Michelle Duncan

{{Infobox person

| name = Michelle Duncan

| image = MICHELLE DUNCAN.jpg

| caption = Duncan in 2019

| birth_name = Michelle Duncan

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|4|14|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Perth, Scotland

| alma mater = Queen Margaret University
St Andrews University

| years_active = 1997–present

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Actress

}}

Michelle Duncan (born 14 April 1978) is a Scottish-Canadian actress, known for films such as Driving Lessons (2006), Atonement (2007), The Broken (2008) and Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).

Early life

Born and raised in Perth, Duncan studied and trained in acting at Queen Margaret University School of Drama before studying English and classics at St Andrews University.

Career

Duncan's television roles include Sugar Rush, Doctor Who,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074fly|title=BBC One - Doctor Who (2005–2022), Series 2, Tooth and Claw|website=BBC}} Low Winter Sun, and Lost in Austen. She played Princess Diana in a TV film, Whatever Love Means, opposite Olivia Poulet as Camilla Parker Bowles and Laurence Fox as Prince Charles.{{cite web|title=Exclisive: Charles' Love secrets on TV|website=Daily Mirror |date=23 August 2005 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/exclusive-charles-love-secrets-on-tv-554681}}{{cite web|title=Affairs to Remember|date=19 November 2005 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/3648069/Affairs-to-remember.html}}

Her film work includes Atonement, The Broken, and as Rupert Grint's love interest{{Cite web|url=http://www.rupertgrintpress.com/tag/jeremy-brock/|title=Rupert Grint Press Archives — Jeremy Brock|website=www.rupertgrintpress.com}} in Driving Lessons with Julie Walters. Duncan's role in Atonement was particularly praised by The New Yorker theatre critic Anthony Lane:{{cite magazine|title=Conflicting Stories|magazine=The New Yorker |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/12/10/conflicting-stories}} Duncan's stage work includes Time and the Conways (Bath Theatre Royal/ touring), A Midsummer Night's Dream {{Cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2004/a-midsummer-night-s-dream-review-at-duddingston-kirk-manse/|title=A Midsummer Night's Dream review at Duddingston Kirk Manse}} and The Burning at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Further television work includes New Tricks{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01mxr71|title=BBC One - New Tricks, Series 9, The Girl Who Lived|website=BBC}}{{cite web|last1=BBC|title=Call the Midwife series 3 episode 8|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yb1fx|accessdate=11 June 2014}} and Call the Midwife.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yb1fx|title=BBC One - Call the Midwife, Series 3, Episode 8|website=BBC}} Duncan lent her voice to an adaptation of The Little Mermaid{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2006/the-little-mermaid-review-at-little-angel-london/|title=The Little Mermaid review at Little Angel London}} by Hans Christian Andersen at Little Angel Puppet Theatre in 2006 alongside Dame Judi Dench, Sir Michael Gambon, Rory Kinnear, Claudie Blakley, Rosamund Pike, Claire Rushbrook and Peter Wight.

In 2003, Duncan spent a season with Theatre Alba, appearing in the company's productions of The Burning and The Enchauntit Gairden.The Burning / The Enchauntit Gairden, Theatre Alba production programme, August 2023

In 2007 she was cast as Portia {{Cite web|url=http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discovery-space/adopt-an-actor/archive/portia-played-by-michelle-duncan|title=Shakespeare's Globe|website=www.shakespearesglobe.com}} in The Merchant of Venice at Shakespeare's Globe, but was unable to continue after the previews and was replaced by Kirsty Besterman. In 2012 Duncan appeared alongside Amanda Hale in Scrubber,{{cite web|title=Scrubber|url=//www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXDMNAZVq5w |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/MXDMNAZVq5w| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} a film written and directed by Romola Garai. In 2013, Duncan appeared in the third series of the BBC TV drama Luther{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0377wtx|title=BBC One - Luther, Series 3, Episode 3|website=BBC}} and Case Histories.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b020z0w5|title=BBC One - Case Histories, Series 2, Nobody's Darling|website=BBC}} In 2014, she appeared in the ITV drama Grantchester.

