Penelope Wilton
Acting • Born 1946-06-03
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.
Filmography
89 credits
Shaun of the Dead
Movie • 2004
Barbara
Visitation
Movie
Clockwise
Movie • 1986
Pat Garden
Iris
Movie • 2001
Janet Stone
The History Boys
Movie • 2006
Mrs. Bibby
Calendar Girls
Movie • 2003
Ruth
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Movie • 1981
Sonia
Cry Freedom
Movie • 1987
Wendy Woods
Blame It on the Bellboy
Movie • 1992
Patricia Fulford
Joseph Andrews
Movie • 1977
Mrs. Wilton
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Movie • 1998
White Queen
Carrington
Movie • 1995
Lady Ottoline Morrell
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Movie • 2012
Jean Ainslie
Laughterhouse
Movie • 1984
Alice Singleton
Tom's Midnight Garden
Movie • 1999
Aunt Melbourne
Rockaby
Movie • 2000
Old Woman
Brexit Shorts: The End
Movie • 2017
Helen
The Girl
Movie • 2012
Peggy Robertson
Landscape
Movie • 1995
Beth
Belle
Movie • 2013
Lady Mary Murray
Victoria & Albert
Movie • 2001
Princess Mary Louise Victoria
The Secret Rapture
Movie • 1993
Marion French
Match Point
Movie • 2005
Eleanor Hewett
All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film
Movie • 2016
Narrator (voice)
The Deep Blue Sea
Movie • 1994
Hester Collyer
King Lear
Movie • 1975
Regan
Country
Movie • 1981
Virginia Carlion
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Movie • 2015
Jean Ainslie
Judi Dench: Our National Treasure
Movie • 2022
Self
Talking Heads 2
Movie • 1998
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings
Movie • 2000
Mrs. Cratchit
Falling
Movie • 2005
Daisy Langrish
Celebration
Movie • 2007
Julie
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Movie • 2025
Isobel Merton
The BFG
Movie • 2016
The Queen
Lucky Jim
Movie • 2003
Celia Welch
The Whistle-Blower
Movie • 2001
Heather Graham
Half Broken Things
Movie • 2007
Jean
Margot
Movie • 2009
B.Q.
National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
Movie • 2013
Delia
Harold Pinter: A Celebration
Movie • 2010
Self
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
Movie • 2018
Amelia Maugery
Zoo
Movie • 2018
Denise Austin
Summerland
Movie • 2020
Older Alice
Eternal Beauty
Movie • 2020
Vivian
Downton Abbey
Movie • 2019
Isobel Merton
Othello
Movie • 1981
Desdemona
King Lear
Movie • 1982
Regan
Operation Mincemeat
Movie • 2022
Hester Leggett
Pride & Prejudice
Movie • 2005
Mrs. Gardiner
Mrs. Warren's Profession
Movie • 1972
Vivie Warren
Pasmore
Movie • 1980
Helen
The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka
Movie • 1999
Delfina / Paulina
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Movie • 2022
Isobel Merton
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Movie • 2023
Maureen Fry
Able's Will
Movie • 1977
Journalist
The Tale of Beatrix Potter
Movie • 1983
Beatrix Potter
Fing!
Movie • 2026
Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale
Movie • 2025
Self
The Sullens Sisters
Movie • 1972
Rachel Sullens
Ever Decreasing Circles
TV • 1984
Comedy Connections
TV • 2003
C.A.T.S. Eyes
TV • 1985
Five Days
TV • 2007
Barbara Poole
The Return of the Borrowers
TV • 1993
Homily
The Passion
TV • 2008
Mary
Screaming
TV • 1992
Downton Abbey
TV • 2010
Isobel Merton
Doctor Who
TV • 2005
The Borrowers
TV • 1992
Homily
Doctor Who
TV • 2005
Harriet Jones
Performance
TV • 1991
Beth
South Riding
TV • 2011
Mrs Beddows
Talking Heads
TV • 1988
Rosemary
Brief Encounters
TV • 2016
Pauline
Murder Is Easy
TV • 2023
Miss Pinkerton
An Audience with...
TV • 1978
Self
Kavanagh Q.C.
TV • 1995
Barbara Watkins
The Norman Conquests
TV • 1977
Annie
Wives and Daughters
TV • 1999
Mrs. Hamley
Dead Hot
TV • 2024
Francine
After Life
TV • 2019
Anne
Play for Today
TV • 1970
Virginia Carlion
The Tale of Beatrix Potter
TV • 1982
Beatrix Potter
Performance
TV • 1991
Hester Collyer
BBC Play of the Month
TV • 1965
Regan
Country Matters
TV • 1972
Rachel Sullens
Remembers…
TV • 2022
Bob & Rose
TV • 2001
Monica Gossage