Ashley Samantha Jensen (born 10 August 1969) is a BAFTA and
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
nominated
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
actress, best known for her roles in
ExtrasExtras is a British sitcom about extras working on film sets and in theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it...
and
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
.
In September 2009 she began co-starring in the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
Monday night sitcom
Accidentally on PurposeAccidentally on Purpose is an American television situation comedy series, which premiered on CBS on September 21, 2009. The series stars Jenna Elfman and is based on the book by Mary Pols.-Plot:...
as Olivia.
Jensen trained at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Her first big television role was as eccentric secretary Rosie McConnichy in the final series of BBC comedy
May to DecemberMay to December was a British sitcom which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC One. The series was written by Paul Mendelson and produced by Cinema Verity....
, as a replacement for the popular character of secretary
HilaryRebecca Lacey is a British actress, born in Watford, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of actor Ronald Lacey and actress Mela White. She is not the sister of actress Ingrid Lacey as is often reported....
.
Ashley Samantha Jensen (born 10 August 1969) is a BAFTA and
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
nominated
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
actress, best known for her roles in
ExtrasExtras is a British sitcom about extras working on film sets and in theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it...
and
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
.
In September 2009 she began co-starring in the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
Monday night sitcom
Accidentally on PurposeAccidentally on Purpose is an American television situation comedy series, which premiered on CBS on September 21, 2009. The series stars Jenna Elfman and is based on the book by Mary Pols.-Plot:...
as Olivia.
Television
Jensen trained at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Her first big television role was as eccentric secretary Rosie McConnichy in the final series of BBC comedy
May to DecemberMay to December was a British sitcom which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC One. The series was written by Paul Mendelson and produced by Cinema Verity....
, as a replacement for the popular character of secretary
HilaryRebecca Lacey is a British actress, born in Watford, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of actor Ronald Lacey and actress Mela White. She is not the sister of actress Ingrid Lacey as is often reported....
. In 1994 she played Heather in
RoughnecksRoughnecks was a BBC television series that ran over two series between 1994 and 1995 on BBC One. The show centred on the working and personal lives of those who worked on oil rigs in the North Sea....
, a BBC television series based around the workers on a
North SeaThe North Sea is a marginal, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than long and wide, with an area of around...
Oil platformAn offshore platform, often referred to as an oil platform or an oil rig, is a large structure used to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship or pipe them to shore...
. In 1996 she played Clare Donnelly, the daughter of Glasgow criminal Jo-Jo Donnelly (played by
Billy ConnollyBilly Connolly, CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
) in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
drama
Down Among the Big Boys. She then appeared as Fiona Morris in the
BBC One
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEndersEastEnders is a long-running, popular and award-winning television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985...
. Jensen also had a small role in a
DangerfieldDangerfield may mean*Dangerfield , a British television series*Rover Dangerfield, an animated feature film*Dangerfield Newby, an American former slave who followed John BrownDangerfield is a surname and may refer to:...
episode called "Contact," in which she played the mother of a young girl with meningitis.
Jensen starred alongside
Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian and actor. Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant...
in the
BBC Two
/HBO television programme
Extras as the socially inept Maggie Jacobs. For her work on the first series, she received best television comedy actress and newcomer awards at the 2005 British Comedy Awards. In 2006, Jensen received two British Comedy Awards and a
BAFTAThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation...
nomination for her role in
Extras. Her role in the 2007 Christmas Special earned her an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
nomination.
In January 2006 she starred in the short-lived drama series
Eleventh Hour on
ITV1ITV1 is the generic brand, that is used by twelve franchises of the ITV Network in England, Wales, the Scottish Borders, the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their eleven...
, alongside
Patrick StewartPatrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor. He has had a distinguished career in theatre for nearly fifty years, including performances as various characters in Shakespearean productions...
. Stewart had also appeared in an episode of
Extras. Later that year she played
Steve CooganStephen John "Steve" Coogan is an English comedian, actor, writer and producer. His best known character in the United Kingdom is Alan Partridge, the grotesque sports reporter-turned-television chat show host-turned-regional radio presenter who featured in several television series, such as The...
