Harriet Walter

{{Infobox person

| honorific_prefix = Dame

| name = Harriet Walter

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DBE|size=100%}}

| image = Harriet Walter - GylesDamesPalladium050323 (56 of 74) (52728157886).jpg

| caption = Walter in 2023

| birth_name = Harriet Mary Walter

| birth_date =

| birth_place = London, England

| education = London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (BA)

| occupation = Actress

| years_active = 1974–present

| spouse = {{marriage|Guy Paul|2011}}

| partner = Peter Blythe (1996–2004; his death)

| relatives = {{plainlist|

Christopher Lee (maternal uncle)
Marie Carandini (great-great-grandmother)
John Walter (ancestor)}}

}}

Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress. She has received an Olivier Award and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to drama.

Walter began her career performing on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company in productions of Twelfth Night (1987–88) and Three Sisters (1988), for which she received the Olivier Award for Best Actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for Life x 3 (2001), and Mary Stuart (2006). Her other notable work for the RSC includes leading roles in Macbeth (1999) and Antony and Cleopatra (2006).

She made her Broadway debut in the 1983 revival of the William Shakespeare play All's Well That Ends Well (1983). She returned to Broadway in Mary Stuart for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She reprised her roles of Brutus in Julius Caesar (2012) and the title role in Henry IV (2014), as well as playing Prospero in The Tempest, as part of an all-female Shakespeare trilogy in 2016.

Walter has acted in the films Sense and Sensibility (1995), The Governess (1998), Atonement (2007), The Young Victoria (2009), A Royal Affair (2012), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Denial (2016), The Sense of an Ending (2017), Rocketman (2019), and The Last Duel (2021). On television she starred as Harriet Vane in the 1987 BBC Wimsey dramatisations and as Natalie Chandler in the ITV drama series Law & Order: UK from 2009 to 2014. She has also acted in Downton Abbey (2013–15), London Spy (2015), The Crown (2016), Patrick Melrose (2018), Killing Eve (2020), and Silo (2023–present). She has earned Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in Succession (2018–2023) and Ted Lasso (2020–2023).

Early life and education

Harriet Mary Walter{{cn|date=May 2025}} was born in London, England. She is the niece of British actor Sir Christopher Lee, being the daughter of his elder sister Xandra Lee. On her father's side, Walter is a great-great-great-great-granddaughter of John Walter, founder of The Times.{{cite web |url=http://www.inpublishing.co.uk/news/articles/stationers_celebrate_times_links.aspx |title=News: Stationers celebrate Times links |publisher=InPublishing |date=8 April 2011 |access-date=13 February 2013 |archive-date=11 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311222955/http://www.inpublishing.co.uk/news/articles/stationers_celebrate_times_links.aspx |url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Fox|first=Chloe|title=The world of Harriet Walter, actress|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 February 2007|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/02/03/smworld03.xml|location=London|access-date=8 February 2021|archive-date=24 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424045024/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=%2Farts%2F2007%2F02%2F03%2Fsmworld03.xml|url-status=dead}}

She was educated at Cranborne Chase School. After turning down a university education, she was rejected by five drama schools before being admitted to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/jan/15/harriet-walter-interview-dame |title=Life's looking up, Dame Harriet |date=15 January 2011 |work=The Guardian |author-link=Aida Edemariam |first=Aida |last=Edemariam |location=London |archive-date=23 September 2020 |access-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923115252/https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/jan/15/harriet-walter-interview-dame |url-status=live }} Following her training, she gained early experience with the Joint Stock Theatre Company, Paines Plough touring, and the Duke's Playhouse, Lancaster.{{cite book|title=Who's Who|title-link=Who's Who|year=1995|publisher=A & C Black|location=Oxford, England|chapter=Walter, Harriet Mary}}

Career

Walter appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) productions Nicholas Nickleby (1980), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1981), All's Well That Ends Well (1981), The Castle (1985), A Question of Geography (1988), Twelfth Night (1988), Three Sisters (1988), The Duchess of Malfi (1989), Macbeth (1999), Much Ado about Nothing (2002) and Death of a Salesman (2015).

In 1987, Walter was made an associate artist of the RSC. Additional theatre work includes Three Birds Alighting on a Field (1991), Arcadia (1993), Hedda Gabler (1996), Ivanov (1997) and Mary Stuart (2005).

Walter made her Broadway debut in 1983, when the RSC production of All's Well That Ends Well transferred there. In 1993, she starred as Biddy in the off-Broadway production of Three Birds Alighting on a Field, for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination. She returned to the Broadway stage in 2009, when she reprised her role in Mary Stuart. In 2014, Walter starred as Brutus in an all-female off-Broadway production of Julius Caesar and received her second Drama Desk nomination.

