Born 1946 (age 79) · Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK
Appears in 88 titles

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

Shaun of the Dead
7.5
Shaun of the Dead
2004
as Barbara
Pride & Prejudice
8.1
Pride & Prejudice
2005
as Mrs. Gardiner
Match Point
7.4
Match Point
2005
as Eleanor Hewett
The BFG
6.3
The BFG
2016
as The Queen
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
7.0
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
2012
as Jean Ainslie
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
Downton Abbey
7.1
Downton Abbey
2019
as Isobel Merton
Operation Mincemeat
6.5
Operation Mincemeat
2022
as Hester Leggett
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
6.4
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
2015
as Jean Ainslie
Belle
7.1
Belle
2013
as Lady Mary Murray
Downton Abbey: A New Era
7.2
Downton Abbey: A New Era
2022
as Isobel Merton
Calendar Girls
6.5
Calendar Girls
2003
as Ruth
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
7.1
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
2025
as Isobel Merton
The French Lieutenant's Woman
Cry Freedom
7.0
Cry Freedom
1987
as Wendy Woods
Summerland
7.5
Summerland
2020
as Older Alice
Clockwise
6.2
Clockwise
1986
as Pat Garden
Iris
6.4
Iris
2001
as Janet Stone
The History Boys
6.6
The History Boys
2006
as Mrs. Bibby
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
6.6
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
2023
as Maureen Fry