's agent in
A Cock and Bull StoryA Cock and Bull Story is a 2006 British comedy directed by Michael Winterbottom. It is a film-within-a-film, featuring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing themselves as egotistical actors during the making in a screen adaptation of Laurence Sterne's 18th century novel Tristram Shandy...
.
In September 2006, Jensen began her role as
Christina McKinneyChristina McKinney is a fictional character in the American comedy-drama series Ugly Betty. She is played by Ashley Jensen. Christina is based on Bertha Muñoz de González, only she isn't fat, but both have a great ear for gossip.-Background:...
on the
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
series
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
. Her character in
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
was originally an American, but when she met with the show's producers they liked Jensen's accent and decided to change the nationality of the character. After three years, as of May 7, 2009, Jensen left
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series created by Silvio Horta, which premiered on The American Broadcasting Company on September 28, 2006. The series revolves around Betty Suarez, an unglamorous and good-natured girl, and her incongruous job at the ultra-chic New York City...
due to location conflicts. The show's production move to
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
in Summer 2008 caused great conflict.
In January 2009, Jensen starred in
No Holds Bard, a
BBC ScotlandBBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
one-off special comedy shown on Burns Night as part of a line-up of special programming to mark the 250th Birthday of
Robert BurnsRobert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
.
Jensen is the narrator of
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
's
Embarrassing Illnesses and
Embarrassing Bodies.
Jensen also narrates
Bank of ScotlandThe Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to remain...
's current advertisement campaign and Persil detergent adverts for both television and radio.
As of September 2009 she will be starring alongside Jenna Elfman in the new sitcom
Accidentally on PurposeAccidentally on Purpose is an American television situation comedy series, which premiered on CBS on September 21, 2009. The series stars Jenna Elfman and is based on the book by Mary Pols.-Plot:...
as Olivia.
Film
Jensen has appeared in a number of films. In 2007, she provided the narration for the UK film
Taking LibertiesTaking Liberties is a documentary film about the erosion of civil liberties in the United Kingdom and increase of surveillance under the government of Tony Blair...
, directed by Chris Atkins (Revolver Films). She also appeared in "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story" in 2006.
Jensen is set to star in
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
comedy
Nativity as Jennifer Lore, a Hollywood producer.
Nativity is set for release Christmas 2010.
Personal life
Ashley Samantha Jensen was born to Margaret and Ivar Jensen and raised single-handedly by her mother, a special-needs teacher living in
Annan-People:* Kofi Annan, , former Secretary-General of the United Nations * Kojo Annan, , Kofi Annan's son* Noel Annan, Baron Annan, was a member of the House of Lords and British academic...
, Scotland. She has no contact with her father and is very private about the matter. In June 2008 Jensen's father claimed that she has a half-sister, Gillian, whom she has never met .
After six years together, Jensen married English actor
Terence BeesleyTerence Beesley is a British actor and writer.He was born in London to Irish parents and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art....
in a ceremony in the woods of
Big SurBig Sur is a sparsely populated region of the central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big country...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
on Monday 29 January 2007 . They met in 1999 while working on a stage production of
King LearKing Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606, and is considered one of his greatest works. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological pre-Roman Celtic king...
. The couple live with their dog Barney in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
, and have a flat in
Holland ParkHolland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London in England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive terraces of large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
,
West London . The couple also own property in Umbria, Italy. The couple are expecting their first child together in autumn 2009.
In December 2008, Jensen and Beesley were granted a restraining order against Jeff Lewis from
Bravo TVBravo TV may refer to:* Bravo - the U.S. cable TV network* Bravo - unrelated British television channel* Bravo! - unrelated Canadian television channel...
's
Flipping OutFlipping Out is a reality television series on Bravo, and re-aired on sister network CNBC. The show is centered on real estate investor Jeff Lewis in Los Angeles, California. The series features Lewis, his entourage that consists of his CEA Jenni, housekeeper Zoila, assistant and helper, and the...
. Jensen/Beesley live next door to a Los Feliz house Lewis was renovating and conflict arose after a deck that Lewis had constructed on the home crossed the property line onto the Jensen-Beesley property. Jensen/Beesley sued seeking $100,000 for an easement . Lewis reacted negatively and Jensen/Beesley filed a restraining order. In mid April 2009 the two parties settled for $30,000 easement and agreed the deck would not have to be demolished.
External links