Walter's films include Sense and Sensibility (1995), Bedrooms and Hallways (1998), The Governess (1998), Onegin (1999), Villa des Roses (2002) and Bright Young Things (2003). In 1987, she portrayed Harriet Vane in three instalments of the BBC's A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery, and played Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler from 2009 to 2012 in the ITV drama series Law & Order: UK. Other television roles include Waking the Dead (2001), Little Dorrit (2008), A Short Stay in Switzerland (2009) and Lady Shackleton in four episodes of the series Downton Abbey (2013–15).{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092396/ |title="A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery" Strong Poison: Episode One (TV Episode 1987) – IMDb |publisher=IMDb |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-date=6 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706220720/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092396/ |url-status=live}}

In 2016, Walter played Clementine Churchill on the Netflix series The Crown, appeared in two episodes in 2017 in Call the Midwife and had a recurring role on the HBO series Succession (2018⁠–23). In 2020, Walter joined the series Killing Eve.{{cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=19 August 2019 |title='Killing Eve': Harriet Walter & Danny Sapani Join Cast As Production Begins on Season 3 |url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/killing-eve-harriet-walter-danny-sapani-cast-production-begins-season-3-1202671178/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819180505/https://deadline.com/2019/08/killing-eve-harriet-walter-danny-sapani-cast-production-begins-season-3-1202671178/ |archive-date=19 August 2019 |access-date=19 August 2019 |website=Deadline |language=en}}{{cite news |last=Weiss |first=Josh |date=19 April 2020 |title=Who Is Dasha? Dame Harriet Walter Breaks Down Her New 'Killing Eve' Character And That Wedding Crash |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2020/04/19/killing-eve-season-3-dame-harriet-walter-dasha-interview/?sh=4c5afa2b4c19 |url-status=live |access-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108192913/https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2020/04/19/killing-eve-season-3-dame-harriet-walter-dasha-interview/?sh=4c5afa2b4c19 |archive-date=8 November 2020}}

Walter played Brutus in Julius Caesar in 2012, and the title role in Henry IV in 2014, in all-female productions at the Donmar Warehouse. Both productions transferred to Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse in New York. She was set to reprise both roles, as well as playing Prospero in an all-female production of The Tempest, as part of director Phyllida Lloyd's Shakespeare trilogy at the Donmar's temporary, in-the-round, 420-seat theatre next to King's Cross station in 2016.

On 14 January 2025 Walter announced that filming was underway for Paramount+ series Playing Gracie Darling, in the role of Pattie.{{Cite web |title=Cameras Roll On New Australian Mystery Drama Starring Morgana O'Reilly And Dame Harriet Walter. |url=https://www.paramountanz.com.au/news/cameras-roll-on-new-australian-mystery-drama-starring-morgana-oreilly-and-dame-harriet-walter/ |date=2025-01-14 |website=Paramount Australia & New Zealand|language=en-AU}}

Personal life

Walter was in a relationship with actor Peter Blythe from 1996 until his death in 2004.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/aug/06/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries|title=Obituary: Peter Blythe|last=Shorter|first=Eric|date=6 August 2004|work=The Guardian|access-date=26 November 2010|location=London|archive-date=17 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151217224555/http://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/aug/06/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries|url-status=live}} She married actor Guy Paul in 2011.{{cite news |author=Culture |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8508200/Harriet-Walter-Why-I-am-getting-married-at-60.html |title=Harriet Walter: 'Why I am getting married at 60' |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 May 2011 |access-date=13 February 2013 |location=London |archive-date=30 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730115627/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8508200/Harriet-Walter-Why-I-am-getting-married-at-60.html |url-status=live}}

At the age of 20, Walter became a feminist and went "into political theatre; to try and put as much feminism into the interpretation of parts I was playing".{{Cite journal |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a35391032/harriet-walter-killing-eve/|title=Harriet Walter: "Your whole casting relationship is built around a man"|journal=Digital Spy|first=Abby|last=Robinson|date=8 March 2021|access-date=18 October 2023}} She was conflicted on her damehood and nearly turned it down,{{cite web|access-date=18 October 2023 |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024031419/https://www.insidenova.com/lifestyles/entertainment/dame-harriet-walters-nightmare-title/article_ad1c9bac-d827-58b8-8d28-e7d442c6b622.html |date=17 April 2023 |title=Dame Harriet Walter's 'nightmare' title |url=https://www.insidenova.com/lifestyles/entertainment/dame-harriet-walters-nightmare-title/article_ad1c9bac-d827-58b8-8d28-e7d442c6b622.html |url-status=dead |website=Inside Nova}} but eventually decided to accept because "there are many fewer women [than men] who can sustain a career to the point where they can be named a dame, and that's not through lack of talent. It was a slightly political gesture".{{Cite journal |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/dame-harriet-walter-the-actress-on-learning-what-it-is-to-age-plastic-surgery-and-her-unease-at-being-honoured-by-the-establishment-10009783.html|title=Dame Harriet Walter: The actress on learning what it is to age, plastic surgery, and her unease at being honoured by the establishment|journal=The Independent|first=Holly|last=Williams|date=1 February 2015|access-date=18 October 2023|archive-date=24 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024032257/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/dame-harriet-walter-the-actress-on-learning-what-it-is-to-age-plastic-surgery-and-her-unease-at-being-honoured-by-the-establishment-10009783.html|url-status=live}}

She supported the UK remaining in the European Union in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36340722|title=In full: Arts figures backing EU Remain campaign|website=BBC News|date=20 May 2016|access-date=18 October 2023}}

