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