Imelda Staunton
Born
January 9, 1956 (69 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Archway, London, England, UK
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 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.
Known For
National Theatre Live : Mrs. Warren's Profession
Mrs Peggy Warren
2025
Paddington in Peru
Aunt Lucy (voice)
2024
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Bunty (voice)
2023
The Canterville Ghost
Mrs Umney (voice)
2023
Victorian Britain on Film
Narrator
2021
The Gruffalo and Me: The Remarkable Julia Donaldson
reader
2020
The Magical World of Julia Donaldson
Self - Readings
2020
Amulet
Sister Claire
2020
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Knotgrass
2019
Downton Abbey
Maud Bagshaw
2019
National Theatre Live: Follies
Sally Durant Plummer
2017
Harry Potter: A History Of Magic
Narrator
2017
Little Bird
First Officer Simpkins
2017
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Mrs. Lovett
2012
White Other
Lynne McDermott
2010
Clay
Mary Doonan
2008
Live!Girls! present Dogtown
(1 episode)
2006
ShakespeaRe-Told
(1 episode)
2005
Fingersmith
Mrs. Sucksby · (3 episodes)
2005
Strange
Reverend Mary Truegood · (1 episode)
2003
Ready
Naomi
2002
Jack and the Beanstalk
Dilly (voice)
1999
Midsomer Murders
Christine Cooper · (1 episode)
1997
The Adventures of Toad
Voice
1996
The Snow Queen's Revenge
Elspeth / Rowena (voice)
1996
The Wind in the Willows
Mother Squirrel
1995
The Adventures of Mole
Voice
1995
Is It Legal?
(21 episodes)
1995
The Pen
1995
The Snow Queen
Ivy / Angorra
1995
If You See God, Tell Him
Muriel Spry · (4 episodes)
1993
Performance
Jenny Beales · (1 episode)
1991
Tales from the Crypt
Sarah · (1 episode)
1989
The Heat of the Day
Louie
1989
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
Polly Flinders · (3 episodes)
1987
Easy Money
Mary Price
1982
& Sons
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Self · (1 episode)
2022
Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
Self
2022
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Maud Bagshaw
2022
Alan Bennett's Talking Heads
Irene Ruddock · (1 episode)
2020
Trying
Penny · (2 episodes)
2020
The Far Traveller
Narrator
2020
Flesh and Blood
Mary Bennett · (4 episodes)
2020
A Confession As Told By ITV News
Imelda Staunton - Self / Karen Edwards
2019
A Confession
Karen Edwards · (6 episodes)
2019
Finding Your Feet
Sandra Abbott
2017
Paddington 2
Aunt Lucy (voice)
2017
National Theatre Live: Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Martha
2017
The Crown
Queen Elizabeth II · (20 episodes)
2016
Jim Carter: Lonnie Donegan and Me
Self
2016
Gypsy
Rose
2015
That Day We Sang
Enid
2014
Victoria Wood - That Musical We Made
2014
Paddington
Aunt Lucy (voice)
2014
Pride
Hefina
2014
Maleficent
Knotgrass
2014
Lily's Driftwood Bay
Rowena Rabbit (voice) · (1 episode)
2014
Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time
Shrew (voice)
2013
The Girl
Alma Reville Hitchcock
2012
London: The Modern Babylon
Spoken Quotations (voice)
2012
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
Queen Victoria (voice)
2012
Arthur Christmas
Mrs Santa (voice)
2011
The Awakening
Maud Hill
2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Dolores Umbridge
2010
Another Year
Janet
2010
Psychoville Halloween Special
Grace Andrews
2010
The Michael Ball Show
Self · (1 episode)
2010
Alice in Wonderland
Talking Flowers (voice)
2010
Creating the World of Harry Potter
Self - 'Dolores Umbridge' · (8 episodes)
2009
Taking Woodstock
Sonia Teichberg
2009
Psychoville
(6 episodes)
2009
A Bunch of Amateurs
Mary
2008
Big & Small
(78 episodes)
2008
Three and Out
Rosemary Cassidy
2008
Cranford
Miss Pole · (7 episodes)
2007
How About You...
Hazel Nightingale
2007
Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out
Self
2007
Guilty Hearts
Naomi
2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Dolores Umbridge
2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self · (3 episodes)
2007
Freedom Writers
Margaret Campbell
2007
The Wind in the Willows
Barge Lady
2006
Shadow Man
Ambassador Cochran
2006
The One Show
Self · (1 episode)
2006
Bill Douglas: Intent on Getting the Image
Herself
2006
My Family and Other Animals
Mother
2005
Nanny McPhee
Mrs. Blatherwick
2005
Doctor Who
Interface (voice) · (1 episode)
2005
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self · (1 episode)
2005
Vera Drake
Vera Drake
2004
Bright Young Things
Lady Brown
2003
Little Britain
Mrs. Mead · (1 episode)
2003
I'll Be There
Dr. Bridget
2003
Blackball
Bridget
2003
Cambridge Spies
The Queen · (2 episodes)
2003
The Virgin of Liverpool
Sylvia Conlon
2003
Crush
Janine
2002
Murder
DCI Billie Dory · (4 episodes)
2002
Another Life
Ethel Graydon
2001
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings
Mrs. Cottisloe
2000
Rat
Conchita Flynn
2000
Chicken Run
Bunty (voice)
2000
David Copperfield
Mrs. Micawber · (2 episodes)
1999
Shakespeare in Love
Nurse
1998
The Ugly Duckling
Scruffy (voice)
1997
Remember Me?
1997
Twelfth Night
Maria
1996
Sense and Sensibility
Charlotte Jennings Palmer
1995
Look at the State We're In!
Councillor Johnson · (6 episodes)
1995
Citizen X
Mrs. Burakov
1995
Mole's Christmas
(voices)
1994
Deadly Advice
Beth Greenwood
1994
Frank Stubbs Promotes
Susan · (1 episode)
1993
Don't Leave Me This Way
Bridget Bennet
1993
Much Ado About Nothing
Margaret
1993
Roots
Jenny Beales
1992
Peter's Friends
Mary Charleston
1992
A Masculine Ending
Bridget Bennet
1992
They Never Slept
The Producer
1991
Yellowbacks
Cheryl Newman
1990
Up the Garden Path
(18 episodes)
1990
The Englishman's Wife
Stephanie
1990
Antonia and Jane
Jane Hartman
1990
A Bit of Fry & Laurie
(1 episode)
1989
Thompson
Self · (6 episodes)
1988
The Play on One
Cheryl Newman · (1 episode)
1988
Comrades
Betsy Loveless
1987
The Singing Detective
Staff Nurse White · (6 episodes)
1986
Ladies in Charge
(1 episode)
1986
Ladies in Charge
Edith · (6 episodes)
1986
Screen Two
The Producer · (1 episode)
1985
Natural World
Narrator · (1 episode)
1983
Playhouse
Mary Price · (1 episode)
1974
The Oscars
Self · (1 episode)
1953
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee · (1 episode)
1944