Jennifer Saunders

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Birthday:

6 July 1958, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England, UK

Birth Name:

Jennifer Jane Saunders

Height:

163 cm

Jennifer Saunders was born July 6th 1958 in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, UK. She attended Central School of Speech and Drama where she met her comedy partner Dawn French. Like many of the early 80s groundbreaking "alternative" comedians she began her career as comedienne/actress/writer with Dawn French at "The Comedy Store" in London, where she met fellow comedians Adrian Edmondson (later her husband), Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Alexei Sayle and Peter Richardson, who later opened his own club, "The Comic Strip", where these comedians quickly formed a regular format.The Comic Strip team were transferred to television screens with great success as they all starred alongside each other in The Comic Strip Presents... (1982). After The Comic Strip she starred in a few episodes of The Young Ones (1982), Girls on Top (1985) and Happy Families (1985). Afterwards she and Dawn French wrote a TV show of their own, French and Saunders (1987), which was an immense success due to the double acts genius writing, brilliant acting performances and hilarious spoofs of world famous blockbusters and bands.It was in one of the episodes of "French and Saunders" that the audience had the pleasure of watching a sketch about an uptight daughter and a crazy, neurotic mother that became a comedy classic sitcom. When the BBC next asked Saunders to write something, she just couldn't come up with any ideas, so she decided to expand on that sketch, making it more outrageous and therefore funnier - Absolutely Fabulous (1992) was born.Perhaps by coincidence Saunders had created one of the most loved, funny, and creative TV Shows in BBC history. Three series were made, in 1995 the show was put on hold until Saunders began writing again and came back with a fourth series in 2001. She is always ready for charity as well, she has been doing "Comic Relief" with a lot of her comedy companions ever since 1986. Jennifer Saunders, one of the most loved TV faces in Britain, will hit the screens with her fifth series of Absolutely Fabulous in 2003. Show less «

When I was a child, a lot of my time was spent in Scotland because my mother's Scottish, and we used to go up to Ayrshire and visit relation...Show more »

When I was a child, a lot of my time was spent in Scotland because my mother's Scottish, and we used to go up to Ayrshire and visit relations in a place called Dalry. Show less «

We were watching the first series recently, and it has a charm, a kind of amateur charm. At that point we didn't involve ourselves technical...Show more »

We were watching the first series recently, and it has a charm, a kind of amateur charm. At that point we didn't involve ourselves technically at all - we just messed about and told our jokes - and it looks a bit like that. Show less «

We had this party in New York, and there were a lot of gay men there dressed up as the characters. I showed up just looking like myself, but...Show more »

We had this party in New York, and there were a lot of gay men there dressed up as the characters. I showed up just looking like myself, but it was a real case of shame. They looked so fantastic. We could never quite live up to it. Show less «

They have become part of us in that if we get dressed up as them, we don't actually have to have a script. You can just become them. You jus...Show more »

They have become part of us in that if we get dressed up as them, we don't actually have to have a script. You can just become them. You just become nervy. Show less «

The reason they keep it so tight is that no one liked them, so that without each other, actually, they couldn't exist. They support each oth...Show more »

The reason they keep it so tight is that no one liked them, so that without each other, actually, they couldn't exist. They support each other. They support their flaws and everything else. Show less «

My daughters related to something in the Spice Girls that made them feel better about being female. They truly started to believe girls coul...Show more »

My daughters related to something in the Spice Girls that made them feel better about being female. They truly started to believe girls could do anything. They could be fat, thin, anything they wanted to be. Show less «

Men would find it much harder because men have such odd personal relationships with each other. They don't really emotionally connect, where...Show more »

Men would find it much harder because men have such odd personal relationships with each other. They don't really emotionally connect, whereas women do. I think women become very close. Show less «

Like all girls, when I was growing up, I always worried about this bit of me being too fat or that bit. But I look back at pictures of me wh...Show more »

Like all girls, when I was growing up, I always worried about this bit of me being too fat or that bit. But I look back at pictures of me when I was young, and I was thin and gorgeous. Show less «

I'm a total petrolhead. My three brothers and I used to ride scrambling bikes in the field near where we lived. We all liked cars. I've alwa...Show more »

I'm a total petrolhead. My three brothers and I used to ride scrambling bikes in the field near where we lived. We all liked cars. I've always loved the smell of an engine. Show less «

I'm a really good driver. I've been driving since I was very small, and I do like driving fast. I remember the first time my dad taught me t...Show more »

I'm a really good driver. I've been driving since I was very small, and I do like driving fast. I remember the first time my dad taught me that when you go into a corner you change down then put your foot right down on the way out. I'm very competitive about driving. Show less «

I write for women because it's the only way I can use what I've experienced. It's good that people like what I write, but I don't want to go...Show more »

I write for women because it's the only way I can use what I've experienced. It's good that people like what I write, but I don't want to go down the feminist path. Show less «

I think when Madonna did sexy stuff, she looked more in control. And I think it looked more like she was breaking boundaries. Today, it feel...Show more »

I think when Madonna did sexy stuff, she looked more in control. And I think it looked more like she was breaking boundaries. Today, it feels like it's pandering to everything that's wrong, and I don't think it's nice, especially for young girls. Show less «

