Acting
Geraldine James
EN, HU, FR, DE cinema · 73 credits
Born
6 July 1950 (age 76)
Birthplace
Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK
Geraldine James, OBE (born 6 July 1950), is an English film, television, and stage actress. Born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, she trained at the Drama Centre London and began her professional acting career in the 1970s. She gained recognition for her performances in the television drama Dummy (1977) and the miniseries The Jewel in the Crown (1984). Her performance alongside Peggy Ashcroft in She’s Been Away (1989) earned her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. Her film credits include Gandhi (1982), Calendar Girls (2003), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), and 45 Years (2015). She portrayed Mrs. Hudson in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films and Queen Mary in Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022). James is also known for her television roles in Band of Gold (1995), Utopia (2013-2014), Anne with an E (2017-2019), and Silo (2023). Her portrayal of Marilla Cuthbert in Anne with an E brought her widespread international recognition. Throughout her career, she has received four BAFTA Television Award nominations and has performed extensively in theater, including a Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice opposite Dustin Hoffman. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003 for her services to drama.
Known for
Filmography
Now & Then
as Laura
Creditors
as Tekla
Eiffel Tower: Building the Impossible
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Benediction
as Theresa Thornycroft
A Very Royal Christmas: Sandringham Secrets
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Downton Abbey
as Queen Mary
Beast
as Hilary Huntington
Megan Leavey
as Dr. Turbeville
Daphne
as Rita
Alice Through the Looking Glass
as Lady Ascot
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
as Blue Three
Robot Overlords
as Monique
45 Years
as Lena
Diana
as Oonagh Shanley-Toffolo
Dr. Easy
as Voice of Dr. Easy
Legacy
as Martha
The Genius of Marie Curie: The Woman Who Lit up the World
as Maria Skłodowska-Curie's letters read by
The Farmer's Wife
2012
The Farmer's Wife
as The Farmer's Wife
13 Steps Down
as Gwendolen Chawcer
Arthur
as Vivienne
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
as Cecilia Vanger
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
as Mrs. Hudson
Made in Dagenham
as Connie
Alice in Wonderland
as Lady Ascot
Sherlock Holmes
as Mrs. Hudson
Heist
2008
Heist
as Joanna the Concubine
Caught in a Trap
as Joyce Perkins
Northanger Abbey
as Jane Austen (voice)
Ocean Voyagers
as Narrator (voice)
The Time of Your Life
as Eileen
A Harlot's Progress
as Mother Needham
The Fever
as Ranevskaya
Calendar Girls
as Marie
Hearts of Gold
as Elizabeth Powell
Tom & Thomas
as Miss Tromp
White Teeth
as Joyce Malfen
An Angel for May
as Susan Higgins
The Hound of the Baskervilles
as Mrs. Mortimer
All Forgotten
as Mother
The Luzhin Defence
as Vera, Natalia's Mother
The Man Who Knew Too Little
as Ludmilla Kropotkin
Moll Flanders
as Edna
No Worries
as Anne O'Dwyer
Doggin' Around
as Sarah Williams
The Healer
as Dr. Mercedes Honeysett
Words Upon the Window Pane
as Mrs. Henderson
Losing Track
as Mrs. Dewey
A Doll's House
as Kristine Linde
The Bridge
as Mrs. Todd
Ex
as Alice
Prince of Shadows
as Rebeca Osorio
If Looks Could Kill
as Vendetta Galante
The Tall Guy
as Carmen
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
as Gertrude Brisket
She's Been Away
as Harriet Ambrose
Wall of Tyranny
as Krista Donner
Time and the Conways
1985
Time and the Conways
as Madge Conway
Gandhi
as Mirabehn
Chains
as Janine
Sweet William
as Pamela
Bloody Kids
as Ritchie's Wife
Hesther for Example
as Hesther
Who's Who
as Miss Hunt
The Dumb Waiter
as Sally
Dummy
as Sandra