Walter, who speaks Russian, performed a reading at the 2022 Poets for Ukraine event alongside Juliet Stevenson, Meera Syal, and others.{{Cite journal |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/harriet-walter-we-mustnt-tar-russian-people-with-same-brush-as-their-leaders/41488462.html|title=Harriet Walter: We mustn't tar Russian people with same brush as their leaders|journal=Belfast Telegraph|first=Ellie|last=Iorizzo|date=25 March 2022|access-date=18 October 2023}} Shortly after the beginning of the 2023 Gaza war, Walter was one of over 2,000 to sign an Artists for Palestine letter calling for a ceasefire and accusing western governments of "not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them".{{Cite web|url=https://artistsforpalestine.org.uk/2023/10/17/tilda-swinton-among-2000-artists-calling-for-gaza-ceasefire/|title=Tilda Swinton among 2000+ artists calling for Gaza ceasefire|website=Artists for Palestine|date=17 October 2023|access-date=17 October 2023|archive-date=17 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017142643/https://artistsforpalestine.org.uk/2023/10/17/tilda-swinton-among-2000-artists-calling-for-gaza-ceasefire/|url-status=live}} She condemned the decision to rescind Caryl Churchill's 2022 European Drama Lifetime Achievement Award over Churchill's support of Palestine and alleged anti-semitism.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/nov/17/cancellation-of-award-for-playwright-caryl-churchill-condemned|title=Cancellation of award for playwright Caryl Churchill condemned|website=The Guardian|first=Harriet|last=Sherwood|date=17 November 2022|access-date=18 November 2022|language=en}}

Walter is a patron of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a charity that enables school children across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres; Prisoners Abroad, a charity that supports Britons imprisoned overseas and their families; and Clean Break, a charity and theatre company dedicated to sharing the stories of imprisoned women and transforming the lives of female offenders through theatre education.{{cite web |title=Shakespeare Schools Foundation Patrons |url=https://www.shakespeareschools.org/about-us/patrons |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211165434/https://www.shakespeareschools.org/about-us/patrons |archive-date=11 December 2017 |access-date=12 July 2021 |website=Shakespeare Schools Foundation}}

Acting credits

= Film =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1984 \| Reflections \| Ottilie Garinger \|
rowspan="2"\|1985 \| {{sortname\|The\|Good Father}} \| Emmy Hooper \|
Turtle Diary \| Harriet Simms \|
1990 \| May Fools \| Lily \|
1993 \| {{sortname\|The\|Hour of the Pig}} \| Jeannie Martin \|
1995 \| Sense and Sensibility \| Fanny Dashwood \|
1996 \| {{sortname\|The\|Leading Man}} \| Liz Flett \|
1997 \| Keep the Aspidistra Flying \| Julia Comstock \|
rowspan="2"\|1998 \| Bedrooms and Hallways \| Sybil \|
{{sortname\|The\|Governess}} \| Mrs. Cavendish \|
1999 \| Onegin \| Madame Larina \|
2002 \| Villa des Roses \| Olive Burrell \|
2003 \| Bright Young Things \| Lady Maitland \|
2005 \| Chromophobia \| Penelope Aylesbury \|
2006 \| Babel \| Lilly \|
2007 \| Atonement \| Emily Tallis \|
rowspan="4"\|2009 \| Chéri \| La Loupiote \|
{{sortname\|The\|Young Victoria}} \| Queen Adelaide \|
Morris: A Life with Bells On \| Professor Compton Chamberlayne \|
From Time to Time \| Lady Dresham \|
rowspan="2"\|2012 \| {{sortname\|A\|Royal Affair}} \| Augusta of Saxe-Gotha \|
{{sortname\|The\|Wedding Video\|dab=2012 film}} \| Alex \|
2014 \| Suite Française \| Viscountess de Montmort \|
rowspan="2"\|2015 \| Man Up \| Fran \|
Star Wars: The Force Awakens \| Kalonia \|
rowspan="2"\|2016 \| Denial \| Vera Reich \|
Mindhorn \| Agent \|
2017 \| {{sortname\|The\|Sense of an Ending\|dab=film}} \| Margaret \|
2019 \| Rocketman \| Helena Piena \|
2020 \| Herself \| Peggy \|
2021 \| {{sortname\|The\|Last Duel\|dab=2021 film}} \| Nicole de Buchard \|
rowspan="2"\|2022 \| Your Christmas or Mine? \| Iris \|
Burial \| Anna Marshall \|
rowspan="2"\|2024 \| And Mrs \| Amanda \|
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee \|Herself \|Documentary film

