Actor

Penelope Wilton

Acting

Career Snapshot

Explained

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Acting credits

Prolific

Very extensive acting filmography.

TMDB popularity

1.9

Low visibility

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Movies: 59Series: 28

TMDB ID: 1249

IMDb ID: nm0934362

Known for: Acting

Born: June 3, 1946

Age: 80

Place of birth: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Gender: Female

Adult content flag: No

Career span: 1965 - 2027

Years active: 63

Average TMDB rating: 6.77

Wikidata: Q544165

Also known as

Penelope Alice Wilton • Penelope Winton • Dame Penelope Alice Wilton

TMDB IMDb Wikidata

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).