Penelope Wilton

Penelope Wilton

ActingScarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK

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.

Starring Penelope

Doctor Who

Doctor Who

7.6TV
2005
Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey

8.1TV
2010
Pride & Prejudice

Pride & Prejudice

8.1Film
2005
BBC Play of the Month

BBC Play of the Month

5.0TV
1965
Play for Today

Play for Today

6.3TV
1970
After Life

After Life

7.9TV
2019
Belle

Belle

7.1Film
2013
Iris

Iris

6.4Film
2001
Zoo

Zoo

6.7Film
2018
Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead

7.5Film
2004
Othello

Othello

6.2Film
1981
The Girl

The Girl

6.1Film
2012
The BFG

The BFG

6.3Film
2016
Clockwise

Clockwise

6.2Film
1986
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

7.1Film
2025
Rockaby

Rockaby

4.8Film
2000
Murder Is Easy

Murder Is Easy

5.1TV
2023
Wives and Daughters

Wives and Daughters

7.3TV
1999
Carrington

Carrington

6.1Film
1995
Five Days

Five Days

5.8TV
2007
Match Point

Match Point

7.4Film
2005
Kavanagh Q.C.

Kavanagh Q.C.

7.0TV
1995
Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey

7.1Film
2019
The History Boys

The History Boys

6.6Film
2006
Downton Abbey: A New Era

Downton Abbey: A New Era

7.2Film
2022
Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat

6.5Film
2022
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

6.9Film
2012
Cry Freedom

Cry Freedom

7.0Film
1987
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

7.4Film
2018
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

6.6Film
2023
Brief Encounters

Brief Encounters

6.7TV
2016
The Passion

The Passion

5.3TV
2008
The French Lieutenant's Woman

The French Lieutenant's Woman

6.4Film
1981
Calendar Girls

Calendar Girls

6.5Film
2003
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

6.4Film
2015
The Borrowers

The Borrowers

6.4TV
1992
Tom's Midnight Garden

Tom's Midnight Garden

5.9Film
1999
Eternal Beauty

Eternal Beauty

6.2Film
2020
Talking Heads

Talking Heads

6.2TV
1988
Summerland

Summerland

7.5Film
2020
South Riding

South Riding

6.9TV
2011
Bob & Rose

Bob & Rose

5.8TV
2001
Alice Through the Looking Glass

Alice Through the Looking Glass

5.1Film
1998
Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews

4.8Film
1977
Blame It on the Bellboy

Blame It on the Bellboy

5.3Film
1992
Margot

Margot

5.5Film
2009
Victoria & Albert

Victoria & Albert

7.6Film
2001
Half Broken Things

Half Broken Things

6.5Film
2007
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings

Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings

6.5Film
2000