Born: 3rd June 1946 (as Penelope Alice Wilton)
Episodes Broadcast: 2005, 2008

Penelope Wilton was born into an acting family: her mother, maternal uncles and maternal grandparents had all been involved in show business. She followed in their footsteps, attending the newly-founded Drama Centre London from 1965 to 1968. Wilton found stage success soon after graduating; she made both her Broadway and West End debuts during 1971, with The Philanthropists and West of Suez, respectively. In 1974, she met actor Daniel Massey when they appeared together in Phoenix. They married the following year, and daughter Alice was born in 1977. Meanwhile, Wilton's television career had begun with a 1970 installment of Thirty-Minute Theatre. Other Seventies credits included The Pearcross Girls, The Song of Songs and The Norman Conquests, for which Wilton reprised her role from the original stage production. At the cinema, she could initially be seen in the 1977 Ann-Margret comedy Joseph Andrews.

Wilton's first prominent television work came opposite Richard Briers in the sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles. It ran for four seasons following its debut in 1984, and wrapped up with a special in 1989. She could also be seen in shows like CATS Eyes and The Monocled Mutineer, as well as two installments of the BBC Shakespeare project: Othello and King Lear. Wilton's movie appearances during the Eighties included The French Lieutenant's Woman and Cry Freedom. Having divorced Massey in 1984, she married actor Ian Holm in 1991, and they appeared together in The Borrowers soon afterwards. Also amongst her Nineties credits were Screaming, Performance and Wives And Daughters on the small screen, plus Blame It On The Bellboy and Carrington on the silver screen.

Russell T Davies wrote the role of Harriet Jones especially for Wilton

Wilton's marriage to Holm ended in 2001, the same year that she appeared in Bob & Rose for Russell T Davies. As such, when Davies was setting up the revived Doctor Who a few years later, he decided to write the role of Harriet Jones especially for Wilton. She first appeared as the dogged back-bench MP in 2005's Aliens Of London / World War Three, assisting Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston against the Slitheen. Harriet's story took a dark turn when she returned later that year for The Christmas Invasion, which introduced David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Wilton then made a final, redemptive cameo appearance as Harriet in 2008's The Stolen Earth. Meanwhile, she could also be seen in shows like Five Days and Agatha Christie's Marple. Wilton's movie profile increased markedly following the turn of the century, with credits including Iris, Calendar Girls, Shaun Of The Dead and The History Boys.

Wilton embarked upon her second major television project in 2015, when she became one of the stars of Downton Abbey; its 2019 film adaptation joined The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Belle and The BFG amongst her movie appearances during the decade. On television, Wilton could also be seen in programmes such as South Riding, Brief Encounters and After Life. In 2016, her services to drama saw Wilton become a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, having originally been made an Officer in 2004. Her career continued into the Twenties, with the movies Summerland and Downton Abbey 2.