
Penelope Wilton
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
- 2025 · Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale as Isobel Crawley
- 2024 · Dead Hot as Francine
- 2023 · Murder Is Easy as Miss Pinkerton
- 2023 · The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as Maureen Fry
- 2022 · Judi Dench: Our National Treasure as Self
- 2022 · Downton Abbey: A New Era as Isobel Merton
- 2022 · Operation Mincemeat as Hester Leggett
- 2020 · Eternal Beauty as Vivian
- 2020 · Summerland as Older Alice
- 2019 · Downton Abbey as Isobel Merton
- 2019 · After Life as Anne
- 2018 · Zoo as Denise Austin
- 2018 · The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society as Amelia Maugery
- 2017 · Brexit Shorts: The End as Helen
- 2016 · Brief Encounters as Pauline
- 2016 · The BFG as The Queen
- 2016 · All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film as Narrator (voice)
- 2015 · The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Jean Ainslie
- 2013 · National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Delia
- 2013 · Belle as Lady Mary Murray
- 2012 · The Girl as Peggy Robertson
- 2012 · The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Jean Ainslie
- 2011 · South Riding as Mrs Beddows
- 2010 · Downton Abbey as Isobel Merton
- 2010 · Harold Pinter: A Celebration as Self
- 2009 · Margot as B.Q.
- 2008 · The Passion as Mary
- 2007 · Half Broken Things as Jean
- 2007 · Celebration as Julie
- 2007 · Five Days as Barbara Poole
- 2006 · The History Boys as Mrs. Bibby
- 2005 · Match Point as Eleanor Hewett
- 2005 · Pride & Prejudice as Mrs. Gardiner
- 2005 · Doctor Who as
- 2005 · Doctor Who as Harriet Jones
- 2005 · Falling as Daisy Langrish
- 2004 · Shaun of the Dead as Barbara
- 2003 · Calendar Girls as Ruth
- 2003 · Comedy Connections as
- 2003 · Lucky Jim as Celia Welch
- 2001 · Iris as Janet Stone
- 2001 · Bob & Rose as Monica Gossage
- 2001 · Victoria & Albert as Princess Mary Louise Victoria
- 2001 · The Whistle-Blower as Heather Graham
- 2000 · Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Mrs. Cratchit
- 2000 · Rockaby as Old Woman
- 1999 · Wives and Daughters as Mrs. Hamley
- 1999 · Tom's Midnight Garden as Aunt Melbourne
- 1999 · The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka as Delfina / Paulina
- 1998 · Alice Through the Looking Glass as White Queen
- 1998 · Talking Heads 2 as
- 1995 · Landscape as Beth
- 1995 · Carrington as Lady Ottoline Morrell
- 1995 · Kavanagh Q.C. as Barbara Watkins
- 1994 · The Deep Blue Sea as Hester Collyer
- 1993 · The Return of the Borrowers as Homily
- 1993 · The Secret Rapture as Marion French
- 1992 · The Borrowers as Homily
- 1992 · Screaming as
- 1992 · Blame It on the Bellboy as Patricia Fulford
- 1991 · Performance as Beth
- 1988 · Talking Heads as Rosemary
- 1987 · Cry Freedom as Wendy Woods
- 1986 · Clockwise as Pat Garden
- 1985 · C.A.T.S. Eyes as
- 1984 · Laughterhouse as Alice Singleton
- 1984 · Ever Decreasing Circles as
- 1983 · The Tale of Beatrix Potter as Beatrix Potter
- 1982 · The Tale of Beatrix Potter as Beatrix Potter
- 1982 · King Lear as Regan
- 1981 · Country as Virginia Carlion
- 1981 · Othello as Desdemona
- 1981 · The French Lieutenant's Woman as Sonia
- 1980 · Pasmore as Helen
- 1978 · The BBC Television Shakespeare as
- 1978 · An Audience with... as Self
- 1977 · The Norman Conquests as Annie
- 1977 · Joseph Andrews as Mrs. Wilton
- 1975 · Arena as Self - Narrator
- Future · FING! as
- Future · Fing ! as
- 1975 · King Lear as Regan
- Future · Visitation as
- 1977 · Able's Will as Journalist
- 1972 · Mrs. Warren's Profession as Vivie Warren
- 1970 · Play for Today as Virginia Carlion