Editing Penelope Wilton

{{Short description|English actress (born 1946)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = [[Dame]]
| name               = Penelope Wilton
| honorific_suffix   = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DBE}}
| image              = Penelope Wilton 2013.jpg
| caption            = Wilton in 2013
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1946|6|3|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]], England
| death_date         = 
| alma_mater         = [[Drama Centre London]]
| occupation         = Actress
| years_active       = 1969–present
| spouse             = {{ubl
| {{marriage|[[Daniel Massey (actor)|Daniel Massey]]|1975|1984|reason=divorced}}
| {{marriage|[[Ian Holm|Sir Ian Holm]]|1991|2001|reason=divorced}}
}}
| children           = 1
| relatives          = [[Linden Travers]] (aunt) <br> [[Bill Travers]] (uncle) <br> [[Angela Morant]] (cousin) <br> [[Richard Morant]] (cousin)
}}

'''Dame Penelope Alice Wilton''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DBE}} (born 3 June 1946) is an English actress. She was formerly married to fellow actor [[Ian Holm|Sir Ian Holm]] and, as she has not remarried, retains her married style of '''Lady Holm'''.<ref name="Debretts2014">{{cite book |last1=Debrett's |editor1-last=Wyse |editor1-first=Elizabeth |editor2-last=Bryant |editor2-first=Jo |editor3-last=Noel |editor3-first=Celestria |editor4-last=Kidd |editor4-first=Charles |editor5-last=Alexander |editor5-first=Davina |editor3-link=Celestria Noel |editor5-link=Davina Alexander |title=Debrett's Handbook British Style, Correct Form, Modern Manners |date=16 October 2014 |publisher=[[Debrett's]] |location=[[Charles Street, Mayfair]] |isbn=9780992934811 |pages=54 |edition=2014 |url=https://archive.org/details/debrettshandbook0000unse/mode/2up |access-date=22 February 2025 |language=en |chapter=Formal Address - Knights (Widow and Former Wife of a Knight) |quote=She is addressed as the wife of a knight, provided that she does not remarry, when she will take her style from her present husband.}}</ref>

Wilton is known for starring opposite [[Richard Briers]] in the [[BBC]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Ever Decreasing Circles]]'' (1984–1989), playing Homily in ''[[The Borrowers (miniseries)|The Borrowers]]'' (1992) and ''[[The Return of the Borrowers]]'' (1993), and her role as the widowed Isobel Crawley in the [[ITV (TV network)|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|Ricky Gervais']] [[Netflix]] dark comedy ''[[After Life (TV series)|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 (play)|The Secret Rapture]]'' (1988), ''[[The Deep Blue Sea (play)|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 (film)|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 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'' (2005), ''[[The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]'' (2012), ''[[The Girl (2012 TV film)|The Girl]]'' (2012), ''[[The BFG (2016 film)|The BFG]]'' (2016) and ''[[The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (film)|The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry]]'' (2023).

==Early life and background==
Wilton was born in [[Scarborough, North Yorkshire|Scarborough]], [[North Riding of Yorkshire]], the second of three daughters of [[Cliff Wilton]], a [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]-educated businessman and barrister who had played [[rugby union]] on the amateur and provincial level, going on to be an administrator in the sport, and Alice Linda Travers, a tap dancer and former actress.<Ref> Leviathan, the Business Who's who- A Biographical Dictionary of Chairmen, Chief Executives and Managing Directors of British-registered Companies, ed. Ruth Dinning, Leviathan House, 1972, p. 398</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Powell |first=Lucy |date=9 June 2008 |title=Penelope Wilton, the winner of discontent |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/penelope-wilton-the-winner-of-discontent-pxdpk97ftfh |work=[[The Times]] |location=London, UK |access-date=30 November 2018 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Billen |first=Andrew |date=26 April 2000 |title=Time for Penelope to soar |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/time-for-penelope-to-soar-6311750.html |work=Evening Standard |location=London, UK |access-date=30 November 2018}}</ref><ref name=csmfms>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.arts.ac.uk/csm/2015/04/14/acting-alumni-win-big-at-olivier-awards|title=Acting Alumni Win Big at Olivier Awards|publisher=Csm.arts.ac.uk|access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite ODNB |id=69552 |title=Massey, Daniel Raymond |first=Michael |last=Billington |date=8 January 2015}}</ref> 

