Jump to content

Fenella Woolgar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fenella Woolgar
Born
Fenella Woolgar

(1969-08-04) 4 August 1969 (age 55)
Hillingdon, England
EducationDurham University
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active1999–present
Spouse
Robert Harland
​
(m. 2006)​
Children3
Websitefenellawoolgar.com

Fenella Woolgar[1] (born 4 August 1969) is an English film, theatre, television and radio actress. She is known for her roles in films including Bright Young Things, Swallows and Amazons and Victoria and Abdul and for TV shows including Doctor Who, as crime novelist Agatha Christie, Inside Number 9, Call the Midwife and The Buccaneers.

Early life

[edit]

Woolgar was born in London. Her mother is of Irish descent and she has joint UK and Irish citizenship. Woolgar's early years were spent in New Canaan, Connecticut, USA. She was educated at Mayfield School, Durham University, and then Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).[1]

At university, along with acting she directed Murder in the Cathedral in Durham Cathedral and wrote and performed comedy in The Durham Revue.

Career

[edit]

Following Woolgar's graduation from RADA she worked in rep at The Royal Exchange, Manchester, York Theatre Royal, Sheffield Crucible and for the BBC in both television and radio.

She was cast as Agatha in Stephen Fry's film Bright Young Things for which she was nominated for a number of awards. She subsequently went on to work with Mike Leigh in Vera Drake and Mr. Turner, and Woody Allen in Scoop and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Other notable films include Victoria and Abdul and Swallows and Amazons. [2]

Woolgar's recent TV work includes series 1 and 2 of The Buccaneers for Apple TV, The Deal for Bande Apart films and as Margaret Thatcher in The Reckoning for the BBC. She did two series as Alison Scotlock in Home Fires. She joined Call the Midwife as Sister Hilda for 4 series. She played Agatha Christie in Doctor Who.[3]

Woolgar has most recently worked in theatre at the Royal Court, the Donmar, the National Theatre, the Old Vic and in the West End. She worked with Conor McPherson in The Veil at the National Theatre. She won the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Brian Friel’s adaptation of Hedda Gabler. She won the Sunday Times Culture Award for Stage Performance of the Year for playing Margaret Thatcher in Handbagged in the West End.

She is regularly heard on BBC radio and was nominated for Best Actress on the radio for An American Rose in which she played Rosemary Kennedy. Roles include Mrs Dalloway for BBC Radio 4 and Edith Wharton in both The Jinx Element and Ethan Frome. She starred in the titular role in BBC Radio 4 comedy Dot, written by Ed Harris. She has narrated many audiobooks and was nominated for Audio Book of the Year for Life after Life by Kate Atkinson.[4]

She also paints portraits in oils and won Celebrity Portrait Artist of the Year.

Awards and award nominations

[edit]
  • Celebrity Portrait Artist of the Year - Sky Arts 2019
  • Stage Performance of the Year – The Sunday Times Culture Awards 2014[5]
  • Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress in the West End 2013.[6]

Woolgar has been nominated for several awards, including:

  • Best Supporting Actress – What's On Stage Awards 2013
  • Best Actress – BBC Radio Drama Awards 2013
  • Best Audio Book of the Year (for Life After Life) 2013
  • Best Supporting Actress – British Independent Film Awards 2003
  • Best Supporting Actress – Empire Film Awards 2003
  • Best Supporting Actress – London Critics Circle 2003
  • Best Newcomer – Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2003
  • Best Supporting Actress – Manchester Evening News Awards 2000 and 2001

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2003 Bright Young Things Agatha Nominated - Empire Award for Best Newcomer
Nominated - London Film Critics' Circle Award for Supporting Actress of the Year
Nominated - British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer

