Lesley Joseph
| Lesley Joseph | |
|---|---|
|
Joseph hosting A Breath of Fresh Air, June 2008 | |
| Born |
Lesley Diana Joseph 14 October 1945 Hackney, London, England |
| Occupation | Broadcaster, actress |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) |
| Television | Birds of a Feather |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Partner(s) | Carl Littlejohn |
| Children | 2 |
Lesley Diana Joseph[1][2] (born 14 October 1945[3]) is an English actress and broadcaster, best known for playing Dorien Green in the popular sitcom Birds of a Feather from 1989 to 1998 and then again since 2014.
Early life
Lesley was born in Hackney, London and grew up in Northampton.[4] Lesley's mother was born in May 1912, and was still alive in 2014 aged 102.[5]
Career
Stage
In May 1973, Lesley appeared in GODSPELL at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth.
Lesley starred in Cinderella at Plymouth Theatre Royal in 2008 and the Orchard Theatre in Dartford in 2009,[6] and starred as Myra Wilson in the UK Tour of Hot Flush!. In 2014, Hot Flush! embarked on its third UK tour.
From 4 December 2010 to 22 January 2011, she appeared at The Grand Opera House, Belfast as the Wicked Queen in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
In the summer of 2011, Lesley appeared as Chris in the stage show Calendar Girls, based on the film of the same name.
In 2014/15, she appeared at the Theatre Royal Nottingham as the Wicked Queen in the pantomime 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
In 2015, she appeared as Miss Hannigan in the stage production of Annie for certain performances.
Birds of a Feather
From 1989 to 1998, Lesley played Dorien Green in the sitcom Birds of a Feather which, at the time, aired on the BBC
In December 2011, it was confirmed that Lesley would reunite with fellow Birds of a Feather cast members, Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke, for a theatre adaption of the series. The trio toured the United Kingdom from May to July 2012.
A new series of Birds of a Feather was filmed after the rights had been acquired by ITV. The new series began airing on 2 January 2014 for eight episodes. In March, it was confirmed that a second series had been ordered which began airing on 26 December. Following this, a third series was commissioned.[7] This series aired in early 2016.
To celebrate the return of Birds of a Feather, Lesley, Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson appeared as guest panellists on Loose Women on 16 January 2014.
Further TV work
Lesley starred in the ITV soap Night and Day from 2001 to 2003 playing the show's resident bitch, Rachel Culgrin.
In 2002, Lesley appeared on a special edition of What Not to Wear, where she was given a makeover by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine.
In 2004, she starred in The Vagina Monologues opposite Linda Robson and Mica Paris.[8]
Since 2009, she has been a regular newspaper reviewer on This Morning. She appeared in the 2014 series Secrets of the Asylum, a two-part series for ITV. In 2015, Lesley took part in ITV's celebrity sheep herding series Flockstars, beginning on 30 July.[9]
In 2014, Lesley appeared with Forrest Dunbar on ITV2's Freshers: A Year On.
Radio
Lesley began a radio show in 2008 on BBC London 94.9 with Christopher Biggins, airing every Sunday between 9am to 12pm. Biggins left the show after a few months, but Lesley has continued to host. She also stands in for Vanessa Feltz on her weekday morning talk when Feltz is on holiday.
Personal life
Lesley is Jewish.[10] She supports Tottenham Hotspur and lives in Hampstead, north west London. She has two children; a son and daughter.
