| Polly James | |
| Birth Date: | 1941 7, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Birth Name: | Pauline Devaney |
| Alma Mater: | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Yearsactive: | 1966 - 2001 |
Pauline James (formerly Devaney; born 8 July 1941) is an English actress with a career in theatre, film, television, and radio.
Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, under the name Pauline Devaney.[1] After graduating from RADA, her TV career began in BBC2's Thirty-Minute Theatre, followed by the role of a drug addict in Z-Cars in 1967.[2] She played Audrey Hargreaves in Coronation Street in 1967.[3] [4]
She is best known for her role as Beryl Hennessey in the first four series of the British sitcom The Liver Birds (1969–74), mostly alongside Nerys Hughes.[5] [6] She played Cicely Courtneidge in the biographical musical of the actress Once More with Music in 1976, and appeared as a soubrette in Alan Clarke's 1982 production of Baal. She played the role of Jane Hampden on "The Awakening" episode of Doctor Who in 1984.[7] She appeared in the West End musicals I and Albert and Anne of Green Gables. In 1971, James appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in The Merchant of Venice with Judi Dench.[8]
James appeared as Jenny Wren in the 1976 BBC adaptation of Dickens's Our Mutual Friend.[9]
She is divorced.[10]
Polly was a pupil at the Convent of Notre Dame, Grammar School for Girls, Blackburn from Sept 1952-June 1957. Her name was Pauline Devaney.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Z-Cars | |
| 1967 | Coronation Street | Audrey Hargreaves |
| 1969 to 1974 | The Liver Birds | Beryl Hennessey |
| 1976 | Our Mutual Friend (1976 TV serial) | Jenny Wren |
| 1984 | Doctor Who | Jane Hampden |
| 1991 | Casualty | Sylvia Vaughan |
| 1996 | The Liver Birds | Beryl Fenning, née Hennessey |
| 2000 to 2001 | The Worst Witch | Miss Lavinia Crotchet |