Joanna Monro

{{Short description|British actress (born 1956)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person |name = Joanna Munro | birth_name = Joanna Hale Monro | birth_date = {{birth date and age|26 July 1956}} | birth_place = [[Marylebone]], [[London]], England | occupation = {{Hlist | Actress | Presenter}} }}

'''Joanna Monro''' (born 26 July 1956<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=64229 |date=13 November 2023 |page=22942}}</ref>) is a British actress and former television presenter who, in the 1980s, appeared on the [[BBC]] show ''[[That's Life!]]'' with [[Esther Rantzen]].

==Early life== Her father was actor [[Sonnie Hale]] (real name Robert John Hugh Monro). She came into this world as a result of his adultery with her mother, actress Frances Bennett (real name Felicité Barnes).<ref>{{cite news |title=Sonnie Hale's wife gets separation decree |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/721114620/ |date=27 February 1957 |accessdate=9 January 2026 |work=[[The Standard (London newspaper)|Evening Standard]] |page=11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sonnie Hale and Wife Separated |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/821915034/ |date=28 February 1957 |accessdate=9 January 2026 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |page=8}}</ref> Following Hale's death in 1959, Monro was brought up by her stepfather, theatrical agent John McMichael and considered him to be her real father.<ref>{{cite news |title='Nurse' Joanna joins Esther |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1175175431/ |date=16 October 1982 |accessdate=9 January 2026 |work=[[Telegraph & Argus]] |page=18}}</ref>

Fascinated by her mother's acting career, she was desperate to follow in her footsteps. At nine years old, she got a part in ''[[Brown Eye, Evil Eye]]''. Bennett was against her daughter appearing in the film but was pressured by the agent and her daughter's pleading, eventually giving in. Monro went over to Yugoslavia during the summer holidays for filming and afterwards wanted to continue acting but was forbidden by her mother until she was 16 so as to concentrate on schoolwork. However, at 15, Bennett allowed Monro to do television work during the school holidays in order to secure her union card with Equity. Leaving school at 17, the girl went for an audition at [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]], only to be told that she wasn't properly trained and advised to go to drama school. As a result, she entered the [[London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]] but left a few months early after being seen in an end-of-term play by the producer of [[Vienna's English Theatre]], recruiting in Britain. He gave Monro a part in his production of [[Simon Gray]]'s play ''[[Butley (film)|Butley]]'', which was followed by roles on television.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joanna couldn't wait to follow in mother's footsteps|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1193946615/ |date=23 May 1978 |accessdate=9 January 2026 |work=[[The Mail (Cumbria)|North-Western Evening Mail]] |page=4}}</ref>

==Career== In 1974 she appeared in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]'', followed by a lengthy spell as Anna Newcross in the BBC soap opera ''[[Angels (TV series)|Angels]]''. For three years in the mid-1980s she was a regular in the BBC children's sketch show ''Fast Forward'', and was a member of the [[BBC]]'s [[Radio Drama Company]].<ref name=yearbook>"Radio and audio book companies", in Lloyd Trott, ed., ''Actors and Performers Yearbook 2016'', pp. 353-354</ref>

In the 1990s, she played Mrs Lyons in the musical ''[[Blood Brothers (musical)|Blood Brothers]]'' in the West End, and was on the 1995 London cast recording as well as The International Cast Album. She also appeared in the episode 'The Photographer' (1999) in the first BBC series of ''People Like Us'' (which aired 1999–2001).

Monro appeared as Rosie in ''[[Mamma Mia! (musical)|Mamma Mia!]]''. She was in the International Tour for 2 years then joined the London cast for a period of 5 years at the [[Prince of Wales Theatre]] then at the [[Novello Theatre]].<ref name="ett website">{{cite web|title=Cast of Silver Lining|url=http://www.ett.org.uk/whats-on/silver-lining/cast/joanna-monro|website=English Touring Theatre}}</ref> She appeared in character on 31 December 2008 in a [[West End theatre|West End]] special edition episode of ''[[The Weakest Link (UK game show)|The Weakest Link]]'' on [[BBC One]]. She was the 'strongest link', winning over £14,000, which she donated to breast cancer research.

In 2017 she played the part of June in [[Sandi Toksvig]]'s play "Silver Lining", which toured the UK.<ref name="ett website"/>

==Personal life== In 1978, Monro became engaged to [[Andy Secombe]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Inview |url=https://mcmweb.co.uk/tvtimes/1978/June%2024th%201978%20listings.pdf |date=22 June 1978 |accessdate=9 January 2026 |work=TV Times |page=23}}</ref> Unfortunately, the following year, they called their wedding off after realising they had rushed into it without proper consideration but remained friends.<ref>{{cite news |title=Is Joanna set to be an Angel of rock?|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/796924991/ |date=15–16 September 1979 |accessdate=9 January 2026 |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |page=7}}</ref> The wounds were healed while working in [[fringe theatre]] at London theatre restaurant, La Bonne Crepe, where she met producer Peter Wise, marrying him in 1982.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joanna Finds Her Perfect Role|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/860771718/ |date=4 September 1982 |accessdate=9 January 2026 |work=[[Torquay Herald Express]] |page=12}}</ref> Subsequent marriages were to Peter Matthews in 1989 and actor Granville Saxton in 2001.

==Radio== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Date !! Title !! Role !! Director !! Station |- | {{dts|format=dmy|1998-06-15}} || ''[[Ned Chaillet#Stations of the Cross|Stations of the Cross]]'' || || [[Ned Chaillet]] || [[BBC Radio 4]] [[Afternoon Play]] |- | {{dts|format=dmy|2003-03-17}} || ''[[Jeremy Mortimer#The Case of the Perfect Carer|The Case of the Perfect Carer]]'' || || [[Jeremy Mortimer]] || [[BBC Radio 4]] |- | {{dts|format=dmy|2010-04-10}} || ''[[Toby Swift#The Believers|The Believers]]''<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rv6nd BBC – Saturday Play – ''The Believers'']</ref> || || [[Toby Swift]] || [[BBC Radio 4]] [[Saturday Play]] |- | {{dts|format=dmy|2010-04-30}} || ''[[Toby Swift#The Weighing Room|The Weighing Room]]''<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s3hrm BBC – Afternoon Play – ''The Weighing Room'']</ref> || Steward || [[Toby Swift]] || [[BBC Radio 4]] [[Afternoon Play]] |- | {{dts|format=dmy|15 March 2011}} || ''[[Toby Swift#Small Acts of Kindness|Small Acts of Kindness]]''<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zdl22 BBC – Afternoon Play – ''Small Acts of Kindness'']</ref> || Annie || [[Toby Swift]] || [[BBC Radio 4]] [[Afternoon Play]] |- | {{dts|format=dmy|2011-05-03}} || ''[[Jessica Dromgoole#Lost Property: The Wrong Label|Lost Property: The Wrong Label]]''<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010t6h0 BBC – Afternoon Play – ''Lost Property: The Wrong Label'']</ref> || Mrs Jones || [[Jessica Dromgoole]] || [[BBC Radio 4]] [[Afternoon Play]] |- | {{dts|format=dmy|2011-05-17}} || ''[[Jessica Dromgoole#Lost Property: A Telegram from the Queen|Lost Property: A Telegram from the Queen]]''<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0112flb BBC – Afternoon Play – ''Lost Property: A Telegram from the Queen'']</ref> || Ella May || [[Jessica Dromgoole]] || [[BBC Radio 4]] [[Afternoon Play]] |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0598447}} *[https://theatricalia.com/person/1582/joanna-monro Joanna Monro] at Theatricalia *[https://web.archive.org/web/20180612093519/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba2367c13 Joanna Monro] at [[British Film Institute]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monro, Joanna}} [[Category:1956 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:British television presenters]] [[Category:British television actresses]] [[Category:British radio actresses]] [[Category:British stage actresses]] [[Category:British women television presenters]] [[Category:Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]]