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Biography In 1965 Joan was chosen to be one
of the six original Playboy Bunny Girls and went to Chicago to
train in the Chicago Playboy Club. She returned to England in
1966 to audition and train British girls to open the London
Playboy Club in Park Lane. Whilst there Frank Sinatra chose her
to appear in his film The Naked Runner.
In
October 1966 Joan married Chas Hodges (of Chas & Dave). She then
decided to become a full time Mum. They now have three children,
Juliet, Kate, who is a singer/songwriter (kategarnermusic.com)
and Nik, who is a musician and Film/tv composer (nikhodges.com).
Joan and Chas also have a granddaughter fashion designer Charlie
Hodges (saccharineshrine.com)
and Grandson Harry Garner.
In 1992 Joan fulfilled a lifetime
ambition to become an actress, she enrolled and trained at
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts as a mature student.
Upon graduation she joined The Millfield Theatre Company in North
London, where she appeared in several productions, making her
professional acting debut as the Nurse in Romeo & Juliet. During the
run she was spotted by a casting director, who cast her in London's
Burning, her first TV appearance. Joan's big break came in 1997 when
John Sullivan offered her the role of Marilyn in his new
Comedy/Drama series Roger Roger for the BBC, in which she appeared
as a regular for 3 series, working alongside Robert Daws, Philip
Glenister and Pippa Guard. Joan has also played Georgia Mackenzies
mother, Irene Hagger, in Hot Money for Granada, Mrs Meadows in
Fierce for Channel 4 Films and Eileen Draper in The Bill for Thames
Television. She was also Jimmy's Mum who 'made his sandwiches!' in
the award winning Lucozade TV commercial. Another career highlight
was playing Marion in the 2001 Christmas Special of Only Fools &
Horses for the BBC.
Joan is a member of
The Actors' Guild of Great Britain
and
Women in Film & Television. |
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