Janet Ethne Anne Henfrey (born 16 August 1935) is a British stage and television actress. She is best known for playing Mrs. Bale on '' As Time Goes By'', and for her role as the schoolteacher in the

Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...

television play '' Stand Up, Nigel Barton'' (1965), and Potter's serial '' The Singing Detective'' (1986), also as a schoolteacher.

Early life

Before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art she read English at St Anne's College, Oxford, and spent a graduate year at

Smith College Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's coll ...

reading History.

Credits

Other TV credits include: '' Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV'' (1985); ''As Time Goes By'', '' The Jewel in the Crown''; '' Reilly, Ace of Spies''; ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' (in the serial '' The Curse of Fenric'' and the episode " Mummy on the Orient Express"); '' Jeeves and Wooster''; '' Casualty''; ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

''; '' One Foot in the Grave''; ''

My Uncle Silas ''My Uncle Silas'' is a book of short stories about a bucolic elderly Bedfordshire man, written by HE Bates and illustrated by Edward Ardizzone. Inspiration Bates's Uncle Silas figure, and many of the lineaments of his character, were based o ...

'' and ''

Simon and the Witch ''Simon and the Witch'' is a children's book by Margaret Stuart Barry, published by Collins, illustrated by Linda Birch. It also refers to the name of the series, which follows on. Simon is a very sensible young schoolboy, who has a friend wh ...

''. Henfrey also played a minor character in an episode of the 1996 series of '' The Famous Five'', "Five Get into Trouble" and Mistress Hecate Broomhead in two episodes of ''

The Worst Witch ''The Worst Witch'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. The series are primarily about a girl who attends a witch school and fantasy stories, with eight books published. The first, ''The Worst Witch'', was ...

'' ("The Inspector Calls" and "Just Like Clockwork"). She appeared in the 2002 adaption of the British miniseries ''Tipping The Velvet'' playing the character Mrs Jex, based on the novel by Sarah Waters. She also appeared in the 2015 British miniseries adaptation of '' Wolf Hall''.

Personal life

Janet Henfrey lives in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

, north London. She is a member of the Labour Party and a trustee of the International Performers Aid Trust.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* 1935 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Hampshire Alumni of RADA Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford English stage actresses English television actresses Actors from Aldershot Smith College alumni {{UK-tv-actor-1930s-stub