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1984

| Reflections

| Ottilie Garinger

rowspan="2"|1985

| {{sortname|The|Good Father}}

| Emmy Hooper

Turtle Diary

| Harriet Simms

1990

| May Fools

| Lily

1993

| {{sortname|The|Hour of the Pig}}

| Jeannie Martin

1995

| Sense and Sensibility

| Fanny Dashwood

1996

| {{sortname|The|Leading Man}}

| Liz Flett

1997

| Keep the Aspidistra Flying

| Julia Comstock

rowspan="2"|1998

| Bedrooms and Hallways

| Sybil

{{sortname|The|Governess}}

| Mrs. Cavendish

1999

| Onegin

| Madame Larina

2002

| Villa des Roses

| Olive Burrell

2003

| Bright Young Things

| Lady Maitland

2005

| Chromophobia

| Penelope Aylesbury

2006

| Babel

| Lilly

2007

| Atonement

| Emily Tallis

rowspan="4"|2009

| Chéri

| La Loupiote

{{sortname|The|Young Victoria}}

| Queen Adelaide

Morris: A Life with Bells On

| Professor Compton Chamberlayne

From Time to Time

| Lady Dresham

rowspan="2"|2012

| {{sortname|A|Royal Affair}}

| Augusta of Saxe-Gotha

{{sortname|The|Wedding Video|dab=2012 film}}

| Alex

2014

| Suite Française

| Viscountess de Montmort

rowspan="2"|2015

| Man Up

| Fran

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

| Kalonia

rowspan="2"|2016

| Denial

| Vera Reich

Mindhorn

| Agent

2017

| {{sortname|The|Sense of an Ending|dab=film}}

| Margaret

2019

| Rocketman

| Helena Piena

2020

| Herself

| Peggy

2021

| {{sortname|The|Last Duel|dab=2021 film}}

| Nicole de Buchard

rowspan="2"|2022

| Your Christmas or Mine?