She is a niece of actors [[Bill Travers]] and [[Linden Travers]]. Her cousins include actors [[Angela Morant|Angela]] and [[Richard Morant]].<ref>[https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-143345415 "What's On: Wicked role for Penelope means it's Women Beware Wilton; Theatre (Features)"]{{dl|date=July 2021}}''Coventry Evening Telegraph'' (England)</ref> Her maternal grandparents owned theatres.<ref name=csmfms/>

She attended the [[Drama Centre London]] from 1965 to 1968.<ref name=csm>[http://blogs.arts.ac.uk/csm/2009/03/22/drama-centre-watch-this-face Drama Centre: watch this face] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302175803/http://blogs.arts.ac.uk/csm/2009/03/22/drama-centre-watch-this-face/ |date=2 March 2014 }}, blogs.arts.ac.uk, 22 March 2009; accessed 14 June 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Wheatleys of Houghton-le-Spring: The sweet success of a family|url=http://www.houghtonlespring.org.uk/articles/wheatley_confectioners_linden_travers.pdf|publisher=[[Houghton-le-Spring]] Heritage Society}}</ref>

==Career==
Wilton began her career on stage in 1969 at the [[Nottingham Playhouse]]. Her early roles included [[Cordelia (King Lear)|Cordelia]] in ''[[King Lear]]'', both in Nottingham and at [[The Old Vic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ahds.rhul.ac.uk/ahdscollections/docroot/shakespeare/performancedetails.do?performanceid=11405|work=Designing Shakespeare Collection – Performance Details|title=Performance Details – King Lear|access-date=8 June 2016}}</ref>

She made her [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut in March 1971 when she played Araminta in the original Broadway production of ''[[The Philanthropist (play)|The Philanthropist]]'', and made her [[West End (theatre)|West End]] debut in August 1971 opposite Sir [[Ralph Richardson]] in the [[John Osborne]] play ''West of Suez'' at the [[Cambridge Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/interview-penelope-wilton|work=TimeOut London|title=Interview: Penelope Wilton|date=28 April 2011|access-date=8 June 2016}}</ref> She had previously appeared in both plays at the [[Royal Court Theatre]]. She played Ruth in the original 1974 London stage production of [[Alan Ayckbourn]]'s ''[[The Norman Conquests|Norman Conquests]]'' trilogy, initially as understudy for [[Bridget Turner]].

Her television acting career began in 1972, playing Vivie Warren in the BBC2's adaptation of ''[[Mrs. Warren's Profession]]'' opposite [[Coral Browne]] in the title role and [[Robert Powell]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/fce706d308d34b28935c4c64df0c7666|title=Mrs Warren's Profession|date=28 September 1972|issue=2551|pages=35|via=BBC Genome}}</ref> The production was repeated as part of the ''[[Play of the Month]]'' series in 1974 on BBC1.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/66c1ecd4a77a4700ace420bc4b92aad1|title=Play of the Month: Mrs Warren's Profession|date=18 April 1974|issue=2632|pages=23|via=BBC Genome}}</ref> In 1994, Wilton portrayed Browne in a radio adaptation of ''[[An Englishman Abroad]]'' for the [[BBC World Service]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/fd26d25141f7ce8ae0307019b46566de|title=Play of the Week: An Englishman Abroad|date=27 October 1994|issue=3694|pages=115|via=BBC Genome}}</ref> and repeated on various BBC radio formats since.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/cd8f29bf49f65c512c53fc9aeeabe047|title=An Englishman Abroad|date=15 September 2005|issue=4251|pages=143|via=BBC Genome}}</ref> 

Following the broadcast of ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'', Wilton then had several major TV roles, including two of the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] productions (as [[Desdemona]] in ''[[Othello]]'' and [[Regan (King Lear)|Regan]] in ''[[King Lear]]'' ).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0423xc1|title=Early TV appearances: Penelope Wilton and Brenda Blethyn – King Lear (BBC, 1982), Shakespeare Lives|website=BBC|date=27 July 2016 |access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref>

