Penelope Wilton
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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.
Known for
Credits
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
as Mrs. Gardiner
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
as Barbara
The BFG (2016)
as The Queen
Match Point (2005)
as Eleanor Hewett
Downton Abbey (2019)
as Isobel Merton
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
as Isobel Merton
Operation Mincemeat (2022)
as Hester Leggett
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025)
as Isobel Merton
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
as Amelia Maugery
Calendar Girls (2003)
as Ruth
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
as Jean Ainslie
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
as Sonia
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023)
as Maureen Fry
Belle (2013)
as Lady Mary Murray
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)
as Jean Ainslie
Cry Freedom (1987)
as Wendy Woods
Iris (2001)
as Janet Stone
The History Boys (2006)
as Mrs. Bibby
Summerland (2020)
as Older Alice
Zoo (2018)
as Denise Austin
Eternal Beauty (2020)
as Vivian
The Girl (2012)
as Peggy Robertson
FING! (2027)
Actor
Clockwise (1986)
as Pat Garden
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage (2013)
as Delia
Othello (1981)
as Desdemona
Blame It on the Bellboy (1992)
as Patricia Fulford
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings (2000)
as Mrs. Cratchit
Tom's Midnight Garden (1999)
as Aunt Melbourne
Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998)
as White Queen
Joseph Andrews (1977)
as Mrs. Wilton
King Lear (1975)
as Regan
Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale (2025)
as Self
Victoria & Albert (2001)
as Princess Mary Louise Victoria
The Deep Blue Sea (1994)
as Hester Collyer
Judi Dench: Our National Treasure (2022)
as Self
Landscape (1995)
as Beth
Half Broken Things (2007)
as Jean
The Sullens Sisters (1972)
as Rachel Sullens
King Lear (1982)
as Regan
Carrington (1995)
as Lady Ottoline Morrell
Harold Pinter: A Celebration (2010)
as Self
Lucky Jim (2003)
as Celia Welch
Laughterhouse (1984)
as Alice Singleton
Celebration (2007)
as Julie
Able's Will (1977)
as Journalist
Falling (2005)
as Daisy Langrish
The Whistle-Blower (2001)
as Heather Graham
Country (1981)
as Virginia Carlion
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film (2016)
as Narrator (voice)
Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (2005)
as Harriet Jones
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka (1999)
as Delfina / Paulina
Talking Heads 2 (1998)
Actor
Margot (2009)
as B.Q.
Pasmore (1980)
as Helen
The Secret Rapture (1993)
as Marion French
Visitation (—)
Actor
Rockaby (2000)
as Old Woman
Mrs. Warren's Profession (1972)
as Vivie Warren
The Tale of Beatrix Potter (1983)
as Beatrix Potter
Brexit Shorts: The End (2017)
as Helen