I admit, I first heard of Jane Asher as a former girlfriend of Paul McCartney, because I grew up in a Beatlemania household, and it wasn’t until later that I realized that was the same person in those movies and TV shows. But I’ve read that she doesn’t like to talk about that relationship since it was just a blip in her life, and that’s fair. She started as a child actor and was featured in nine TV shows, eight films, five plays, and over 100 radio appearances by the time she turned 15. Moving on to adult roles, she made a splash with both Hammer horror and BBC historicals. She’s still going strong in her 70s mostly with parts in contemporary British TV shows. Maybe she’ll turn up in another frock flick soon!
Alice, Susan in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1956)
Jenny Purdy in The Buccaneers (1957)
Lady Jane in The Prince and the Pauper (1962)
Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (1962)
Francesca in The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Maggie Tulliver in The Mill on the Floss (1965)
Anne Maria Moody in Wicked Women (1970)
Jane Seymour in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)
Thea Elvsted in “Hedda Gabler,” BBC Play of the Month (1972)
Lucy Saville in “Fellow Townsmen,” Wessex Tales (1973)
Lady Joanne Williams in Hawkmoor (1978)
Celia Ryder in Brideshead Revisited (1981)
Emma Vane in East Lynne (1982)
Mrs. Liddell in Dreamchild (1985)
Faith Ashley in Wish Me Luck (1988-1990)
Mrs. Lester in “Murder at the Vicarage,” Agatha Christie’s Marple (2004)
Emperatriz in The Maidens’ Conspiracy (2006)
Lady Mary in “Three Act Tragedy,” Agatha Christie’s Poirot (2010)
What’s your favorite historical costume movie or TV role of Jane Asher’s?
Hands down, The Masque of the Red Death. My favorite Vincent Price role too. :)
Jane Asher also wrote a book on Fancy dress costumes. It’s claim to fame was a fairly accurate QE1 decorated with bow tie padta
Pasta… My Bad
Oh, my, the lovely Jane–she really did have the right face and carriage (and skills) for historical drama. I admired her Mrs. Liddell, and would like to see her as Jane Seymour.
THE MASQUE OF THE DRED DEATH, though filmed in England, wasn’t connected to Hammer in any way; it was a Roger Corman film for American-International Pictures. One of Asher’s first roles, however, was in 1955’s THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT, a SF/horror film that got the ball rolling for Hammer. (However, she was unbilled, playing a little girl.)
MASQUE was degintely AIP trying to go for what was making Hammer a success, so it’s easy to see the confusion, especially since they shot it using some of the same personnel and locations.
Aaargh. “RED DEATH” and “definitely”…
I dunno…. DRED DEATH makes a lot of sense, in context :D
Surprisingly, THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT isn’t a typo…
What a career!! Gotta go with Brideshead Revisited.
I have only seen her in the Agatha Christie adaptations, but they did a great job dressing her as Jane Seymour.
Ms. Asher has been happily married to British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe since 1981. (I wonder how she feels when he draws friends of hers in his works.) I think she looks better as she gets older. Some people grow into their faces.