Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show French and Saunders with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, and played the lead role as Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom The Vicar of Dibley. She has been nominated for seven BAFTA TV Awards and won a BAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009.

Filmography

• Can You Keep a Secret? — Debbie Fendon, Executive Producer
• Shaun Tan's Tales from Outer Suburbia
• BeddyByes — Gramma Leeba
• The Nevermets — Narrator
• 2023Dawn French Is a Huge Twat — Self, Writer
• 2023The Magician's Elephant — Sister Marie (voice)
• 2022Death on the Nile — Bowers
• 2022Red Riding Hood: After Ever After — Twit
• 2020A Baby Reindeer's First Christmas — Narrator
• 2020Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse — Beatrix Potter
• The Trouble with Maggie Cole — Maggie Cole
• 2020The Vicar of Dibley: In Lockdown — Geraldine Granger
• 2019Completely Bad News — Tracy
• 2017300 Years of French & Saunders
• 2016Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie — Interviewer
• 2016British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves — Various Characters (archive footage) (uncredited)
• Delicious — Gina Benelli
• Heading Out — Frances
• The Wrong Mans — Linda
• 201230 Years of Comic Strip
• 2012Five Go to Rehab — George
• 2011French & Saunders: The Ingenue Years
• 2011Gentlemen Prefer French & Saunders
• 2010Psychoville Halloween Special — Joy Aston
• Roger & Val Have Just Got In — Val Stevenson, Creator
• 2009Coraline — Miss Miriam Forcible / Other Forcible (voice)
• Psychoville — Joy Aston
• 2008French & Saunders: Still Alive — Self, Writer
• Lark Rise to Candleford — Caroline Arless
• A Bucket O' French and Saunders — Creator
• Comedy Shuffle
• Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy — Presenter
• 2007Donizetti: La Fille du Régiment — La Duchesse de Crackentorp
• More Dawn French's Boys Who Do: Comedy — Presenter
• Davina
• Jam and Jerusalem — Rosie Bales, Creator
• 2006Love and Other Disasters — Therapist
• More Dawn French's Girls Who Do: Comedy — Presenter, Creator
• 2005Comic Aid
• 2005The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — Mrs. Beaver (voice)
• The F Word
• Agatha Christie's Marple — Janet Erskine
• Bosom Pals
• 2004Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban — The Fat Lady
• The Paul O'Grady Show
• Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy — Creator
• Pongwiffy
• Ted and Alice
• 2002The Best of French & Saunders — Various, Writer
• Wild West — Mary Trewednack
• 2001Absolutely Fabulous — Writer
• Happiness — Dawn French
• 2000French & Saunders - Live — Various roles, Writer
• 2000Maybe Baby — Charlene
• The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything
• David Copperfield — Mrs. Crupp
• Let Them Eat Cake
• 1999Milk — Virginia
• 1998Four Men in a Car — Stella
• 1997Sex & Chocolate — Bev Bodger
• 1997Treasure Island — Jim Hawkins
• 1996The Adventures of Pinocchio — Baker's Wife
• 1995How to Be Absolutely Fabulous — Writer
• Look at the State We're In! — Mrs Duvet
• 1994French and Saunders' Christmas Carol — Various Roles, Writer
• Harry Enfield and Chums — Mrs Goggins
• The Vicar of Dibley — Revd Geraldine Granger
• 1993French & Saunders: At the Movies
• 1993Space Virgins from Planet Sex — Gaynor
• 1993Tender Loving Care — Elaine Dobbs
• 1993The Legends of Treasure Island — Jim Hawkins (voice)
• The Legends of Treasure Island — Jim Hawkins (voice)
• Absolutely Fabulous — Kathy, Creator
• 1992In Dreams — Driving Instructor
• 1992Red Nose of Courage — Glynis Kinnock
• Murder Most Horrid — WPC Diane Softly, Maria, Judy Talent, Rita Proops / Rita Proops II, Bunty Breslaw, Miss Katie Hatcliffe / Mrs Sonya Redfern, Tina Mellish, Denise Cunningham, Maude Jenkins, Lily, Verity Hodge, Vicki, Sally Fairfax, Dr Kate Marshall, Daisy Talwinning, Linda Bryce, Wendy Hodge, The Grim Reaper, Lily Wood-Newton, Tracey Phillips, WPC Barbara Greaves / Whoopi Stone, Harriet Snellgrove, Jill Tanner, Tiffany Drapes
• 1990French & Saunders LIVE
• 1990GLC: The Carnage Continues — Cher as Joan Ruddock
• 1990Oxford — Caroline
• 1990South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie! — Frances
• 1990South Atlantic Raiders: Part 1 — Frances / Mrs. Shines
• 1990Spaghetti Hoops — Francesca
• 1990The Tale of Little Pig Robinson — Porcas
• 1989Bosses From Hell
• 1989Colleagues From Hell
• 1989Communicators From Hell
• 1989Customer Service From Hell
• 1989Employees From Hell
• 1989Interviewers From Hell
• Screen One — Elaine Dobbs
• 1988French And Saunders - Christmas Special '88 — Various Characters, Writer
• 1988More Bad News — Rachel
• 1988Mr Jolly Lives Next Door — Mrs. Cooper
• The Storyteller — Badsister 2
• 1988The Storyteller: Sapsorrow — Badsister 2
• 1988The Strike — Verity/Old Lady/Celebrity
• 1987Eat the Rich — Debbie Draws
• French & Saunders — Various Characters, Writer, Creator
• 1987The Silurian Disruption — Silurian #1, Writer
• 1986Consuela (or, The New Mrs Saunders) — Consuela, Writer
• 1986Private Enterprise — Nayler
• Girls On Top — Amanda, Writer, Creator
• Happy Families — Cook
• 1985The Supergrass — Andrea
• 1984A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques — Jackie
• 1984Dirty Movie — Monica
• 1984Eddie Monsoon - a Life? — Veronica
• 1984Gino: Full Story and Pics — Fiona/Frances
• 1984Slags — Passion
• 1984Susie — Susie
• 1983Bad News — Tracy
• 1983Five Go Mad on Mescalin — George
• 1983Summer School — Ursula, Writer
• 1983The Beat Generation — Eleanor
• 1983War — Hermine
• 1982Five Go Mad in Dorset — George
• The Comic Strip Presents... — George, Ursula, Hermine, Veronica, Passion, Eleanor, Nayler, Jackie/First Nun, Consuela, Susie, Fiona/Frances, Tracy, Monica, Verity/Old Lady/Celebrity, Rachel, Mrs. Cooper, Joan, Frances/Mrs. Shines, Caroline, Francesca, Writer
• The Young Ones — Christian Evangelist, Devil in Advert, Easter Bunny
• 1981The Comic Strip — Writer
• The South Bank Show
• Experiment IV — First Assistant

