Penelope Wilton
Born: 3rd June 1946 (as Penelope Alice Wilton)
Episodes Broadcast: 2005, 2008
Penelope Wilton was born into an acting family: her mother, maternal
uncles and maternal grandparents had all been involved in show business.
She followed in their footsteps, attending the newly-founded Drama
Centre London from 1965 to 1968. Wilton found stage success soon after
graduating; she made both her Broadway and West End debuts during 1971,
with The Philanthropists and West of Suez, respectively.
In 1974, she met actor Daniel Massey when they appeared together in
Phoenix. They married the following year, and daughter Alice was
born in 1977. Meanwhile, Wilton's television career had begun with a
1970 installment of Thirty-Minute Theatre. Other Seventies
credits included The Pearcross Girls, The Song of Songs
and The Norman Conquests, for which Wilton reprised her role from
the original stage production. At the cinema, she could initially be
seen in the 1977 Ann-Margret comedy Joseph Andrews.
Wilton's first prominent television work came opposite Richard Briers in
the sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles. It ran for four seasons
following its debut in 1984, and wrapped up with a special in 1989. She
could also be seen in shows like CATS Eyes and The Monocled
Mutineer, as well as two installments of the BBC Shakespeare
project: Othello and King Lear. Wilton's movie appearances
during the Eighties included The French Lieutenant's Woman and
Cry Freedom. Having divorced Massey in 1984, she married actor
Ian Holm in 1991, and they appeared together in The Borrowers
soon afterwards. Also amongst her Nineties credits were
Screaming, Performance and Wives And Daughters on
the small screen, plus Blame It On The Bellboy and
Carrington on the silver screen.
Russell T Davies wrote the role of Harriet Jones
especially for Wilton
Wilton's marriage to Holm ended in 2001, the same year that she appeared
in Bob & Rose for Russell T Davies. As such, when Davies was
setting up the revived Doctor Who a few years later, he decided
to write the role of Harriet Jones especially for Wilton. She first
appeared as the dogged back-bench MP in 2005's Aliens Of London / World War
Three, assisting Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston against the
Slitheen. Harriet's story took a dark turn when she returned later that
year for The Christmas
Invasion, which introduced David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor.
Wilton then made a final, redemptive cameo appearance as Harriet in
2008's The Stolen Earth.
Meanwhile, she could also be seen in shows like Five Days and
Agatha Christie's Marple. Wilton's movie profile increased
markedly following the turn of the century, with credits including
Iris, Calendar Girls, Shaun Of The Dead and The
History Boys.
Wilton embarked upon her second major television project in 2015, when
she became one of the stars of Downton Abbey; its 2019 film
adaptation joined The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Belle
and The BFG amongst her movie appearances during the decade. On
television, Wilton could also be seen in programmes such as South
Riding, Brief Encounters and After Life. In 2016, her
services to drama saw Wilton become a Dame Commander of the Order of the
British Empire, having originally been made an Officer in 2004. Her
career continued into the Twenties, with the movies Summerland
and Downton Abbey 2.
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