Nominated - Evening Standard Film Awards Best Newcomer

Stage Beauty Aurelia Meresvale
Vera Drake Hester
2004 Wah-Wah June Broughton
2006 Scoop Jane Cook
2007 St Trinian's Miss Cleaver
2009 You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Jane
2011 Cheerful Weather for the Wedding Nancy Dakin
2013 Mr. Turner Elizabeth Eastlake
2016 Swallows and Amazons Miss Crummock
Whisky Galore! Dolly
2017 Victoria & Abdul Miss Phipps
2019 Mr Jones Miss Stephenson
Judy Margaret Hamilton
2024 The Choral Lady Horsfall

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Poirot Ellis Episode: "Lord Edgware Dies"
2001 People Like Us Episode: "The Bank Manager"
The Way We Live Now Lady Julia Monogram Mini-Series
Mr Charity Lady Sophie Series Regular
2003 Eroica Princess Marie Lobkowitz TV film
2004 He Knew He Was Right Arabella French Mini-series
2006 Mr. Loveday's Little Outing Angela Moping TV film
2007 Jekyll Min Series regular
2008 Freezing Heidi 1 episode
Doctor Who Agatha Christie Episode: "The Unicorn and the Wasp"
2010 Agatha Christie’s Poirot Miss Whittaker Episode: "Hallowe'en Party"
2011 Silk Wendy Ford TV series, 1 episode
Case Histories Amelia Land Part 1 & 2 "Case Histories"
2013 Spies of Warsaw Lady Angela Hope TV Mini-series, 4 episodes
2015-2016 Home Fires Alison Scotlock Series regular
2016 War & Peace Catiche Kuragina 3 episodes
2017 The Halcyon Lady Ashworth 1 episode
Harlots Lady Repton 4 episodes
Quacks Lady Campbell 2 episodes
2018-2022 Call the Midwife Sister Hilda Series regular
2018 Inside No. 9 June Episode: "And the Winner Is....."
Midsomer Murders Hazel Webster Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part"
2019 Plebs Jocasta Episode: "The Grumbrella"
2020 Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation Tara 1 episode
2021 Dalgliesh Sister Mavis Gearing 2 episodes: "Shroud for a Nightingale"
2023 The Reckoning Margaret Thatcher 1 episode
2023-2024 The Buccaneers Lady Brightlingsea Main role
2024 The Deal Margaret Davies Main role

Theatre

[edit]

Radio

[edit]

Includes:

  • Virginia Woolf in The Hours for BBC Radio 4, Polly Thomas and Judith Kampfner
  • Poetry Please with Roger McGough for BBC Radio 4
  • Book of the Week for Radio 4 including Only In Naples by Katherine Wilson and Millions Like Us by Virginia Nicholson
  • Dot in Dot by Ed Harris, series 1 and 2
  • Blood Sex and Money – Zola, BBC Radio 4 Polly Thomas written by Dan Rebellato
  • Mrs Dalloway in Mrs Dalloway, BBC Radio 4 Marc Beeby
  • Rosemary Kennedy in An American Rose, BBC Radio 4 Sally Avens
  • Edith Wharton in Ethan Frome and in The Jinx Element, BBC Radio 4 Sally Avens
  • Before They Were Famous, Hat Trick
  • Flaw in the Motor, Dust in the Blood, BBC Radio 4, Toby Swift written by Trevor Preston
  • Miss Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, as part of the Jane Austen BBC Radio Drama Collection

Audio

[edit]

Includes:

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "B.A.". University of Durham Congregation (27 June 10:40am). Durham: Durham University: 3. 1991.
  2. ^ "Who is Fenella Woolgar? Portrait Artist of the Year star played in Judy with Renée Zellweger!". Reality Titbit. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Meet the cast of Call the Midwife series 9". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Fenella Woolgar". Audible.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  5. ^ "Culture". The Sunday Times. 28 December 2014. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Fenella Woolgar and Paul Chahidi win Clarence Derwent awards". Retrieved 17 April 2014.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ 'Handbagged' programme. Vaudeville Theatre.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fenella_Woolgar&oldid=1255531362"