Dawn French Net Worth

What Is Dawn French's Net Worth?

Dawn French is a Welsh actress, writer, producer, and comedian who has a net worth of $16 million. Dawn French co-created, co-wrote, and co-starred with Jennifer Saunders on the BBC2/BBC One sketch comedy series "French and Saunders" (1987–2005) as well as the ITV sitcom "Girls on Top" (1985–1986). Dawn is also known for starring on the anthology series "Murder Most Horrid" (1991–1999) and the sitcom "The Vicar of Dibley" (1994–2007).

She has more than 80 acting credits to her name, including the films "Eat the Rich" (1987), "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (1996), "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), "Love and Other Disasters" (2006), "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie" (2016), and "Death on the Nile" (2022) and the television series "Happy Families" (1985), "Let Them Eat Cake" (1999), "Wild West" (2002–2004), "Jam & Jerusalem" (2006–2009), "Psychoville" (2009–2011), "Roger & Val Have Just Got In" (2010–2012), "The Wrong Mans" (2013–2014), "Delicious" (2016–2019), and "The Trouble with Maggie Cole" (2020). French voiced Mrs Beaver in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (2005), Miss Miriam Forcible in "Coraline" (2009), and Jim Hawkins on "The Legends of Treasure Island" (1993). She also produced "Roger & Val Have Just Got In," "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie," and "The Trouble with Maggie Cole." Dawn was paid $1.5 million pounds in advance for her 2008 autobiography "Dear Fatty."

Early Life

Dawn French was born Dawn Roma French on October 11, 1957, in Holyhead, Wales. She is the daughter of English parents, Denys Vernon French and Felicity Roma O'Brien, and she has a brother named Gary. Denys served in the Royal Air Force, and he was stationed at RAF Valley, followed by RAF Leconfield. When French was three years old, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother visited the family's home for tea. Dawn included RAF archive footage of this in her "Thirty Million Minutes" comedy tour. She received a private education that was partially paid for by the Royal Air Force, and she attended Caistor Grammar School in Lincolnshire, England, before attending the Plymouth boarding school St Dunstan's Abbey School for Girls. Dawn later spent a year at New York's Spence School after earning a debating scholarship. Sadly, when she was 19 years old, her father, who had suffered from severe depression, died by suicide. In 1977, French enrolled at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama to study drama, and she met Jennifer Saunders, her future comedy partner, there. Though the two didn't initially get along, they eventually became flatmates, and after they graduated, they started performing together on the stand-up, festival, and cabaret circuits.

Career

French and Saunders joined The Comic Strip, an informal comedy collective that was part of the 1980s alternative comedy scene, and in 1982, the group got its own show on Channel 4. Dawn guest-starred in three episodes of "The Young Ones" from 1982 to 1984, and in 1985, she co-starred with Saunders on the BBC One series "Happy Family." From 1985 to 1986, the pair starred on the ITV sitcom "Girls on Top," which they created with Ruby Wax. In 1987, Dawn and Jennifer co-created the BBC2 sketch comedy series "French and Saunders," which earned them a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award in 1991. In the '80s, Dawn also appeared in the films "The Supergrass" (1985) and "Eat the Rich" (1987). From 1991 to 1999, she starred on the BBC Two anthology series "Murder Most Horrid," and from 1994 to 2007, she starred as Geraldine Granger on the BBC One sitcom 'The Vicar of Dibley." French played The Baker's Wife in 1996's "The Adventures of Pinocchio," and in 1999, she appeared in the film "Milk" and starred as Lisette on the BBC One sitcom "Let Them Eat Cake" alongside Jennifer Saunders.

In 2000, Dawn appeared in the film "Maybe Baby," and from 2002 to 2004, she starred as Mary Trewednack on the BBC One sitcom "Wild West." She played The Fat Lady in 2004's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," then she co-starred with Brittany Murphy and Matthew Rhys in the 2006 romantic comedy "Love and Other Disasters." French hosted the interview programs "Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy" (2006) and "Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy" (2007), and from 2006 to 2009, she starred as Rosie Bales on the BBC One sitcom "Jam & Jerusalem," which was created by Jennifer Saunders. Dawn played Joy Aston on "Psychoville" (2009–2011), Val Stevenson on "Roger & Val Have Just Got In" (2010–2012), and Linda Bourne on "The Wrong Mans" (2013–2014), which all aired on BBC Two.  She served as a judge on "Australia's Got Talent" in 2013 and as a presenter on "Little Big Shots" from 2017 to 2018. French appeared in 2016's "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie," and that year she also began playing Gina Benelli on the Sky 1 drama "Delicious." In 2020, she starred in the title role on the ITV series "The Trouble with Maggie Cole" and portrayed author Beatrix Potter in the TV movie "Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse." In 2022, French played Mrs Bowers in the Kenneth Branagh-directed film "Death on the Nile," which was based on a 1937 Agatha Christie novel. The following, she appeared in the documentary "imagine… French & Saunders: Pointed, Bitchy, Bitter."

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Personal Life

On October 20, 1984, Dawn married comedian Lenny Henry, who she met on the alternative comedy circuit. The couple adopted a daughter, Billie, in the early 1990s. In April 2010, Dawn and Lenny announced that they were separating, and their divorce was finalized in October of that year. In 2011, French began a relationship with charity executive Mark Bignell, and they married in April 2013. Dawn was reportedly a supporter of the Labour Party during the 2010 general election, and in the 2020 Labour leadership election, she supported Keir Starmer. French was appointed the Chancellor of Falmouth University in September 2014. In June 2025, she earned criticism for an Instagram video she posted about the war in Gaza, and she subsequently deleted the video and apologized. Dawn was accused of mocking the October 2023 attack that started the war, and she acknowledged that the video seemed one-sided but said that she hadn't intended to diminish or mock what happened that day. French supports the London-based charity the Orchid Project, which is dedicated to ending the practice of female genital mutilation.

Awards and Nominations

In 2009, French received an Academy Fellowship in the Television category at the BAFTA Awards. She also earned two BAFTA nominations for "French and Saunders" (1989 and 1991), four for "The Vicar of Dibley" (1998, 2000, 2001, and 2007), and one for "Roger & Val Have Just Got In" (2011). Dawn has received three British Comedy Award nominations, winning for Best TV Comedy Actress for "The Vicar of Dibley" in 1997. She was also nominated in that category for "The Vicar of Dibley" in 1998 and "Psychoville" in 2011. In 1991, French and Jennifer Saunders won a Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for TV- Light Entertainment for "French and Saunders," and in 2002, the duo received an Honorary Rose at the Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival. Dawn has also earned five National Television Award (UK) nominations: Most Popular Comedy Performer for "The Vicar of Dibley" (1998, 1999, and 2000) and Most Popular Comedy Performance for "Ted and Alice" (2002) and "Wild West" (2003).

Real Estate

French and Bignell live in a £2 million, five-bedroom home in Cornwall. Dawn purchased her previous Cornwall home for £2.3 million and sold it for £6.6 million.

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