
Acting
Penelope Wilton
EN, ES cinema · 63 credits
Born
3 June 1946 (age 80)
Birthplace
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Also known as Penelope Alice Wilton · Penelope Winton · Dame Penelope Alice Wilton
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
Filmography

The Twelfth Night Reunion
as Self - Performer

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
as Isobel Merton

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
as Maureen Fry

Operation Mincemeat
as Hester Leggett

Downton Abbey: A New Era
as Isobel Merton

Summerland
as Older Alice

Eternal Beauty
as Vivian

Downton Abbey
as Isobel Merton

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
as Amelia Maugery

Zoo
as Denise Austin

All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
as Narrator (voice)

The BFG
as The Queen

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
as Jean Ainslie

Belle
as Lady Mary Murray

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
as Jean Ainslie

The Girl
as Peggy Robertson

Margot
as B.Q.

Celebration
as Julie

The History Boys
as Mrs. Bibby

Match Point
as Eleanor Hewett

Falling
as Daisy Langrish

Pride & Prejudice
as Mrs. Gardiner

Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion
as Harriet Jones

Shaun of the Dead
as Barbara

Calendar Girls
as Ruth

Lucky Jim
as Celia Welch

More Great Comedy Moments
as Ann Bryce (archive footage)

Iris
as Janet Stone

Victoria & Albert
as Princess Mary Louise Victoria

The Whistle-Blower
as Heather Graham

Rockaby
as Old Woman

Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings
as Mrs. Cratchit

Tom's Midnight Garden
as Aunt Melbourne

The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka
as Delfina / Paulina

Alice Through the Looking Glass
as White Queen

Carrington
as Lady Ottoline Morrell

The Deep Blue Sea
as Hester Collyer

The Secret Rapture
as Marion French

Blame It on the Bellboy
as Patricia Fulford

Cry Freedom
as Wendy Woods

Clockwise
as Pat Garden

Laughterhouse
as Alice Singleton

The Tale of Beatrix Potter
as Beatrix Potter

King Lear
as Regan

Country
as Virginia Carlion

Othello
as Desdemona

Pasmore
as Helen

Joseph Andrews
as Mrs. Wilton

Able's Will
as Journalist

King Lear
as Regan

Mrs. Warren's Profession
as Vivie Warren
The Sullens Sisters
1972
The Sullens Sisters
as Rachel Sullens











