Penelope Wilton was born on June 3, 1946 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England as Penelope Alice Wilton. She is an actress, known for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Match Point (2005) and Shaun of the Dead (2004). She was previously married to Ian Holm and Daniel Massey.
Penelope Wilton
Movies
Calendar Girls
Middle aged Chris Harper (Dame Helen Mirren) and Annie Clarke (Dame Julie Walters) are best friends. They spend much of their time at their local Knapely, Yorkshire County chapter of the Women’s Institute (WI), whose motto is “enlightenment, fun, and friendship”. Although they like most of the women at the…
Songs
Fun Facts
Daughter of Clifford (1916-1987) and Alice (née Travers) Wilton (1915-1976). Sister of Lindy Wilton and mother of Alice Massey. Daniel Massey married Lindy Wilton after divorcing her sister, Penelope.
She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's New Year Honours List for her services to drama.
Niece of actor Bill Travers and actress Linden Travers. Cousin of actor Richard Morant.
She was awarded the 1981 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actress of 1980 for her performances in Much Ado About Nothing and Man and Superman.
She was awarded the 1993 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actress for her performance in The Deep Blue Sea. Her former husband, Ian Holm, was awarded Best Actor for his performance in Moonlight at the same awards.
She was nominated for a 2001 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Little Foxes at the Donmar Warehouse.
She was once married to Ian Holm, who played Frodo Baggins in a BBC Radio 4 dramatization of The Lord of the Rings. In Shaun of the Dead (2004), her husband is played by Bill Nighy, who played Sam Gamgee opposite Holm in the same Radio 4 production. Also appearing in the film was Martin Freeman, who played the younger version of Holm's Bilbo Baggins.
Gave birth to her 1st child at age 30, a stillborn son 9 weeks early in 1976. Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 31, a daughter Alice Linden Penelope Massey 8 weeks early in late 1977. Both children were by her 1st husband, Daniel Massey.
Appeared on the BAFTA Film shortlist for Best Supporting Actress in the following roles: 1986 for Clockwise (1986), 1987 for Cry Freedom (1987) and 1994 for The Secret Rapture (1993).
Appeared on the BAFTA Television shortlist for Best Actress in the following roles: 1985 for Ever Decreasing Circles, 1987 for The Monocled Mutineer, 1993 for The Borrowers, 1999 for Talking Heads 2: Nights in the Gardens of Spain and 2006 for Falling.
Nominated for the 1981 Laurence Olivier Award - Actress of the Year in a Revival for "Man & Superman"" at the National Theatre (Olivier).
Nominated for the 1988 Laurence Olivier Award - Actress of the Year in a New Play for ""The Secret Rapture"" at the National Theatre (Lyttelton). She played the same character (Marion French) in the film adaptation of David Hare's play in 1993.
Nominated for the 1994 Laurence Olivier Award - Best Actress in a Play for ""The Deep Blue Sea"" at the Almeida and the Apollo Theatres in the West End.
Ex-stepmother of Melissa Holm
Quotes
I didn't come into the business till the late sixties but I've seen a lot of changes in the 35 years since. Mostly I mourn the demise of the repertory companies - that's a very sad thing from the point of view of the training of actors.