Sue Jones-Davies (born 1 January 1949) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

actress, singer and local politician. She played Judith Iscariot in the film ''

Monty Python's Life of Brian ''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (also known as ''Life of Brian'') is a 1979 British comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin). It w ...

'' (1979) and was Mayor of Aberystwyth from 2008 to 2009.

Early life and education

Sue Jones-Davies was born on 1 January 1949 in Wales. She lived in Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire. She is a graduate of the

University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a Red brick university, red brick Russell Group research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Society of Merchant Venturers, Merchant Venturers' sc ...

Marriage and family

She met her former husband, the actor and writer

Chris Langham Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is an English writer, actor, and comedian. He is known for playing the cabinet minister Hugh Abbot in the BBC sitcom ''The Thick of It'', and as presenter Roy Mallard in '' People Like Us'', first on BB ...

, then a fellow student, while at Bristol University. They married soon after graduation and lived in London. They have three sons, Siencyn, Glyn and Dafydd. They later separated, and Jones-Davies moved to Aberystwyth with her three sons.

Career

Jones-Davies worked in London for several years. She appeared in the original London production of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

''. Other credits include ''

'', ''

Radio On ''Radio On'' is a 1979 film directed by Christopher Petit. It is a rare example of a British road movie, shot in black and white by Wim Wenders' assistant cameraman Martin Schäfer and featuring music from a number of new wave bands of the ti ...

'', '' Rock Follies'', ''

French and Saunders ''French and Saunders'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is a ...

'', ''

Victoria Wood As Seen On TV ''Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV'' is a British comedy sketch series written by and starring comedian Victoria Wood, with appearances from Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston, Susie Blake and Patricia Routledge. The show was televise ...

'' and ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

''. Her role in ''Rock Follies'' earned her a chart hit single with "OK" in partnership with

Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita. Early life Julie Covington was born in ...

Rula Lenska Rula Lenska (born Róża Maria Leopoldyna Łubieńska, 30 September 1947) is a British actress. She mainly appears in British stage and television productions and is known in the United States for a series of television advertisements in the 1 ...

and

Charlotte Cornwell Charlotte Cornwell (26 April 1949 – 16 January 2021) was an English actress, singer, and a celebrated teacher of acting on the faculty at the University of Southern California (2003-2012). She began her career as an actress in Richard Cottr ...

, reaching no.10 in June 1977. In August 1976, Jones-Davies was shortlisted for the part of Leela in the long running BBC series '' Doctor Who'', but lost out to

Louise Jameson Louise Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is an English actress with a wide variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela (Doctor Who), Leela in ''Doctor Who'' (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in ''The Ome ...

for the role. In the 1970s she was singer in The Bowles Brothers Band. She sings in the Welsh-language acoustic band ''Cusan Tan'' along with Annie Jones. She is also a regular performer on Welsh-language television. In 1981, she played in '' The Life and Times of David Lloyd George'' as

Megan Lloyd George Lady Megan Arvon Lloyd George, (22 April 1902 – 14 May 1966) was a Welsh politician and the first female Member of Parliament (MP) for a Welsh constituency. She also served as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, before later becoming a La ...

, the prime minister's daughter. She appeared in ''

The Theory of Flight ''The Theory of Flight'' is a 1998 British comedy-drama film directed by Paul Greengrass from a screenplay written by Richard Hawkins. It stars Helena Bonham Carter and Kenneth Branagh. It premiered at the 23rd Toronto International Film Fest ...

'' (1998), alongside

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...

and

Helena Bonham Carter Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award ...

, '' Solomon and Gaenor'' (1999) and voiced the part of Sian in animated film ''

Y Mabinogi ' (English title ''Otherworld'': not a literal translation) is a 2003 Welsh film based on a series of Welsh tales written by bards in the Middle Ages. It is mostly animated, although the very beginning and end sequences are live action. It follo ...

'' (2003). In 2008, she became a

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

town councillor A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council ...

in Aberystwyth. Between June 2008 and May 2009, she was Mayor of Aberystwyth. Upon taking the office, she was informed that the town had banned ''Life of Brian'' and prohibited it for nearly 30 years because of her nude scene. It subsequently emerged that although Ceredigion county councillors had reviewed the film in 1981, and found parts "quite unacceptable", they did not officially ban it. She sponsored a charity screening of ''Life of Brian''. In July 2008, Jones-Davies was interviewed on

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales ...

and

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...

about the film and its status in Aberystwyth. She was also profiled on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...

's ''

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by ...

''. The film was screened on 28 March 2009 at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre. It was attended by cast members and the co-writers of the film,

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin ...

and

Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...

. The event was broadcast on BBC One on 12 May 2009 as a documentary titled ''Monty Python in Aberystwyth: A Mayor and Two Pythons''.
-

Honours

* Honorary Bachelor of Arts from the

Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth University ( cy, Prifysgol Aberystwyth) is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The universi ...

in 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones-Davies, Sue 1949 births Living people Alumni of the University of Bristol Women mayors of places in Wales Mayors of places in Wales Plaid Cymru politicians 20th-century Welsh women singers Welsh film actresses Welsh stage actresses Welsh-speaking actors Welsh television actresses