Jenna Russell (born 5 October 1967) is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. She performed the role of Dot in ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La G ...

'' in the West End and on Broadway, receiving the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination and the 2006

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

for Best Actress in a Musical for her role. She has also appeared in several television series, including '' Born and Bred'' and ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

''.

Life and career

Russell was born in London, grew up in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, and attended the

Sylvia Young Theatre School Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent school in Marble Arch, London, England. It is a specialist performing arts school named after its founder and principal, Sylvia Young OBE. Outline The Sylvia Young Theatre School was founded in 19 ...

. She has said she had a "tricky childhood". In 1985, Russell appeared as Matthew's girlfriend Christine in the ITV comedy ''

Home to Roost ''Home to Roost'' is a British sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television between 19 April 1985 and 19 January 1990. Written by Eric Chappell, it stars John Thaw as Henry Willows and Reece Dinsdale as his teenaged son Matthew. The premise is tha ...

''. Russell also sang the theme tune to the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom, ''

Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

'', with her version of the song being used in all series of the show. Russell began her career as an understudy for Eponine and Fantine and later took over

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young ''Grisette (person), grisette'' in Paris who is impregnated by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look ...

in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' and performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) for the first portion of her career. Plays there included ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of sati ...

'' as Lucy Lockit in April 1992 and again in April 1993 at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...

. She also appeared in the RSC production of Alan Ayckbourn's ''Wildest Dreams'' at the Barbican in December 1993. From 1990 to 1992 she played one of the lead characters, Maggie Lomax, in primetime

TV comedy '' On the Up''. She performed in three shows at The Bridewell Theatre: '' On a Clear Day You Can See Forever'' as Daisy (January 2000), '' Hello Again'' (March 2001) and a concert, ''The Cutting Edge'' in June 2000. Other stage work includes Samantha Lord in ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

'' at Sheffield Crucible, Young Sally in '' Follies'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1987, Bertrande in ''Martin Guerre'' at the West End's Prince Edward theatre (1998), Felicity in ''Landslide'' at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, and ''Three Sisters'' at the Royal Court. She left the cast of '' Songs for a New World'' during rehearsal to play Deborah Gilder in the television series '' Born and Bred'' in 2002 through 2005. In 2005 she appeared as the Floor Manager in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' episodes "

Bad Wolf "Bad Wolf" is the twelfth episode of the revived Doctor Who series 1, first series of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 11 June 2005. It is ...

" and " The Parting of the Ways". Also in 2005, she played the lead role of Sarah Brown in the West End production of ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'' opposite (at various times)

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...

, Nigel Harman, Sarah Lancashire,

Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress and singer. She starred as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Out ...

and Nigel Lindsay. She received a nomination for the 2006

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre A ...

for this role."Olivier Winners 2006"
officiallondontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2010 In 2006, she took over from Anna-Jane Casey as Dot/Marie in the London revival of ''

'', by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

for which she won the 2007 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical."Olivier Winners 2007"
officiallondontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2010 She subsequently played Amy alongside

Felicity Kendal Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, including as Barbara Good in the television ...

in the West End revival of the play ''

Amy's View ''Amy's View'' is a play written by British playwright David Hare. It premiered in London at the Royal National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre on 13 June 1997, directed by Richard Eyre and starring Judi Dench, Ronald Pickup and Samantha Bond ...

'' in 2006. In 2008, Russell reprised her role as Dot in the Broadway transfer of ''Sunday in the Park with George''. The production opened on 21 February 2008 and ran until 29 June 2008 at

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...

. Russell won the Theatre World Award and received

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

and

nominations for Best Actress in a Musical, losing to

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known f ...

.Gans, Andre
"August and Passing Strange Win Top Honors at Drama Desk Awards"
''Playbill'', 18 May 2008Jones, Kennet
"August, South Pacific, In the Heights, Boeing-Boeing, LuPone Are Tony Winners"
''Playbill'', 15 June 2008 In 2009 she appeared in the inaugural episode of the resurrected TV series ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' as Petra. Russell has appeared in ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' twice. For the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

production in 1998, she played Cinderella. For the

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London, established in 1932. Originally known for its Shakespearean productions, the theatre now features a wide variety of performances, including musicals, ope ...

in 2010, she played the role of the Baker's Wife. In August 2012, Russell took to the London stage again at the

Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

in ''Soho Cinders''. She then played the role of Mary in

's '' Merrily We Roll Along'' at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End, following a run at the Menier Chocolate Factory. From February 2014 she appeared as Penelope Pennywise in the London production of '' Urinetown: The Musical'' at the St. James Theatre. She reprises the role for the West End production at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a listed building, Grade II listed West End theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

from September 2014. In January 2016 she starred with

Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway ...

in the first UK production of '' Grey Gardens'' at The Southwark Playhouse to sell-out audiences. In December 2016 she took over from previous actress

Susan Tully Susan Tully (born 20 October 1967) is a British retired actress, television producer, and television director from London. Her most prominent television acting roles were those of rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in ''Grange Hill'' and single m ...

in the role of

Michelle Fowler Michelle Fowler (also Holloway) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BB ...

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

soap-opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

''EastEnders''. In 2018 Russell decided to leave ''EastEnders'' to pursue other work. Her last appearance aired on Tuesday 17 April 2018. In September 2022, Russell led the cast in Alan Ayckbourn's '' Woman in Mind'' at

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

Stage

Awards and nominations

Personal life

Russell is the partner of actor Ray Coulthard, and they are the parents of a girl. Russell revealed that she was in the early stages of her pregnancy when she appeared in ''Sunday in the Park with George'' on Broadway.Dunn, Carri
"BWW Interviews: 'Into The Woods' Jenna Russell"
westend.broadwayworld.com, 20 July 2010

References

Bibliography

Broadway.com interview, 21 February 2008

Official London Theatre interview, 21 February 2006

External links

* *
Interview with Jenna Russell on Theatre.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Jenna 1967 births English television actresses English stage actresses English musical theatre actresses Royal Shakespeare Company members English Shakespearean actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners Living people English soap opera actresses Theatre World Award winners Alumni of the Sylvia Young Theatre School Actresses from Dundee Actresses from London