Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Imelda Staunton was born on January 9, 1956 in Archway, North London.
Imelda began her career in 1970s from British repertory theatre, performed in a number of plays and garnered widespread acclaim for her dynamic performances. She is the proud recipient of four Laurence Olivier Awards and 13 nominations. She clinched three awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her standout roles in “Into the Woods,” “Sweeney Todd,” and “Gypsy” and a Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play for both “A Chorus of Disapproval” and “The Corn Is Green.”
We’re all unique as actors. To yourself, you are unique, you have to think, “I’m me, I’m not going to bunch myself with other people”. Agents and producers have to get you into a box, to accommodate their limited imaginations.
Imelda Staunton
Staunton started her film career with a 1986 film Comrades. She goes on to do films like Antonia and Jane (1991), Peter’s Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Deadly Advice (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Twelfth Night (1996), Chicken Run (2000), Another Life (2001), Bright Young Things (2003), Nanny McPhee (2005), Freedom Writers (2007), and How About You (2007).
In 2004, she earned acclaim for her portrayal of the title character in Mike Leigh’s “Vera Drake,” securing Best Actress accolades at the European Film Awards, BAFTAs, and the Venice Film Festival, as well as Best Actress nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Staunton achieved international recognition for her portrayal of Dolores Umbridge in the “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007) series. She played the cunning and evil professor with an extremely sugery exterior to perfection.
She also done 2008 film A Bunch of Amateurs, Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock (2009), Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010), Maleficent (2010), Pride (2014) and Downton Abbey (2018)
She earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of Alma Reville in the biographical drama “The Girl” (2012), exploring the life of Alfred Hitchcock. Staunton’s talent further shone in the TV series “Flesh and Blood” (2020), where she delivered a compelling performance as Mary, navigating family secrets. She also portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the fifth and Sixth season of the critically acclaimed Netflix series The Crown.
