IT is not hard to see why Jenny Agutter is often described as ?a quintessential English rose?. She projects an aura of elegant serenity and exudes almost classical beauty.

But the tag triggers an ironic smile. Born in Somerset in 1952 and brought up abroad, she moved to America in her early 20s, living there for 16 years.

?Maybe because of that you hang on to your Englishness? she says.

It was her early success as Bobbie in the Railway Children followed by theatre and TV that drove her from these shores.

?When I was 21 and ready to do more films no-one was doing them. I had done very well, had had a fantastic time at the National Theatre when I was 20, and I wanted to see what else I could do.?

France failed to appeal, her Italian was ?non-existent? and she had an agent in the States.

?All the arrows pointed to America for me and I was very lucky.?

Within the first three months of being there she landed a part in Logan?s Run alongside Michael York. After that the film parts kept rolling in.

?I thought it was terrific. I enjoyed it. I had very good friends and I loved the Mediterranean feel of the place,? she says.

?I enjoyed the Californian life style but, because of being brought up with an army background, I realised that it was full of people that had just pitched their tents. There are a lot of pockets in Los Angeles and you want to find something that suits you.

?It is the city of dreams. People think they will fulfill what they want and that when they arrive everything will be paved with gold.

?Everybody is very encouraging but you do have to put your nose to the grindstone.

She raised an eyebrow at the way some Americans evaluated what counted most as success in their lives.

??Success is seen as walking down that red carpet at the Oscars wearing a very expensive frock! I was English enough to go to the Oscars and think: ?this is a boring occasion?. It is so hard to sit through. It goes on forever. There are stars who pay other people to sit in their seats!?

These days Jenny Agutter divides her time between London and a home in Cornwall.

She enjoys filming and productions with short runs.

?I have a husband and a13-year old son. I started working early and got married late so I do not want to keep passing them on the doorstep.?

With most West End tours running for six months she prefers shorter stage stints or to be doing the popular one night ?English Places, English Faces? which she has toured around the country for the past ten years.

She believes the combination of the spoken word interspersed with music ? played by pianist Diana Ambache and oboe and alto sax player Jeremy Polmear ? makes for a delightfully blended piece of very English entertainment.

?Working with music is a very good discipline. The music affects you and you pick up on that. It?s really nice to go on stage and have the opportunity to play lots of different roles. Unlike filming when you play one part it does require different voices and it is quite challenging to do.?

When she is not involved in performing Jenny devotes her energies to NCH Action for Children which is geared towards providing homes and other help for homeless children.

She says the project helps youngsters and single mothers .

??There is an absolute need to help these youngsters from families that are falling apart before they get to become homeless,? she says.

?I had my parents solidly behind me and now I have my own family. But you can run into difficulty. Anyone can. When there is poverty it puts much more stress on a family ? but with any family it can happen.

?Young care leavers make up the biggest number of children on the streets. They don?t have anyone to advise them. They can?t get a job and end in a downward spiral.

?Some people say it?s their choice if they are begging but no one wants to be doing that. Something has gone very wrong and needs to be addressed.?

l Jenny Agutter is at the Wharf on Sunday at 7.30pm with English Places. English Faces. Box office 01822611166.