Penelope Wilton
Born: 1946-06-03 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Known For: Acting
Biography
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.
Filmography
2026
2025
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale as Isobel Merton
- Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale as Self
2024
- Dead Hot as Francine
2023
- Murder Is Easy as Miss Pinkerton
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry as Maureen Fry
2022
- Remembers…
- Operation Mincemeat as Hester Leggett
- Downton Abbey: A New Era as Isobel Merton
- Judi Dench: Our National Treasure as Self
2020
- Eternal Beauty as Vivian
- Summerland as Older Alice
2019
- After Life as Anne
- Downton Abbey as Isobel Merton
2018
- The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society as Amelia Maugery
- Zoo as Denise Austin
2017
- Brexit Shorts: The End as Helen
2016
- The BFG as The Queen
- Brief Encounters as Pauline
- All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film as Narrator (voice)
2015
- The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Jean Ainslie
2013
- Belle as Lady Mary Murray
- National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage as Delia
2012
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as Jean Ainslie
- The Girl as Peggy Robertson
2011
- South Riding as Mrs Beddows
2010
- Downton Abbey as Isobel Merton
- Harold Pinter: A Celebration as Self
2009
- Margot as B.Q.
2008
- The Passion as Mary
2007
- Five Days as Barbara Poole
- Celebration as Julie
- Half Broken Things as Jean
2006
- The History Boys as Mrs. Bibby
2005
- Doctor Who
- Pride & Prejudice as Mrs. Gardiner
- Match Point as Eleanor Hewett
- Falling as Daisy Langrish
2004
- Agatha Christie's Marple as Carrie Louise Serrocold
- Shaun of the Dead as Barbara
2003
- Comedy Connections
- Calendar Girls as Ruth
- Lucky Jim as Celia Welch
2001
- Bob & Rose as Monica Gossage
- Iris as Janet Stone
- Victoria & Albert as Princess Mary Louise Victoria
- The Whistle-Blower as Heather Graham
2000
- Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Mrs. Cratchit
- Rockaby as Old Woman
1999
- Wives and Daughters as Mrs Hamley
- Tom's Midnight Garden as Aunt Melbourne
- The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka as Delfina / Paulina
1998
- Alice Through the Looking Glass as White Queen
- Talking Heads 2
1995
- Kavanagh Q.C. as Barbara Watkins
- Carrington as Lady Ottoline Morrell
- Landscape as Beth
1994
- The Deep Blue Sea as Hester Collyer
1993
- The Return of the Borrowers as Homily
- The Secret Rapture as Marion French
1992
- The Borrowers as Homily
- Screaming
- Blame It on the Bellboy as Patricia Fulford
1991
- Performance as Beth
1989
- 4 Play as Julia
1988
- Talking Heads as Rosemary
1987
- Cry Freedom as Wendy Woods
1986
- Clockwise as Pat Garden
1985
1984
- Ever Decreasing Circles
- Laughterhouse as Alice Singleton
1983
- The Tale of Beatrix Potter as Beatrix Potter
1982
- The Tale of Beatrix Potter as Beatrix Potter
- King Lear as Regan
1981
- The French Lieutenant's Woman as Sonia
- Othello as Desdemona
- Country as Virginia Carlion
1980
- Pasmore as Helen
1978
- An Audience with... as Self
1977
- Joseph Andrews as Mrs. Wilton
- The Norman Conquests as Annie
- Able's Will as Journalist
1975
- King Lear as Regan
1973
- The Song of Songs as Lilli Czepanek
- The Pearcross Girls as Anna Pearcross / Helen Charlesworth / Julia Pearcross / Lottie Merchant
1972
- Country Matters as Rachel Sullens
- Mrs. Warren's Profession as Vivie Warren
- The Sullens Sisters as Rachel Sullens
1970
- Play for Today as Virginia Carlion
1965
- BBC Play of the Month as Regan