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).

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Known For

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale 2025 ★ 7.0
Downton Abbey: A New Era 2022 ★ 7.2
Operation Mincemeat 2022 ★ 6.5
After Life 2019 ★ 7.9
Downton Abbey 2019 ★ 7.1
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society 2018 ★ 7.4
The BFG 2016 ★ 6.3
Downton Abbey 2010 ★ 8.1
The Passion 2008 ★ 5.3
Five Days 2007 ★ 5.8
Doctor Who 2005 ★ 7.6
Pride & Prejudice 2005 ★ 8.1
Match Point 2005 ★ 7.4
Agatha Christie's Marple 2004 ★ 7.8
Shaun of the Dead 2004 ★ 7.5
Comedy Connections 2003 ★ 6.3
Calendar Girls 2003 ★ 6.5
Wives and Daughters 1999 ★ 7.3
Kavanagh Q.C. 1995 ★ 7.3
The Borrowers 1992 ★ 6.7
Performance 1991 ★ 6.3
Country Matters 1972 ★ 4.6
Play for Today 1970 ★ 6.6
BBC Play of the Month 1965 ★ 5.3