Filmography
- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | The Bastard King | Catherine of Braganza | |
| 1974 | Another Mother Makes Five | Gypsy Woman | |
| 1975 | Sadie, It's Cold Outside | Cashier | |
| 1979 | The Knowledge | Val | |
| 1980 | Minder | Maureen | |
| 1981 | Roots | Melanie Goldblatt | |
| 1983 | Number 10 | Rose Rosenburg | |
| 1985 | Summer Season | ||
| 1985 | Absurd Person Singular | Lottie Potter | |
| 1987 | First Sight | Pippa | |
| 1988 | Lea Girls | Shop Assistant | |
| 1989 | Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Rose Farriner's Neighbour | |
| 1989–1998, 2014— | Birds of a Feather | Dorien Green | |
| 1995 | Rumble | Ma Pecs | |
| 1996 | Spywatch | Miss Millington | |
| 1998 | Macbeth | Witch | |
| 2001–2003 | Night and Day | Rachel Culgrin | |
| 2005 | Lost Dogs | Maria-Carmen Todd | |
| 2006 | The Secret of Eel Island | Green Beryl | |
| 2007 | Kings of 70s Romance | Narrator | |
| 2008 | The Slammer | Erica the Critic | |
| 2008 | Celebrity Juice | Amy Whinehouse | |
| 2009 | Scoop | Receptionist/ Mrs Green | |
| 2009— | This Morning | Newspaper reviewer | |
| 2011 | Little Crackers | Wardrobe Mistress | |
| 2014 | Text Santa | Dorien Green | |
| 2014 | Secrets from the Asylum | Contributor | |
| 2015 | Flockstars | Competitor | |
- Guest appearances
- Celebrity Squares - Herself
- Celebrity Fifteen to One (30 December 1992) - Contestant
- Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes (22 February 2003) - Contestant, as Ethel Merman
- Hell's Kitchen (2004–09) – Herself
- The Mint (2006) – Guest
- Loose Women (2006–09, 2014) – Guest panellist
- Ready Steady Cook (2007) – Herself
- The Underdog Show (2008) – Contestant
- The Greatest Christmas Comedy Moments (2008) – Herself
- Comedy Classics (2008) – Herself
- Celebrity Come Dine with Me (12 January 2009, 17 October 2011) – Contestant
- Cash in the Celebrity Attic (21 January 2009) – Participant
- Let's Dance for Comic Relief (2010) – Contestant
- Celebrity Eggheads (2010) – Contestant
- 100 Greatest TV Ads (2010) – Herself
- Pointless Celebrities (25 February 2012, 9 August 2014)[11] – Contestant
- All Star Family Fortunes (19 January 2014) – Contestant
- Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2014, 2015) – Guest
- You Saw Them Here First (12 March 2014) – Contributor
- Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (18 September 2014) – Participant
- Freshers: A Year On (15 October 2014) – Herself
- The Chase: Celebrity Special (22 November 2014)[12] – Contestant
- Mel and Sue (14 January 2015)[13] – Guest
- The TV That Made Me (12 August 2015) – Guest
- Celebrity Benchmark (26 September 2015, 3 October 2015) – "Benchmarker"
References
- ↑ company check ltd. "LESLEY DIANA JOSEPH director information. Free director information.". company-director-check.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ↑ Rubinstein, W.D.; Jolles, M.; Rubinstein, H.L. (2011). The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 491. ISBN 9781403939104. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/content/articles/2008/04/14/lesley_joseph_feature.shtml
- ↑ "Birds of A Feather: "Ageing? Pah! There'll be no botox or surgery for us" - Mirror Online". mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ↑
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a634764/birds-of-a-feather-renewed-for-12th-series-by-itv.html#~p6JzUcgaezVaUG
- ↑ "The Vagina Monologues - coming soon". BBC. 2004-08-11. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
- ↑ http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz-tv/hot-tv/438753/Flock-Stars-Lesley-fleece-sheep-Britain-s-search-best-shepherd
- ↑ "How We Met: Maureen Lipman & Lesley Joseph - Profiles - People - The Independent". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ↑ "Pat Sharp teams with Dave Benson-Phillips for Pointless Celebrities - TV News - Digital Spy". digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ↑ "The Chase: Celebrity Special Episode 13 | presscentre". itv.com. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ↑ "Mel & Sue | Series 1 - Episode 3 | Radio Times". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2015-02-26.