Sue Johnston
December 7, 1943 (82 years old) in Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK
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
- 2025 · Fackham Hall as Great Aunt Bonaparte
- 2024 · Generation Z as Cecily
- 2024 · Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two as Herself
- 2024 · Truelove as Marion
- 2022 · Downton Abbey: A New Era as Gladys Denker
- 2022 · The Responder as Madge
- 2021 · Help as Gloria
- 2021 · Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors as Narrator
- 2021 · Time as June Cobden
- 2021 · Taskmaster’s New Year Treat as Self
- 2019 · The Cure as Bella Bailey
- 2019 · The Cockfields as Sue
- 2019 · DNA Journey as Self
- 2017 · Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story as Narrator
- 2017 · Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule as Self
- 2011 · Lapland as Eileen Lewis
- 2011 · Celebrity Antiques Road Trip as Self - Participant
- 2010 · Downton Abbey as Miss Denker
- 2008 · Little Dorrit as Affery / Affery Flintwinch
- 2007 · The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
- 2007 · Would I Lie to You? as Self
- 2006 · Jam and Jerusalem as Sal Vine
- 2006 · The Street as
- 2006 · Imagine Me & You as Ella
- 2004 · Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
- 2004 · The Paul O'Grady Show as
- 2004 · Strictly Come Dancing as Self
- 2002 · Timeshift as Self - Narrator
- 2002 · Cutting It as Caroline Ferraday
- 2001 · My Uncle Silas as Mrs. Betts
- 2001 · Waking the Dead as Dr. Grace Foley
- 1999 · Loose Women as Self
- 1998 · The Royle Family as Barbara Royle
- 1998 · Duck Patrol as Val Rutland
- 1998 · Parkinson as Self
- 1997 · Face as Alice
- 1996 · Brassed Off as Vera
- 1996 · Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Helga Allowby
- 1995 · Hollyoaks as Sheila Grant
- 1993 · Full Stretch as Grace Robbins
- 1992 · A Touch of Frost as Phyllis Bowman
- 1992 · Bitter Harvest as Miriam Johnson
- 1991 · Performance as Mistress Overdone
- 1990 · Medics as
- 1987 · Inspector Morse as Mrs. Bailey
- 1982 · Brookside as Sheila Grant
- 1952 · Today as Self
- Future · Bilby as Nancy
- 2025 · Stuffed as Lily
- 2025 · Dexter Procter as Granny Bet
- 2025 · Big Winners as Edith Thistle
- 2024 · The Big Snow of '47 as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2023 · Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family as Barbara Royle (archive footage)
- 2023 · Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy as Self
- 2023 · The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa as Self / Barbara Royle (archive footage)
- 2021 · Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story as Self
- 2020 · David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star as Narrator
- 2018 · Death on the Tyne as Colleen
- 2018 · Age Before Beauty as Ivy-Rae Regan
- 2018 · Walk Like a Panther as Gladys
- 2017 · Diana and the Paparazzi as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next as Self - Narrator
- 2016 · British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves as Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2016 · Rovers as Doreen
- 2016 · World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys as Self
- 2016 · Golden Years as Nancy
- 2015 · The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One as Self
- 2014 · Caring for the Recently Deceased as Marjoram Bryon
- 2013 · Being Eileen as Eileen Lewis
- 2012 · The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring as Barbara Royle
- 2012 · Gates as Miss Hunter
- 2011 · Sugartown as
- 2011 · Baby Hospital as
- 2010 · The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers as Barbara
- 2010 · The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa as Self
- 2010 · A Passionate Woman as Betty (1980s)
- 2009 · The Turn of the Screw as Sarah Grose
- 2009 · The Golden Egg Cup as Barbara Royle
- 2009 · Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It as Narrator (voice)
- 2008 · The Royle Family: The New Sofa as Barbara Royle
- 2005 · Liverpool FC: One Night in May as
- 2002 · The Virgin Mary as Self - Presenter
- 2001 · Score as Maggie
- 2000 · New Year's Day as Mrs. Fisher
- 1999 · Finest Hour as Commentary
- 1999 · Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll as Irma
- 1999 · Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll as
- 1998 · Brookside: Friday the 13th as Sheila Grant
- 1998 · The Jump as Maeve Brunos
- 1998 · The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds as Pat Phoenix
- 1997 · Brookside: The Lost Weekend as Sheila Grant
- 1997 · Preaching to the Perverted as Esmeralda
- 1997 · Crime Traveller as
- 1994 · Measure for Measure as Mistress Overdone
- 1993 · Luv as