Wilton's film career includes roles in ''[[The French Lieutenant's Woman (film)|The French Lieutenant's Woman]]'' (1981), ''[[Cry Freedom]]'' (1987), ''[[Iris (2001 film)|Iris]]'' (2001), ''[[Calendar Girls]]'' (2003) and ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]'' (2004), [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]'' (2005), [[Woody Allen]]'s ''[[Match Point]]'' (2005), and in ''[[The History Boys (film)|The History Boys]]'' (2006).{{cn|date=December 2022}}

She did not garner fame until she appeared with [[Richard Briers]] in the 1984 BBC situation comedy, ''[[Ever Decreasing Circles]]'', which ran for five years. She played Ann, long suffering wife of Martin (Briers), an obsessive and pedantic "do-gooder". In 2005, Wilton guest starred as [[Harriet Jones]] for two episodes in the BBC's revival of the popular TV [[Science fiction on television|science-fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who#2005 revival|Doctor Who]]''. This guest role was written especially for her by the programme's chief writer and executive producer [[Russell T. Davies]], with whom she had worked on ''[[Bob and Rose]]'' ([[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], 2001). The character of Jones returned as Prime Minister in the ''Doctor Who'' 2005 Christmas special "[[The Christmas Invasion]]". In the first part of the 2008 series finale, "[[The Stolen Earth]]", she made a final appearance, now as the former Prime Minister who sacrifices herself by extermination by the [[Daleks]] so that [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]]'s companions can contact him.{{cn|date=December 2022}}
[[File:Penelope Wilton & Jim Carter.jpg|thumb|Wilton with ''[[Downton Abbey]]'' co-star [[Jim Carter (actor)|Jim Carter]], 2013]]
Wilton appeared on television as Barbara Poole, the mother of a missing woman, in the BBC television drama series ''[[Five Days (TV series)|Five Days]]'' in 2005; and in ITV's drama ''[[Half Broken Things]]'' (October 2007) and the BBC production of ''The Passion'' (Easter 2008). Beginning in 2010, she appeared as [[List of Downton Abbey characters#Isobel Crawley|Isobel Crawley]] in all six seasons of the hit period drama ''[[Downton Abbey]]''. She was the castaway on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' in April 2008. In December 2012 and February 2013, she was the narrator in Lin Coghlan's dramatisation of [[Elizabeth Jane Howard]]'s ''The Cazalets'', broadcast on BBC Radio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s09jz|title=Episode 1, Confusion, The Cazalets – BBC Radio 4|website=BBC|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Between 1975 and 1984, Wilton was married to actor [[Daniel Massey (actor)|Daniel Massey]]. They had a daughter, Alice, born in 1977.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2001/sep/30/features.review27|first=Kate|last=Kellaway|title=A study in emotion |newspaper=The Observer|date=30 September 2001|access-date=25 August 2015}}</ref> Before that, they had a stillborn son.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/entertainment/celebrities/penelope-wilton|first=Nina|last=Myskow|author-link=Nina Myskow|work=Saga magazine|title=Penelope Wilton: a woman of substance|date=30 January 2015}}</ref>

In 1991, Wilton married actor [[Ian Holm]]. In 1992, they appeared together as Pod and Homily in the [[BBC]]'s adaptation of ''[[The Borrowers (TV miniseries)|The Borrowers]]''. A year later, they appeared together in a follow-up ''[[The Return of the Borrowers]]''. In 1998, Ian Holm was knighted and Wilton became Lady Holm. They divorced in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/3465247/Penelope-Wilton-an-actress-who-epitomises-all-things-quintessentially-English.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/3465247/Penelope-Wilton-an-actress-who-epitomises-all-things-quintessentially-English.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|author=Olga Craig|title=Penelope Wilton: an actress who epitomises all things quintessentially English |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=15 November 2008|access-date=21 November 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Honours==
Wilton was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2004 New Year Honours]] and was elevated to become a [[Knight Commander|Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE) in the [[2016 Birthday Honours]],<ref name=gazette>{{London Gazette|issue=61608 |supp=y|page=B8|date=11 June 2016}}</ref> both for services to drama.

