Jane Lapotaire

Jane Elizabeth Marie Lapotaire (née Burgess; born 26 December 1944) is an English actress origining from Ipswich, Suffolk. Her biological mother was Louise Elise Burgess and stepfather, Yves Lapotaire, originated from Quebec, Canada, and worked in the oil industry. From the age of two months, Jane was raised as a foster child by Grace Chisnell, who was also her biological mother's foster mother. She adopted her stepfather's family name and lived three times a year with her biological mother and stepfather in North Africa due to their work in various French oil companies. She started her acting career by joining the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1961 to 1963 and later joined the Bristol Old Vic theatre company in 1965. Besides acting, she is also a writer and has written a number of memoirs. Grace and Favour, Out of Order: A Haphazard Journey Through One Woman's Year, and Everybody's Daughter, Nobody's Child are her notable works. However, her career had a temporary halt when she suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage in 2000. After a six-hour surgery and spending three weeks primarily unconscious, she made a gradual recovery and wrote about the experience in Time Out of Mind. She is the honorary president of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Club and president of the Friends of Shakespeare's Globe.