Jenny Seagrove's stellar career has won her huge audiences, grand accolades and celebrity friends including fellow actress Dame Judi Dench.
"I'm proud to call her a friend and a remarkable human being,” says Jenny, 67, who starred with Dame Judi in 2021 film Off the Rails. "When I work with her, I've got to make sure I'm at the top of my game."
She has also shared the screen with Sir John Gielgud and Burt Lancaster, and is close to other former co-stars, including Rupert Everett, whom she calls the "man of mischief" after they appeared together in 1982's Academy Award-winning A Shocking Accident.
© GettyAfter the death in 2023 of theatre producer Bill Kenwright, her partner of 29 years, the star took the helm of Bill Kenwright Limited, one of the largest commercial theatre and entertainment producers in the world.
Alongside her glittering acting career, Jenny's work away from the spotlight has, since 2004, centred around being a trustee of the Born Free Foundation.
© Born FreeNow, she is supporting Big Give’s Green Match Fund, which runs from 22 to 29 April. During the campaign, Big Give will double donations to Born Free, or any of the other 300 charities taking part.
Here, the actress tells us why the charity's work is more important than ever, and reveals the highlights of her time on stage and screen.
Jenny, why is your work with Born Free so important to you?
"Spaces are being taken over by people, so the poor wildlife don’t stand a chance and their numbers are dwindling. What Born Free does is work with communities. In Kenya, they’ll build boma [a form of livestock enclosure], where the local farmers can keep their wildlife safe at night, so that lions or hyenas don’t come to gobble them up.
© Born Free"They go into schools and educate the local children about how to live alongside the animals, because the animals are coming into the townships seeking food.
"In South Africa, you’ve got canned hunting [a form of hunting where animals are penned in] and trophy hunting, and obviously we’re totally against that. These are really difficult times for wildlife. Thank God for Born Free."
How did you start working with the foundation?
"I got involved when Ginny [Virginia McKenna, star of 1966 film Born Free, which led to the founding of the charity in 1984] asked if I would go on a rescue to a private zoo in Belgium. I said: 'Of course.'
© Born Free"We rescued a couple of lions; it was horrible. I wanted to scoop up every single animal, but we couldn’t, because they were privately owned.
"[The Professionals star] Martin Shaw and I later went to one of the sanctuaries in South Africa, where three lions had been rescued from a French circus. Within hours, one was sitting and roaring as if he’d been there all his life. It was something really special."
Why is Big Give’s Green Match Fund important for Born Free?
"Big Give is asking people to make a donation, and then the organisation will double it, with funders’ help. It’s really important that people get involved if we’re going to give these animals a chance, and give our children and our grandchildren some chance of knowing that these animals exist. If we don’t, they'll become extinct. Over time, they will disappear, and the shame of that would be horrible."
You've made a number of impressive theatre appearances. What was the highlight of playing Sir Ian McKellen's mother in Hamlet in 2021?
© Getty"He is extraordinary – the energy of the man, the litheness of his body, the mental energy.
© Alamy"And it was terribly exciting because I’m an actor who likes to be in the moment on stage. Ian likes to try new things all the time, so it was an adventure every night."
Might we see you return to the West End?
"I lost Bill 18 months ago and he left me as a director of his business, so the headspace isn’t really there.
© Getty"I'm doing a play called The Anastasia File in Windsor at the end of May, but that’s just a bit of fun with some friends."
Is there a key lesson that you’ve learnt during your career?
"That one's life and one’s career isn't a sprint – it's a marathon. There will be ups and downs, but you've just got to keep going.
© Alamy"And do the work. Nothing happens without a lot of hard work and preparation, in any walk of life. When people get success, it's usually because they've done the graft."
HELLO! is the official media partner of Big Give, which is the UK’s biggest public and environmental fundraiser. The Green Match Fund appeal runs from midday on 22 April to midday on 29 April. To donate, visit biggive.org.