==Awards and recognition==
In 2012, Wilton received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hull Scarborough Campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/hull/docs/annual_report_2011_12_final|title=Annual Report 2011/12|access-date=12 December 2017}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Theatre
!Nominated work
!Result
|-
| rowspan="2" |1981
|[[Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a Revival]]
|''[[Man and Superman]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Critics' Circle Theatre Award|Critics' Circle Award for Best Actress]]
|''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|1988
|[[Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a New Play]]
|''[[The Secret Rapture (play)|The Secret Rapture]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|1993
|Critics' Circle Award for Best Actress
|rowspan=2|''[[The Deep Blue Sea (play)|The Deep Blue Sea]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|1994
|[[Olivier Award for Best Actress]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|2001
|[[Evening Standard Theatre Awards|Evening Standard Award for Best Actress]]
|''[[The Little Foxes]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |2008
|Olivier Award for Best Actress
|''[[John Gabriel Borkman]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|Evening Standard Award for Best Actress
|rowspan=2|''[[The Chalk Garden]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|2009
|Olivier Award for Best Actress
|{{nom}}
|-
|2015
|Olivier Award for Best Actress
|''[[Taken at Midnight]]''
|{{won}}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Award
!Film / Television
!Result
|-
| rowspan="3" |2012
|[[Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble]]
| rowspan="2" |''[[The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]]
|{{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4" |[[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series]]
| rowspan="4" |''[[Downton Abbey]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|2013
|{{nom}}
|-
|2014
|{{won}}
|-
|2015
|{{won}}
|}

