Table of Biography
Francesca Annis is a promising British actress. Being active since 1959 in the entertainment industry, Francesca Annis has accumulated over a hundred film and TV credits.
Early Life
Francesca Annis was born on 14 May 1945, in Kensington, London, England, the United Kingdom. Her full name is Francesca Maria P. Annis. She celebrates her birthday on 14th May every year and is currently 78 years old as of 2023.
According to astrology, she has a sun sign of Taurus and she belongs to a mixed ethnicity of Brazilian, French, and English descent. Moreover, she holds a British nationality.
She was born to her father Lester William Anthony Annis and her mother Mariquita (Mara) Purcell. Her father was British while his mother was of Brazilian-French. Her parents were bother actors and her mother was also a singer.
Francesca spent her early years in England and when she turned one year old, her family moved to Brazil and lived there for six years before returning to England. She has two brothers, Quenton and Tony.
Francesca Annis – Education
She was schooled at a convent school and trained as a ballet dancer in her early years, with additional training in the Russian style at the Corona Stage Academy.
Professional Career
When Francesca Annis was a teenager, she stepped into acting. Moreover, she made her acting debut with the 1958 film “The Cat Gang” where she played the role of Sylvia. The next year, she played an uncredited role of a Schoolgirl, in the British comedy film “Carry On Teacher.” In 1960, she appeared in the British comedy movie “No Kidding” and played the role of Wanda in the 1961 comedy film “His and Hers.”
Her first notable film role was as Elizabeth Taylor’s handmaiden in “Cleopatra” (1963), which she was cast in while still training Russian dance at the age of 16. Moreover, her major break came when she was cast as one of the leads in the West End theatrical musical Passion Flower Hotel in 1965.
Caption: The poster of the 1963 film, Cleopatra (Source: Compare TV)
She portrayed Estella in a television production of “Great Expectations” (1967) and hosted children’s TV shows. Moreover, she rose to prominence for her role as Lady Macbeth in Roman Polanski’s film adaptation of “Macbeth” (1971), in which she delivered the sleepwalking soliloquy naked.
She was cast as the ‘Widow of the Web’ in the 1983 scientific fantasy film “Krull” and as Lady Jessica in the 1984 David Lynch science fiction film “Dune.” Over the years, the actress has been cast in several films such as “Under The Cherry Moon” (1986), “Doomsday Gun” (1999), “Copenhagen” (2002), “The Libertine” (2004), “Revolver” (2005) and “Shifty” (2008).
She starred in Anthony Neilson’s action criminal thriller film “The Debt Collector” in 1999. Moreover, his recent movie appearances are “Loving Miss Hatto” (2012) as Joyce and “King of Thieves” (2018) as Lynne Reader.
Television
In 1960, she made her small screen debut in an episode of “BBC Sunday-Night Play” playing the role of Anne Miller. The same year, she played the role of Judy Bealle in one of the episodes of “Probation Officer.”
From 1962 to, she appeared in brief and minor roles in TV series such as “ITV Play of the Week” (1962), “The Human Jungle” (1964), “ITV Play of the Week” (1965), “ITV Play of the Week” (1966), “Saturday Night Theatre” (1970), and “A Pin to See the Peepshow” (1973).
In 1974, she received her first BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actress for the role of Edith Thompson in “A Pin to See the Peepshow.” She won her second nomination for “Madame Bovary” two years later.
Moreover, she portrays Anna Fairley, a lady on the edge of adultery, in the ITV drama “Reckless” (1998). Her performance was widely praised, and she was nominated for two BAFTA TV Awards.
The BBC miniseries “Wives and Daughters” (1999), based on a narrative by Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell, stars Francesca as Mrs Kirkpatrick (later Gibson), the prim and proper stepmother of the protagonist Molly Gibson. This performance earned her a nomination for a BAFTA TV Award.
She portrayed a widow who had recently lost her spouse in BBC One’s mystery thriller miniseries “Deceit” in 2000. She played Lady Ludlow, the owner of Hanbury Court, in the BBC One drama “Cranford” in 2007.
In the British period TV series “Home Fires” she played the role of Joyce Cameron, appearing in 11 episodes from the year 2015-2016. Recently, she was seen playing the role of Vivien in the British thriller TV series “Flesh and Blood” in the year 2020.
Stage Works
She received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Revival for her portrayal in ‘Troilus and Cressida’ in 1977. Among her other prominent stage credits are ‘The Comedy of Errors’ (1976), ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (1977), ‘Hamlet’ (1995), Ivan Turgenev’s ‘A Month in the Country’ (1981), and John Osborne and Anthony Creighton’s ‘Epitaph for George Dillon’.
Awards
In 1979, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress category for her work in “Lillie.” Till now, this actress has won five BAFTA TV Award nominations and one Olivier Award nomination.
Francesca Annis – Net Worth 2023
Through her stage, TV, and movie roles, the actress has made a good living. According to the online websites, her net worth is estimated at around $1 million while her salary and earnings are yet unknown.
Relationship Status
Francesca Annis is probably single and not dating anyone at the moment. However, she was previously in a relationship with a photographer Patrick Wiseman that began in 1974. With the relationship, the couple is blessed with three kids, Andreas Wiseman, Charlotte, and Taran Wiseman. Her daughter Charlotte was an actress who died in 1979.
The actress had an affair with Hamlet co-star Ralph Fiennes in 1995 when she was in a relationship with Patrick Wiseman. After two years, in 1997, she ended her 23-year relationship with Wiseman. Not only that, but she ended her relationship with Ralph Fiennes in 2006.
Body Measurement
Caption: Francesca Annis posing for a photo (Source: Pinterest)
The American actress is 5 feet 5 inches tall (1.54 m) and weighs 63 kg (128 lbs). Moreover, she has a pair of dark brown eyes with the same colour hair. Her body measurement is 34-25-37 inches. Similarly, she wears a bra size of 33B and a shoe size of 5.8 US.
Social Media
Presently, the actress is not active on any kinds of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.