1956-01-09 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.
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National Theatre Live: Mrs. Warren's Profession | Mrs Peggy Warren | 2025-10-23 |
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& Sons | Isabel | 2025-09-07 |
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Testimony | Narrator (voice) | 2025-11-21 |
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Paddington in Peru | Aunt Lucy (voice) | 2024-11-08 |
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The Canterville Ghost | Mrs Umney (voice) | 2023-09-22 |
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Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget | Bunty (voice) | 2023-12-08 |
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Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends | Self | 2022-05-03 |
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Downton Abbey: A New Era | Maud Bagshaw | 2022-04-27 |
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Sense and Sensibility: 25th Anniversary Reunion | Self | 2021-10-12 |
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Victorian Britain on Film | Narrator | 2021-11-20 |
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Guðríður víðförla | Narrator | 2020-03-18 |
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The Gruffalo and Me: The Remarkable Julia Donaldson | reader | 2020-12-25 |
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The Magical World of Julia Donaldson | Self - Readings | 2020-12-23 |
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Amulet | Sister Claire | 2020-07-24 |
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Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | Knotgrass | 2019-10-16 |
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Downton Abbey | Maud Bagshaw | 2019-09-12 |
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A Confession As Told By ITV News | Imelda Staunton - Self / Karen Edwards | 2019-10-07 |
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National Theatre Live: Follies | Sally Durant Plummer | 2017-11-16 |
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National Theatre Live: Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Martha | 2017-05-18 |
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Little Bird | First Officer Simpkins | 2017-04-22 |
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Paddington 2 | Aunt Lucy (voice) | 2017-11-09 |
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Finding Your Feet | Sandra Abbott | 2017-12-26 |
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Harry Potter: A History Of Magic | Narrator | 2017-10-28 |
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Jim Carter: Lonnie Donegan and Me | Self | 2016-05-17 |
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Gypsy | Rose | 2015-12-27 |
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Pride | Hefina | 2014-09-12 |
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Maleficent | Knotgrass | 2014-05-28 |
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Paddington | Aunt Lucy (voice) | 2014-11-24 |
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That Day We Sang | Enid | 2014-12-26 |
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Victoria Wood - That Musical We Made | Self | 2014-12-26 |
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Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time | Shrew (voice) | 2013-12-16 |
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London: The Modern Babylon | Spoken Quotations (voice) | 2012-08-03 |
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The Girl | Alma Reville Hitchcock | 2012-10-22 |
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Mrs. Lovett | 2012-03-10 |
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The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! | Queen Victoria (voice) | 2012-03-12 |
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The Awakening | Maud Hill | 2011-08-17 |
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Arthur Christmas | Mrs Santa (voice) | 2011-11-10 |
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Another Year | Janet | 2010-11-05 |
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 | Dolores Umbridge | 2010-11-17 |
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White Other | Lynne McDermott | 2010-11-13 |
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Psychoville Halloween Special | Grace Andrews | 2010-10-31 |
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Alice in Wonderland | Talking Flowers (voice) | 2010-03-03 |
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Taking Woodstock | Sonia Teichberg | 2009-08-26 |
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Adapting Austen | Self | 2009-03-17 |
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Clay | Mary Doonan | 2008-03-30 |
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A Bunch of Amateurs | Mary | 2008-11-17 |
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Three and Out | Rosemary Cassidy | 2008-04-25 |
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Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out | Self | 2007-08-11 |
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Where Have I Been All Your Life? | Angela | 2007-11-16 |
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Guilty Hearts | Naomi | 2007-07-30 |
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How About You... | Hazel Nightingale | 2007-11-16 |
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Freedom Writers | Margaret Campbell | 2007-01-05 |
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Dolores Umbridge | 2007-07-08 |
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Shadow Man | Ambassador Cochran | 2006-09-05 |
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The Wind in the Willows | Barge Lady | 2006-12-18 |
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Bill Douglas: Intent on Getting the Image | Herself | 2006-06-18 |
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My Family and Other Animals | Mother | 2005-12-27 |
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Nanny McPhee | Mrs. Blatherwick | 2005-10-21 |
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Vera Drake | Vera Drake | 2004-10-22 |
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The Virgin of Liverpool | Sylvia Conlon | 2003-03-15 |
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I'll Be There | Dr. Bridget | 2003-06-13 |
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Blackball | Bridget | 2003-05-18 |
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Bright Young Things | Lady Brown | 2003-10-03 |
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Crush | Janine | 2002-06-07 |
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Ready | Naomi | 2002-01-01 |
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Another Life | Ethel Graydon | 2001-06-15 |
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Rat | Conchita Flynn | 2000-10-06 |
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Chicken Run | Bunty (voice) | 2000-06-23 |
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Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings | Mrs. Cottisloe | 2000-12-25 |
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Jack and the Beanstalk | Dilly (voice) | 1999-10-11 |
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Shakespeare in Love | Nurse | 1998-12-11 |
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Remember Me? | Lorna | 1997-01-02 |
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The Ugly Duckling | Scruffy (voice) | 1997-09-04 |
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The Snow Queen's Revenge | Elspeth / Rowena (voice) | 1996-01-01 |
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The Adventures of Toad | Voice | 1996-07-30 |
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Twelfth Night | Maria | 1996-10-25 |
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The Snow Queen | Ivy / Angorra | 1995-01-01 |
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Sense and Sensibility | Charlotte Jennings Palmer | 1995-12-13 |
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Citizen X | Mrs. Burakov | 1995-02-25 |
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The Pen | 1995-08-25 | |
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The Adventures of Mole | Voice | 1995-12-24 |
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The Wind in the Willows | Mother Squirrel | 1995-12-25 |
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Deadly Advice | Beth Greenwood | 1994-04-29 |
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Mole's Christmas | (voices) | 1994-12-25 |
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Much Ado About Nothing | Margaret | 1993-05-07 |
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Don't Leave Me This Way | Bridget Bennet | 1993-05-30 |
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Peter's Friends | Mary Charleston | 1992-09-18 |
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A Masculine Ending | Bridget Bennet | 1992-04-12 |
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Roots | Jenny Beales | 1992-11-28 |
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They Never Slept | The Producer | 1991-01-20 |
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The Englishman's Wife | Stephanie | 1990-01-08 |
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Antonia and Jane | Jane Hartman | 1990-07-18 |
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Yellowbacks | Cheryl Newman | 1990-08-30 |
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The Heat of the Day | Louie | 1989-06-09 |
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Comrades | Betsy Loveless | 1987-08-23 |
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Easy Money | Mary Price | 1982-05-28 |
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West the Road |
