
Julia Davis
Julia Charlotte L. Davis is an English actress, comedian, director and writer. A nine-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won Best Comedy Writing for Hunderby in 2013 and the 2018 British Academy Television Award for Best Scripted Comedy for Sally4Ever. She has also received two RTS Awards and three British Comedy Awards. In addition to acting in her own works, she has appeared in a variety of other British television comedies, most notably portraying Dawn Sutcliffe in Gavin & Stacey (2007–2009, 2019, 2024). Her film roles include Love Actually (2003), Cemetery Junction (2010), Four Lions (2010), and Phantom Thread (2017). Julia Davis was born in Guildford, Surrey on August 25, 1966 Her mother was a secretary, and her father a civil servant. She grew up in Guildford, Surrey, before moving at the age of 14 to Bath in Somerset. She was raised in the Church of England. After studying for a degree in English and drama at the College of Ripon and York St John, she returned to Bath working "dead-end jobs", starting a comedy double-act The Sisters of Percy with her friend Jane Roth at a local theatre group. It grew into an improv troupe with Welsh radio DJ Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones. Davis decided to become a comedian after a long illness. She secured her first comedy commission, Five Squeezy Pieces, from BBC Radio 4 in 1998. The series was an all-female sketch comedy show, with Meera Syal, Arabella Weir, Maria McErlane, and Claire Calman. She first appeared on television in 1998 in the BBC sketch show Comedy Nation. During their radio sketch series Five Squeezy Pieces, Arabella Weir introduced Davis to Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan who cast her as a regular cast member in the television sketch show Big Train (1998). Her career gained a further boost in 1998 after she sent a tape of various characters to Steve Coogan, who invited her to write for and participate in his shows during his 1998 national tour. Chris Morris, director of the Big Train pilot, cast her for his 1997–1999 radio series Blue Jam, its successor March–April 2000 TV show Jam, and Brass Eye. Davis went on to appear in many comedy television shows including I'm Alan Partridge, I Am Not an Animal, Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible, Ideal and Nathan Barley. In 2004 and 2005, Davis wrote and starred in two series of the BBC Three dark comedy Nighty Night. The show is centred on her character of peroxide "blonde" sociopathic beauty therapist Jill Tyrell. In 2015, Davis and Marc Wootton created and starred in BBC Radio 4 comedy series Couples, about couples in therapy. It was reported in 2015 that Davis had been commissioned for a new series, Robin's Test, which was later renamed Camping. In 2016, Davis wrote, directed and starred as shallow nymphomaniac "Fay" in Camping on Sky Atlantic. This was her directorial debut. At the 2017 BAFTA TV Awards, Camping was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy. In 2017, Davis was featured in the Paul Thomas Anderson film Phantom Thread as Lady Baltimore.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · The Toxic Avenger as Kissy Sturnevan
- 2025 · Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell as Self
- 2024 · Gavin & Stacey: The Making of the Finale as Self
- 2024 · Person of Interest as Dr. Kate Shelley
- 2024 · Run Rabbit Run as Gail
- 2022 · My Massive Cock as Narrator
- 2021 · A Very British Scandal as Maureen Guinness
- 2021 · Sing 2 as Linda Le Bon (voice)
- 2021 · The Outlaws as Rita
- 2021 · The Clearing as Deb
- 2019 · Gavin & Stacey: A Special Christmas as Dawn Sutcliffe
- 2019 · Fighting with My Family as Daphne
- 2018 · The Shivering Truth as (voice)
- 2018 · Sally4Ever as Emma
- 2018 · Stath Lets Flats as Kris
- 2017 · Phantom Thread as Lady Baltimore
- 2017 · Brakes as Livy
- 2017 · Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams as Sally Morris
- 2016 · Camping as Fay
- 2014 · Morning Has Broken as Gail Sinclair
- 2014 · The Bird as Mother
- 2014 · The Understudy as Felicity
- 2014 · Inside No. 9 as Felicity
- 2013 · Psychobitches as Various Roles
- 2013 · It's Kevin as Various
- 2012 · Uncle Wormsley's Christmas as Mrs. Goodington
- 2012 · Hunderby as Dorothy
- 2012 · Bad Sugar as Daphne Cauldwell
- 2011 · Black Mirror as Judge Charity
- 2011 · Arthur Christmas as UNFITA OPS (voice)
- 2010 · The Angina Monologues as Herself/Lizzie
- 2010 · The Mighty Boosh: Journey of the Childmen as Herself
- 2010 · Come on Eileen as Dee
- 2010 · Four Lions as Alice
- 2010 · Cemetery Junction as Mrs. Taylor
- 2010 · Lizzie and Sarah as Lizzie/Faith
- 2009 · Steve Coogan: The Inside Story as Self
- 2009 · 10 Minute Tales as
- 2008 · How Not to Live Your Life as Anne Yeaman
- 2007 · Gavin & Stacey as Dawn Sutcliffe
- 2007 · Persuasion as Elizabeth Elliot
- 2007 · For the Love of God as Mother
- 2006 · Born Equal as Sally
- 2006 · The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall as Self
- 2006 · Fear of Fanny as Fanny Cradock
- 2006 · Confetti as Counsellor
- 2005 · Nathan Barley as
- 2005 · Ideal as Amanda With The Weird Eyes (Voice)
- 2005 · Ideal as Dawn
- 2004 · AD/BC: A Rock Opera as Ruth
- 2004 · I Am Not an Animal as Claire the Rat (voice)
- 2004 · Shaun of the Dead as News Reporter (voice) (uncredited)
- 2004 · Sex Lives of the Potato Men as Shelley
- 2004 · The Alan Clark Diaries as
- 2004 · Nighty Night as Jill Tyrrell
- 2003 · Little Britain as
- 2003 · Love Actually as Nancy the Caterer
- 2003 · Appointment with Dr. Terrible as Interviewee – Actor
- 2003 · Hello, Friend as (voice)
- 2002 · Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself as Moira
- 2001 · Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible as Stephanie Wise
- 2001 · The Parole Officer as Insinuating Wife
- 2001 · The Office as Gillian (voice)
- 2000 · Human Remains as Various Characters
- 2000 · Jam as Various
- 1999 · Steve Coogan: The Man Who Thinks He's It as
- 1999 · People Like Us as Lisa Bell
- 1999 · Coming Soon as
- 1998 · Big Train as
- 1997 · I'm Alan Partridge as Kate Fitzgerald
- 1997 · Brass Eye as Various Characters