
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
- 2023 · Murder Is Easy as Miss Pinkerton
- 2023 · The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as Maureen Fry
- 2022 · Downton Abbey: A New Era as Isobel Merton
- 2022 · Operation Mincemeat as Hester Leggett
- 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
- 2016 · The BFG as The Queen
- 2015 · The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Jean Ainslie
- 2013 · Belle as Lady Mary Murray
- 2012 · The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Jean Ainslie
- 2010 · Downton Abbey as Isobel Merton
- 2010 · Harold Pinter: A Celebration as Self
- 2008 · The Passion as Mary
- 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
- 2004 · Shaun of the Dead as Barbara
- 2001 · Iris as Janet Stone
- 2001 · The Whistle-Blower as Heather Graham
- 1999 · Wives and Daughters as Mrs. Hamley
- 1999 · Tom's Midnight Garden as Aunt Melbourne
- 1998 · Alice Through the Looking Glass as White Queen
- 1995 · Carrington as Lady Ottoline Morrell
- 1995 · Kavanagh Q.C. as Barbara Watkins
- 1992 · The Borrowers as Homily
- 1991 · Performance as Beth
- 1991 · Performance as Hester Collyer
- 1988 · Talking Heads as Rosemary
- 1987 · Cry Freedom as Wendy Woods
- 1986 · Clockwise as Pat Garden
- 1984 · Ever Decreasing Circles as
- 1981 · The French Lieutenant's Woman as Sonia
- 1978 · An Audience with... as Self
- 1970 · Play for Today as Virginia Carlion
- 1965 · BBC Play of the Month as Regan
- Future · Visitation as
- 2024 · Dead Hot as Francine
- 2022 · Judi Dench: Our National Treasure as Self
- 2020 · Eternal Beauty as Vivian
- 2017 · Brexit Shorts: The End as Helen
- 2016 · Brief Encounters as Pauline
- 2016 · All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film as Narrator (voice)
- 2013 · National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Delia
- 2012 · The Girl as Peggy Robertson
- 2011 · South Riding as Mrs Beddows
- 2009 · Margot as B.Q.
- 2007 · Half Broken Things as Jean
- 2005 · Falling as Daisy Langrish
- 2003 · Calendar Girls as Ruth
- 2003 · Comedy Connections as
- 2003 · Lucky Jim as Celia Welch
- 2001 · Bob & Rose as Monica Gossage
- 2001 · Victoria & Albert as Princess Mary Louise Victoria
- 2000 · Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Mrs. Cratchit
- 2000 · Rockaby as Old Woman
- 1999 · The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka as Delfina / Paulina
- 1998 · Talking Heads 2 as
- 1995 · Landscape as Beth
- 1994 · The Deep Blue Sea as Hester Collyer
- 1993 · The Return of the Borrowers as Homily
- 1993 · The Secret Rapture as Marion French
- 1992 · Screaming as
- 1992 · Blame It on the Bellboy as Patricia Fulford
- 1985 · C.A.T.S. Eyes as
- 1984 · Laughterhouse as Alice Singleton
- 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
- 1980 · Pasmore as Helen
- 1977 · Able's Will as Journalist
- 1977 · The Norman Conquests as Annie
- 1977 · Joseph Andrews as Mrs. Wilton
- 1975 · King Lear as Regan
- Future · Fing! as
- 1972 · Mrs. Warren's Profession as Vivie Warren