Portrait of Lindsay Duncan

Lindsay Duncan

Acting

Biography

Lindsay Vere Duncan, CBE (born November 7, 1950) is a Scottish stage and television actress. She is the recipient of three BAFTA nominations and one Scottish BAFTA nomination, as well as two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her work on stage. She has starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Duncan's film credits include Prick Up Your Ears (1987), The Reflecting Skin (1990), City Hall (1996), An Ideal Husband, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Mansfield Park (all 1999), Under the Tuscan Sun, AfterLife (both 2003), Starter for 10 (2006), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010), About Time (2013), Birdman (2014), and Blackbird (2019). Outside of stage and film, Duncan appeared as Barbara Douglas in Alan Bleasdale's critically acclaimed G.B.H. (1991), Servilia of the Junii on the HBO historical drama series Rome (2005–2007), Adelaide Brooke in the Doctor Who special "The Waters of Mars" (2009), Anjelica Hayden-Hoyle in the BBC Two miniseries The Honourable Woman (2014), and Lady Smallwood on BBC One's Sherlock (2014–2017). She also portrayed Elizabeth Longford and Margaret Thatcher in the television films Longford (2006) and Margaret (2009), respectively.

Born: November 7, 1950

Place of Birth: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Filmography

2025
The Death of Bunny Munro

as Doris Pennington

2024
Truelove

as Phil

2023
Doctor Jekyll

as Sandra Poole

2023
Call Me Back

as Grace

2023
Last Call

as Kate

2022
Sherwood

as Jennifer Hale

2022
A Banquet

as June

2021
The Wheel of Time

as Anvaere Damodred

2021
No Ordinary Joe

as Marion Barbara "Joe" Carstairs

2020
2019
My Zoe

as Kathy

2019
2019
His Dark Materials

as Octavia (voice)

2019
The Morning Show

as Martha Ellison

2019
November 1st

as Bonnie

2019
Little Joe

as Psychotherapist

2019
Blackbird

as Liz

2018
A Discovery of Witches

as Ysabeau de Clermont

2017
Gifted

as Evelyn Adler

2016
Close to the Enemy

as Frau Bellinghausen

2016
He Does Not Want Peace

as Rachel Englebright

2016
2016
Churchill's Secret

as Clemmie Churchill

2014
The Honourable Woman

as Anjelica Hayden-Hoyle

2014
The Leftovers

as Grace Playford

2014
Inside No. 9

as Loretta Lamb

2013
Last Passenger

as Elaine Middleton

2013
Le Week-End

as Meg Burrows

2013
Lawless

as Lady Justice MacNeil

2013
2013
Count Arthur Strong

as Dame Agnes

2012
Amish: A Secret Life

as Narrator (voice)

2012
The Hollow Crown

as Duchess of York

2012
Playhouse Presents

as Mrs. Dalloway

2012
White Heat

as Lilly (present day)

2011
Black Mirror

as Alex Cairns

2011
Spy

as The Director

2011
Against the Wall

as Faith Kowalski

2011
Christopher and His Kind

as Kathleen Isherwood

2011
The Sinking of the Laconia

as Elisabeth Fullwood

2010
Sherlock

as Lady Smallwood

2010
Alice in Wonderland

as Helen Kingsleigh

2010
2009
Margot

as Madam

2009
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars

as Captain Adelaide Brooke

2009
Margaret

as Margaret Thatcher

2008
Merlin

as Queen Annis

2008
Lost in Austen

as Lady Catherine de Bourgh

2008
Criminal Justice

as Alison Slaughter

2007
Frankenstein

as Jane Pretorius

2006
Longford

as Lady Elizabeth Longford

2006
Starter for 10

as Rose Harbison

2005
Rome

as Servilia of the Junii

2004
2004
2003
2002
Spooks

as Angela Wells

2002
Hamilton Mattress

as Beryl / Gertrude (voice)

2001
2000
Dirty Tricks

as Alison

1999
Oliver Twist

as Elizabeth Leeford

1999
Mansfield Park

as Mrs. Price / Lady Bertram

1999
An Ideal Husband

as Lady Markby

1999
Shooting the Past

as Marilyn Truman

1996
A Midsummer Night's Dream

as Hippolyta / Titania

1996
City Hall

as Sydney Pappas

1995
1994
The Rector's Wife

as Anna Bouverie

1993
A Year in Provence

as Annie Mayle

1991
Body Parts

as Dr. Agatha Webb

1991
Redemption

as Kath Peachey

1991
G.B.H.

as Barbara Douglas

1990
The Reflecting Skin

as Dolphin Blue

1989
Traffik

as Helen Rosshalde

1989
These Foolish Things

as Gutrune Day

1989
1989
1988
Colin's Sandwich

as Rosemary

1988
Manifesto

as Lily Sachor

1988
The Play on One

as Gutrune Day

1987
Prick Up Your Ears

as Anthea Lahr

1986
Dead Head

as Dana Cass

1984
1984
1984
Rainy Day Women

as Karen Miller

1984
1983
1982
Mike Leigh: Making Plays

as Self (archive footage)

1982
On Approval

as Helen

1982
Muck and Brass

as Jean Torrode

1980
Grown-Ups

as Mrs Butcher

1979
Dick Turpin

as Catherine Langford

1976
1975
1974
Playhouse

as Christine Butcher

1965
BBC Play of the Month

as Helen Hayle