Born in 1972 as Jessica Stevenson, Jessica Hynes is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She was one of the major forces behind the
Sitcom Spaced alongside
Simon Pegg and
Edgar Wright, not only helping create it, but also writing for it and starring on it. The trio met many years before, when they were stage actors.
Jessica Stevenson then followed the example of many other British actors, moving from stage to TV and film. She appeared in the first episode of
Midsomer Murders, and played Cheryl on
The Royle Family before creating
Spaced. She reunited with Pegg and Wright in
Shaun of the Dead as Yvonne, and played Bridget's friend Magda in
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Jessica also appeared in
Confetti (with
Jimmy Carr and
Martin Freeman),
Magicians (with
David Mitchell and
Robert Webb),
Son of Rambow,
Never Mind The Buzzcocks, and
Learners, which she wrote.
In 2002, Jessica Stevenson married Robert Hynes, and they now have three children. Jessica changed her stage name to Jessica Hynes, and also began branching out beyond comedy. She voiced Mafalda Hopkirk in
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, played Lucky in
Burke and Hare, and played Nurse Joan Redfern and her great-granddaughter Verity Newman in
Doctor Who.