Penelope Wilton

Birthday:
06/03/1946
Place of birth:
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK:
Biography:
Dame Penelope Alice Wilton DBE (born 3 June 1946) is an English actress. She was formerly married to fellow actor Sir Ian Holm, and as she has not remarried, she retains her married style of Lady Holm. Wilton is known for starring opposite Richard Briers in the BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–1989), playing Homily in The Borrowers (1992) and The Return of the Borrowers(1993), and for her role as the widowed Isobel Crawley in the ITV drama Downton Abbey (2010–2015). She also played the recurring role of Harriet Jones in Doctor Who (2005–2008) and Anne in Ricky Gervais' Netflix dark comedy After Life.  Wilton has had an extensive career on stage, receiving six Olivier Award nominations. She was nominated for Man and Superman (1981), The Secret Rapture (1988), The Deep Blue Sea(1994), John Gabriel Borkman (2008) and The Chalk Garden (2009) before winning the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Actress for Taken at Midnight. Her film appearances include Clockwise (1986), Cry Freedom (1987), Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), Calendar Girls (2003), Shaun of the Dead (2004), Match Point (2005), Pride & Prejudice (2005), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), The Girl (2012), The BFG (2016) and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023). Description above from the Wikipedia article Penelope Wilton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Credits

Fing! (2026)
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025)
as Isobel Merton
Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale (2025)
as Self
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023)
as Maureen Fry
Judi Dench: Our National Treasure (2022)
as Self
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
as Isobel Merton
Operation Mincemeat (2022)
as Hester Leggett
Eternal Beauty (2020)
as Vivian
Summerland (2020)
as Older Alice
Downton Abbey (2019)
as Isobel Merton
Zoo (2018)
as Denise Austin
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
as Amelia Maugery
Brexit Shorts: The End (2017)
as Helen
The BFG (2016)
as The Queen
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film (2016)
as Narrator (voice)
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
as Jean Ainslie
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage (2013)
as Delia
Belle (2013)
as Lady Mary Murray
The Girl (2012)
as Peggy Robertson
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)
as Jean Ainslie
Harold Pinter: A Celebration (2010)
as Self
Margot (2009)
as B.Q.
The Stolen Earth / Journey's End (2008)
as Harriet Jones
Half Broken Things (2007)
as Jean
Celebration (2007)
as Julie
The History Boys (2006)
as Mrs. Bibby
Match Point (2005)
as Eleanor Hewett
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
as Mrs. Gardiner
Doctor Who: Aliens of London & World War Three (2005)
as Harriet Jones
Falling (2005)
as Daisy Langrish
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
as Barbara
Calendar Girls (2003)
as Ruth
Lucky Jim (2003)
as Celia Welch
Iris (2001)
as Janet Stone
Victoria & Albert (2001)
as Princess Mary Louise Victoria
The Whistle-Blower (2001)
as Heather Graham
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings (2000)
as Mrs. Cratchit
Rockaby (2000)
as Old Woman
Tom's Midnight Garden (1999)
as Aunt Melbourne
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka (1999)
as Delfina / Paulina
Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998)
as White Queen
Talking Heads 2 (1998)
Landscape (1995)
as Beth
Carrington (1995)
as Lady Ottoline Morrell
The Deep Blue Sea (1994)
as Hester Collyer
The Secret Rapture (1993)
as Marion French
Blame It on the Bellboy (1992)
as Patricia Fulford
Cry Freedom (1987)
as Wendy Woods
Clockwise (1986)
as Pat Garden
Laughterhouse (1984)
as Alice Singleton
The Tale of Beatrix Potter (1983)
as Beatrix Potter
King Lear (1982)
as Regan
Country (1981)
as Virginia Carlion
Othello (1981)
as Desdemona
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
as Sonia
Pasmore (1980)
as Helen
Able's Will (1977)
as Journalist
Joseph Andrews (1977)
as Mrs. Wilton
King Lear (1975)
as Regan
Mrs. Warren's Profession (1972)
as Vivie Warren
The Sullens Sisters (1972)
as Rachel Sullens
Visitation

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