Dawn French

Biography

Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show French and Saunders with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, and played the lead role as Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley. She has been nominated for seven BAFTA TV Awards and won a BAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009.

Known For

The Graham Norton Show

Self

The F Word

RuPaul's Drag Race UK

Self - Guest Judge

The One Show

Self - Guest

The One Show

Self

Wogan

Self

V Graham Norton

Self

Travel Man: 48 Hours in...

Self - Guest

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
2024	Joan Rivers at the BBC	Self (archive footage)
2024	Kirsty MacColl at the BBC	Self (archive footage)
2023	The Magician's Elephant	Sister Marie (voice)
2023	Dawn French Is a Huge Twat	Self
2023	imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter	Self - featured artist
2022	Red Riding Hood: After Ever After	Twit
2022	Comedy Classics: The Vicar of Dibley	Self (archive material)
2022	Death on the Nile	Bowers
2021	An Audience with Adele	Self
2021	The Vicar of Dibley: Inside Out	Self
2021	French & Saunders: Funny Women	Self
2020	Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse	Beatrix Potter
2020	The Vicar of Dibley: In Lockdown	Geraldine Granger
2020	A Baby Reindeer's First Christmas	Narrator
2019	Completely Bad News	Tracy
2017	Comic Relief: Red Nose Day	Self
2017	Confessions of the Paparazzi	Self
2017	300 Years of French & Saunders
2016	Darcey Bussell: My Life on the BBC	Self
2016	Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie	Interviewer
2016	Dawn French Live: 30 Million Minutes	Self
2016	British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves	Various Characters (archive footage) (uncredited)
2012	Five Go to Rehab	George
2012	30 Years of Comic Strip
2011	Catherine Tate: Laughing at the Noughties	Self
2011	Matthew Bourne's Christmas	Self - Host
2011	Michael Bublé: Home for Christmas	Self
2011	French & Saunders: The Ingenue Years
2011	Gentlemen Prefer French & Saunders
2010	Psychoville Halloween Special	Joy Aston
2009	Coraline	Miss Miriam Forcible / Other Forcible (voice)
2009	Coraline: The Making of 'Coraline'	Self
2008	French and Saunders: Still Alive	Self
2007	Donizetti: La Fille du Régiment	La Duchesse de Crackentorp
2006	Love and Other Disasters	Therapist
2006	When Comedy Changed Forever	Self (archive material)
2005	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe	Mrs. Beaver (voice)
2005	The Comic Strip - A Retrospective	Self
2005	Comic Aid
2004	Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?	Self - Narrator
2004	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	The Fat Lady
2002	The Best of French & Saunders	Various
2001	Kirsty: The Life and Songs of Kirsty MacColl	Self
2000	French & Saunders - Live	Various roles
2000	Maybe Baby	Charlene
1999	Milk	Virginia
1998	Four Men in a Car	Stella
1997	Treasure Island	Jim Hawkins
1997	Sex & Chocolate	Bev Bodger
1996	The Adventures of Pinocchio	Baker's Wife
1994	Dusty	Self - Presenter
1993	The Legends of Treasure Island	Jim Hawkins (voice)
1993	Tender Loving Care	Elaine Dobbs
1993	Space Virgins from Planet Sex	Gaynor
1993	French & Saunders: At the Movies
1992	Red Nose of Courage	Glynis Kinnock
1992	In Dreams	Driving Instructor
1991	Amnesty International's Big 30	Self
1990	French & Saunders LIVE
1990	South Atlantic Raiders: Part 1	Frances / Mrs. Shines
1990	South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie!	Frances
1990	Oxford	Caroline
1990	Spaghetti Hoops	Francesca
1990	GLC: The Carnage Continues	Cher as Joan Ruddock
1990	The Tale of Little Pig Robinson	Porcas
1989	The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball	Self
1989	Bosses From Hell
1989	Communicators From Hell
1989	Employees From Hell
1988	Mr Jolly Lives Next Door	Mrs. Cooper
1988	An Audience With Victoria Wood	Self
1988	The Strike	Verity/Old Lady/Celebrity
1988	More Bad News	Rachel
1987	Eat the Rich	Debbie Draws
1987	The Silurian Disruption	Silurian #1
1986	Consuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders)	Consuela
1986	Private Enterprise	Nayler
1986	Experiment IV	Lab Assistant 1
1986	Comedians Do It On Stage	Self
1986	The Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live
1985	The Supergrass	Andrea
1984	Eddie Monsoon - a Life?	Veronica
1984	Dirty Movie	Monica
1984	Susie	Susie
1984	Gino: Full Story and Pics	Fiona/Frances
1984	Slags	Passion
1984	A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques	Jackie
1983	Summer School	Ursula
1983	War	Hermine
1983	The Beat Generation	Eleanor
1983	Five Go Mad on Mescalin	George
1983	Bad News	Tracy
1982	Five Go Mad in Dorset	George
1981	The Comic Strip

