Imelda Staunton
Imelda Staunton
Biography
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
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
135
Gender
Female
Birthday
1956-01-09 (69 years old)
Place of Birth
Archway, London, England, UK
Acting

2024

Paddington in Peru as Aunt Lucy (voice)

2023

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget as Bunty (voice)

2023

The Canterville Ghost as Mrs Umney (voice)

2022

Downton Abbey: A New Era as Maud Bagshaw

2020

Trying as Penny

2020

Flesh and Blood as Mary Bennett

2020

Alan Bennett's Talking Heads as Irene Ruddock

2020

Amulet as Sister Claire

2020

The Magical World of Julia Donaldson as Self - Readings

2019

A Confession as Karen Edwards

2019

Downton Abbey as Maud Bagshaw

2017

Paddington 2 as Aunt Lucy (voice)

2017

Finding Your Feet as Sandra Abbott

2016

The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II

2014

Lily's Driftwood Bay as Rowena Rabbit (voice)

2014

Maleficent as Knotgrass

2014

Paddington as Aunt Lucy (voice)

2014

Pride as Hefina

2014

That Day We Sang as Enid

2012

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! as Queen Victoria (voice)

2012

The Girl as Alma Reville Hitchcock

2012

London: The Modern Babylon as Spoken Quotations (voice)

2011

The Awakening as Maud Hill

2011

Arthur Christmas as Mrs Santa (voice)

2010

Alice in Wonderland as Talking Flowers (voice)

2010

Another Year as Janet

2009

Creating the World of Harry Potter as Self - 'Dolores Umbridge'

2009

Psychoville as Not available

2009

Taking Woodstock as Sonia Teichberg

2008

Big & Small as Not available

2008

Three and Out as Rosemary Cassidy

2008

A Bunch of Amateurs as Mary

2008

Clay as Mary Doonan

2007

Cranford as Miss Pole

2007

Freedom Writers as Margaret Campbell

2007

Guilty Hearts as Naomi

2007

How About You... as Hazel Nightingale

2006

The One Show as Self

2006

Live!Girls! present Dogtown as Not available

2006

Shadow Man as Ambassador Cochran

2006

The Wind in the Willows as Barge Lady

2005

Doctor Who as Interface (voice)

2005

Fingersmith as Mrs. Sucksby

2005

Nanny McPhee as Mrs. Blatherwick

2005

ShakespeaRe-Told as Not available

2004

Vera Drake as Vera Drake

2003

Little Britain as Mrs. Mead

2003

Strange as Reverend Mary Truegood

2003

Cambridge Spies as The Queen

2003

Bright Young Things as Lady Brown

2003

Blackball as Bridget

2003

I'll Be There as Dr. Bridget

2002

Murder as DCI Billie Dory

2002

Crush as Janine

2001

Another Life as Ethel Graydon

2000

Chicken Run as Bunty (voice)

2000

Rat as Conchita Flynn

1999

David Copperfield as Mrs. Micawber

1998

Shakespeare in Love as Nurse

1997

Midsomer Murders as Christine Cooper

1997

The Ugly Duckling as Scruffy (voice)

1996

Twelfth Night as Maria

1996

The Snow Queen's Revenge as Elspeth / Rowena (voice)

1995

Look at the State We're In! as Councillor Johnson

1995

Is It Legal? as Not available

1995

Sense and Sensibility as Charlotte Jennings Palmer

1995

Citizen X as Mrs. Burakov

1995

The Snow Queen as Ivy / Angorra

1993

Frank Stubbs Promotes as Susan

1993

If You See God, Tell Him as Muriel Spry

1993

Much Ado About Nothing as Margaret

1993

Don't Leave Me This Way as Bridget Bennet

1992

Peter's Friends as Mary Charleston

1991

Performance as Jenny Beales

1990

Up the Garden Path as Not available

1990

Yellowbacks as Cheryl Newman

1989

Tales from the Crypt as Sarah

1989

A Bit of Fry & Laurie as Not available

1988

Thompson as Self

1988

The Play on One as Cheryl Newman

1987

The Ruth Rendell Mysteries as Polly Flinders

1986

The Singing Detective as Staff Nurse White

1986

Ladies in Charge as Not available

1986

Ladies in Charge as Edith

1985

Screen Two as The Producer

1983

Natural World as Narrator

1974

Playhouse as Mary Price

1953

The Oscars as Self

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee

NaN

& Sons as Not available

2021

Victorian Britain on Film as Narrator

2020

The Far Traveller as Narrator

2019

A Confession As Told By ITV News as Imelda Staunton - Self / Karen Edwards

2017

National Theatre Live: Follies as Sally Durant Plummer

2017

Little Bird as First Officer Simpkins

2015

Gypsy as Rose

2013

Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time as Shrew (voice)

2010

White Other as Lynne McDermott

2010

Psychoville Halloween Special as Grace Andrews

2003

The Virgin of Liverpool as Sylvia Conlon

2002

Ready as Naomi

1999

Jack and the Beanstalk as Dilly (voice)

1997

Remember Me? as Not available

1995

The Wind in the Willows as Mother Squirrel

1995

The Pen as Not available

1994

Deadly Advice as Beth Greenwood

1994

Mole's Christmas as (voices)

1992

A Masculine Ending as Bridget Bennet

1992

Roots as Jenny Beales

1991

They Never Slept as The Producer

1990

Antonia and Jane as Jane Hartman

1990

The Englishman's Wife as Stephanie

1989

The Heat of the Day as Louie

1987

Comrades as Betsy Loveless

1982

Easy Money as Mary Price