Imelda Staunton

Known for ActingBorn 1956-01-09 (age 70)Archway, London, England, UK

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.Read more

Movies & web series

Thirties in Colour: Countdown to War

The Gruffalo and Me: The Remarkable Julia Donaldson

Ready

Little Bird

Bill Douglas: Intent on Getting the Image

The Crown

Cranford

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

Victorian Britain on Film

National Theatre Live: Follies

Freedom Writers

Gypsy

A Masculine Ending

Yellowbacks

The Heat of the Day

Tales from the Crypt

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Pride

Alan Bennett's Talking Heads

A Bit of Fry & Laurie

Big & Small

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Far Traveller

Trying

Doctor Who

Paddington 2

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic

Midsomer Murders

The Adventures of Mole

ShakespeaRe-Told

If You See God, Tell Him

Frank Stubbs Promotes

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Sense and Sensibility

The Singing Detective

Downton Abbey

Fingersmith

Strange

The Graham Norton Show

Don't Leave Me This Way

Paddington

Vera Drake

Maleficent

Natural World

A Confession

Finding Your Feet

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget