Julia Sawalha
Birthday:
Birthplace:
Not Available
Best-known to American TV audiences as Saffy, the frighteningly sensible daughter of Edina Monsoon on Absolutely Fabulous, Julia Sawalha has earned a reputation as one of Britain's more beloved comedic actresses.The daughter of respected Jordanian actor Nadim Sawalha (who immigrated to England in the 1960s) and an English mother, Sawalha was born in London on September 9, 1968. Raised in the company of two sisters, she became interested in acting at a young age, and landed her first break when she was chosen to star on the long-running TV series Press Gang. A show about a group of teens who run a youth newspaper, it was produced by Bob Spiers, who would later direct Sawalha in Absolutely Fabulous. Premiering in 1992, Absolutely Fabulous would become one of the most popular TV shows in British history, winning scores of fans on both sides of the Atlantic. For her part, Sawalha earned both respect and recognition for her portrayal of the hilariously uptight Saffy, and her work led to roles in a number of TV miniseries, including the BBC's acclaimed 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Although Sawalha made her film debut in 1990, she had her first major big-screen role in Kenneth Branagh's In the Bleak Midwinter (1995), a comedy about a group of actors putting on a production of Hamlet. Cast as the actress who plays Ophelia, the film allowed her to perform alongside Branagh, Richard Briers, Joan Collins, and Jennifer Saunders. The actress finally got a crack at the lead in a major film in 2000, lending her voice to the character of Ginger, the feathered heroine of Peter Lord and Nick Park's Chicken Run. A hugely successful all-poultry retelling of The Great Escape, the film also featured the vocal talents of Mel Gibson, Jane Horrocks, Miranda Richardson, and Imelda Staunton. In addition to her work in Chicken Run, Sawalha kept busy that year with a number of other film and TV projects, including The Final Curtain, a comedy about a rivalry between two British game show personalities.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
58% | Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie |
|
$4.8M | 2016 |
No Score Yet | Horatio Hornblower: Duty |
|
— | 2003 |
No Score Yet | Hornblower: Loyalty (Horatio Hornblower 3) |
|
— | 2003 |
No Score Yet | The Final Curtain |
|
— | 2003 |
No Score Yet | Venus & Mars |
|
— | 2003 |
No Score Yet | Kipper - Let It Snow |
|
— | 2002 |
0% | Venus and Mars |
|
— | 2001 |
97% | Chicken Run |
|
$106.7M | 2000 |
75% | The Wind in the Willows |
|
— | 1996 |
81% | In the Bleak Midwinter (A Midwinter's Tale) |
|
— | 1996 |
No Score Yet | How To Be Absolutely Fabulous |
|
— | 1996 |
No Score Yet | Martin Chuzzlewit |
|
— | 1994 |
No Score Yet | Buddy's Song |
|
— | 1991 |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet |
Remember Me
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Cranford
2007-2009
|
|
|
96% |
Absolutely Fabulous
1992-2012
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Miss Marple
2004-2013
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Jonathan Creek
1997-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Masterpiece
1971-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Lark Rise to Candleford
2008-2011
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Ain't Misbehavin'
1997
|
|
|
82% |
Tales from the Crypt
1989-1996
|
|
|
88% |
Pride and Prejudice
1995
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Inspector Morse
1987-2000
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Midsomer Murders
2021
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Press Gang
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Young Ones
1982-1984
|
|
|
Quotes from Julia Sawalha's Characters
Bunty: | The chances of us getting out of here are a million to one. |
Ginger: | Then there's still a chance. |
Karen: | I was discovering that Dave's problem, or one of his many problems, was in dealing with the real world. He assumed, as celebrities do, that because he was on television, everybody loved him. |
Ginger: | [Letting go of the string of lights] Bye-bye! |
Ginger: | [letting go of the string of lights] Bye-bye! |
Mrs. Tweedy: | [Tumbling down] AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! |
Mrs. Tweedy: | [tumbling down] AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! |
Fowler: | Bombs away! |
Mrs. Tweedy: | MR. TWEEDY! [All the chickens cheer] |
Rocky: | Oh, that was good! That was GOOD! |