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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. 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 ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'', '' 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 ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...

''. Her other stage appearances include '' The Beggar's Opera'', '' The Wizard of Oz'', ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the di ...

'', ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

'', '' Entertaining Mr Sloane'', and '' Good People''. She has been nominated for 13 Olivier Awards. On film, Staunton starred in ''

Antonia and Jane ''Antonia and Jane'' is a 1990 comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron and starring Saskia Reeves and Imelda Staunton in the title roles, shown in ScreenPlay on 18 July 1990. It is about two mismatched woman friends who have had a love–hate rel ...

;'' in several supporting roles in Kenneth Branagh's comedy ''

Peter's Friends ''Peter's Friends'' is a 1992 British comedy film directed and produced by Kenneth Branagh, and written by Rita Rudner and Martin Bergman. The film follows six friends (Stephen Fry, Branagh, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton and ...

'', 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 Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Des ...

's ''

Vera Drake ''Vera Drake'' is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal ab ...

'', for which she won the

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film. * From 1952 t ...

and the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup for Best Actress, in addition to being nominated for Best Actress by the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, the Golden Globe Awards and the

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

. She later gained a wider audience for her portrayal as Dolores Umbridge in the ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...

'' 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 Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

'', and starred in the British comedy ''

Finding Your Feet ''Finding Your Feet'' is a 2017 British romantic comedy film directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Nick Moorcroft and Meg Leonard. The film stars Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie, Joanna Lumley and David Hayman, and was released ...

''. She also provided voice acting roles for the films '' Chicken Run'', '' Arthur Christmas'', and ''

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

''. On television, Staunton starred in the sitcoms '' Up the Garden Path'' and ''

Is it Legal? ''Is It Legal?'' is a British television sitcom set in a solicitors office in Hounslow, west London, which ran from 12 September 1995 to 9 December 1998. It was produced by Hartswood Films and was shown on ITV for Series 1–2 and Channel 4 for ...

''. 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 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in the final two seasons of ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

'', gaining a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

Early life and education

Staunton was born in Archway, North London, the only child of Bridie (née McNicholas), a hairdresser, and Joseph Staunton, a labourer. They lived over Staunton's mother's salon. Her parents were first-generation Catholic immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland; her father from

Ballyvary Bellavary (), more widely known as Ballyvary, is a village in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the N5 between Swinford and Castlebar ( north-east of the latter), close to Foxford and the River Moy The River Moy () is a river in the ...

and her mother from Bohola. Her mother was a musician who could not read music, but could play almost any tune by ear on the accordion or fiddle, and had played in Irish showbands. As a pupil at La Sainte Convent, Staunton took drama classes with her elocution teacher and starred in school plays, including the role of Polly Peachum in '' The Beggar's Opera''. Encouraged by her teacher, she auditioned for drama schools and got into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at age 18. She also unsuccessfully auditioned for the Central School of Speech and Drama and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Acting career

Theatre

Staunton graduated from RADA in 1976, then spent six years in English repertory theatre, including a period at the

Northcott Theatre The Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England. It opened in 1967 and was run until 2010 by the Northcott Theatre Foundation, when the company ceased operating after a ...

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, where she had the title role in Shaw's ''Saint Joan'' (1979). She then moved on to roles the National Theatre, including Lucy Lockit in '' The Beggar's Opera'' (1982), which earned her Olivier Award nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical and Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre. She also appeared in two revivals of ''

'' at the National Theatre; the first in 1982 in which she met her husband Jim Carter and the second in 1996 in which she played Miss Adelaide and was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. In 1985, Staunton won her first

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role was an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End ...

for her work in both ''

The Corn Is Green ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...

