Jenny Agutter was born on December 20, 1952, in Taunton, Somerset, England, UK. Her father was an army officer, and she spent her childhood traveling and living in different countries. She began her film career at the age of 12 in East of Sudan (1964),followed by Ballerina: Part 1 (1966),Ballerina: Part 2 (1966),and A Man Could Get Killed (1966).
In 1970, she appeared in The Railway Children (1970),which became her big break as a child star. The next year, she spent several years in Hollywood, appearing in films such as The Cherry Orchard (1971),Walkabout (1971),and The Snow Goose (1971),for which she received an Emmy Award.
In 1976, she starred in the science-fiction classic Logan's Run (1976) with Michael York, which was a huge box-office success. She also starred in The Eagle Has Landed (1976) with Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland, and in Peter Shaffer's weighty Equus (1977) as "Jill Mason" alongside Richard Burton.
In the 1980s, she appeared in numerous films and television series, including Sweet William (1980),Beulah Land (1980),The Survivor (1981),Amy (1981),and An American Werewolf in London (1981). She also appeared in This Office Life (1984),Secret Places (1984),Silas Marner (1985),Dark Tower (1987),Miss Right (1982),and King of the Wind (1989).
In the 1990s, she concentrated mainly on television, with roles in TECX (1990); Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1990); Red Dwarf (1988); The All New Alexei Sayle Show (1994); The Buccaneers (1995); And the Beat Goes On (1996); September (1996) with Edward Fox, Michael York, Virginia McKenna, and Jacqueline Bisset; A Respectable Trade (1998) with Warren Clarke, Anna Massey, and Richard Briers.
Jenny married Johan Tham in August 1990, and they have one son, Jonathan, born in December 1990. They live in Cornwall, England, UK. Her charity work includes involvement with The Diabetic Association and NCH Action for Children, a charity which provides home and other help for homeless children.