How Toby Jones followed in dad Freddie and mum Jennie's footsteps as he appears in Who Do You Think You Are?
Showbusiness is in the bloodToby Jones traces back his family tree in Who Do You Think You Are? tonight – but who is his dad Freddie and mum Jennie?
The Harry Potter and Mr Bates vs The Post Office star, 59, is on the hunt for answers about his ancestors.
Very quickly, viewers of the BBC show will learn that acting and performing runs very deep in Toby’s bloodline.
And this begins with his famous father Freddie and actress mum Jennie.
But who exactly were Freddie and Jennie Jones? Here, we take a closer look.
Toby Jones reflects on his parents in Who Do You Think You Are?
Toby speaks about his dad Freddie almost immediately in Who Do You Think You Are?. He laughs about how Freddie would always say there were links to India in their family tree.
Toby admits he and his two brothers would always “laugh it off”. But was he right?
Black and white photographs are shown of Freddie as Toby recalls his childhood memories of his actor father.
“My dad was working away lots, certainly during the 70s when he was becoming what people call a ‘character’,” Toby remembers.
It’s explained Freddie was the first actor in his family, having received a scholarship to drama school.
Toby adds: “I think drama school for my father utterly transformed his life.”
It’s then explained Toby’s mother Jennie was also an actress. In fact, there are five generations of actresses in Jennie’s side.
Looking back on his childhood, Toby describes it as “very lively, boisterous and funny”.
Who was Freddie Jones?
Like Toby says, Freddie was a famous character actor, who hailed from Stoke-on-Trent. During his career, Freddie was best known for portraying eccentric, memorable supporting characters.
His career across the theatre and television ran across 60 years, after he made his acting debut with The Royal Shakespeare Company.
In 1968, Freddie won the award for World’s Best Television Actor of the Year at the Monte Carlo Film Festival. This was for his part in The Caesars. Notable roles in movies The Elephant Man, Dune and Wild at Heart followed.
Freddie appeared in three adaptations of Sherlock Holmes before landing a role in ITV soap, Emmerdale. Fans will remember him as Sandy Thomas, a character he portrayed from 2005 to 2018.
Sadly, Freddie died the year after he left Emmerdale. He was 91 years old.
Who was Toby Jones’ mum Jennie?
Toby’s mum Jennie was born Jennifer Heslewood. In 1965, she married Freddie and they had three sons; Toby and his two brothers.
Jennie also worked as an actress but she generally kept a lower profile than Freddie and, in later years, Toby.
Jennie is believed to have stuck mostly to stage work, rather than screen, and sadly there is no public record of her acting credits.
In Who Do You Think You Are?, Freddie discovers that his three times great grandmother on Jennie’s side, Sarah Thorne, was an actress who also ran a theatre in Margate, Kent.
The Theatre Royale is still standing, but it is currently being resorted. Toby is fascinated to visit the theatre in his episode of the BBC show.
It’s very clear to see where Toby’s talent for acting has come from!