I remember when the first police scary video thing came out, and you thought, wow, ooh, look at this, come and look, come and look. And now ...Show more »

I remember when the first police scary video thing came out, and you thought, wow, ooh, look at this, come and look, come and look. And now it's on every channel. Show less «

I love the TV show, and if you make a bad movie it means you've soiled it. Just like if we made an advert. We were offered so many times and...Show more »

I love the TV show, and if you make a bad movie it means you've soiled it. Just like if we made an advert. We were offered so many times and I'd say, look, this is the good thing, and you can't compromise that, because then you compromise the integrity of the characters. Show less «

I grew up with a mother who, every time she saw something, would say, I'm going to look that up. And I've become that person - I've become t...Show more »

I grew up with a mother who, every time she saw something, would say, I'm going to look that up. And I've become that person - I've become the reference-book person. Show less «

There were a lot of areas we didn't cover that I'm hoping to cover if we do some specials. One is to see more of Patsy's home and her home l...Show more »

There were a lot of areas we didn't cover that I'm hoping to cover if we do some specials. One is to see more of Patsy's home and her home life, which is just the saddest thing. Show less «

When you are doing chemo, you have a load of time.

Well, I would definitely give up performing... But I would still sit down in an office and pretend to write with Dawn, even if we never prod...Show more »

Well, I would definitely give up performing... But I would still sit down in an office and pretend to write with Dawn, even if we never produced anything, because it's just hilarious. I would miss that. Show less «

Well, I'm lucky because, you see, I'll probably bounce back from this role.

The way certain men treat women is influenced by the Internet a lot.

The truth is, you can be honest with your friends - but you just can't be honest with the general public if you want to keep your friends.

'The Rocky Horror Show' [The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)] was actually my first musical love.

Porsches are a great drive.

Lacroix has been fantastic. He's very nice. He gets the joke, and I think that's a good thing.

I've never had Botox. But I like people to imagine I have.

I'm my own worst critic. I could tell the critics a thing or two about my shows.

I used to take someone with me for the chemotherapy so I could do jokes. You always try and find something absurd.

I think people imagine that your fame somehow sort of equates with how much you get paid.

I think it is a bit harder for women starting in comedy.

I recommend a little dose of cancer to anyone.

I can remember the first face-lift show that came on. I rang up everyone - are you watching? I'm watching.

I came to the Kardashians a bit late, and I'm still just gob-smacked. Who are these people?

At home, I relax by gardening, or just pottering.

I'd much rather have sat there and just been a fly on the wall, instead of having to smile at people. I'd rather have been a waitress. Just ...Show more »

I'd much rather have sat there and just been a fly on the wall, instead of having to smile at people. I'd rather have been a waitress. Just gone round and stared at people. Show less «

I think the idea of losing your hair is still very potent, emotional thing.

I did want a boy child because I had this romantic idea that a boy child when he's 16 takes his mother out for dinner.

Commissioners are obsessed with young people, which is funny because they don't watch telly - only old people do.

But I think our humour is exactly the same today. Only, we've made rules now. We've said we are not going to do prosthetic make-up scenes, b...Show more »

But I think our humour is exactly the same today. Only, we've made rules now. We've said we are not going to do prosthetic make-up scenes, because when they take it off half your face comes off. Show less «

You get crushes on people. You have to see them every day in that week. They're a fantastic person, and it could be a man or a woman.

No, sometimes we just have to take liberties because the idea was so good. I wish we'd just gone with the idea that Patsy had been a man. It...Show more »

No, sometimes we just have to take liberties because the idea was so good. I wish we'd just gone with the idea that Patsy had been a man. It would have been fantastic. Show less «

I always swore I would never write a book. But I read Clare Balding's and it was really interesting and so prettily written and lovely and n...Show more »

I always swore I would never write a book. But I read Clare Balding's and it was really interesting and so prettily written and lovely and not too revealing. I went to her book launch and met her editor who said 'why don't you think about it? You can do it however you want, based on your characters or you.' Show less «

I'm a walkawayer. If someone brings me a really crap meal in a restaurant I will tell them it's wonderful and then just never go to the rest...Show more »

I'm a walkawayer. If someone brings me a really crap meal in a restaurant I will tell them it's wonderful and then just never go to the restaurant again. I think that's the best way to do it generally, rather than sit and fight and annoy your head. Just pretend to enjoy it and then leave. Show less «

My job gives me the attention I'd otherwise crave.

Me just being myself in public or on TV is the biggest nightmare in the world.

I cannot do confrontation. You know that fight or flight thing? I'm flight. I just don't want the argument.

I haven't got time in my life to do all the things I should be doing, like running and dieting and decorating my house, buying some furnitur...Show more »

I haven't got time in my life to do all the things I should be doing, like running and dieting and decorating my house, buying some furniture. Show less «

I did grieve a bit when I wasn't having the chemo anymore. I was used to sitting in the little chair and then the nurse would come and do it...Show more »

I did grieve a bit when I wasn't having the chemo anymore. I was used to sitting in the little chair and then the nurse would come and do it. It was like that was your job for that long and it was reassuring. Show less «

I absolutely love Scotland. I'm always happy there.