Following her successful battle with the British government over residential rights for the Gurkhas, Joanna Lumley is being touted as winning Nepal's highest civilian award. The actress has won a Bafta for her role in the comedy Absolutely Fabulous, but this would be a far more cherished award, given her personal interest in the Gurkhas campaign. Although mostly known for her acting, Joanna Lumley has been highly active with different causes.
Joanna Lumley is a vegetarian and an animal rights campaigner. She has been involved with a number of charities, including the Druk White Lotus School in Kashmir, Sight Savers and the Friends of Kadzinuni.ii She has been a patron of the Born Free Foundation and the South Bank Foundation; a patron of Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) and supporter of VIVA! (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals) She has also supported ActionAid; Book Aid International; Disasters Emergency Committee; Dr. Hadwin Trust; Mind; SANE; and the Variety Club.
She is a supporter of Free Tibet, Burma Campaign UK and a supporter of the Gurkhas. She played a central role in the Gurkhas battle with the government for UK residence in May 2009.
She sponsors the Joanna Lumley Fellowship in Environmental Science at the University of Oxford. The fellowship is sponsored by Friends Provident, after Ms Lumley served on their Reference Committee for six years.iii
Joanna Lumley was born 1 May 1946 in Srinagar, Kashmir and Jammu, India. Her father was a major in the Gurkha Rifles, and she spent most of her early childhood in the Far East where her father was posted. She attended army schools in Hong Kong and Malaya before moving to England in her teens where she took up ballet. At 16 she auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but was turned down.
She began her career in the Swinging Sixties as a model, before taking up acting. She went on to appear in the New Avengers and Sapphire and Steel in the 1970s and 1980s. She also made brief appearances in Coronation Street, Are You Being Served and The Kenny Everett Show. Despite no acting training, she has also appeared in numerous Hammer Horror films and British films, mainly in cameo roles. Her most famous role was the comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, that began in 1992 and for which she was awarded a Bafta.i She continues to appear on TV and feature films, as well as the theatre.
She is a supporter of Free Tibet, Burma Campaign UK and a supporter of the Gurkhas. She played a central role in the Gurkhas battle with the government for UK residence in May 2009.
She sponsors the Joanna Lumley Fellowship in Environmental Science at the University of Oxford. The fellowship is sponsored by Friends Provident, after Ms Lumley served on their Reference Committee for six years.iii
Joanna Lumley was born 1 May 1946 in Srinagar, Kashmir and Jammu, India. Her father was a major in the Gurkha Rifles, and she spent most of her early childhood in the Far East where her father was posted. She attended army schools in Hong Kong and Malaya before moving to England in her teens where she took up ballet. At 16 she auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but was turned down.
She began her career in the Swinging Sixties as a model, before taking up acting. She went on to appear in the New Avengers and Sapphire and Steel in the 1970s and 1980s. She also made brief appearances in Coronation Street, Are You Being Served and The Kenny Everett Show. Despite no acting training, she has also appeared in numerous Hammer Horror films and British films, mainly in cameo roles. Her most famous role was the comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, that began in 1992 and for which she was awarded a Bafta.i She continues to appear on TV and feature films, as well as the theatre.
She has received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters (1994) from Kent University; an honorary degree from Oxford Brookes University; an honorary doctorate from St Andrews University in 2006; an honorary degree at Queen’s University Belfast; and was awarded an OBE in 1995.i She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
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