Penelope Wilton

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

87

Gender

Female

Birthday

1946-06-03 (79 years old)

Place of Birth

Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Penelope Wilton

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.

Known For

  • Doctor Who

    Doctor Who

  • Doctor Who

    Doctor Who

  • Downton Abbey

    Downton Abbey

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • Pride & Prejudice

    Pride & Prejudice

  • Celebration

    Celebration

  • After Life

    After Life

  • Performance

    Performance

  • Performance

    Performance

  • Clockwise

    Clockwise

  • Shaun of the Dead

    Shaun of the Dead

  • Laughterhouse

    Laughterhouse

  • Iris

    Iris

  • Belle

    Belle

  • An Audience with...

    An Audience with...

  • The Girl

    The Girl

  • Zoo

    Zoo

  • King Lear

    King Lear

  • Othello

    Othello

  • Carrington

    Carrington

  • Pasmore

    Pasmore

  • Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

    Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

  • Rockaby

    Rockaby

  • Country

    Country

  • The History Boys

    The History Boys

  • C.A.T.S. Eyes

    C.A.T.S. Eyes

  • Wives and Daughters

    Wives and Daughters

  • Murder Is Easy

    Murder Is Easy

  • The BFG

    The BFG

  • Kavanagh Q.C.

    Kavanagh Q.C.

  • Match Point

    Match Point

  • Downton Abbey: A New Era

    Downton Abbey: A New Era

  • Five Days

    Five Days

  • Judi Dench: Our National Treasure

    Judi Dench: Our National Treasure

  • Falling

    Falling

  • Downton Abbey

    Downton Abbey

  • Landscape

    Landscape

  • Able's Will

    Able's Will

  • Tom's Midnight Garden

    Tom's Midnight Garden

  • Operation Mincemeat

    Operation Mincemeat

  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

    The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

  • Brief Encounters

    Brief Encounters

  • The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

    The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

  • Cry Freedom

    Cry Freedom

  • The French Lieutenant's Woman

    The French Lieutenant's Woman

  • Brexit Shorts: The End

    Brexit Shorts: The End

  • The Passion

    The Passion

  • The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

    The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

  • Calendar Girls

    Calendar Girls

  • South Riding

    South Riding

  • Talking Heads

    Talking Heads

  • Comedy Connections

    Comedy Connections

  • Summerland

    Summerland

  • The Borrowers

    The Borrowers

  • Country Matters

    Country Matters

  • The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

    The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

  • Ever Decreasing Circles

    Ever Decreasing Circles

  • Bob & Rose

    Bob & Rose

  • Alice Through the Looking Glass

    Alice Through the Looking Glass

  • Dead Hot

    Dead Hot

  • Eternal Beauty

    Eternal Beauty

  • The Return of the Borrowers

    The Return of the Borrowers

  • The Tale of Beatrix Potter

    The Tale of Beatrix Potter

  • Screaming

    Screaming

  • Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale

    Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale

  • Joseph Andrews

    Joseph Andrews

  • Margot

    Margot

  • Blame It on the Bellboy

    Blame It on the Bellboy

  • Victoria & Albert

    Victoria & Albert

  • The Deep Blue Sea

    The Deep Blue Sea

  • King Lear

    King Lear

  • Half Broken Things

    Half Broken Things

  • The Norman Conquests

    The Norman Conquests

  • Fing!

    Fing!

  • National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage

    National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage

  • The Whistle-Blower

    The Whistle-Blower

  • Lucky Jim

    Lucky Jim

  • All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film

    All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film

  • Talking Heads 2

    Talking Heads 2

  • Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings

    Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings

  • Harold Pinter: A Celebration

    Harold Pinter: A Celebration

  • The Tale of Beatrix Potter

    The Tale of Beatrix Potter

  • Visitation

    Visitation

  • Mrs. Warren's Profession

    Mrs. Warren's Profession

  • The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka

    The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka

  • The Secret Rapture

    The Secret Rapture