Patsy Kensit

Acting

Patsy Kensit

Born 1968-03-04 · Lambeth, London, England

Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and singer. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Birds Eye frozen peas. She went on to appear in films such as The Great Gatsby (1974), Gold (1974), Alfie Darling (1975), Hennessy (1975), The Blue Bird (1976) and Hanover Street (1979). Balancing a dual career as both an actress and a singer, in 1983 Kensit formed and became the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder. The group released several singles, including the top 20 hits "I'm Not Scared" and "Cross My Heart", before disbanding in 1989. Kensit achieved further success in her breakthrough role as Suzette in the musical film Absolute Beginners (1986) and as Rika van den Haas in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) before starring in the films Blue Tornado (1991), Timebomb (1991), Twenty-One (1991), Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), Bitter Harvest (1993), Full Eclipse (1993), Angels & Insects (1995), Love and Betrayal (1995) and Grace of My Heart (1996). Following a return to television, between 2004 and 2006, Kensit played the role of Sadie King in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale and then that of Faye Morton in the BBC One medical drama Holby City from 2007 to 2010, and again for an episode in 2019. Throughout 2023, she played Emma Harding in EastEnders. Kensit has been married to musicians Dan Donovan, Jim Kerr, Liam Gallagher and Jeremy Healy. Kensit was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in Hanover Street (1979). In 1991, she was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in Twenty-One (1991), and later had several nominations for her role in Emmerdale. Patricia Jude Francis Kensit was born on 4 March 1968, at the General Lying-In Hospital, Lambeth, to James and Margaret Rose (née Doohan). Kensit's maternal grandparents hailed from County Leitrim, Ireland. She has an older brother. Her mother was a secretary at Dior and former model, who had previously dated Aga Khan IV, while Kensit's father was a close associate of both the Kray Twins and the Richardson Gang, earning himself the nickname "Jimmy the Dip", and was involved in the Great Train Robbery. He served time in prison before Kensit was born and used a cover as an antiques dealer. Kensit's godfather was Reggie Kray. Her paternal grandfather was a robber and counterfeiter. Kensit spent her childhood living on a council estate in Hounslow and had to sleep on mattresses on the floor. She attended Newland House School, St Catherine's School, Twickenham, and Corona Theatre School.

Acting credits

Lethal Weapon 2 poster
7.0

Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats using their immunity to engage in criminal activities.

Lethal Weapon 2

1989

The Great Gatsby poster
6.3

Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the nouveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.

The Great Gatsby

1974

A Chorus of Disapproval poster
5.4

Guy Jones (Irons) moves to a small British town and joins the local amateur dramatics society as a way to meet people. However he soon finds the drama offstage far outweighs those onstage.

A Chorus of Disapproval

1989

Chicago Joe and the Showgirl poster
5.1

During World War II, an American serviceman in London decides to impress his English girlfriend by acting as an American gangster, which soon turns deadly.

Chicago Joe and the Showgirl

1990

The Blue Bird poster
5.5

Peasant children Mytyl and Tyltyl are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the fairy Berylune. On their journey, they're accompanied by the anthropomorphized presences of a Dog, a Cat, Light, Fire, and Bread, among other entities.

The Blue Bird

1976

Played poster
3.9

An examination of the malevolent London underworld with it's despicable criminal underground. Ray (Mick Rossi) just finished an eight year prison sentence after getting set up. Now he is back on the streets to settle the score.

Played

2006

Hanover Street poster
5.6

Margaret is a nurse in England during WW2, and married to a secret agent. Things get complicated when she falls for David, an American pilot.

Hanover Street

1979

Timebomb poster
5.2

When someone tries to murder watchmaker Eddy Kay, the incident triggers a barrage of nightmares and flashbacks into a past that isn't his own. Fearing for his sanity, Eddy contacts psychiatrist Dr. Anna Nolmar for help. Anna thinks he's hallucinating until another attack proves the dangers are all too real. The two of them go on the run, trying to discover the truth about Eddie's past and true identity before it kills them.

Timebomb

1991

Lady Oscar poster
5.6

Oscar François de Jarjayes was born female, but her father insisted she be raised as a boy as he had no sons. She becomes the captain of the guards at Versailles under King Louis XVI and Marie Antonette. Her privileged, noble life comes under fire as she discovers the hard life of the poor people of France. She is caught up in the French Revolution, and must choose between her loyalty and love.

Lady Oscar

1979

Absolute Beginners poster
5.5

A musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes' novel about life in late 1950s London. Nineteen-year-old photographer Colin is hopelessly in love with model Crepe Suzette, but her relationships are strictly connected with her progress in the fashion world. So Colin gets involved with a pop promoter and tries to crack the big time. Meanwhile, racial tension is brewing in Colin's Notting Hill housing estate...

