Shaun of the Dead Crew - Penelope Wilton

Actress Penelope Wilton was born on June 3rd, 1946, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK. She is the niece of actor Bill Travers and actress Linden Travers, and is also the cousin of actor Richard Morant.Before she started a career in television and film, Penelope was already blossoming as a highly talented stage actress. Her stage debut was at the West End Theatre playing opposite Sir Ralph Richardson.

In 1972, she launched her television career playing the role of Vivie Warren in Mrs. Warren’s Profession. She would also go on to star in several episodes of BBC Television Shakespeare, playing challenging roles such as Desdemona and Regan.

In 1975, she married actor Daniel Massey. The couple had one child and would stay married until 1984. Following their divorce, he would marry her sister, Lindy.

In 1981, she was awarded the prestigious London Critics’ Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actress for her stage roles in Much Ado About Nothing and the play Man and Superman.

Despite her success, Penelope wasn’t a household name in Britain. But that would all change in 1984. That was the year that she starred alongside Richard Briers in the wildly popular BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles.As the years passed, she continued to be a regular presence on British television and stage. She even worked on her movie career, being cast in Clockwise (1986) and Cry Freedom (1987).

In 1991, she married actor Sir Ian Holm. Soon after, they appeared as Pod and Homily in the 1993 BBC adaptation of The Borrowers. Wilton and Holm would remain married until 2001.

While 2001 was a hard year personally, it did bring professional rewards. Penelope won her 2nd London Critics’ Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for her role in the television production of The Deep Blue Sea. At the same awards show, her recent ex-husband, Ian Holm, received a Best Actor award for his performance in Moonlight.

That same year, she was also nominated for a London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her role in the play The Little Foxes.She followed this up with roles in movies such as Iris and Calendar Girls. She also remained active on television and in the theatre.In 2004, she was cast as Barbara, the mother of the protagonist, in the international hit zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead. The success of this film brought Penelope to the attention of a whole new generation of fans.Coincidentally, the movie cast Bill Nighy as her husband. Years earlier, Nighy had played Sam Gamgee opposite Ian Holm’s Frodo Baggins in a BBC radio dramatization of The Lord of the Rings.

She was also recognized for her services to drama when she was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 New Year’s Honors List.

Since then, she has remained active in film, television, and the stage. She guest-starred in the 2005 Doctor Who revival (in a role written especially for her) and worked with Woody Allen on the film Match Point.