Year	TV Show	Role
2025	BeddyByes	Gramma Leeba
2024	The Nevermets	Narrator
2021	Walk the Line	Self - Judge
2021	The Secret World Of...	Self - Narrator
2020	The Trouble with Maggie Cole	Maggie Cole
2019	RuPaul's Drag Race UK	Self - Guest Judge
2017	Little Big Shots	Host
2016	Delicious	Gina Benelli
2015	Travel Man: 48 Hours in...	Self - Guest
2013	Heading Out	Frances
2013	The Wrong Mans	Linda
2012	Superstar	Self - Chief Judge
2010	Roger & Val Have Just Got In	Val Stevenson
2009	Psychoville	Joy Aston
2008	Lark Rise to Candleford	Caroline Arless
2007	A Bucket O' French and Saunders
2007	Comedy Shuffle
2007	The Graham Norton Show	Self
2007	Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy	Presenter
2007	More Dawn French's Boys Who Do: Comedy	Presenter
2006	Jam and Jerusalem	Rosie Bales
2006	The One Show	Self - Guest
2006	Davina
2006	The One Show	Self
2005	The F Word
2004	The Paul O'Grady Show
2004	Bosom Pals
2004	Agatha Christie's Marple	Janet Erskine
2002	Wild West	Mary Trewednack
2002	V Graham Norton	Self
2002	Pongwiffy
2002	Ted and Alice
2002	Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy
2001	Happiness	Dawn French
2000	The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything
1999	Let Them Eat Cake
1999	Watership Down
1999	David Copperfield	Mrs. Crupp
1998	Parkinson	Self
1996	TFI Friday	Self
1995	Look at the State We're In!	Clerk
1994	The Vicar of Dibley	Revd Geraldine Granger
1994	Harry Enfield and Chums	Mrs Goggins
1993	The Legends of Treasure Island	Jim Hawkins (voice)
1992	Absolutely Fabulous	Kathy
1991	Murder Most Horrid	Various characters
1988	The Storyteller	Badsister 2
1987	French & Saunders	Various Characters
1987	Going Live!	Self
1985	Girls On Top	Amanda
1985	Happy Families	Cook
1982	The Young Ones	Christian Evangelist
1982	The Young Ones	Devil in Advert
1982	The Young Ones	Easter Bunny
1982	Wogan	Self
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	George
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Passion
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Tracy
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Susie
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Veronica
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Ursula
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Hermine
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Jackie/First Nun
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Consuela
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Eleanor
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Monica
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Nayler
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Fiona/Frances
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Verity/Old Lady/Celebrity
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Rachel
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Mrs. Cooper
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Frances/Mrs. Shines
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Frances
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Joan
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Francesca
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Caroline
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Gaynor
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Glynis Kinnock
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...	Stella
1982	The Comic Strip Presents...
1978	An Audience with...	Self
1976	The Secret Policeman's Ball	Self
1949	The BAFTA Awards	Self
	Can You Keep a Secret?	Debbie Fendon