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable2| Notes
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Joseph Andrews (film)|Joseph Andrews]]''
| Mrs. Wilson
|
|-
| 1981
| ''[[The French Lieutenant's Woman (film)|The French Lieutenant's Woman]]''
| Sonia
| 
|-
| 1984
| ''Laughterhouse''
| Alice Singleton
|
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Clockwise (film)|Clockwise]]''
| Pat
|
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Cry Freedom]]''
| [[Wendy Woods]]
|
|-
| 1992
|''[[Blame It on the Bellboy]]''
| Patricia Fulford
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[The Secret Rapture (film)|The Secret Rapture]]''
| Marion French
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Carrington (film)|Carrington]]''
| [[Lady Ottoline Morrell]]
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| ''Gooseberries Don't Dance''
|
| Short film
|-
| ''[[Tom's_Midnight_Garden_(film)|Tom's Midnight Garden]]''
| Aunt Melbourne
|
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Iris (2001 film)|Iris]]''
| Janet Stone
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Calendar Girls]]''
| Ruth
|
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]''
| Barbara
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2005
| ''[[Match Point (film)|Match Point]]''
| Eleanor Hewett
|
|-
| ''[[Pride & Prejudice (2005 film)|Pride & Prejudice]]''
| Mrs. Gardiner
|
|-
| 2006
| ''[[The History Boys (film)|The History Boys]]''
| Mrs. Bibby
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]''
| Jean
|
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Belle (2013 film)|Belle]]''
| Lady Mary Murray
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel]]''
| Jean
|
|-
| 2016
| ''[[The BFG (2016 film)|The BFG]]''
| The Queen
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Zoo (2017 film)|Zoo]]''
| Denise Austin
| 
|-
| 2018
| ''[[The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (film)|The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society]]''
| Amelia Maugery
| 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| ''[[Downton Abbey (film)|Downton Abbey]]''
| [[List of characters in Downton Abbey#Isobel Crawley|Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton]]
| 
|-
| ''[[Eternal Beauty]]''
| Vivian
|
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Summerland (2020 film)|Summerland]]''
| Older Alice
|
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Operation Mincemeat (film)|Operation Mincemeat]]'' 
| Hester Leggett
| 
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Downton Abbey: A New Era]]''
| [[List of characters in Downton Abbey#Isobel Crawley|Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton]]
|
|-
| 2023
| ''[[The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (film)|The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry]]'' 
| Maureen
|
|-
| 2025
| ''[[Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale]]''
| [[List of characters in Downton Abbey#Isobel Crawley|Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton]]
| Post-production
|-
| TBA
| ''[[Fing]]''
| {{TBA}}
| Filming
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1972
| ''Thirty-Minute Theatre''
|
| TV series (1 episode: "An Affair of Honour")
|-
| ''Country Matters''
| Rachel Sullens
| TV series (1 episode: "The Sullens Sisters")
|-
| ''[[Play of the Month]]'': ''[[Mrs. Warren's Profession]]'' (BBC)
| Vivie Warren
| TV drama ([[George Bernard Shaw|G. B. Shaw]])
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1973
| ''The Pearcross Girls''
| Anna Pearcross/Helen Charlesworth<br>Julia Pearcross/Lottie Merchant
| TV series (4 episodes)
|-
| ''The Song of Songs''
| Lilli Czepanek
| TV drama
|-
| 1975
|''[[Play of the Month]]'': ''[[King Lear]]''
| Regan
| Shakespeare, d. [[Jonathan Miller]]
|-
| 1976
| ''[[The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd]]''
|
| TV drama
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1977
| [[The Norman Conquests|''The Norman Conquests: Living Together'']]
| Annie
| TV drama
|-
| [[The Norman Conquests|''The Norman Conquests: Round and Round the Garden'']]
| Annie
| TV drama
|-
| [[The Norman Conquests|''The Norman Conquests: Table Manners'']]
| Annie
| TV drama
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Play for Today]]''
| Helen/Virginia Carlion
| TV series (2 episodes: 1980–1981)
|-
| 1981
| [[Othello (1981 TV film)|''Othello'']]
