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.

Filmography

• 2027FING!
• 2025Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale — Isobel Merton
• Dead Hot — Francine
• Murder Is Easy — Miss Pinkerton
• 2023The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry — Maureen Fry
• 2022Downton Abbey: A New Era — Isobel Merton
• 2022Operation Mincemeat — Hester Leggett
• Remembers…
• 2020Eternal Beauty — Vivian
• 2020Summerland — Older Alice
• After Life — Anne
• 2019Downton Abbey — Isobel Merton
• 2018The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society — Amelia Maugery
• 2018Zoo — Denise Austin
• 2017Brexit Shorts: The End — Helen
• 2016All the World's a Screen: Shakespeare on Film — Narrator (voice)
• Brief Encounters — Pauline
• 2016The BFG — The Queen
• 2015The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — Jean Ainslie
• 2013Belle — Lady Mary Murray
• 2013National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage — Delia
• 2012The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — Jean Ainslie
• 2012The Girl — Peggy Robertson
• South Riding — Mrs Beddows
• Downton Abbey — Isobel Merton
• 2009Margot — B.Q.
• The Passion — Mary
• 2007Celebration — Julie
• Five Days — Barbara Poole
• 2007Half Broken Things — Jean
• 2006The History Boys — Mrs. Bibby
• Doctor Who — Harriet Jones
• 2005Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion — Harriet Jones
• 2005Falling — Daisy Langrish
• 2005Match Point — Eleanor Hewett
• 2005Pride & Prejudice — Mrs. Gardiner
• Agatha Christie's Marple — Carrie Louise Serrocold
• 2004Shaun of the Dead — Barbara
• 2003Calendar Girls — Ruth
• Comedy Connections
• 2003Lucky Jim — Celia Welch
• Bob & Rose — Monica Gossage
• 2001Iris — Janet Stone
• 2001The Whistle-Blower — Heather Graham
• 2001Victoria & Albert — Princess Mary Louise Victoria
• 2000Rockaby — Old Woman
• 2000Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings — Mrs. Cratchit
• 1999The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka — Delfina / Paulina
• 1999Tom's Midnight Garden — Aunt Melbourne
• Wives and Daughters — Mrs Hamley
• 1998Alice Through the Looking Glass — White Queen
• 1998Talking Heads 2
• 1995Carrington — Lady Ottoline Morrell
• Kavanagh Q.C. — Barbara Watkins
• 1995Landscape — Beth
• 1994The Deep Blue Sea — Hester Collyer
• The Return of the Borrowers — Homily
• 1993The Secret Rapture — Marion French
• 1992Blame It on the Bellboy — Patricia Fulford
• Screaming
• The Borrowers — Homily
• Performance — Beth, Hester Collyer
• 4 Play — Julia
• Talking Heads — Rosemary
• 1987Cry Freedom — Wendy Woods
• 1986Clockwise — Pat Garden
• C.A.T.S. Eyes
• Ever Decreasing Circles
• 1984Laughterhouse — Alice Singleton
• 1983The Tale of Beatrix Potter — Beatrix Potter
• 1982King Lear — Regan
• The Tale of Beatrix Potter — Beatrix Potter
• 1981Country — Virginia Carlion
• 1981Othello — Desdemona
• 1981The French Lieutenant's Woman — Sonia
• 1980Pasmore — Helen
• 1977Able's Will — Journalist
• 1977Joseph Andrews — Mrs. Wilton
• The Norman Conquests — Annie
• 1975King Lear — Regan
• The Pearcross Girls — Anna Pearcross / Helen Charlesworth / Julia Pearcross / Lottie Merchant
• The Song of Songs — Lilli Czepanek
• Country Matters — Rachel Sullens
• 1972Mrs. Warren's Profession — Vivie Warren
• 1972The Sullens Sisters — Rachel Sullens
• Play for Today — Virginia Carlion
• BBC Play of the Month — Regan
• Mavis Eccleston — Mavis Eccleston
• Visitation

Appearances as themselves (4)

• 2025Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale — Self
• 2022Judi Dench: Our National Treasure — Self
• 2010Harold Pinter: A Celebration — Self
• An Audience with... — Self