Penelope Wilton

June 3, 1946 (age 80) Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK
IMDb

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.

Their titles like Shaun of the Dead, Pride & Prejudice, and Match Point - their biggest roles first.
Last updated: June 14, 2026

43 titles
Community avg: 8.32 /10
  • 1
    1
    2004April 2004 by Edgar Wright
    Horror, Comedy
    Horror, Comedy
    8.47 Excellent++
  • 2
    2
    2005September 2005 by Joe Wright
    Drama, Romance
    Drama, Romance
    9.03 Masterpiece
  • 3
    3
    2005October 2005 by Woody Allen
    Drama, Romance, Thriller
    Drama, Romance, Thriller
    8.28 Excellent+
  • 4
    4
    2016June 2016 by Steven Spielberg
    Adventure, Family, Fantasy
    Adventure, Family, Fantasy
    7.24 Good+
  • 5
    5
    2012February 2012 by John Madden
    Drama, Comedy
    Drama, Comedy
    7.88 Excellent-
  • 6
    6
    2018April 2018 by Mike Newell
    Romance, Drama, History
    Romance, Drama, History
    8.31 Excellent++
  • 7
    7
    2022April 2022 by John Madden
    War, History, Drama
    War, History, Drama
    7.48 Good++
  • 8
    8
    2010–2015 by Julian Fellowes
    Drama
    Drama
    9.01 Masterpiece
  • 9
    9
    2015February 2015 by John Madden
    Drama, Comedy
    Drama, Comedy
    7.40 Good++
  • 10
    10
    2019September 2019 by Michael Engler
    Drama, Romance, History
    Drama, Romance, History
    8.06 Excellent
  • 11
    11
    2013May 2013 by Amma Asante
    Drama
    Drama
    8.01 Excellent
  • 12
    12
    2019–2022 by Ricky Gervais
    Comedy, Drama
    Comedy, Drama
    8.79 Masterpiece-
  • 13
    13
    2022April 2022 by Simon Curtis
    Drama, Romance
    Drama, Romance
    8.11 Excellent+
  • 14
    14
    1986March 1986 by Christopher Morahan
    Comedy
    Comedy
    7.31 Good++
  • 15
    15
    1987November 1987 by Richard Attenborough
    Drama
    Drama
    7.94 Excellent
  • 16
    16
    2020July 2020 by Jessica Swale
    Drama, Romance
    Drama, Romance
    8.37 Excellent++
  • 17
    17
    2003September 2003 by Nigel Cole
    Drama, Comedy
    Drama, Comedy
    7.52 Excellent--
  • 18
    18
    2023April 2023 by Hettie Macdonald
    Drama
    Drama
    7.63 Excellent--
  • 19
    19
    1981August 1981 by Karel Reisz
    Drama, Romance, History
    Drama, Romance, History
    7.48 Good++
  • 20
    20
    2001December 2001 by Richard Eyre
    Drama, Romance
    Drama, Romance
    7.44 Good++
  • 21
    21
    2025September 2025 by Simon Curtis
    Drama, Romance
    Drama, Romance
    7.98 Excellent
  • 22
    22
    2006October 2006 by Nicholas Hytner
    Drama
    Drama
    7.60 Excellent--
  • 23
    23
    2012October 2012 by Julian Jarrold
    Drama
    Drama
    7.32 Good++
  • 24
    24
    Zoo
    2018June 2018 by Colin McIvor
    Family, War, History
    Family, War, History
    7.68 Excellent--
  • 25
    25
    2020August 2020 by Craig Roberts
    Comedy, Drama
    Comedy, Drama
    7.44 Good++
  • 26
    26
    1998December 1998 by John Henderson
    Family, Fantasy
    Family, Fantasy
    6.89 Good-
  • 27
    27
    1995May 1995 by Christopher Hampton
    History, Drama, Romance
    History, Drama, Romance
    7.44 Good++
  • 28
    28
    2007–2010
    Crime, Drama
    Crime, Drama
    7.39 Good++
  • 29
    29
    2023 by Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre
    Mystery, Crime
    Mystery, Crime
    7.15 Good+
  • 30
    30
    1984–1987 by John Esmonde
    Comedy
    Comedy
    7.99 Excellent
  • 31
    31
    2016 by Oriane Messina
    Drama
    Drama
    7.79 Excellent-
  • 32
    32
    2011 by Andrew Davies
    Drama
    Drama
    7.86 Excellent-
  • 33
    33
    2008 by Michael Offer
    Drama
    Drama
    7.55 Excellent--
  • 34
    34
    1992–1993
    Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
    Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Action & Adventure
    7.83 Excellent-
  • 35
    35
    2001August 2001 by John Erman
    Romance, Drama
    Romance, Drama
    8.00 Excellent
  • 36
    36
    1999July 1999 by Willard Carroll
    Family, Mystery, Adventure
    Family, Mystery, Adventure
    7.62 Excellent--
  • 37
    37
    1993
    Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    7.86 Excellent-
  • 38
    38
    2001April 2001 by Ben Bolt
    Drama, Thriller, Crime
    Drama, Thriller, Crime
    7.95 Excellent
  • 39
    39
    2024 by Charlotte Coben
    Mystery, Drama, Comedy
    Mystery, Drama, Comedy
    7.95 Excellent
  • 40
    40
    1977
    no additional tags
    no additional tags
    7.84 Excellent-
  • 41
    41
    1999January 1999 by Tony Palmer
    History, Music, Drama
    History, Music, Drama
    Needs more reviews
  • 42
    42
    1992
    no additional tags
    no additional tags
    Needs more reviews
  • 43
    43
    2026January 2026 by Jeffrey Walker
    Adventure, Fantasy
    Adventure, Fantasy
    Needs more reviews