| Iris

Burial

| Anna Marshall

rowspan="2"|2024

| And Mrs

| Amanda

The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee

|Herself

|Documentary film

= Television =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1979 \| Rebecca \| Clarice \| Episode #1.3
1980 \| {{sortname\|The\|Imitation Game\|dab=play}} \| Cathy Raine \| Television film
1981 \| {{sortname\|The\|Cherry Orchard\|dab=1981 film}} \| Varya \| Television film
1984 \| Amy \| Amy Johnson \| Television film
1985 \| {{sortname\|The\|Price\|nolink=y}} \| Frances Carr \| 6 episodes
1986 \| Girls on Top \| R.S.C. Actress 3 \| Episode: "Mr. Yummy Brownie"
1987 \| {{sortname\|A\|Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery}} \| Harriet Vane \| Main cast, 10 episodes
1989 \| Theatre Night \| Sheila \| Episode: "Benefactors"
rowspan="3"\|1991 \| Screen Two \| Amelia Cleverly \| Episode: "They Never Slept"
{{sortname\|The\|Men's Room}} \| Charity Walton \| Miniseries, 5 episodes
Ashenden \| Giulia Lazzari \| Episode: "The Dark Woman"
rowspan="2"\|1993 \| Inspector Morse \| Dr. Esther Martin \| Episode: "The Day of the Devil"
Performance \| Mrs. Dorothy Maitland \| Episode: "The Maitlands"
1994 \| Hard Times \| Rachel \| 4 episodes
1997 \| {{sortname\|A\|Dance to the Music of Time\|dab=TV series}} \| Mildred \| Episode: "The Thirties"
1998–1999 \| Unfinished Business \| Amy \| Main cast, 12 episodes
rowspan="2"\|1999 \| Dalziel and Pascoe \| Mary Waddell \| Episode: "Time to Go"
{{sortname\|The\|Magical Legend of the Leprechauns}} \| Queen Morag \| Television film
2001 \| Waking the Dead \| Annie Keel \| Episode: "A Simple Sacrifice"
2003 \| My Uncle Silas \| Pamela Farrell \| Episode: "Shandy Lil"
rowspan="3"\|2004 \| London \| Virginia Woolf \| 2 episodes
Imagine \| Mother \| Episode: "The Smoking Diaries"
Spooks \| Deep Throat \| Episode: "Who Guards the Guards?"
rowspan="3"\|2005 \| New Tricks \| Madeline \| Episode: "Trust Me"
Messiah \| Professor Robb \| 3 episodes
Midsomer Murders \| Margaret Winstanley \| Episode: "Orchis Fatalis"
rowspan="2"\|2006 \| Agatha Christie's Marple \| Duchess of Malfi \| Episode: "Sleeping Murder"
Doctors \| Annie Fenton \| 4 episodes
rowspan="3"\|2007 \| Trial & Retribution \| The Judge \| Episode: "Paradise Lost: Part 1"
Five Days \| ACC Jennie Griffin \| 3 episodes
Ballet Shoes \| Dr. Smith \| Television film
rowspan="5"\|2008 \| {{sortname\|The\|Palace}} \| Joanna Woodward \| Episode #1.1
Fairy Tales \| Charlotte Brooks \| Episode: "Cinderella"
10 Days to War \| Anne Campbell \| Episode: "Failure Is Not an Option"
Agatha Christie's Poirot \| Miss Bulstrode \| Episode: "Cat Among the Pigeons"
Little Dorrit \| Mrs. Gowan \| Miniseries, 4 episodes
rowspan="2"\|2009 \| Hunter \| ACC Jenny Griffin \| Miniseries, 2 episodes
{{sortname\|A\|Short Stay in Switzerland}} \| Clare \| Television film
2009–2014 \| Law & Order: UK \| Natalie Chandler \| Main cast, 40 episodes
rowspan="3"\|2013 \| Midsomer Murders \| Diana Davenport \| Episode: "Death and the Divas"
Heading Out \| Angela \| 2 episodes
By Any Means \| Sally Walker \| Episode #1.4
2013–2015 \| Downton Abbey \| Lady Shackleton \| Recurring role, 4 episodes
2014 \| {{sortname\|The\|Assets}} \| Jeanne Vertefeuille \| Miniseries, 8 episodes
2015 \| London Spy \| Claire \| Miniseries, 3 episodes
2016 \| {{sortname\|The\|Crown\|dab=TV series}} \| Clementine Churchill \| Recurring role, 6 episodes
rowspan="2"\|2017 \| Call the Midwife \| Sister Ursula \| 3 episodes
Black Sails \| Marion Guthrie \| 3 episodes
rowspan="4"\|2018 \| Patrick Melrose \| Princess Margaret \| Episode: "Some Hope"
Flowers \| Hylda \| Main cast, 5 episodes
Black Earth Rising \| Eve Ashby \| 2 episodes
My Dinner with Hervé \| Baskin \| Television film
2018–2023 \| Succession \| Lady Caroline Collingwood \| 7 episodes
rowspan="2"\|2019 \| Curfew \| Helen Newman \| 4 episodes
{{sortname\|The\|Spanish Princess}} \| Lady Margaret Beaufort \| Miniseries, 8 episodes
rowspan="4"\|2020 \| {{sortname\|The\|End\|dab=Australian TV series}} \| Edie \| 10 episodes
Belgravia \| Caroline, Countess of Brockenhurst \| 6 episodes
Killing Eve \| Dasha \| 7 episodes
Talking Heads \| Muriel \| Episode: "Soldiering On"
2021 \| Doctor Who \| Prime Minister Jo Patterson \| Episode: "Revolution of the Daleks"
2021–2023 \| Ted Lasso \| Deborah Welton \| 4 episodes
rowspan="2"\|2022 \| Documentary Now! \| Edwina \| Episode: "Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport"
This Is Going to Hurt \| Veronique \| Recurring character{{cite web\|url=https://deadline.com/2021/06/this-is-going-to-hurt-first-look-harriet-walter-alex-jennings-bbc-amc-1234780739/\|title='This Is Going To Hurt': Harriet Walter, Alex Jennings Join BBC/AMC Series; First Look at Lead Ben Whishaw\|website=Deadline Hollywood\|first=Jake\|last=Kanter\|date=24 June 2021\|access-date=24 June 2021\|archive-date=24 June 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624230648/https://deadline.com/2021/06/this-is-going-to-hurt-first-look-harriet-walter-alex-jennings-bbc-amc-1234780739/\|url-status=live}}
rowspan="2"\|2023 \| The Cleaner \| Lisa \| Episode: "The Transaction"
Archie \| Elsie Leach \| 3 episodes
2023–present \| Silo \| Martha Walker \| Main cast{{cite web\|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/wool-harriet-walter-avi-nash-chinaza-uche-join-apple-original-1234865291/\|title='Wool': Harriet Walter, Avi Nash & Chinaza Uche Join Apple's Dystopian Drama As Series Regulars\|first=Matt\|last=Grobar\|website=Deadline Hollywood\|date=1 November 2021\|access-date=8 November 2024\|archive-date=8 November 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108030003/https://deadline.com/2021/11/wool-harriet-walter-avi-nash-chinaza-uche-join-apple-original-1234865291/\|url-status=live}}
2024 \| Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light \| Lady Margaret Pole \|Episode: "Wreckage"
rowspan="3" \|2025 \| Brian and Maggie \| Margaret Thatcher \| 2 episodes{{cite web\|url= https://deadline.com/2024/10/first-look-harriet-walter-margaret-thatcher-channel-4-brian-and-margaret-1236104229/\|website=Deadline Hollywood\|access-date=2 October 2024\|title= First Look At 'Succession's Harriet Walter As Margaret Thatcher In Channel 4's 'Brian & Margaret'\|first=Jake \|last=Kanter\|date=October 1, 2024}}
Black Mirror \| Judith Keyworth \| Episode: "Hotel Reverie"
Playing Gracie Darling \| Pattie \| Filming

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1979

| Rebecca

| Clarice

| Episode #1.3

1980

| {{sortname|The|Imitation Game|dab=play}}

| Cathy Raine

| Television film

1981

| {{sortname|The|Cherry Orchard|dab=1981 film}}

| Varya

| Television film

1984

| Amy

| Amy Johnson

| Television film

1985

| {{sortname|The|Price|nolink=y}}

| Frances Carr

| 6 episodes

1986

| Girls on Top

| R.S.C. Actress 3

| Episode: "Mr. Yummy Brownie"

1987

| {{sortname|A|Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery}}

| Harriet Vane

| Main cast, 10 episodes

1989

| Theatre Night

| Sheila

| Episode: "Benefactors"

rowspan="3"|1991

| Screen Two

| Amelia Cleverly

| Episode: "They Never Slept"

