Ronni Ancona
Ronni Ancona | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Comedy Actress |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Spouse | Gerard Hall |
Veronica 'Ronni' Ancona (born 4 July 1968, Troon, Ayrshire), sometimes credited as 'Ronnie Ancona' in early work, is a Scottish impressionist and actress of Italian/Jewish ancestry who won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression.
Career
She made a one-off appearance on Blue Peter in 1986 while she was still at school[1], but only became a household name as a result of appearing in the BBC's Big Impression alongside Alistair McGowan.
As part of BBC's Big Read she promoted The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[2]
Before Big Impression, Ancona had featured in films and TV shows, such as Fist of Fun, for many years, as well as performing stand-up comedy. She also appeared in the first series of The Sketch Show.
In 2005 she played Barbara, opposite Miranda Richardson and Bill Nighy, in Stephen Poliakoff's Gideon's Daughter on BBC One.
She was Beline in Molière's The Hypochondriac at the Almeida Theatre.
She has appeared three times on the BBC celebrity panel show QI. She won episode four of series four ('Dictionaries') in October 2006, won again in the first episode of series six in November 2008 ('Family'), and also won on the women's team with Sandi Toksvig in January 2010. In November 2006 she was a guest presenter of Have I Got News For You. She has also appeared on the Channel 4 comedy show TV Heaven, Telly Hell discussing her preferences in television shows.
In December 2006 she revealed herself as a fan of Strictly Come Dancing and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.
In 2007, following a successfully received pilot, the BBC commissioned a new comedy sketch series titled Ronni Ancona & Co consisting of her own material and co-starring Phil Cornwell, Jan Ravens and John Sessions. The show initially aired on 25 May 2007 and had three episodes.
in 2008 she appeared in the movie Penelope as Wanda
Ronni appeared as the mother of Katie and Emily Fitch in the third and fourth series of Skins.
In 2009 Ronni appeared in Hope Springs on BBC 1. She was one of eight main cast members.
On 24 July 2009, Ronni appeared on The One Show, she appeared on it again, with Alistair McGowan, on 16 October 2009.
In April 2010, Ronni appeared on A Comedy Roast, celebrating Sharon Osbourne's life.
Personal life
Ancona was born in Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland and is of Italian Sephardic Jewish origin.[3]
Ancona lived with comedy partner McGowan for a period, as they discussed on Paul O'Grady's chatshow in late 2009 (part of a book tour). However, they split up and in 2004, in the City of Westminster, London, she married Doctor Gerard Hall. In April 2005, in the same borough, she gave birth to a girl, Lily Francesca Hall, weighing 7 lbs 7oz.[citation needed] According to an article published in the Mail on Sunday on 3 June 2007[4], her second child, a boy, was stillborn.
In the programme "Comedy Map of Britain", she returned to her old school in Troon and talked about her earliest comedy performing experience as part of an improvisation group called "Pots People".[5]
References
- ^ BBC 1, 2007, Comedy Map of Britain, episode 1.6
- ^ "Book Champions". The Big Read. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ Ellen, Barbara (2004-12-19). "'They don't think I'm the thinking man's crumpet'". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ Mcpherson, Lynn (2007-06-03). "RONNI: MY TEARS FOR LOST BABY". Mail On Sunday. Retrieved 2007-06-06.[dead link]
- ^ "Episode 6 Belfast to Glasgow". The Comedy Map of Britain. bbc.co.uk.
External links
- "Ronni Ancona". Unofficial Fan Page.
- "Ronni Ancona". Comedy guide. BBC.
- Ronni Ancona at IMDb
- Template:Tvtome person