| Co-starred with Timothy Spall in the British comedy series "Outside Edge" |
| Gained early stage experience with the Bubble Theater and with the Belgrade Theater in Coventry |
| Raised in Ramsgate, England |
| Worked for ten years as a bank secretary, during which time she married and later divorced |
1975 | Joined England's National Theatre Company |
1980 | Acted in "The Imitation Game" (made for British TV, but shown at film festivals and received limited theatrical exposure) |
1980 | Initial collaboration with Mike Leigh, the British TV-movie "Grown-Ups" |
1981 | Had featured role in the British stage play "Steaming" |
1984 | Co-starred in the London staging of "Benefactors" by Michael Frayn |
1984 | Starred with Simon Callow in the British comedy series "Chance in a Million" (Channel Four/Thames) |
1988 | Appeared in a British stage production of "Born Yesterday" |
1989 | Had lead in the British series "The Labours of Erica," a sitcom written for her by "Chance in a Million" writers Fegen and Norriss |
1990 | Made full-fledged feature film debut in the US-produced film, "The Witches" |
1991 | Appeared in the Off-Broadway production of "Absent Friends" |
1992 | Had small role as the family matriarch in the Robert Redford directed "A River Runs Through It" |
1992 | Returned to the British stage in "An Ideal Husband" in Manchester |
1993 | Appeared in "The Buddha of Suburbia" |
1996 | Last stage appearance (to date), "Habeas Corpus" at the Donmar Theatre Warehouse |
1996 | Received first Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of the birth mother of an African American daughter who she gave up for adoption in Mike Leigh's "Secrets & Lies"; Spall played her brother |
1997 | Teamed with Julie Walters for "Girls Night" |
1998 | Won critical praise as the shrill working-class mother of a gifted young woman nicknamed "Little Voice"; received second Academy Award nomination, this time as Best Supporting Actress |
1999 | Co-starred with John Hurt in the love story "Night Train" |
1999 | Portrayed Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons in the HBO drama "RKO 281" |
2000 | Appeared as a widow forced by circumstances into raising marijuana in the comedy "Saving Grace" |
2001 | Acted in the ensemble of "Daddy and Them" (filmed in 1998); written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton; (released theatrically in 2002) |
2001 | Played the wife of a military officer stationed in Malayasia in the 1930s in "Sleeping Dictionary" |
2001 | Portrayed Auguste Van Pels in the ABC movie "Anne Frank"; received Emmy nomination |
2002 | Played the mother of the title character, a former gigolo, in the film "Sonny," directed by Nicolas Cage |
2004 | Portrayed Bobby Darin's (Kevin Spacey) mother in "Beyond the Sea" a biopic of the legendary signer Bobby Darin |
2005 | Cast opposite Donald Sutherland and Keira Knightley in "Pride and Prejudice," an adaptation of the Jane Austen classic |
2006 | Cast as Peter Mullan's loving wife in "On a Clear Day" |
2007 | Once again appeared opposite Keira Knightley in the critically-acclaimed "Atonement" |
2007 | Played a bawdy comedienne with a sinking career in the Australian drama "Introducing the Dwights" |
2008 | Earned an Emmy nomination for her guest starring role on NBC's "Law and Order SVU" |