{{sortname|The|Men's Room}}

| Charity Walton

| Miniseries, 5 episodes

Ashenden

| Giulia Lazzari

| Episode: "The Dark Woman"

rowspan="2"|1993

| Inspector Morse

| Dr. Esther Martin

| Episode: "The Day of the Devil"

Performance

| Mrs. Dorothy Maitland

| Episode: "The Maitlands"

1994

| Hard Times

| Rachel

| 4 episodes

1997

| {{sortname|A|Dance to the Music of Time|dab=TV series}}

| Mildred

| Episode: "The Thirties"

1998–1999

| Unfinished Business

| Amy

| Main cast, 12 episodes

rowspan="2"|1999

| Dalziel and Pascoe

| Mary Waddell

| Episode: "Time to Go"

{{sortname|The|Magical Legend of the Leprechauns}}

| Queen Morag

| Television film

2001

| Waking the Dead

| Annie Keel

| Episode: "A Simple Sacrifice"

2003

| My Uncle Silas

| Pamela Farrell

| Episode: "Shandy Lil"

rowspan="3"|2004

| London

| Virginia Woolf

| 2 episodes

Imagine

| Mother

| Episode: "The Smoking Diaries"

Spooks

| Deep Throat

| Episode: "Who Guards the Guards?"

rowspan="3"|2005

| New Tricks

| Madeline

| Episode: "Trust Me"

Messiah

| Professor Robb

| 3 episodes

Midsomer Murders

| Margaret Winstanley

| Episode: "Orchis Fatalis"

rowspan="2"|2006

| Agatha Christie's Marple

| Duchess of Malfi

| Episode: "Sleeping Murder"

Doctors

| Annie Fenton

| 4 episodes

rowspan="3"|2007

| Trial & Retribution

| The Judge

| Episode: "Paradise Lost: Part 1"

Five Days

| ACC Jennie Griffin

| 3 episodes

Ballet Shoes

| Dr. Smith

| Television film

rowspan="5"|2008

| {{sortname|The|Palace}}

| Joanna Woodward

| Episode #1.1

Fairy Tales

| Charlotte Brooks

| Episode: "Cinderella"

10 Days to War

| Anne Campbell

| Episode: "Failure Is Not an Option"

Agatha Christie's Poirot

| Miss Bulstrode

| Episode: "Cat Among the Pigeons"

Little Dorrit

| Mrs. Gowan

| Miniseries, 4 episodes

rowspan="2"|2009

| Hunter

| ACC Jenny Griffin

| Miniseries, 2 episodes

{{sortname|A|Short Stay in Switzerland}}

| Clare

| Television film

2009–2014

| Law & Order: UK

| Natalie Chandler

| Main cast, 40 episodes

rowspan="3"|2013

| Midsomer Murders

| Diana Davenport

| Episode: "Death and the Divas"

Heading Out

| Angela

| 2 episodes

By Any Means

| Sally Walker

| Episode #1.4

2013–2015

| Downton Abbey

| Lady Shackleton

| Recurring role, 4 episodes

2014

| {{sortname|The|Assets}}

| Jeanne Vertefeuille

| Miniseries, 8 episodes

2015

| London Spy

| Claire

| Miniseries, 3 episodes

2016

| {{sortname|The|Crown|dab=TV series}}

| Clementine Churchill

| Recurring role, 6 episodes

rowspan="2"|2017

| Call the Midwife

| Sister Ursula

| 3 episodes

Black Sails

| Marion Guthrie

| 3 episodes

rowspan="4"|2018

| Patrick Melrose

| Princess Margaret

| Episode: "Some Hope"

Flowers

| Hylda

| Main cast, 5 episodes

Black Earth Rising

| Eve Ashby

| 2 episodes

My Dinner with Hervé

| Baskin

| Television film

2018–2023

| Succession

| Lady Caroline Collingwood

| 7 episodes

rowspan="2"|2019

| Curfew

| Helen Newman

| 4 episodes

{{sortname|The|Spanish Princess}}

| Lady Margaret Beaufort

| Miniseries, 8 episodes

rowspan="4"|2020

| {{sortname|The|End|dab=Australian TV series}}

| Edie

| 10 episodes

Belgravia

| Caroline, Countess of Brockenhurst

| 6 episodes

Killing Eve

| Dasha

| 7 episodes

Talking Heads

| Muriel

| Episode: "Soldiering On"

2021

| Doctor Who

| Prime Minister Jo Patterson

| Episode: "Revolution of the Daleks"

2021–2023

| Ted Lasso

| Deborah Welton

| 4 episodes

rowspan="2"|2022

| Documentary Now!

| Edwina

| Episode: "Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport"

This Is Going to Hurt

| Veronique

| Recurring character{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/06/this-is-going-to-hurt-first-look-harriet-walter-alex-jennings-bbc-amc-1234780739/|title='This Is Going To Hurt': Harriet Walter, Alex Jennings Join BBC/AMC Series; First Look at Lead Ben Whishaw|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Jake|last=Kanter|date=24 June 2021|access-date=24 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624230648/https://deadline.com/2021/06/this-is-going-to-hurt-first-look-harriet-walter-alex-jennings-bbc-amc-1234780739/|url-status=live}}

rowspan="2"|2023

| The Cleaner

| Lisa

| Episode: "The Transaction"

