Bio
Penelope Wilton is an English actress best known in recent times for her starring role as Isobel Crawley in the period drama television series Downton Abbey, since 2010.
She is also known for her role as Harriet Jones in the science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Born in England to a former actress and businessman father, Wilton moved to London when she was young, attended the Drama Centre, and began acting in the early 1970s.
Her first love was the stage, where she garnered many honours for her work. Wilton has twice won the London Critics' Circle Award for Best Actress: in 1981 for Much Ado About Nothing and in 1993 for The Deep Blue Sea.
Wilton has appeared in several Masterpiece productions including Country Matters, The Tale of Beatrix Potter, Wives and Daughters and Lucky Jim.
Other notable film and television projects include The Borrowers, Iris, Calendar Girls, Shaun of the Dead, Match Point and Doctor Who.