Dawn French

She married Lenny Henry in 1984. The couple adopted a daughter, Billie. They separated after 25 years of marriage in 2010.

Currently she is married to Mark Bignell.

She is the daughter of Denys Vernon French and Felicity O’Brien. She has one brother, Gary. Her father worked with the Royal Air Force.

She first went to the St. Dundtan’s Abbey School before shifting to Caistor Grammar School. After winning a debating scholarship she got a chance to study at the Spence School in New York.

Her father played an important role in instilling confidence and self-worth in his daughter. Though he himself suffered from depression he never let it affect his children. He always told Dawn how pretty and precious she was and it went a long way in making her the successful woman she is today.

In 1977 she went to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama where she met Jennifer Saunders. The two girls had a shared history of growing up in the same locality, but had never met before. The initial emotion they felt towards each other was dislike, though this would change in the future.

French and Saunders shared a flat while at college and had to do projects together. After getting to know each other, they became friends. After graduating, they formed a comedy act called the Menopause Sisters.

The duo began gaining in prominence during the 1980s as a part of the alternative comic scene, the Comic Strip. The ladies were very unabashed in their performance and highly innovative and energetic.

A television comedy series, called ‘The Comic Strip Presents…’ debuted in 1982. Along with French and Saunders, other prominent comedians who starred in the series were Nigel Planner, Peter Richardson, and Alexei Sayle.

French made her debut in an episode called ‘Five Go Mad in Dorset’ of ‘The Comic Strip Presents…’ series and went on to appear in 27 of its episodes; she also wrote two of them.

Comedy producer Martin Lewis recorded a Comic Strip comedy album which featured French and Saunders. The album was released in 1981 and brought her talents to a wider audience.

A popular comedian, her best known work is the creation of the television series, ‘French and Saunders’ which she created with Jennifer Saunders. The show was very famous during the 1980s for its hilarious spoofs. This series won her several awards and laurels.