Absolute Beginners

1986

Angels and Insects poster
6.2

In Victorian England, wealthy patriarch Sir Harald Alabaster invites an impoverished biologist, William Adamson, into his home. There, William tries to continue his work, but is distracted by Alabaster's seductive daughter, Eugenia. William and Eugenia begin a torrid romance, but as the couple become closer, the young scientist begins to realize that dark, disturbing things are happening behind the closed doors of the Alabaster manor.

Angels and Insects

1995

Hennessy poster
5.1

Former Irish Republican Army member Niall Hennessy lives in Belfast, Ireland, with his wife and daughter amid the ongoing Irish-British conflict. Though he still knows people in the IRA, including fugitive leader Tobin, Niall has given up his violent ways. One day his family is caught in a chaotic street shootout and killed by British forces. Overwhelmed with rage and hunted by a Scotland Yard inspector, Niall heads to London to exact his deadly revenge.

Hennessy

1975

Grace of My Heart poster
6.0

Philadelphia teenager Edna Buxton wins a talent contest during the early rock 'n' roll era, changes her name to Denise Waverly and moves to New York City to make it big. Though she flops as a recording artist, fast-talking record producer Joel Millner recognizes her songwriting talent and teams her with struggling songsmith Howard Caszatt.

Grace of My Heart

1996

Full Eclipse poster
5.1

The LA police department have a special team of officers with a talent for reducing big-time crime. The team leader has an excellent track record for crime reduction in other big cities, but his methods are unconventional, and so is he - he's a werewolf.

Full Eclipse

1993

Blue Tornado poster
4.1

Hot aerial sequences accelerate the excitement in "Blue Tornado." Air Force fighter pilots on a test mission are blinded by a dazzling light on a mountainside: Philip (Ted McGinley) crashes and disappears. Flight leader Alex (Dirk Benedict) is debriefed but his inquiry is shelved. More jets mysteriously disappear in the sequestered area. Alex's covert investigation, with the assistance of the beautiful NATO researcher Isabella (Patsy Kensit) is officially subverted by a Committee of Inquiry. So on his own reconnaissance, the defiant Alex hazards a final desperate search for his missing friend, discovering the secrets shrouded on the forbidden mountain!

Blue Tornado

1991

Renegades poster
5.5

When a retired Green Beret soldier is murdered by an Albanian drug gang in London, four of his veteran SAS comrades set out to avenge him, dispensing their own brand of justice on the streets of London.

Renegades

2022

Prince of Shadows poster
5.2

Madrid, 1962. More than twenty years after the civil war has finished, a communist comes back to Spain to kill a traitor.

Prince of Shadows

1991

Speedway Junky poster
5.4

A naive drifter runs away from his army father in hopes of making it on the car racing circuit. In Las Vegas, he meets a young scam artist, who develops a crush on him. He is then introduced to a whole gang led by a young hustler. The racer-to-be then gets a lesson in the wild side, getting involved in one situation after another.

Speedway Junky

1999

Who's Your Daddy? poster
4.9

An adopted Ohio high school senior discovers he is the inherited heir to a porn empire. Dropped into a bitter power struggle, his new flock of beautiful co-workers come to his aid.

Who's Your Daddy?

2004

The Children's Party at the Palace poster
2.8

To celebrate her 80th birthday, the Queen is holding a children's party in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. She has invited many classic characters from British children's literature. But when the baddies, led by Cruella de Vil, discover that they have not been invited, they steal the Queen's handbag containing her spectacles and the text of her speech; without it, the Queen will not be able to make a speech at the party. Can the goodies find the handbag in time?

The Children's Party at the Palace

2006

Schoolgirl Chums poster
7.5

In the 1930s, Alison starts a new boarding school and becomes embroiled in a sinister plot to dethrone the royal family of Bosnovia.

Schoolgirl Chums

1982

Strange Frequency² poster
5.9

The second installment of Strange Frequency, a Rock 'n Roll version of the Twilight Zone, with four segments: "Soul Man," a guitar tech sells his soul; "Cold Turkey," a recovering addict relapses; "Instant Karma," a groupie gets revenge; "Don't Stop Believin'," a senatorial candidate is losing.

Strange Frequency²

2003

Bad Karma poster
3.7

Mental Patient terrorizes her Psychiatrist who she believes is the reincarnation of Jack the Ripper.

Bad Karma

2002

Blame It on the Bellboy poster
5.4

Mike Lawton, Maurice Horton, and Melvin Orton are three men who come to Venice. One of them is a hit man sent to take out a mobster. Another is a lech looking for a little action with a woman he never met, whom he was set up with. And one of them was sent by his employer to inspect a property his boss wants to buy. All three men stay at the same hotel. But when the bellboy gets their names mixed up and gives info meant for someone else. So one of them meets a Realtor who will whatever she has to, to close the sale. And another follows a woman looking for romance. And another goes to the home of the mobster who thinks he's sent there to kill him.

Blame It on the Bellboy

1992