Sue Johnston
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Susan Johnston, OBE (née Wright; born 7 December 1943) is an English actress known for playing Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy The Royle Family (1998–2000, 2006, 2008–2010, 2012), Grace Foley in the BBC drama Waking the Dead (2000–2011), Gloria Price in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2012–2014) and Miss Denker in the ITV drama Downton Abbey (2014–2015). She won the 2000 British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actress and was nominated for the 2000 BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance for The Royle Family.
Known for
Credits
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
as Gladys Denker
Imagine Me & You (2006)
as Ella
Fackham Hall (2025)
as Great Aunt Bonaparte
Lapland (2011)
as Eileen Lewis
Brassed Off (1996)
as Vera
Bilby (—)
as Nancy
Stuffed (2025)
as Lily
British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves (2016)
as Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
Bitter Harvest (1992)
as Miriam Johnson
Preaching to the Perverted (1997)
as Esmeralda
Golden Years (2016)
as Nancy
Help (2021)
as Gloria
Big Winners (2025)
as Edith Thistle
The Turn of the Screw (2009)
as Sarah Grose
Face (1997)
as Alice
There's Only One Paul McCartney (2002)
as Self
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One (2015)
as Self
Death on the Tyne (2018)
as Colleen
Walk Like a Panther (2018)
as Gladys
Welcome to Borovia (2026)
as Matrashka
Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story (2021)
as Self
Caring for the Recently Deceased (2014)
as Marjoram Bryon
The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring (2012)
as Barbara Royle
Measure for Measure (1994)
as Mistress Overdone
The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa (2023)
as Self / Barbara Royle (archive footage)
New Year's Day (2001)
as Mrs. Fisher
The Golden Egg Cup (2009)
as Barbara Royle
The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa (2010)
as Self
The Royle Family: The New Sofa (2008)
as Barbara Royle
The Big Snow of '47 (2024)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
The Cure (2019)
as Bella Bailey
The Virgin Mary (2002)
as Self - Presenter
The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds (1998)
as Pat Phoenix
The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers (2010)
as Barbara
Brookside: Friday the 13th (1998)
as Sheila Grant
Score (2001)
as Maggie
Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll (1999)
Actor
Brookside: The Lost Weekend (1997)
as Sheila Grant
Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story (2017)
as Narrator
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy (2023)
as Self
Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next (2017)
as Self - Narrator
David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star (2020)
as Narrator
World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys (2016)
as Self
Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It (2009)
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family (2023)
as Barbara Royle (archive footage)
Diana and the Paparazzi (2017)
as Narrator (voice)
Liverpool FC: One Night in May (2005)
as Self