'' and at The Old Vic and '' A Chorus of Disapproval'' at the National Theatre. She also played Dorothy Gale in the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

's 1987 revival of '' The Wizard of Oz'' at the Barbican Centre, which earned her another Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Staunton won her first Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for playing the Baker's Wife in the original London production of ''

'' (1990). In the ensuing 20 years, Staunton mainly had roles in plays, including Sonya in ''

'' (1988), Kath in '' Entertaining Mr Sloane'' (2009) and '' Good People'' (2014), for which she received Olivier nominations for Best Actress in a Play. She also appeared in two productions at the Almeida Theatre, firstly in the premiere of Frank McGuinness's ''There Came a Gypsy Riding'' in 2007 and secondly in a revival of

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as '' The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (196 ...

's '' A Delicate Balance'' in 2011. Most recently, Staunton has appeared in two Chichester Festival Theatre productions, taking on the role of

Mrs. Lovett Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story ''Sweeney Todd''. Her first name is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although she has also been referred to as Amelia, Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhelmina ...

in a revival of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's '' Sweeney Todd'' between 2011 and 2012, starring opposite Michael Ball, before starring as Rose in a revival of '' Gypsy'' between 2014 and 2015. Both productions transferred to London for critically and commercially acclaimed runs. Staunton won her second and third Olivier Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for the two productions in 2013 and 2016 respectively.Shenton. Mark
"Winners of 2016 Olivier Awards Announced: 'Gypsy', 'Kinky Boots', 'In the Heights' Emerge Victorious"
Playbill, 3 April 2016 Staunton returned to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London West End in 2017 as Martha in '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'', starring alongside

Conleth Hill Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill (born 24 November 1964) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has performed on stage in productions in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the United States. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards and received two T ...

Luke Treadaway Luke Antony Newman Treadaway''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 10 September 1984) is a British actor and singer. He won an Olivier Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance as Chris ...

and

Imogen Poots Imogen Gay Poots (born 3 June 1989) is an English actress and model. She played Tammy in the post-apocalyptic horror film ''28 Weeks Later'' (2007), Linda Keith in the Jimi Hendrix biopic '' Jimi: All Is by My Side'' (2013), Debbie Raymond in t ...

at the Harold Pinter Theatre. This play was broadcast in National Theatre Live on 18 May 2017. Staunton performed the role of Sally in the 2017 National Theatre revival of

's '' Follies'', alongside Janie Dee as Phyllis, and

Philip Quast Philip Mark Quast (born 30 July 1957) is an Australian actor and singer. He has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical three times, making him the first actor to have three wins in that category. He is perhaps best known f ...

as Ben. The show was broadcast through the National Theatre Live initiative on 16 November 2017.

Film

Staunton's first big-screen role came in a 1986 film '' Comrades''. She then appeared in the 1991 film ''

'', and in the 1992 film ''

''. Other film roles include performances in '' Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993), '' Deadly Advice'' (1993), '' Sense and Sensibility'' (1995) '' Twelfth Night'' (1996), '' Chicken Run'' (2000), '' Another Life'' (2001), '' Bright Young Things'' (2003), '' Nanny McPhee'' (2005), '' Freedom Writers'' (2007) and '' How About You'' (2007). Staunton shared a

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...

Award for Best Performance by a Cast in 1998 for '' Shakespeare in Love.'' In 2004, she received the Best Actress honours at the European Film Awards, the BAFTAs, and the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

for her performance of the title role in

's ''

'', which also won Best Picture. For the same role, she received her first nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and the

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. Winners and nominees ...

. Staunton portrayed Dolores Umbridge in ''

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Wi ...

'' (2007), a performance described as "coming close to stealing the show". She was nominated in the "British Actress in a Supporting Role" category at the London Film Critics Circle Awards. Staunton reprised her role as Dolores Umbridge in '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' in 2010. Other film roles include the 2008 movie '' A Bunch of Amateurs'', in which she starred alongside Burt Reynolds,

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as '' Hamlet'', '' Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', '' Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ' ...

and Samantha Bond, and the character of Sonia Teichberg in Ang Lee's '' Taking Woodstock'' (2009). Staunton provided the voice of the Talking Flowers in ''

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland ''Alice in Wonderland'' is a 2010 American adventure fantasy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars Mia Wasikowska in the title role, with Johnny Depp, Ann ...

