Jessica Benton (born 1942) was trained as a classical ballet and modern jazz dancer.
The Onedin Line gave her a starring role for a decade (1971-1980). When the TV series finished, it also put an end to Jessica's career as an actress. She said in a 1992 BBC interview that she had not been ambitious enough to meet the right persons at the right time to give her career a boost.
She has been married to the renowned British landscape photographer Charlie Waite, who she first met at 16, and looks after a farm in Devon. They have had a daughter Ella.
… MoreAnne Stallybrass and Peter Gilmore, her series partners, have remained long life friends and Anne is Ella's godmother.