Archie

| Elsie Leach

| 3 episodes

2023–present

| Silo

| Martha Walker

| Main cast{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/wool-harriet-walter-avi-nash-chinaza-uche-join-apple-original-1234865291/|title='Wool': Harriet Walter, Avi Nash & Chinaza Uche Join Apple's Dystopian Drama As Series Regulars|first=Matt|last=Grobar|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=1 November 2021|access-date=8 November 2024|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108030003/https://deadline.com/2021/11/wool-harriet-walter-avi-nash-chinaza-uche-join-apple-original-1234865291/|url-status=live}}

2024

| Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light

| Lady Margaret Pole

|Episode: "Wreckage"

rowspan="3" |2025

| Brian and Maggie

| Margaret Thatcher

| 2 episodes{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2024/10/first-look-harriet-walter-margaret-thatcher-channel-4-brian-and-margaret-1236104229/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=2 October 2024|title= First Look At 'Succession's Harriet Walter As Margaret Thatcher In Channel 4's 'Brian & Margaret'|first=Jake |last=Kanter|date=October 1, 2024}}

Black Mirror

| Judith Keyworth

| Episode: "Hotel Reverie"

Playing Gracie Darling

| Pattie

| Filming

= Theatre =

1979, Royal Shakespeare Company, A Midsummer Night's Dream
1981/82, Royal Shakespeare Company, Helena in All's Well That Ends Well
1981/82, Royal Shakespeare Company, Winnifrede in The Witch of Edmonton
1983, Martin Beck Theatre (Broadway transfer), Helena in All's Well That Ends Well
1985, Royal Shakespeare Company, Skinner in The Castle
1987/88, Royal Shakespeare Company, Imogen in Cymbeline
1987/88, Royal Shakespeare Company, Viola in Twelfth Night{{cite web|url=http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards/view/item98523/Olivier-Winners-1988/|title=Olivier Winners 1988|date=24 April 2008|publisher=The Official London Theatre Guide|access-date=28 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504081637/http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards/view/item98523/Olivier-Winners-1988/|archive-date=4 May 2010|url-status=dead}}
1987/88, Royal Shakespeare Company, Dacha in A Question of Geography
1988, Royal Shakespeare Company, Masha in Chekhov's Three Sisters
1989/90, Royal Shakespeare Company, Duchess in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi
1991, Royal Court Theatre (and off-Broadway transfer), Biddy in Timberlake Wertenbaker's Three Birds Alighting on a Field
1993, Royal National Theatre, Lady Croom in Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
1999, Royal Shakespeare Company, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth
2000, Royal National Theatre and The Old Vic, Sonia in Life x 3
2002 Royal National Theatre, Paige in Dinner by Moira Buffini, co-starring Nicholas Farrell and Catherine McCormack
2005, Donmar Warehouse and Apollo Theatre (West End), Elizabeth I in Mary Stuart by Schiller
2006, Royal Shakespeare Company, Antony and Cleopatra
2009, Broadhurst Theatre (Broadway transfer), Elizabeth I in Mary Stuart
2010, Royal National Theatre, Women Beware Women
2012/13, Donmar Warehouse (and off-Broadway transfer), Brutus in Julius Caesar{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20593316|title=BBC News report on critical reception|access-date=6 December 2012|date=5 December 2012|archive-date=6 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206143139/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20593316|url-status=live}}
2014, Donmar Warehouse (and off-Broadway transfer), King Henry IV in Henry IV
2015, Royal Shakespeare Company and the Noël Coward Theatre, Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman
2016, Donmar Warehouse, Prospero in The Tempest{{cite news|title=Review: In 'The Tempest,' Liberation and Exhilaration|last=Brantley|first=Ben|date=18 January 2017|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/theater/review-in-the-tempest-liberation-and-exhilaration.html|access-date=1 November 2020|work=The New York Times|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108064534/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/theater/review-in-the-tempest-liberation-and-exhilaration.html|url-status=live}}

= Audio =

Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation
The Vortex by Noël Coward as Florence Lancaster, BBC Radio 3, 2 January 2000
Scenes of Seduction as Catherine, radio play written by Timberlake Wertenbaker and directed by Ned Chaillet, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 7 March 2005{{cite web |url=http://bufvc.ac.uk/shakespeare/index.php/title/AV68694 |title=Scenes of Seduction · British Universities Film & Video Council |publisher=Bufvc.ac.uk |date=7 March 2005 |access-date=13 February 2013 |archive-date=14 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314011247/http://bufvc.ac.uk/shakespeare/index.php/title/av68694 |url-status=live}}
Desmond Olivier Dingle as herself, broadcast on BBC7 on 28 February 2007, episode 2 of 6, duration 30 minutes
The Arts and How they was done as herself, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 4 April and 9 May 2007, episodes 1 and 6 out of 6, duration 30 minutes
I, Claudius as Livia, wife of Augustus, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 December 2010
Desert Island Discs as herself on BBC Radio 4, guested on 26 June 2011
Time and the Conways as Mrs. Conway in BBC Radio 3's adaptation of J.B. Priestley's play, broadcast on 14 September 2014
The Mysterious Affair at Styles as Emily Inglethorp, a 2024 Audible original

Honours

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours{{London Gazette |issue=55710 |date=31 December 1999 |page=11 |supp=y}} and promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to drama.{{London Gazette |issue=59647 |date=31 December 2010 |page=6 |supp=y}}

In 2001 she and Kenneth Branagh were both given honorary doctorates and honorary fellowships at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford.