'' (2010), and played one of the lead roles in the ghost film ''The Awakening'' in 2011. In 2012, she voiced ''

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

'' in the '' Aardman'' film '' The Pirates! Band of Misfits'', where she serves as the main antagonist. In 2014, she co-starred in '' Maleficent'' as well as the British comedy-drama ''

''. In late 2014, she had a voice role in ''

'', a film based on the Paddington Bear books by Michael Bond. Staunton and her ''Harry Potter'' co-star Michael Gambon voiced Paddington's Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo, respectively. An August 2018 announcement revealed that Staunton would be among the new cast to join the original actors in '' Downton Abbey'' which started principal photography at about the same time.

Television work

In 1993, she appeared on television alongside Richard Briers and Adrian Edmondson in ''

If You See God, Tell Him ''If You See God, Tell Him'' is a black comedy television sitcom starring Richard Briers, Adrian Edmondson, and Imelda Staunton. Written by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, it was first broadcast on BBC1 in 1993. It comprised four episodes, ...

''. Staunton also played the wife of Detective Burakov in the 1995 HBO movie, '' Citizen X'', which recounted the pursuit and capture of Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. She has had other television parts in '' The Singing Detective'' (1986), ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'', and the sitcom ''

Is It Legal? ''Is It Legal?'' is a British television sitcom set in a solicitors office in Hounslow, west London, which ran from 12 September 1995 to 9 December 1998. It was produced by Hartswood Films and was shown on ITV for Series 1–2 and Channel 4 for ...

'' (1995–98), as well as '' A Bit of Fry and Laurie''. She was a voice artist on ''

Mole's Christmas ''Mole's Christmas'' (also known as ''The Wind in the Willows: Mole's Christmas'') is a 30-minute animated film shot in 1994. The voices involved are Richard Briers (Rat), Peter Davison (Mole) and Ellie Beaven (Young Girl) with Imelda Staunton ...

'' (1994). She had a guest role playing Mrs. Mead in ''

Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second Light'' * ...

'' in 2005, and in 2007 played the free-thinking gossip, Miss Pole, in '' Cranford,'' the five-part BBC series based on Mrs Gaskell's novels. In 2011, she played Grace Andrews in the second series of '' Psychoville''. In 2011, she was the ''Voice of the Interface'' in the highly acclaimed and nominee for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) episode of '' Doctor Who'' – "

The Girl Who Waited "The Girl Who Waited" is the tenth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC America on 10 September 2011. It was written by Tom MacRae and was directe ...

". In 2012, she portrayed Alma Reville, the wife of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, in the HBO television movie '' The Girl'', which also starred

Toby Jones Tobias Edward Heslewood Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 7 September 1966) is an English actor. Jones made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama '' Orlando'' in 1992. H ...

and

Sienna Miller Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian ''Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli ca ...

. Her performance saw her nominated for a

BAFTA Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

and a Primetime Emmy Award. Since May 2020, Staunton stars in the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

comedy series ''Trying''. The first season premiered on 1 May 2020 and the second-season premieres on 14 May 2021, with the show already renewed for a third season. On 31 January 2020, it was announced that she would be portraying

in the fifth season of the critically acclaimed

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series ''

''. On 9 July 2020, it was announced that the series had been extended to a sixth and final season, with Staunton again to reprise her role of the Queen. Staunton's performance in the fifth season earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

Radio

On radio, she has appeared in the title role of the detective drama series '' Julie Enfield Investigates'', as the lead "Izzy Comyn" in the comedy ''Up the Garden Path'' (which later moved to ITV with Staunton reprising the role), in ''Diary of a Provincial Lady'' (from 1999), as "Courageous Kate" in Series 1 of ''

Elephants to Catch Eels ''Elephants to Catch Eels'' is a historical situation comedy originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was broadcast in two series of six half-hour episodes each, from February to March 2003 and April to May 2004. It was written by Tom Jamieson an ...

