Skilled at playing saucy second bananas, this Scottish actress is best known stateside for her side-splittingly funny turns as a lovesick bit player on
Extras and a sloshed seamstress on
Ugly Betty. But Jensen didn't set out to become a comedian. An aspiring performer from an early age, she joined London's National Youth Theatre at 15. She worked extensively on stage in both classical and contemporary productions before turning to TV. Although she quickly became a familiar small-screen face in her homeland, appearing on long-running series such as
EastEnders and
Clocking Off, ironically it was her role as a no-name actor on
Extras that turned her into a Hollywood up-and-comer in 2005. The next year, she signed on to the campy dramedy
Ugly Betty as the title character's workplace confidante. Quirky as her characterizations are, Jensen is just as delightfully odd in real life: When she eloped with longtime boyfriend, actor Terence Beesley, to Big Sur, California, in 2007, their dog Barney served as ring bearer.
Ashley Jensen Fast Facts:
- Earned two British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA nomination for her work on Extras.
- Ashley Jensen Relationships:
- Francis Jonathan Beesley - Son
- Ivar Jensen - Father
- Margaret Jensen - Mother
- Terence Beesley - Husband
- Ashley Jensen Awards:
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- College:
- Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, Scotland (1989)