Her performance in Mary Stuart at the Donmar Warehouse transferred to Broadway, where it was nominated for numerous Tony Awards, including Best Actress nods for her and her co-star Janet McTeer.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/05/billy-elliot-tony-awards-broadway|title=Billy Elliot musical dominates Broadway's Tony award shortlist|date=5 May 2009|work=The Guardian|access-date=26 November 2010|location=London|archive-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307124214/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/may/05/billy-elliot-tony-awards-broadway|url-status=live}}

class="wikitable"
Year !Award !Category !Nominated work !Result
1985 \| rowspan="2" \|Laurence Olivier \|Actress of the Year \|The Castle \|{{nom}}
1988 \|Best Actress in a Revival \|A Question of Geography / Twelfth Night / Three Sisters \|{{won}}
1994 \|Drama Desk Award \|Outstanding Actress in a Play \|Three Birds Alighting on a Field \|{{nom}}
2001 \|Laurence Olivier Award \|Best Actress \|Life x 3 \|{{nom}}
2005 \|Evening Standard Award \| Best Actress \| rowspan="3" \|Mary Stuart \|{{won}}
2006 \|Laurence Olivier Award \|Best Actress \|{{nom}}
2009 \|Tony Award \|Best Actress in a Play \|{{nom}}
2014 \|Drama Desk Award \|Outstanding Actress in a Play \|Julius Caesar \|{{nom}}
2016 \|Screen Actors Guild Award \|Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series \|The Crown \|{{nom}}
2020 \| rowspan="5" \|Primetime Emmy Award \|rowspan=2\|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series \|rowspan=2\|Succession \|{{nom}}
rowspan=2\|2022 \|{{nom}}
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series \|Ted Lasso \| {{nom}}
rowspan=2\|2023 \|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series \|Succession \|{{nom}}
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series \|Ted Lasso \| {{nom}}

class="wikitable"

Year

!Award

!Category

!Nominated work

!Result

1985

| rowspan="2" |Laurence Olivier

|Actress of the Year

|The Castle

|{{nom}}

1988

|Best Actress in a Revival

|A Question of Geography / Twelfth Night / Three Sisters

|{{won}}

1994

|Drama Desk Award

|Outstanding Actress in a Play

|Three Birds Alighting on a Field

|{{nom}}

2001

|Laurence Olivier Award

|Best Actress

|Life x 3

|{{nom}}

2005

|Evening Standard Award

| Best Actress

| rowspan="3" |Mary Stuart

|{{won}}

2006

|Laurence Olivier Award

|Best Actress

|{{nom}}

2009

|Tony Award

|Best Actress in a Play

|{{nom}}

2014

|Drama Desk Award

|Outstanding Actress in a Play

|Julius Caesar

|{{nom}}

2016

|Screen Actors Guild Award

|Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series

|The Crown

|{{nom}}

2020

| rowspan="5" |Primetime Emmy Award

|rowspan=2|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

|rowspan=2|Succession

|{{nom}}

rowspan=2|2022

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

|Ted Lasso

| {{nom}}

rowspan=2|2023

|Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

|Succession

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

|Ted Lasso

| {{nom}}

Bibliography

Clamorous Voices: Shakespeare's Women Today (1988). Women's Press, {{ISBN|0-7043-4145-X}}.
Players of Shakespeare 3 (1994). Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-521-47734-5}}.
Macbeth (Actors on Shakespeare) (2002). Faber and Faber, London. {{ISBN|0-571-21407-X}}
Other People's Shoes (2003). Nick Hern Books, London. {{ISBN|1-85459-751-5}}. Autobiography.
Facing It, Reflections on Images of Older Women (2010). Self Published, London. {{ISBN|978-0-9566497-1-3}}
Brutus and Other Heroines: Playing Shakespeare's Roles for Women (2016). Nick Hern Books, London. {{ISBN|978-1-84842-293-3}}
She Speaks!: What Shakespeare's Women Might Have Said (2025). Virago, London. {{ISBN|978-0349020433}}

References

External links

{{IMDb name|id=0910040|name=Harriet Walter}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110617072136/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/56618/company-members/harriet-walter.html Company Members : Harriet Walter] at the Royal National Theatre
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110510074515/http://www.facingitpublications.co.uk/ Facingitpublications.co.uk]

{{Navboxes

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Category:1950 births

Category:20th-century English actresses

Category:21st-century English actresses

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art

Category:Audiobook narrators

Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Category:English feminists