| [[Desdemona]]
| Shakespeare (d. Jonathan Miller)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1982
| ''The Tale of Beatrix Potter''
| [[Beatrix Potter]]
| TV drama
|-
| ''[[King Lear]]''
| [[Regan (King Lear)|Regan]]
| Shakespeare (d. Jonathan Miller)
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Ever Decreasing Circles]]''
| Ann Bryce
| TV series (27 episodes: 1984–1989)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1986
| ''[[C.A.T.S. Eyes]]''
| Angela Lane
| TV series (1 episode: "Good as New")
|-
| ''[[The Monocled Mutineer]]''
| [[Lady Angela Forbes]]
| TV series (2 episodes)
|-
| 1990
| ''4 Play''
| Julia
| TV series (1 episode: "Madly in Love")
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| ''[[Screaming (TV series)|Screaming]]''
| Beatrice
| TV series
|-
| [[The Borrowers (TV miniseries)|''The Borrowers'']]
| Homily
| TV series
|-
| 1993
| ''[[The Return of the Borrowers]]''
| Homily
| TV series
|-
| 1994
| ''Performance: The Deep Blue Sea''
| Hester Collyer
| TV series (2 episodes: 1994–1995
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1998
| ''This Could Be the Last Time''
| Marjorie
| [[Television film]]
|-
| [[Talking Heads (British TV series)|''Talking Heads 2'']]
| Rosemary
| TV miniseries (1 episode: "Nights in the Gardens of Spain")
|-
| [[Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998 film)|''Alice Through the Looking Glass'']]
| White Queen
| TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| ''[[Kavanagh QC]]''
| Barbara Watkins
| TV series (1 episode: "Time of Need")
|-
| [[Wives and Daughters (1999 TV series)|''Wives and Daughters'']]
| Mrs. Hamley
| TV miniseries (2 episodes)
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2000
| ''[[Beckett on Film#Rockaby|Rockaby]]''
|
| TV short
|-
| ''[[Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings]]''
| Mrs Cratchitt
| ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' sketch
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2001
| ''[[The Whistle-Blower (TV series)|The Whistle-Blower]]''
| Heather Graham
| TV film
|-
| ''[[Victoria & Albert (TV serial)|Victoria & Albert]]''
| [[Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld|Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent]]
| TV film
|-
| ''[[Bob and Rose|Bob & Rose]]''
| Monica Gossage
| TV series (3 episodes)
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Lucky Jim (2003 film)|Lucky Jim]]''
| Celia Welch
| TV film
|-
| 2005
| ''Falling''
| Daisy Langrish
| TV film
|-
| 2005, 2008
| ''[[Doctor Who]]''
| [[Harriet Jones]]
| TV series; 4 episodes: ''[[Aliens of London]], [[World War Three (Doctor Who)|World War Three]], [[The Christmas Invasion]] and [[The Stolen Earth]]''
|-
| 2006
| ''Celebration''
| Julie
| TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007
| ''[[Five Days (TV series)|Five Days]]''
| Barbara Poole
| TV series (4 episodes) <br> Nominated: RTS Award&nbsp;– Best Actor
|-
| ''[[Half-Broken Things#Film adaptation|Half-Broken Things]]''
| Jean
| TV film
|-
| 2008
| [[The Passion (TV serial)|''The Passion'']]
| [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]]
| TV miniseries
|-
| 2009
| ''Margot''
| B.Q.
| TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| [[Agatha Christie's Marple|''Marple: They Do It with Mirrors'']]
| Carrie Louise Serrocold
| TV film
|-
| ''[[My Family]]''
| Rosemary Matthews
| TV series (1 episode: "Wheelie Ben")
|-
| 2010–2015
| ''[[Downton Abbey]]''
| [[List of Downton Abbey characters|Isobel Crawley (Baroness Merton)]]
| TV series
|-
| 2011
| ''[[South Riding (2011 TV series)|South Riding]]''
| Mrs. Beddows
| TV series (3 episodes)
|-
| 2012
| ''[[The Girl (2012 TV film)|The Girl]]''
| Peggy Robertson
| TV film
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Brief Encounters (TV series)|Brief Encounters]]''
| Pauline Spake
| TV series (6 episodes)
|-
| 2019–2022
| ''[[After Life (TV series)|After Life]]''
| Anne
| TV series (3 series)
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Murder is Easy (TV series)|Murder is Easy]]''
| Miss Pinkerton
| Two-part drama<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/murder-is-easy-casting |title= Casting revealed for Murder is Easy, based on the classic mystery by Agatha Christie|website=bbc.co.uk/mediacentre|date=10 July 2023|access-date=28 July 2023}}</ref>
|-
| 2024
| ''[[Dead Hot]]''
| Francine
| TV series (6 episodes)
|}

