Pamela Stephenson is a New Zealand–born psychologist, writer, actress, and comedian. She is the wife of Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and television presenter Sir William Connolly commonly known as Billy Connolly, sometimes known by the Scots nickname The Big Yin (“the Big One”). She is also the ex-wife of English actor John Nicholas Ball.
Pamela Stephenson: Bio Summary
Name | Pamela Stephenson |
Date of birth | 4 December 1949 |
Birthplace | Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand |
Famous as | wife of Billy Connolly, psychologist, writer |
Gender | Female |
Sibling | Leslie Stephenson |
Spouse | Billy Connolly, Nicholas Ball |
Children | Scarlett Connolly, Amy Connolly, Daisy Connolly |
Occupation | Actress, clinical psychologist, writer, comedian |
How Old Is Pamela Stephenson?
Pamela Stephenson was born on 4 December 1949, in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. On the 4th of December, 2023, she will become 74 years of age. Her parents are scientists. She, her parents, and two sisters moved to Australia in the year 1953. Her sister, Leslie Stephenson, is an opera singer in Switzerland. Pamela schooled at Boronia Park Primary School in Sydney.
Pamela Stephenson attended Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School, Darlinghurst. She also attended the University of New South Wales but soon moved to the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. She is the co-founder of the Parents for Safe Food group. She has written several books. She formed a dance company in collaboration with Brazillian Lambazouk dancer Braz Dos Santos and wrote and produced a dance-drama stage production called Brazouka.
Pamela Was Raped At Age 16
Pamela Stephenson had to experience some horrible moments in her life when she was young. Her autobiography The Varnished Untruth revealed that, at age 16, she got raped by a 35-year-old heroin addict. As a result, she contracted an STD. She was even disowned and kicked out of her home by her parents once her medical condition was known.
According to Pamela Stephenson, “I remember the feeling well, because I still experience it every time someone rejects me, even in some relatively small way.” She wrote in her autobiography: “I was fairly ignorant about sex but I had an inkling that it might be the route to my desired destruction.”
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“So when I met a 35-year-old heroin junkie who lured me into his flat, I put up little resistance. It was a horrible, painful experience, out of which I got nothing but glandular fever and gonorrhea. I suppose it was rape. What was the age of consent back then? I don’t even know. I don’t want to know. It was just terrible, but I thought I deserved it, and worse.”
Pamela Stephenson who kept her rape a secret got ill and the family doctor told her parents about her “ailments”. She recalled: “My father came to me as I lay sick in bed. ‘You were supposed to keep yourself clean until marriage,’ he said, with such cold fury I could barely take it in. ‘You are no longer my daughter.’ Without further discussion, my parents kicked me out of the house.”
Pamela Worked As An Actress And Comedian
Pamela Stephenson was an actress and comedian. She played parts in television shows including Space: 1999, New Avengers, The Professionals, and Tales of the Unexpected preceded her breakthrough role in the satirical sketch show Not The Nine O’Clock News (1979–1982).
Pamela Stephenson got shortlisted in both the Actress and Light Entertainment performance categories at the 1981 BAFTAs for her part in the program. She acted in the films History of the World, Part I (1981) and Superman III (1983). In 1984–85, she was in the cast of the American comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live for season 10.
Pamela Is A Psychologist
After studying at Antioch University, Pamela Stephenson qualified as a clinical psychologist in the 1990s. She earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from the California Graduate Institute and started her private practice. Her doctoral thesis topic was the “intra-psychic experience of fame”. Her particular interest is in sex therapy. She founded the Los Angeles Sexuality Centre.
Pamela Stephenson was an adjunct professor at the California Graduate Institute. Her research includes investigating the lives of transgender people in Samoa, Tonga, and India. She received an honorary degree from Robert Gordon University in 2009. She published Head Case: Treat Yourself to Better Mental Health, followed by Sex Life: How Our Sexual Encounters and Experiences Define Who We Are in 2011.
Pamela Married Twice
Pamela Stephenson has walked down the aisle two times. She married Nicholas Ball, an English actor, best known for playing the title role in the television series Hazell. They were married from 1978 until they divorced in 1984. She then married Billy Connolly. They first met in 1979 while filming a sketch for Not the Nine O’Clock News.
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Pamela Stephenson was head over heels in love with the “hairy stranger” with an “edge of danger”. She revealed: “Some people would call it love at first sight and I suppose it was. I was extremely taken with him.” After filming, she and Billy Connolly had lunch together. They met again the following year, backstage at one of Billy Connolly’s shows.
Pamela Stephenson and Billy Connolly lived together for several years before getting married. Their wedding ceremony was in Fiji on 20 December 1989. Their marriage has lasted for more than 30 years. They are the parents of Scarlett Connolly, Amy Connolly, and Daisy Connolly.
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