View source for Jane How

{{short description|British actress}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2018}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name                  = Jane How
| image                 =
| imagesize             =
| caption               =
| birth_name            = Carolyn Jane Onslow How
| birth_date            = {{Birth date and age|1950|12|21|df=y}}
| birth_place           = London, England
| othername             =
| occupation            = Actress
| spouse                = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Mark Burns (actor)|Mark Burns]]<br>|1976|1983|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Richard Durden]]<br>|1996}}
}}
| children              = 1
| yearsactive           = 1972–present
}}
'''Carolyn Jane Onslow How''' (born 21 December 1950) is an English actress with a range of television, film, and stage credits. She is best known for her role as [[Jan Hammond]], the mistress of [[Den Watts]] in ''[[EastEnders]]''. She appeared in the programme regularly from 1986 to 1987 and also made brief return appearances in 2002 and 2003, the latter leading up to Den's return to the show.
==Career==
After training at the [[Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://salisburyplayhouse.com/page/jane-how |title=Jane How |publisher= |accessdate=6 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614125005/http://salisburyplayhouse.com/page/jane-how |archivedate=14 June 2015 }}</ref> where she won the Rodney Millington Award, she spent several years in provincial theatre.
Other roles include two series of [[The Spoils of War (TV serial)|''The Spoils of War'']], ''[[War and Remembrance (miniseries)|War and Remembrance]]'', ''[[A.D. (miniseries)|A.D.]]'', ''Anglo Saxon Attitudes'', ''The Cazalet Chronicles'', ''Zoya'', ''Love in a Cold Climate'', and playing another famous mistress, [[Camilla Parker Bowles]], in the TV movie ''[[Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After]]'' (1992). How has also appeared in ''[[The Citadel (1983 TV series)|The Citadel]]'', ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'', ''[[Judge John Deed]]'', [[Byron (film)|''Byron'']], ''[[Bad Girls (TV series)|Bad Girls]]'', ''[[Love Soup]]'', [[Armadillo (miniseries)|''Armadillo'']], ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'', [[Daniel Deronda (TV series)|''Daniel Deronda'']], as well as in four series of the sitcom ''[[Don't Wait Up (TV series)|Don't Wait Up]]'' as Helen with [[Nigel Havers]]. Her first television credit was in the 1973 ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''[[Planet of the Daleks]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/planetofdaleks/detail.shtml|title=BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Planet of the Daleks – Details|publisher=|accessdate=6 June 2016}}</ref> Her films include ''[[AKA (2002 film)|AKA]]'' (2002), ''[[A Good Woman (film)|A Good Woman]]'' (2004), ''[[The Best Man (2005 film)|The Best Man]]'' (2005), ''[[Miss Potter]]'' (2006) and ''[[1st Night]]'' (2010).
In the [[West End theatre|West End]], she has appeared for the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in ''[[The Return of A. J. Raffles]]'', as Larita in [[Noël Coward]]'s ''[[Easy Virtue (play)|Easy Virtue]]'' at the [[Garrick Theatre|Garrick]], the original cast of ''[[Don't Dress for Dinner]]'' at the [[Apollo Theatre|Apollo]], ''Home and Beauty'' at the [[Lyric Theatre, London|Lyric]] and ''Top People'' at the [[Ambassadors Theatre (London)|Ambassadors Theatre]]. How has also played Lady Punnett in ''[[Half a Sixpence (2016 musical)|Half a Sixpence]]'', which opened in the [[Noël Coward Theatre]] on 17 November 2016 and had its last performance on Saturday 2 September 2017 after 347 performances.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.halfasixpence.co.uk/ | title=Half a Sixpence | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330071107/http://www.halfasixpence.co.uk/ | archive-date=30 March 2022}}</ref>
In 2009, How appeared as a finishing school teacher in a commercial for [[Go Compare]] insurance,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397074/otherworks|title=Jane How – Other works|website=[[IMDb]] |publisher=|accessdate=6 June 2016}}</ref> while in March 2010 she appeared briefly as hospital executive Zara Merrick in the BBC1 drama series ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''. In 2014, she played the role of Joan Rogerson in ''[[Fatal Attraction (play)|Fatal Attraction]]'' at the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]].<ref name="Sex">{{cite web | url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/01-2014/sex-and-the-citys-kristin-davis-makes-west-end-deb_33308.html | title=Sex and the City's Kristin Davis makes West End debut in Fatal Attraction | publisher=Whats On Stage | work=whatsonstage.com | date=28 January 2014 | accessdate=28 January 2014}}</ref> In 2018, she played the role of Florence Boorman in ''[[Her Naked Skin]]'' at the [[Salisbury Playhouse]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Her Naked Skin : Wiltshire Creative|url=https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/whats-on/main-house/her-naked-skin-pbhns/|access-date=2020-09-08|website=www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk}}</ref>
==Personal life==
In 1977, How married actor [[Mark Burns (actor)|Mark Burns]]; they had a son, Jack, in 1981 and divorced in 1983. She later married actor [[Richard Durden]], in 1996.
She has been chairwoman of the charity the Theatrical Guild since 2011, having been involved with the committee for many years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ttg.org.uk/who-we-are|title=The Theatrical Guild – Who We Are|publisher=|accessdate=6 June 2016}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0397074|name=Jane How}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:How, Jane}}
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:British television actresses]]
[[Category:British soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]