7.0
Oxbridge Blues
1984
6.1
The Glory Boys
1984
6.0
Mistral's Daughter
1984
4.3
The Weather in the Streets
1983
4.6
Curse of the Pink Panther
1983
5.1
Trail of the Pink Panther
1982
5.3
Wogan
1982
4.5
Electric Blue - The Movie
1982
7.3
The Kenny Everett Television Show
1982
6.8
Champs-Elysées
1982
3.8
An Audience with Dame Edna Everage
1980
7.0
Children In Need
1980
6.0
Electric Blue 002
1980
7.4
The Plank
1979
7.0
Sapphire & Steel
1979
5.3
An Audience with...
1978
7.1
The New Avengers
1976
4.2
Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!
1973
5.6
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
1973
7.3
Are You Being Served?
1972
7.4
A Ghost Story for Christmas
1971
6.4
The House That Dripped Blood
1971
4.0
Games That Lovers Play
1971
5.1
The Ballad of Tam Lin
1970
4.7
The Breaking of Bumbo
1970
6.6
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969
5.8
Some Girls Do
1969
7.8
Steptoe and Son
1962
7.8
The Avengers
1961
7.4
Eurovision Song Contest
1956
NR
Tony Awards
1956
10.0
The BAFTA Awards
1949NR
Frank and Percy
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