Polly James | |
---|---|
Born | Pauline Devaney 8 July 1941 Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
Years active | 1966–2001 |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Pauline James (formerly Devaney; born 8 July 1941) is an English actress with a career in theatre, film, television, and radio.
Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, under the name Pauline Devaney. [1] After graduating from RADA, her TV career began in BBC2's Thirty-Minute Theatre , followed by the role of a drug addict in Z-Cars in 1967. [2] She played Audrey Hargreaves in Coronation Street in 1967. [3] [4]
She is best known for her role as Beryl Hennessey in the first four series of the British sitcom The Liver Birds (1969–74), mostly alongside Nerys Hughes. [5] [6] She played Cicely Courtneidge in the biographical musical of the actress Once More with Music in 1976, and appeared as a soubrette in Alan Clarke's 1982 production of Baal. She played the role of Jane Hampden on "The Awakening" episode of Doctor Who in 1984. [7] She appeared in the West End musicals I and Albert and Anne of Green Gables . In 1971, James appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in The Merchant of Venice with Judi Dench. [8]
James appeared as Jenny Wren in the 1976 BBC adaptation of Dickens's Our Mutual Friend . [9]
She is divorced and is the mother of actor Adam James. [10]
Polly was a pupil at the Convent of Notre Dame, Grammar School for Girls, Blackburn from Sept 1952-June 1957. Her name was Pauline Devaney.[ citation needed ]
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1967 | Z-Cars | |
1967 | Coronation Street | Audrey Hargreaves |
1969 to 1974 | The Liver Birds | Beryl Hennessey |
1976 | Our Mutual Friend (1976 TV serial) | Jenny Wren |
1984 | Doctor Who | Jane Hampden |
1991 | Casualty | Sylvia Vaughan |
1996 | The Liver Birds | Beryl Fenning, née Hennessey |
2000 to 2001 | The Worst Witch | Miss Lavinia Crotchet |
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