'' and as " Xanthippe" in Series 2 of ''

Acropolis Now ''Acropolis Now'' was an Australian television sitcom set in a fictional Greek cafe, called the "Acropolis Cafe" in Melbourne that ran for 63 episodes broadcast from 9 August 1989 to 4 November 1992 on the Seven Network. It was created by Nic ...

''. She starred opposite Anna Massey in the post-World War II mystery series ''Daunt and Dervish'', and opposite Patrick Barlow in '' The Patrick and Maureen Maybe Music Experience''. She played the role of a schoolboy as the lead character in the five part (15 minutes each): "The Skool Days of Nigel Molesworth" for BBC Radio 4.

Other work

Staunton has narrated unabridged audio-book versions of many of Julia Donaldson's children's books, including ''

The Gruffalo ''The Gruffalo'' is a British children's picture book by author Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Its tells the story of a mouse taking a walk in the woods and deceiving different predators, including the Gruffalo. ''The Gruf ...

'', ''

The Gruffalo's Child ''The Gruffalo's Child'' is a British children's picture book by writer and playwright Julia Donaldson, and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It is the bestselling sequel to '' The Gruffalo''. Plot The story is about the Gruffalo's daughter who ...

'', '' Monkey Puzzle'', ''

The Snail and the Whale ''The Snail and the Whale'' is a 2003 children's picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It won the 2004 Early Years award for the best pre-school book, the 2005 Blue Peter award for Best Book to Read Aloud, an ...

'', '' Stick Man'' and '' Zog'', as well as other children's books. In 2014 she collaborated with her husband, Jim Carter, and Show of Hands on ''Centenary: Words and Music of the Great War'', an album of songs and poetry from and inspired by

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Staunton is also a patron for

the Milton Rooms The Milton Rooms is an arts centre and hub for cultural and community led activities (including theatre, comedy, dance, exhibitions, music and auctions) located in Malton, North Yorkshire, a market town in England. The main body of the building ...

, a new arts centre in Malton, North Yorkshire along with Bill Nighy, Jools Holland and Kathy Burke.

Personal life

Staunton and her husband, English actor Jim Carter, have a daughter, Bessie, born in 1993. In 2007, they appeared in the BBC series '' Cranford,'' with Carter as Captain Brown and Bessie as a maid. They live in West Hampstead. In 2014, Staunton's dog, Molly, appeared as Chowsie the dog in ''Gypsy'' at the Chichester Festival Theatre from 6 October to 8 November. Staunton played the leading role of Mama Rose.

Honours

Staunton was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in the

2006 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2006 in some Commonwealth realms were announced (on 31 December 2005) in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Grenada, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and Saint Christopher and Nevis to c ...

and

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours, both for services to drama.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Accolades

Discography

* 1990: ''

'' – Original London Cast; as baker's wife. * 2010: '' Julia Donaldson Audio Collection''; as the narrator of the Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child, and Charlie Cook's Favourite Book. * 2012: '' Sweeney Todd –'' Revival Cast Recording; as Mrs. Lovett. * 2015: '' Gypsy'' – London Cast Recording; as Momma Rose. * 2019: '' Follies'' – London Cast Recording; as Sally.

Notes

References

External links

*
''The Prime of Miss Imelda Staunton''
Sunday Telegraph interview 15 July 2007 *
The Telegraph: Imelda Staunton interview

filmed BAFTA event, March 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Staunton, Imelda 1956 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Audiobook narrators Best Actress BAFTA Award winners Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English film actresses English musical theatre actresses English people of Irish descent English radio actresses English Shakespearean actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses European Film Award for Best Actress winners Laurence Olivier Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Archway, London Royal Shakespeare Company members Volpi Cup for Best Actress winners

Early life and education

Acting career

Theatre

Film

Television work

Radio

Other work

Personal life

Honours

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Accolades

Discography

See also

Notes

References

External links