Jane Asher
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| Jane Asher | |
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 Asher in 2008 |
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| Born | 5 April 1946 Willesden, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1952–present |
| Spouse(s) | Gerald Scarfe (m. 1981) |
Jane Asher (born 5 April 1946) is an English actress, author and entrepreneur.
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Early life[edit]
Asher was the middle of three children born to Richard Alan John and Margaret Asher, née Eliot, in Willesden, North West London.[1] Her father was a consultant in blood and mental diseases at the Central Middlesex Hospital, as well as being a broadcaster and the author of notable medical articles. Asher's mother was a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Asher attended Queen's College in Harley Street, London[2] and is the elder sister of Clare Asher, a radio actress and school inspector. Asher's elder brother is record producer Peter Asher,[3] who was "Peter" of Peter and Gordon.
Asher was a child actress and appeared in the 1952 film Mandy and the 1955 science fiction film The Quatermass Xperiment. She also had a title role in a version of Alice in Wonderland (1958) and Through the Looking-Glass for Argo Records. In 1961 she co-starred in The Greengage Summer which was released in the United States as Loss of Innocence. She also appeared in the 1962 film and Disney TV programme, The Prince and the Pauper. British TV appearances included three episodes (1956–1958) of the British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood and as a panelist on the BBC's Juke Box Jury.
Career[edit]
Asher appeared in Roger Corman's The Masque of the Red Death (1964), Alfie, opposite Michael Caine in 1966, and in Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End. She guest-starred in an episode of the British television comedy series The Goodies in the episode "Punky Business", as a trend-setting newspaper writer, The Stone Tape; Rumpole of the Bailey; as Celia Ryder in Brideshead Revisited; A Voyage Round My Father opposite Laurence Olivier; as Faith Ashley in Wish Me Luck (three seasons in 1987–89); The Mistress (1985–87); Crossroads Mark III (2003) as hotel owner Angel Samson.
In 1994, she portrayed the Doctor Who companion Susan Foreman in a BBC Radio 4 comedy drama Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman? Another notable radio appearance was in The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 2002, in the episode "The Peculiar Persecution of Mr John Vincent Harden". She starred in The World's Biggest Diamond, by Gregory Motton, at the Royal Court Theatre in 2005. In 2006, Asher starred in the Richard Fell adaptation of the 1960s science fiction series A for Andromeda, which aired on the British digital television station BBC Four. In 2007, she portrayed the widow Sandra in the Frank Oz film Death at a Funeral. Asher appeared in the BBC medical drama, Holby City as Lady Byrne. In October 2007, she played Andrea Yates in The Sarah Jane Adventures, in the episode "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?" Asher co-starred in the 2008 ITV drama series The Palace, filmed in Lithuania; she played Queen Charlotte, mother of King Richard IV. The Palace broadcast on ITV1 in 2008.
In August 2008, Asher appeared in the reality TV talent show-themed television series, Maestro on BBC Two. That summer, she participated in the BBC's Maestro series with other show business personalities.[4][5] In 2009, she played Sally in the BBC One comedy series The Old Guys.
