Biography
Who is Jennifer Saunders?
Early life and education
Jennifer Saunders was born on July 6, 1958 in Sleaford, England. Her father, Robert Thomas Saunders, was a Royal Air Force pilot who reached the rank of group captain. Her mother, Barbara Jane, worked as a biology teacher. Because of her father's career, the family moved to Cyprus six months after her birth. They later lived in Camberley and Melksham. Jennifer attended various boarding schools between the ages of five and 18. She also went to St Paul's Girls' School in west London. Before university, she spent one year in Italy working as an au pair. During this time, she worked for Adriana Ivancich, who later inspired a character in her work. In 1977, she entered the Central School of Speech and Drama. She took a course to become a drama teacher. Her mother had filled out the application for her. At this school, she met her future comedy partner Dawn French. They initially disliked each other before becoming friends.
Comedy and The Comic Strip
After graduating, Jennifer and Dawn French performed in cabarets and stand-up. They created a duo called The Menopause Sisters. This act involved wearing tampons in their ears. They later shared a flat together in Chalk Farm. In the early 1980s, they joined The Comic Strip. They saw an ad in The Stage newspaper looking for female comedians. The group included actors like Rik Mayall, Robbie Coltrane, and Adrian Edmondson. They performed at the Boulevard Theatre in Soho. The group appeared on Channel 4 for the first time on November 2, 1982. In the episode Five Go Mad In Dorset, Jennifer played various roles. She also appeared in episodes of Bad News as a rock journalist. She starred in a Comic Strip film called The Supergrass.
Absolutely Fabulous and other works
Jennifer and Dawn French created a sketch series called French and Saunders in 1987. This BBC show ran sporadically until 2007. Jennifer also appeared in a 1989 benefit called The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball. Her most famous work is the sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. She wrote the series and played the fashion PR agent Edina Monsoon. The show ran from 1992 to 2016 and included a feature film. It followed Edina and her friend Patsy Stone. She also wrote and starred in Jam & Jerusalem, which began in 2006. In 2007, she created the show Vivienne Vyle. She played a neurotic talk show host in that series. She also wrote a Comic Relief parody called Uptown Downstairs Abbey in 2011.
Other roles and personal life
Jennifer appeared in American shows like Roseanne and Friends. In Friends, she played Andrea Waltham, the step-mother of Emily. She also guest starred on The Young Ones. She played the Fuddle sisters in the BBC comedy Happy Families. She is married to Adrian Edmondson. They have two children named Ella and Beattie Edmondson. She received a BAFTA Fellowship in 2009 alongside Dawn French. Jennifer is a fan of Alfa Romeos and has owned four of them. She once appeared on Top Gear and drove a lap in 1:46.1 seconds. This made her the fifth fastest guest in that specific car.
Birthday and age
Jennifer Saunders was born on July 6, 1958, which makes Jennifer 68 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Jennifer shares the date with 24 other famous people.
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