Jenny Howe

Howe trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) from around 1969 to 1972. During her training she appeared in student productions including Alice (1970),^[2] Little Boxes and The Coffee Lace (1971),^[3] and The Importance of Being Earnest (1971).^[4] As well as theatre, she noted her interests in her early twenties were sailing and painting.^[1]

Howe's first professional appearance came in 1972, when she joined the Crewe Theatre Company and appeared in the production Sailor Beware.^[1] She subsequently appeared in productions including Arms and the Man and Macbeth, the latter in the role of one of the witches.^[5][6] She continued to work steadily in repertory and regional theatre during the 1970s, appearing at the Gateway Theatre in Chester in productions including Wanted, One Body and Dry Rot, both of which drew favourable local notice.^[7][8] She also worked with the Wearabout Theatre Company in Sunderland in Theatre in Education and touring productions,^[9] and later appeared with the Phoenix Theatre Company in Leicester.^[10]

In the 1980s she continued to develop her stage career, appearing at venues including the Contact Theatre in Manchester, where she was nominated for Best Supporting Performance at the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards in 1987.^[11] In 1989 she won the Morrison Cup for her production of Hell and High Water, reflecting a parallel move into directing.^[12] Howe also performed at the National Theatre.^[13]

Alongside her theatre work, Howe developed a substantial television career. Her best-known role was as Mrs Keele, the headmistress in the BBC school drama Grange Hill, in which she appeared from 1992 to 1994. She was also a regular presence in British television drama, with appearances in series such as The Bill, Casualty, Holby City, EastEnders and Silent Witness, typically playing professional or authority figures.

Her film work included a role in Truly Madly Deeply (1990), produced by her then husband Robert Cooper, as well as later appearances in films including The Heart of Me and Puckoon.

Later in her career Howe returned to theatre, appearing at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond in productions including The Scapegoat and The Stingless Marionette.^[14] She also founded the production company Choiceworks.^[14]

Howe married theatre director and producer Robert Cooper in 1983; the couple later divorced.^[15] They had two daughters, Zoe Cooper, who became a playwright, and Emily Cooper.^[15][13]

In 1987 the family were living in Glossop while Cooper was working in Belfast, and a later profile noted that Howe’s acting career influenced family decisions about relocation.^[15][16]