Julia Sawalha (pronounced sah-WAHL-ah) is an especially groovy, award-winning English actress rapidly rising to the top rank. She has appeared in leading roles on stage, in television and film. Perhaps you have seen her as Saffron Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous, or as Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice? Those are the most commonly cited sightings, but for many Juliaphiles her signature role was her first major television role, as the tyrant school paper editor from hell, Lynda Day, in Press Gang. It was in this role that she won an Royal Television Society award as best female actress in 1993. Give her a clap!

As you can see from the accompanying photo, she has more going for her than exceptional acting talent...whoops...that's a nice picture of, erm...

There, that's better. See, she does have wonky teeth! On the good side, she does have a lot of them. And a lot of body too, as you can see below.

• Birthdate: September 9, 1968
• Birthplace: London
• Height: 5' 3"
• Weight: a bone of contention, fluctuates based on the tides(???)
• Hair: usually curly dark brown
• Eye Color: blue/green
• Nose: curly

Family

• Dad-- Nadim Sawalha, well-known stage, television, and film actor in ten million productions, the latest being "Usama" in the West End, "East is East" at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London, and "Dangerfield" on BBC1.
• Mum--Bobbie, dancer manquée at the Royal Ballet and head of unruly Sawalha household
• Oldest Sister--Dina, 33, an artist
• Older Sister--Nadia, 30, an actress currently wrecking homes as the all-around temptress and nightclub owner Annie Palmer in EastEnders (through November 1997 at the minimum). She also specializes in being dead or dying or amputated (episodes of "Call Red" and "Casualty"). Nadia's additional filmography is (thanks to Nik Richardson for helping with this):
  • May 1997 - EastEnders (Annie Palmer)
  • 1997 - The Vanishing Man (woman in pub) (ITV)
  • 1996 - Call Red (woman in coma)
  • 1996 - Casualty
  • 1996 - Privateer 2: The Darkening (Temesa)
  • 1995 - Which Way To The War (prostitute/nurse) (ITV pilot)
  • 1995 - 99-1 (Arabella, in episodes "Stone" and "Dice")
  • 1995 - Caught In The Act (comedy film, we would like to know more about this one)
  • 1994 - The Bill: Indecent Exposure (Barbara) (BBC1, 27 October)
  • 1992-4 - Second Thougts (Gina the Italian Girl)
• Pets--A cat, named Janine

Nik Richardson, co-editor of the recently deceased The Julia Gazette, and for all time a FOJ (Friend of Julia), reflects on this question.

"IF YOU WILL PRACTICE BEING FICTIONAL FOR A WHILE, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT FICTIONAL CHARACTERS ARE SOMETIMES MORE REAL THAN PEOPLE WITH BODIES AND HEARTBEATS"

So said Richard Bach in his book "The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah". Yet the only character Julia has portrayed that even comes close is Press Gang's Lynda Day. So let us dismiss fictional characters for a moment and observe the person that is.....

Julia Sawalha is a preposterous human being. A walking contradiction. As Jennifer Saunders once put it, "She is the person most likely to do the exact opposite of what everybody expects". Let us delve a little further and examine some evidence... One minute she'll be all poshed up for some sickening glitzy awards bash, the next she'll be traipsing around in jeans, tie dyed gear and knitted stripy hats with bells on the top. She successfully combines being a workoholic actress with being a New Age traveller of supreme slackness. (Example - upon hearing the dates spanned by the play "The Illusion" she was due to appear in, she was struck with horror because it clashed with the Glastonbury Festival....).

Fond of the mystical writings of Indian bloke Krishnamurti, let us see if we can shed any light on her bizarre behaviour from what he had to say...

• Krishnamurti says - "The mind must be free of knowledge, because knowledge diverts the mind and makes things twisted."

• Krishnamurti says - "I think it is effort that destroys us. The man who is truly joyous is not caught up in effort. It is only the wise, the extraordinarily intelligent who are free of effort and struggle."

• Krishnamurti says - "I think it is a curse to be ambitious. Ambition is a form of self interest and therefore it breeds mediocrity of mind. To live in a world that is full of ambition and not be ambitious means to love something for itself without seeking a reward."

Julia remains an utter enigma...there is no logical explanation for anything she does, and she continues to drive me to distraction.....