Imelda Staunton
Born: 1956-01-09 in Archway, London, England, UK
Known For: Acting
Biography
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born January 9, 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre productions in the United Kingdom. Staunton has performed in a variety of plays and musicals in London throughout her career, winning four Laurence Olivier Awards; three for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her roles in the musicals Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy, and one for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play for her work in both A Chorus of Disapproval and The Corn is Green. Her other stage appearances include The Beggar's Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Uncle Vanya, Guys and Dolls, Entertaining Mr Sloane, and Good People. She has been nominated for 13 Olivier Awards. On film, Staunton starred in Antonia and Jane; in several supporting roles in Kenneth Branagh's comedy Peter's Friends, his adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing; Ang Lee's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility; and the costume romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love. She drew critical acclaim for her performance in the title role in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actress, in addition to being nominated for Best Actress by the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. She later gained a wider audience for her portrayal as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films The Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1. She continued supporting roles in Nanny McPhee, reunited with Leigh in Another Year, and the film continuation of Downton Abbey. She portrayed human rights activist Hefina Headon in the historical film Pride, and starred in the British comedy Finding Your Feet. She also provided voice acting roles for the films Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, and Paddington. On television, Staunton starred in the sitcoms Up the Garden Path and Is it Legal?. Her performance in My Family and Other Animals earned her a nomination for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress, while her roles in Return to Cranford and The Girl earned her BAFTA TV Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. For the latter, she was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the final two seasons of The Crown.
Filmography
2026
- Tommy & Tuppence as Aunt Ada
2025
- & Sons as Isabel
- Testimony as Narrator (voice)
- National Theatre Live: Mrs. Warren's Profession as Mrs Peggy Warren
2024
- Paddington in Peru as Aunt Lucy (voice)
2023
- Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget as Bunty (voice)
- The Canterville Ghost as Mrs Umney (voice)
2022
- Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg as Self
- Downton Abbey: A New Era as Maud Bagshaw
- Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends as Self
2021
- Victorian Britain on Film as Narrator
- Thirties in Colour: Countdown to War as Self - Narrator
- Sense and Sensibility: 25th Anniversary Reunion as Self
2020
- Trying as Penny
- Alan Bennett's Talking Heads as Irene Ruddock
- Flesh and Blood as Mary Bennett
- Amulet as Sister Claire
- The Magical World of Julia Donaldson as Self - Readings
- The Gruffalo and Me: The Remarkable Julia Donaldson as reader
- The Far Traveller as Narrator
2019
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil as Knotgrass
- A Confession as Karen Edwards
- Downton Abbey as Maud Bagshaw
- A Confession As Told By ITV News as Imelda Staunton - Self / Karen Edwards
2017
- Paddington 2 as Aunt Lucy (voice)
- Harry Potter: A History Of Magic as Narrator
- Finding Your Feet as Sandra Abbott
- Little Bird as First Officer Simpkins
- National Theatre Live: Follies as Sally Durant Plummer
- National Theatre Live: Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as Martha
2016
- The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II
- Jim Carter: Lonnie Donegan and Me as Self
2015
- Gypsy as Rose
2014
- Maleficent as Knotgrass
- Paddington as Aunt Lucy (voice)
- Lily's Driftwood Bay as Rowena Rabbit (voice)
- Pride as Hefina
- That Day We Sang as Enid
- Victoria Wood - That Musical We Made as Self
2013
- Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time as Shrew (voice)
2012
- The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! as Queen Victoria (voice)
- The Story of Musicals as Self – Narrator (voice)
- The Girl as Alma Reville Hitchcock
- London: The Modern Babylon as Spoken Quotations (voice)
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Mrs. Lovett
2011
- Arthur Christmas as Mrs Santa (voice)
- The Awakening as Maud Hill
2010
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as Dolores Umbridge
- Alice in Wonderland as Talking Flowers (voice)
- The Michael Ball Show as Self
- Another Year as Janet
- Psychoville Halloween Special as Grace Andrews
- White Other as Lynne McDermott
2009
- Psychoville as Grace Andrews
- Taking Woodstock as Sonia Teichberg
- Adapting Austen as Self
2008
- Big & Small as Twiba / Ruby (voice)
- Three and Out as Rosemary Cassidy
- A Bunch of Amateurs as Mary
- Clay as Mary Doonan
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as Dolores Umbridge
- Cranford as Miss Pole
- Freedom Writers as Margaret Campbell
- Guilty Hearts as Naomi
- Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out as Self
- How About You... as Hazel Nightingale
- Where Have I Been All Your Life? as Angela
2006
- The One Show as Self
- Shadow Man as Ambassador Cochran
- The Wind in the Willows as Barge Lady
- Live! Girls! Present Dogtown
- Bill Douglas: Intent on Getting the Image as Herself
2005
- Doctor Who as Interface (voice)
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as Self
- Nanny McPhee as Mrs. Blatherwick
- ShakespeaRe-Told
- Fingersmith as Mrs. Sucksby
- My Family and Other Animals as Mother
2004
- Vera Drake as Vera Drake
2003
- Little Britain as Mrs. Mead
- Strange as Reverend Mary Truegood
- Cambridge Spies as The Queen
- Bright Young Things as Lady Brown
- Blackball as Bridget
- I'll Be There as Dr. Bridget
- The Virgin of Liverpool as Sylvia Conlon
2001
- Another Life as Ethel Graydon
2000
- Chicken Run as Bunty (voice)
- Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Mrs. Cottisloe
- Rat as Conchita Flynn
1999
- David Copperfield as Mrs. Micawber
- Jack and the Beanstalk as Dilly (voice)
1998
- Shakespeare in Love as Nurse
1997
- Midsomer Murders as Christine Cooper
- The Ugly Duckling as Scruffy (voice)
- Remember Me? as Lorna
1996
- Twelfth Night as Maria
- The Snow Queen's Revenge as Elspeth / Rowena (voice)
- The Adventures of Toad as Voice
1995
- Sense and Sensibility as Charlotte Jennings Palmer
- Look at the State We're In! as Councillor Johnson
- Citizen X as Mrs. Burakov
- Is It Legal?
- The Snow Queen as Ivy / Angorra
- The Adventures of Mole as Voice
- The Wind in the Willows as Mother Squirrel
- The Pen
1994
- Deadly Advice as Beth Greenwood
- Mole's Christmas as (voices)
1993
- Much Ado About Nothing as Margaret
- Frank Stubbs Promotes as Susan
- If You See God, Tell Him as Muriel Spry
- Don't Leave Me This Way as Bridget Bennet
1992
- Peter's Friends as Mary Charleston
- A Masculine Ending as Bridget Bennet
- Roots as Jenny Beales
1991
- Performance as Jenny Beales
- They Never Slept as The Producer
1990
- Up the Garden Path
- Yellowbacks as Cheryl Newman
- Antonia and Jane as Jane Hartman
- The Englishman's Wife as Stephanie
1989
- Tales from the Crypt as Sarah
- A Bit of Fry & Laurie
- The Heat of the Day as Louie
1988
- Thompson as Self
1987
- The Ruth Rendell Mysteries as Polly Flinders
- Comrades as Betsy Loveless
1986
- The Singing Detective as Staff Nurse White
- Ladies in Charge as Edith
1985
- Screen Two as The Producer
1983
- Natural World as Narrator
1982
- Easy Money as Mary Price
1974
- Playhouse as Mary Price
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee