Penelope Wilton
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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.
Known for
Credits
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
as Mrs. Gardiner
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
as Barbara
The BFG (2016)
as The Queen
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025)
as Isobel Merton
Match Point (2005)
as Eleanor Hewett
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
as Isobel Merton
Downton Abbey (2019)
as Isobel Merton
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)
as Jean Ainslie
Belle (2013)
as Lady Mary Murray
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
as Amelia Maugery
Operation Mincemeat (2022)
as Hester Leggett
Iris (2001)
as Janet Stone
Calendar Girls (2003)
as Ruth
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
as Jean Ainslie
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
as Sonia
Cry Freedom (1987)
as Wendy Woods
The Girl (2012)
as Peggy Robertson
The History Boys (2006)
as Mrs. Bibby
Summerland (2020)
as Older Alice
Eternal Beauty (2020)
as Vivian
Othello (1981)
as Desdemona
Fing! (2026)
Actor
Zoo (2018)
as Denise Austin
Blame It on the Bellboy (1992)
as Patricia Fulford
Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998)
as White Queen
Tom's Midnight Garden (1999)
as Aunt Melbourne
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023)
as Maureen Fry
Clockwise (1986)
as Pat Garden
The Deep Blue Sea (1994)
as Hester Collyer
Victoria & Albert (2001)
as Princess Mary Louise Victoria
Landscape (1995)
as Beth
Carrington (1995)
as Lady Ottoline Morrell
Rockaby (2000)
as Old Woman
Joseph Andrews (1977)
as Mrs. Wilton
The Sullens Sisters (1972)
as Rachel Sullens
King Lear (1975)
as Regan
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage (2013)
as Delia
Half Broken Things (2007)
as Jean
Mrs. Warren's Profession (1972)
as Vivie Warren
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings (2000)
as Mrs. Cratchit
Able's Will (1977)
as Journalist
Celebration (2007)
as Julie
Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale (2025)
as Self
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka (1999)
as Delfina / Paulina
Brexit Shorts: The End (2017)
as Helen
The Secret Rapture (1993)
as Marion French
Harold Pinter: A Celebration (2010)
as Self
Margot (2009)
as B.Q.
Country (1981)
as Virginia Carlion
The Whistle-Blower (2001)
as Heather Graham
Talking Heads 2 (1998)
Actor
Laughterhouse (1984)
as Alice Singleton
Judi Dench: Our National Treasure (2022)
as Self
King Lear (1982)
as Regan
Falling (2005)
as Daisy Langrish
Lucky Jim (2003)
as Celia Welch
Visitation (—)
Actor
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film (2016)
as Narrator (voice)
The Tale of Beatrix Potter (1983)
as Beatrix Potter
The Stolen Earth / Journey's End (2008)
as Harriet Jones
Doctor Who: Aliens of London & World War Three (2005)
as Harriet Jones
Pasmore (1980)
as Helen