==Stage==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Venue
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1969
| ''[[King Lear]]''
| Cordelia
| [[Nottingham Playhouse]]/[[The Old Vic]], London (1970)
|-
| ''The Dandy Lion''
|
| Nottingham Playhouse
|-
| ''[[The Hostage (play)|The Hostage]]''
|
| Nottingham Playhouse
|-
| 1970
| ''The Philanthropist''
| Araminta
| Royal Court Theatre, London/[[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]], [[New York City]] (1971)
|-
| 1971
| ''West of Suez''
| Mary
| [[Royal Court Theatre]]/[[Cambridge Theatre]], London
|-
| 1972
| ''The Great Exhibition''
| Maud
| Hampstead Theatre Club, London
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1973
| ''The Director of the Opera''
| Sophia
| [[Royal Court Theatre]]
|-
| ''[[The Seagull]]''
| Masha
| [[Chichester Festival Theatre]]
|-
| ''[[Uncle Vanya]]''
| Sofia Alexandrovna
| [[Bristol Old Vic|Bristol Old Vic - Theatre Royal]]
|-
| ''[[Plunder]]''
| Joan Hewlett
| [[Bristol Old Vic|Bristol Old Vic - Theatre Royal]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1974
| ''Something's Burning''
| Dikson
| [[Mermaid Theatre]], London
|-
| ''The Norman Conquests''
| Ruth
| [[Greenwich Theatre]], London
|-
| ''Bloomsbury''
| Dora Carrington
| [[Phoenix Theatre (London)|Phoenix Theatre]], London
|-
| 1975
| ''Measure For Measure''
| Isabella
| [[Greenwich Theatre]]
|-
| 1976
| ''"Play," Play and Others''
| Second woman
| Royal Court Theatre
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1978
| ''Plunder''
| Prudence Malone
| [[National Theatre Company]], [[Lyttelton Theatre]], London
|-
| ''The Philanderer''
| Julia Craven
| National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre
|-
| ''[[Betrayal (play)|Betrayal]]''
| Emma
| National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre
|-
| 1979
| ''Tishoo''
| Barbara
| [[Wyndham's Theatre]], London
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| ''Man and Superman''
| Ann Whitefield and Dona Ana
| National Theatre Company, [[Olivier Theatre]], London
|-
| ''[[Much Ado about Nothing]]''
| [[Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)|Beatrice]]
| National Theatre Company, Olivier Theatre
|-
| 1982
| ''[[Major Barbara]]''
| Barbara Undershaft
| National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1988
| ''The Secret Rapture''
| Marion French
| National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre
|-
| ''[[Andromache (play)|Andromache]]''
| Hermione
| [[The Old Vic]]
|-
| 1990
| ''Piano''
|
| National Theatre Company, [[Cottesloe Theatre]], London
|-
| 1993
| ''[[The Deep Blue Sea (play)|The Deep Blue Sea]]''
| Hester Collyer
| [[Almeida Theatre]], London
|-
| 1999
| ''A Kind of Alaska, the Collection, and the Lover''
| Deborah
| [[Donmar Warehouse]], London
|-
| 2000
| ''The Seagull''
| Arkadina
| [[Barbican Theatre]], London
|-
| 2001
| ''The Little Foxes''
| Regina
| Donmar Warehouse
|-
| 2002
| ''Afterplay''
| Sonya
| [[Gielgud Theatre]]/[[Gate Theatre]], Dublin
|-
| 2005
| ''[[The House of Bernarda Alba]]''
| Bernada
| National Theatre Company, Lyttelton Theatre
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| ''[[Eh Joe]]''
| Female voice
| Gate Theatre, Dublin/[[Duke of York's Theatre]], London
|-
| ''Women Beware Women''
| Livia
| [[Swan Theatre (Stratford)|Swan Theatre]], Stratford
|-
| 2007
| ''[[John Gabriel Borkman]]''
| Ella Rentheim
| Donmar Warehouse
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2008
| ''[[The Chalk Garden]]''
| Miss Madrigal
| Donmar Warehouse
|-
| ''The Family Reunion''
| Agatha
| Donmar Warehouse
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Hamlet]]''
| Gertrude
| [[Wyndham's Theatre]]
|-
| 2011
| ''[[A Delicate Balance (play)|A Delicate Balance]]''
| Agnes
| Almeida Theatre
|-
| 2014–2015
| ''[[Taken at Midnight]]''
| Irmgard Litten
| [[Chichester Festival Theatre|Minerva Theatre]], Chichester/[[Theatre Royal Haymarket]], London
|-
| 2018
| ''Fanny and Alexander''
| Helena Ekdahl
| [[The Old Vic]]
|-
| 2019
| ''The Bay at Nice''
| Valentina Nrovka
| [[Menier Chocolate Factory]], London
|-
| 2023
| ''Backstairs Billy''
| [[Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother|Queen Mother]]
| Duke of York's Theatre
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|934362|Penelope Wilton}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* Gareth McLean, [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/oct/25/theatre.culture2 Unspoken worlds], 25 October 2007, ''[[The Guardian]]''
* [http://www.houghtonlespring.org.uk/articles/wheatley_confectioners_linden_travers.pdf Ancestry of Penelope Wilton], houghtonlespring.org.uk. Accessed 23 January 2023.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009lwnd Penelope Wilton] interview on BBC Radio 4 ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', 4 April 2008.

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Penelope Wilton
|list =
{{Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress}}
{{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress}}
{{OlivierAward PlayActress}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilton, Penelope}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century English actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses awarded damehoods]]
[[Category:Actresses from Scarborough, North Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Drama Centre London]]
[[Category:Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners]]
[[Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Massey family|Penelope Wilton]]
[[Category:Wives of knights]]