Jane Freeman (born Jane Evans, on 15th March 1921) is a Welsh actress who is best known for her work on British television.

Biography

The Wales-born Freeman is best known for her role as café owner Ivy, one of the main characters in the long-running British TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine. She was one of only two people (the other being Peter Sallis) to appear on the show since the pilot episode in 1973 to the final series in 2010, although Sallis is the only one to appear in every episode. She made her final appearance in the penultimate episode.

She attended Vaynor & Penderyn High School, then in Breconshire but near Merthyr Tydfil, and has over the years re-attended her old school on Prize Day, although the school closed in 2005. The school, in Cefn Coed is now demolished. She later trained at the Cardiff College of Music and Drama and acquired an extensive repertory experience throughout England and Wales. She played "Emma Hornet" in the popular comedy Sailor Beware at the Theatre Clwyd, Mold, and the Lyric, Hammersmith.