Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton CBE (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre productions in the United Kingdom.
Staunton has performed in a variety of plays and musicals in London throughout her career, winning four Laurence Olivier Awards; three for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her roles in the musicals Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy, and one for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Play for her work in both A Chorus of Disapproval and The Corn Is Green. Her other stage appearances include The Beggar's Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Uncle Vanya, Guys and Dolls, Entertaining Mr Sloane, and Good People. She has been nominated for 13 Olivier Awards.
On film, Staunton's roles in the 1990s include Antonia and Jane, Peter's Friends, Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, and Shakespeare in Love. She received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for playing the title role of Vera Drake. She gained a wider audience for her role as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films The Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hallows - Part 1. She also appeared in the films Nanny McPhee, Another Year, Pride, Finding Your Feet, and Downton Abbey, and provided voice roles for Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, and Paddington.
On television, Staunton starred in the sitcoms Up the Garden Path and Is it Legal?. Her performance in My Family and Other Animals earned her a nomination for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress, while her roles in Return to Cranford and The Girl earned her BAFTA TV Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. For the latter, she was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She portrays Queen Elizabeth II in the final two seasons of The Crown, gaining a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
Early life and education
Staunton was born in Archway, North London, the only child of Bridie (née McNicholas), a hairdresser, and Joseph Staunton, a labourer. They lived over Staunton's mother's salon. Her parents were first-generation Catholic immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland; her father from Ballyvary and her mother from Bohola. Her mother was a musician who could not read music, but could play almost any tune by ear on the accordion or fiddle, and had played in Irish showbands.
As a pupil at La Sainte Convent, Staunton took drama classes with her elocution teacher and starred in school plays, including the role of Polly Peachum in The Beggar's Opera. Encouraged by her teacher, she auditioned for drama schools and got into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at age 18. She also unsuccessfully auditioned for the Central School of Speech and Drama and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
