Jenny Galloway

Jenny Galloway is a British actress and singer born in 1959, whose career has been centered primarily on the stage. She has won two Laurence Olivier Awards for her theatrical work and received a third nomination in 2003. Her Broadway appearance came in 2006, when she appeared in the revival of Les Misérables, a production in which she played Madame Thénardier — a role she has returned to across multiple decades and productions.

Galloway's association with Les Misérables spans an extensive portion of her career. She played Madame Thénardier in the West End production during the periods 1992–1994 and 1995, in addition to her 2006–2008 Broadway run and a further return in 2010. She and Alun Armstrong, who played her counterpart Thénardier, appeared together as the couple in both the 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall and the 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena in October 2010, where Armstrong briefly rejoined the original cast for the finale. Her performances in the 10th and 25th Anniversary Concerts are preserved on their respective cast recordings.

Beyond Les Misérables, Galloway originated the role of Mrs. Brill in Mary Poppins in 2004, returning to the production in 2009, and her Broadway credits include that show as well. She was part of the original West End cast of Mamma Mia! in 1999, playing Rosie, and appeared in the revival cast of Oliver! in 1994 as Widow Corney. Additional stage credits include Mickey in My One and Only as part of the original West End cast in 2002, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Mrs. Pearce in a Paris production of My Fair Lady in 2010, and Nana in the Royal National Theatre's original cast production of Ballet Shoes in 2024. Cast recordings of Oliver!, Mamma Mia!, and Mary Poppins all feature her voice alongside those of Les Misérables. Earlier in her career, she appeared as Sandra in Zigger Zagger with the National Youth Theatre in 1967. In 2008, she appeared in Madame de Sade alongside Judi Dench and Deborah Findlay, playing the role of Charlotte. Galloway also has a longstanding connection to the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, Berkshire, where she worked from 1982 onward in various capacities including stage management assistance, driving the van, and leading sing-alongs.

Her screen work includes film roles in Fierce Creatures, About a Boy, In Transit, and Johnny English, in which she played the Foreign Secretary. In 2017, she appeared as the Nanny in the film adaptation of Agatha Christie's Crooked House, a cast that included Glenn Close, Max Irons, and Terence Stamp. On television, she played the college porter known as the Beetle in the 2001 ITV children's series Weirdsister College. She had a principal role in the Marple episode The Pale Horse, the opening installment of the fifth series, which aired in the United Kingdom in August 2010; she played Bella Ellis, described as the town's local witch and cook to Thyrza Grey, portrayed by Pauline Collins, with Julia McKenzie in the lead role. In 2013, she appeared as Sister Thomas in the Father Brown episode The Bride of Christ, and in March 2023 she played Mrs. Garton-Hill in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors. Galloway has also contributed voice work to video games, including additional voices for Lego The Hobbit, released in 2014.