Imelda Staunton
Acting
Biography
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born January 9, 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre productions in the United Kingdom. Staunton has performed in a variety of plays and musicals in London throughout her career, winning four Laurence Olivier Awards; three for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her roles in the musicals Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy, and one for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play for her work in both A Chorus of Disapproval and The Corn is Green. Her other stage appearances include The Beggar's Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Uncle Vanya, Guys and Dolls, Entertaining Mr Sloane, and Good People. She has been nominated for 13 Olivier Awards. On film, Staunton starred in Antonia and Jane; in several supporting roles in Kenneth Branagh's comedy Peter's Friends, his adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing; Ang Lee's adaptation of Sense and Sensibility; and the costume romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love. She drew critical acclaim for her performance in the title role in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actress, in addition to being nominated for Best Actress by the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. She later gained a wider audience for her portrayal as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films The Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1. She continued supporting roles in Nanny McPhee, reunited with Leigh in Another Year, and the film continuation of Downton Abbey. She portrayed human rights activist Hefina Headon in the historical film Pride, and starred in the British comedy Finding Your Feet. She also provided voice acting roles for the films Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, and Paddington. On television, Staunton starred in the sitcoms Up the Garden Path and Is it Legal?. Her performance in My Family and Other Animals earned her a nomination for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress, while her roles in Return to Cranford and The Girl earned her BAFTA TV Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. For the latter, she was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the final two seasons of The Crown.
Born: January 9, 1956
Place of Birth: Archway, London, England, UK
Known For
Filmography
as Mrs Peggy Warren
as Isabel
as Aunt Lucy (voice)
as Bunty (voice)
as Mrs Umney (voice)
as Self
as Maud Bagshaw
as Narrator
as Sister Claire
as Irene Ruddock
as Penny
as Narrator
as Mary Bennett
as Knotgrass
as Maud Bagshaw
as Karen Edwards
as Sandra Abbott
as Sally Durant Plummer
as Aunt Lucy (voice)
as Narrator
as First Officer Simpkins
as Queen Elizabeth II
as Rose
as Enid
as Aunt Lucy (voice)
as Hefina
as Knotgrass
as Rowena Rabbit (voice)
as Shrew (voice)
as Alma Reville Hitchcock
as Spoken Quotations (voice)
as Queen Victoria (voice)
as Mrs. Lovett
as Self – Narrator (voice)
as Mrs Santa (voice)
as Maud Hill
as Dolores Umbridge
as Lynne McDermott
as Janet
as Grace Andrews
as Talking Flowers (voice)
as Sonia Teichberg
as Mary
as Rosemary Cassidy
as Mary Doonan
as Miss Pole
as Hazel Nightingale
as Self
as Naomi
as Dolores Umbridge
as Self
as Margaret Campbell
as Barge Lady
as Ambassador Cochran
as Self
as Mother
as Mrs. Blatherwick
as Mrs. Sucksby
as Interface (voice)
as Vera Drake
as Lady Brown
as Mrs. Mead
as Dr. Bridget
as Reverend Mary Truegood
as Bridget
as The Queen
as Sylvia Conlon
as Janine
as DCI Billie Dory
as Ethel Graydon
as Mrs. Cottisloe
as Conchita Flynn
as Bunty (voice)
as Mrs. Micawber
as Dilly (voice)
as Nurse
as Scruffy (voice)
as Christine Cooper
as Lorna
as Maria
as Voice
as Elspeth / Rowena (voice)
as Mother Squirrel
as Voice
as Charlotte Jennings Palmer
as Mrs. Burakov
as Ivy / Angorra
as (voices)
as Beth Greenwood
as Bridget Bennet
as Margaret
as Jenny Beales
as Mary Charleston
as Bridget Bennet
as Jenny Beales
as The Producer
as Cheryl Newman
as Jane Hartman
as Stephanie
as Sarah
as Louie
as Cheryl Newman
as Betsy Loveless
as Polly Flinders
as Staff Nurse White
as Edith
as The Producer
as Narrator
as Mary Price
as Mary Price
as Self
as Self - Nominee