In 2015, she starred alongside Ruth Negga, Douglas Henshall and Tom Brooke in Scott Graham's{{cite web|title=Scott Graham| website=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2989742/?ref_=tt_ov_dr}} film Iona.{{Cite web|url=http://film.britishcouncil.org/iona|title=British Council Film: Iona|first=British Council|last=Film|website=film.britishcouncil.org}} The closing gala film of the Edinburgh Film Festival.{{cite web|title=EIFF Announces the World Premiere of Iona as 2015 Closing Night Gala|url=http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/2015/05/eiff-announces-the-world-premiere-of-iona-as-2015-closing-night-gala}} She took the role of Bea{{cite web|title=Cast announced for The Distance|date=17 September 2015 |url=https://www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk/about/news/cast-announced-for-the-return-of-the-distance}} (originally performed by Helen Baxendale) in Deborah Bruce's play The Distance, directed by Charlotte Gwinner, for Sheffield and the Orange Tree Theatres.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2015/the-distance-review-at-sheffields-crucible-lyceum-studio-intelligent-and-wickedly-comic/|title=The Distance review at Sheffield's Crucible Lyceum Studio – 'intelligent and wickedly comic'}}{{cite web|title=The Distance|date=9 December 2015 |url=http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-distance}}

In 2017, she starred opposite Jamie Robson in Oscar-nominated director Charlotte Wells' short film Blue Christmas. Then the following year, she played Shelley Stern in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

In 2022, Duncan was cast in Star Wars: Andor where she plays the role of Roboda Beehaz.{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/rebus-reboot-filming-cast-newsupdate/|title=Rebus reboot begins filming as additional cast revealed | Radio Times|website=www.radiotimes.com}} In the same year, Duncan starred opposite Dougray Scott in the short film Slay and Prepare the Animal for Meat, directed by Oisin Kearney and written by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth. She also played the role of Caroline Dupayne opposite Bertie Carvel in Dalgliesh Series 2: The Murder Room.

In 2023, Viaplay announced that Duncan had been cast in the Rebus reboot series based on the crime novels of author Ian Rankin.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-02 |title=Filming commences in Scotland for new TV drama Rebus |url=https://www.screen.scot/news/2023/may/filming-commences-for-viaplays-first-uk-drama-rebus |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=Screen Scotland |language=en}}

In 2025, Duncan appeared as Dr Fiona Wallace in Dept. Q on Netflix.{{Cite web |date=2025-06-08|title=Dept. Q cast |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27995114/fullcredits?ref_=ext_shr_lnk |access-date=2025-06-08 |website=IMDB |language=en}}

Theatre

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Company

!Theatre

!Director

!Notes

2003

The Burning

The Girl

Theatre Alba

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh

Charles Nowosielski

play by Stewart Conn

2003

The Enchauntit Gairden

Princess Honeysuckle

Theatre Alba

Duddingston Kirk Gardens, Edinburgh

Charles Nowosielski

play by Charles Mackenzie

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1997

| Waterloo

| Short film

rowspan="3" | 2006

| Driving Lessons

| Bryony

Sucking Is a Fine Quality in Women and Vacuum Cleaners

| The Wife

| Short film

Chôshû Faibu

| Emily

2007

| Atonement

| Fiona Maguire

2008

| The Broken

| Kate Coleman

2012

| Scrubber

| Neighbour

| Short film

2015

| Iona

| Elizabeth

2017

| Blue Christmas

| Lily

| Short film

2018

| Bohemian Rhapsody

| Shelley Stern

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2000

| Are You Afraid of the Dark?

| Andrea

| Episode: "The Tale of the Time Trap"

rowspan="3" | 2005

| Sea of Souls

| Claire Morrison

| 2 episodes

Sugar Rush

| Miss Forbes

| S1 Ep2

Whatever Love Means

| Princess Diana

| TV movie

rowspan="2" | 2006

| Doctor Who

| Lady Isobel

| Episode: "Tooth and Claw"

Low Winter Sun

| Det Con Louise Cullen

| TV movie

2008

| Lost in Austen

| Charlotte Lucas

| 2 episodes

2012

| New Tricks

| Georgia Wright

| Episode: "The Girl Who Lived"

rowspan="3" | 2013

| Case Histories

| Rachel Stewart

| Episode: "Nobody's Darling"

Luther

| Kiera Mills

| 1 episode

Call the Midwife

| Jeanette Heckford

| 1 episode

2014

| Grantchester

| Annabel Morrison

2019–21

| Hanna

| False Marissa

| 2 episodes

2019

| Elizabeth is Missing

| Mrs Palmer

| TV movie

2021

| Baptiste

| Sally

2022

| Andor

| Roboda Beehaz

| Episode: "The Eye"

2023

| Dalgliesh

| Caroline Dupayne

| Episode: "The Murder Room"

2025

|Dept. Q

|Dr Fiona Wallace

|3 episodes

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Nominated work ! Award ! Category ! Result ! {{Abbr\|Ref.\|References}}
2005 \| Sea of Souls \| BAFTA Scotland \| Best First-Time Performance \| {{nom}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|
2008 \| Atonement \| Gold Derby Awards \| Best Ensemble Cast \| {{nom}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Nominated work

! Award

! Category

! Result

! {{Abbr|Ref.|References}}

2005

| Sea of Souls

| BAFTA Scotland

| Best First-Time Performance

| {{nom}}