In October 2009, she appeared as Delia in Peter Hall's revival of Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce at the Rose Theatre, Kingston and in her first pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Richmond Theatre in December 2009, receiving enthusiastic reviews for both.[6][7]
Asher has written three best-selling novels: The Longing, The Question and Losing It, and published more than a dozen lifestyle, costuming, and cake decorating books. Asher owns a company that makes party cakes and sugar crafts for special occasions.[8][dead link]
She is a shareholder in Private Eye,[9] President of Arthritis Care[10] and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association.[11]
She is also President of the National Autistic Society, in which she takes an active role.[12] She was a speaker at the launch of the National Autistic Society's "Make School Make Sense" campaign and is President of Parkinson's UK.[13] In March 2010, Asher became Vice President to Autistica, a UK charity raising funds for autism research.[14]
Personal life[edit]
In 1963, Asher interviewed the Beatles[15] and began a five-year relationship with Paul McCartney, to whom she became engaged in 1967.[16][17][18][19] She accompanied McCartney to India in February 1968 to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After discovering McCartney in bed with Francie Schwartz[2][20][21] she ended the relationship on 20 July 1968.[8][19][22]
Asher met the illustrator Gerald Scarfe in 1971, and they married ten years later.[23] They have three children, daughter Katie (born 1974), and sons Alexander (born 1982) and Rory (born 1984).[24][25][26]
Selected filmography[edit]
- Mandy (1952) as Nina
- Adventure in the Hopfields (1954)
- The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
- Charley Moon (1956)
- The Greengage Summer (1961) as Hester Grey
- Girl in the Headlines (1963) as Lindy Birkett
- The Masque of the Red Death (1964) as Francesca
- Alfie (1966) as Annie
- The Winter's Tale (1967)
- Deep End (1970) as Susan
- The Buttercup Chain (1970) as Margaret
- Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) as Jane Seymour
- Hawkmoor as Lady Johane Williams (1978)
- Runners (1983) as Helen
- Success Is the Best Revenge (1984) as Bank Manager
- Dreamchild (1985) as Mrs. Liddell
- Paris by Night (1988) as Pauline
- Closing Numbers (1993)
- Crossroads (2003)
- Tirante el Blanco (2006) as Empress of Visantia
- Death at a Funeral (2007) as Sandra
- The Sarah Jane Adventures Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? (2007) as Andrea Yates
- The Old Guys (2008–2010) as Sally
- Waterloo Road (2011) as Margaret Harker
Notes[edit]
- ^ GRO Register of Births: June 1946 3a 765 Willeden, mmn = Eliot
- ^ a b Harry, Bill (2000). The Beatles Encyclopaedia (2000 paperback edition; first published 1992). London: Virgin Publishing, London W6 9HA. p. 403. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2.
- ^ Scarfe, Gerald (2010). The Making of Pink Floyd The Wall. Da Capo Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-306-81997-1.
- ^ BBC Maestro
- ^ "Eight passionate amateurs bid to become BBC Two's Maestro" (Press release). BBC. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
- ^ Fiona Mountford (2009-10-16). "Bedroom Farce and Miss Julie see Rose in bloom - Theatre & Dance - Arts - Evening Standard". Thisislondon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
- ^ "Theatre review: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Richmond Theatre, Surrey". Britishtheatreguide.info. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
- ^ a b Mitchison, Amanda 3 October 2005. Butter wouldn't melt. The Daily Telegraph telegraph.co.uk - Retrieved 7 May 2007.
- ^ "Peter Cook's bio". Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ "Arthritis Care". Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ "British Humanist Association". Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ "The National Autistic Society". Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ "Parkinson's UK". Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ "Autistica flyer". Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ^ Miles. p102.
- ^ "McCartney's lament: I can't buy your love," Sydney Morning Herald, 12 June 2004 (link)
- ^ Vickers, Graham (2001). Rock Music Landmarks of London. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8675-4 (can be seen at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZYU3euLYMAgC)
- ^ Bob Spitz, "The Beatles"
- ^ a b "1967 and 1968 years in the Beatles history". Archived from the original on 2009-08-08. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
- ^ Miles 1998. p452
- ^ Newman, Raymond (20 August 2006). "Francie Schwartz".
- ^ "Butter wouldn't melt", The Daily Telegraph, 3 October 2005 (link)
- ^ GRO Register of Marriages: SEP 1981 13 1708 KENSINGTON & CHELSEA - Scarfe = Asher
- ^ GRO Register of Births:SEP 1974 14 2414 ST MARYLEBONE, SEP 1974 15 D'81 60538/S WESTMINSTER, DEC 1981 15 2434 WESTMINSTER, Katie Geraldine Scarfe, mmn = Asher
- ^ GRO Register of Births: MAR 1982 14 1970 CAMDEN - Alexander David Scarfe, mmn = Asher
- ^ GRO Register of Births: MAR 1984 15 2354 WESTMINSTER - Rory Christopher Scarfe, mmn = Asher
References[edit]
- Lennon, Cynthia (June 1978). A Twist of Lennon. London: Star Books. ISBN 0-352-30196-1.
- Lennon, Cynthia (September 2005). John. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-89511-X.
- Miles, Barry (October 1997). Many Years from Now. London: Secker & Warburg. ISBN 0-436-28022-1.
- Spitz, Bob (November 2005). The Beatles: The Biography. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 0-316-80352-9.
External links[edit]
- Jane Asher Official web site
- Jane Asher at the Internet Movie Database
- Jane Asher at the Internet Broadway Database
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