Ashley Jensen

Ashley Samantha Jensen (born 11 August 1969) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles in Extras and Ugly Betty.

Jensen trained at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. Her first big television role was as eccentric secretary Rosie McConnichy in the final series of BBC comedy May to December, as a replacement for the hugely popular character of secretary Hilary. In 1996 she played Clare Donnelly, the daughter of Glasgow criminal Jo-Jo Donnelly (played by Billy Connolly) in the BBC Scotland drama Down Among the Big Boys. She then appeared as Fiona Morris in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.

Jensen stars alongside Ricky Gervais in the BBC Two/HBO television programme Extras. For her work on the first series, she received best television comedy actress and newcomer awards at the 2005 British Comedy Awards. In 2006, Jensen received two British Comedy Awards and a BAFTA nomination for her role in Extras.

In January 2006 she starred in the short-lived drama series Eleventh Hour on ITV1, alongside Patrick Stewart. Stewart had also appeared in an episode of Extras, in which he attempted to get Jensen's character Maggie to appear in his new pet project. Later that year she played Steve Coogan's agent in A Cock and Bull Story.

In September 2006 Jensen appeared as Christina McKinney in the ABC comedy Ugly Betty. Christina not only works in the "closet" of New York fashion magazine Mode, but is also Betty's only true ally. Her character in Ugly Betty was originally an American. When she met with the show's producers they decided to change the nationality of the character because they liked Jensen's accent. She is signed to appear in Ugly Betty for seven years.

Ashley Samantha Jensen was born to Margaret and Ivar Jensen. She has no siblings and was raised single-handedly by her mother, a special-needs teacher living in Scotland. She has no contact with her father and is very private about the matter. Jensen married English actor Terence Beesley, with whom she had been in a relationship for six years, in a ceremony in the woods of Big Sur, California on Monday 29 January 2007.[1] They met in 1999 while working on a stage production of King Lear. The couple live with their dog Barney in Los Angeles, and have a flat in Holland Park, West London.[2] The couple also own property in Umbria, Italy.