Geraldine James
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Geraldine James, OBE (born 6 July 1950), is an English film, television, and stage actress. Born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, she trained at the Drama Centre London and began her professional acting career in the 1970s. She gained recognition for her performances in the television drama Dummy (1977) and the miniseries The Jewel in the Crown (1984). Her performance alongside Peggy Ashcroft in She’s Been Away (1989) earned her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. Her film credits include Gandhi (1982), Calendar Girls (2003), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), and 45 Years (2015). She portrayed Mrs. Hudson in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films and Queen Mary in Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022). James is also known for her television roles in Band of Gold (1995), Utopia (2013-2014), Anne with an E (2017-2019), and Silo (2023). Her portrayal of Marilla Cuthbert in Anne with an E brought her widespread international recognition. Throughout her career, she has received four BAFTA Television Award nominations and has performed extensively in theater, including a Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice opposite Dustin Hoffman. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003 for her services to drama.
Known for
Credits
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
as Lady Ascot
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
as Lady Ascot
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
as Blue Three
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
as Cecilia Vanger
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
as Mrs. Hudson
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
as Mrs. Hudson
Megan Leavey (2017)
as Dr. Turbeville
Gandhi (1982)
as Mirabehn
Downton Abbey (2019)
as Queen Mary
Moll Flanders (1996)
as Edna
Calendar Girls (2003)
as Marie
Creditors (2025)
as Tekla
The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)
as Ludmilla Kropotkin
Made in Dagenham (2010)
as Connie
Benediction (2021)
as Theresa Thornycroft
45 Years (2015)
as Lena
Taliesin Jones (2002)
as Mum
Arthur (2011)
as Vivienne
The Trap (2023)
Actor
Beast (2018)
as Hilary Huntington
Robot Overlords (2015)
as Monique
The Tall Guy (1989)
as Carmen
Tank Boy (2025)
Actor
Diana (2013)
as Oonagh Shanley-Toffolo
Prince of Shadows (1991)
as Rebeca Osorio
The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002)
as Mrs. Mortimer
If Looks Could Kill (1991)
as Vendetta Galante
Caught in a Trap (2008)
as Joyce Perkins
Heist (2008)
as Joanna the Concubine
A Doll's House (1992)
as Kristine Linde
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas (2007)
as Self
The Luzhin Defence (2000)
as Vera, Natalia's Mother
Northanger Abbey (2007)
as Jane Austen (voice)
Mr. Attenborough and Mr. Gandhi (1983)
as Self
Daphne (2017)
as Rita
The Dumb Waiter (1979)
as Sally
An Angel for May (2002)
as Susan Higgins
A Harlot's Progress (2006)
as Mother Needham
The Fever (2004)
as Ranevskaya
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film (2014)
as Self
White Teeth (2002)
as Joyce Malfen
Sweet William (1980)
as Pamela
The Farmer's Wife (2012)
as The Farmer's Wife
She's Been Away (1989)
as Harriet Ambrose
All Forgotten (2001)
as Mother
Legacy (2013)
as Martha
Words Upon the Window Pane (1994)
as Mrs. Henderson
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989)
as Gertrude Brisket
Wall of Tyranny (1988)
as Krista Donner
Tom & Thomas (2002)
as Miss Tromp
The Time of Your Life (2007)
as Eileen
Hesther for Example (1980)
as Hesther
Ocean Voyagers (2007)
as Narrator (voice)
Blott on the Landscape (1985)
Actor
The Bridge (1992)
as Mrs. Todd
Time and the Conways (1985)
as Madge Conway
13 Steps Down (2012)
as Gwendolen Chawcer
A Visit to Grandpa’s (—)
Actor
Hearts of Gold (2003)
as Elizabeth Powell
Eiffel Tower: Building the Impossible (2023)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Who's Who (1979)
as Miss Hunt
A Very Royal Christmas: Sandringham Secrets (2020)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
The Healer (1994)
as Dr. Mercedes Honeysett
Bloody Kids (1980)
as Ritchie's Wife
Dr. Easy (2013)
as Voice of Dr. Easy
No Worries (1994)
as Anne O'Dwyer
Dummy (1977)
as Sandra
Now & Then (—)
as Laura
Losing Track (1992)
as Mrs. Dewey
Doggin' Around (1994)
as Sarah Williams
The Genius of Marie Curie: The Woman Who Lit up the World (2013)
as Maria Skłodowska-Curie's letters read by
Ex (1991)
as Alice
Chains (1982)
as Janine