Appearances as themselves (48)

• 2026Becoming Victoria Wood — Self
• 2024Joan Rivers at the BBC — Self (archive footage)
• 2024Kirsty MacColl at the BBC — Self (archive footage)
• 2023imagine... French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter — Self - Featured Artist
• 2022Comedy Classics: The Vicar of Dibley — Self (archive material)
• 2021An Audience with Adele — Self
• 2021French & Saunders: Funny Women — Self
• The Secret World Of... — Self - Narrator
• 2021The Vicar of Dibley: Inside Out — Self
• Walk the Line — Self - Judge
• 2020The Big Night In — Self
• RuPaul's Drag Race UK — Self - Guest Judge
• 2017Comic Relief: Red Nose Day — Self
• Little Big Shots — Self - Host
• 2016Darcey Bussell: My Life on the BBC — Self
• 2016Dawn French Live: 30 Million Minutes — Self
• TFI Friday — Self
• Travel Man: 48 Hours in... — Self - Guest
• Superstar — Self - Chief Judge
• 2011Catherine Tate: Laughing at the Noughties — Self
• 2011Matthew Bourne's Christmas — Self - Host
• 2011Michael Bublé: Home for Christmas — Self
• 2009Coraline: The Making of 'Coraline' — Self
• 2009Victoria Wood: Seen on TV — Self
• The Graham Norton Show — Self
• The One Show — Self - Guest
• 2006When Comedy Changed Forever — Self (archive material)
• 2005The Comic Strip - A Retrospective — Self
• 2005The Funny Blokes of British Comedy — Self
• Parkinson — Self - Guest
• 2004Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball? — Self - Narrator
• V Graham Norton — Self
• 2001Kirsty: The Life and Songs of Kirsty MacColl — Self
• 2001We Know Where You Live. Live! — Self
• 1999It’s Lulu — Self
• Parkinson — Self
• TFI Friday — Self
• 1994Dusty — Self - Presenter
• 1991Amnesty International's Big 30 — Self
• 1989The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball — Self
• 1988An Audience With Victoria Wood — Self
• Going Live! — Self
• 1986Comedians Do It On Stage — Self
• 1986The Comic Relief Utterly Utterly Rude Video Live — Self
• Wogan — Self
• An Audience with... — Self
• The Secret Policeman's Ball — Self
• The BAFTA Awards — Self