Lesley Nicol (actress)

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Lesley Nicol
Lesley Nicol 2019.jpg
Nicol in 2019
Born (1953-08-07) 7 August 1953 (age 71)
Manchester, England [1]
Other namesLeslie Nicol
Education Guildhall School of Music and Drama
OccupationActress
Years active1982–present
Known for Beryl Patmore in Downton Abbey
Spouse
David Heald
(m. 2007;died 2022)
Awards Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, 2012, 2014–2015

Lesley Nicol (born 7 August 1953) is an English actress, a three-time SAG Award winner in the Best Cast in a Drama Series category for her role as Beryl Patmore in the ITV and PBS drama TV series Downton Abbey . She also starred in the 2019 feature film adaptation of the series [2] [3] and its 2022 sequel.

Contents

Early life

Nicol was born and raised in Manchester, Lancashire. Her father was a doctor, and her mother was a model and television presenter. [4]

She left school at the age of seventeen to attend Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, from which she graduated. [5] [6] [7]

Career

Nicol's television roles include the recent ITV drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office , portraying the role of real-life sub-postmistress Pam Stubbs. [8] She played Mrs. Beaver in the BBC adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , the Queen Giant in The Silver Chair and as Henrietta Beecham in the 2019 ITV historical drama Beecham House . She made multiple appearances on ABC's The Catch in a recurring role playing the matriarch of a London gangland family and also guest-starred on episodes of Amazon Prime Video's The Boys , ITV's Doc Martin , The CW's Supernatural (where she played a variation of the witch from Hansel and Gretel ), CBS's reboot of The Odd Couple , ABC's Once Upon a Time and TVLand's Hot in Cleveland . [9] [10] [11] She has also voiced Scarf Lady in children’s televisions Sarah and Duck .

Theatre work

On stage, Nicol co-starred as "Rosie" in the original West End production of the international hit musical Mamma Mia! and originated the role of Kath in the Madness Musical Our House in the West End. [12] She starred as Auntie Annie in East is East at London's Royal Court Theatre and later reprised her role in the BAFTA Best British Film Award-winning version of the play, also titled East Is East , [13] as well as the film sequel, West is West . [14] [15]

Nicol wrote an original musical about her life and career with pop music songwriter Mark Mueller titled How the Hell Did I Get Here? The well-received show opened Off-Broadway in New York City in April 2022 and was nominated for an Off-Broadway Alliance Award after just 10 performances. [16] [17] She and Mueller first performed it in 2017 at her alma mater, London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, followed by a show in Hong Kong at that city's historic Fringe Club theatre. [18] In March 2022, the musical had its first, fully-staged performance in Chicago. [19] The show's North American tour in the summer of 2022 was postponed to a due to the death of her husband, reported as a "deep personal bereavement." [20]

Personal life

Nicol married David Heald in 2007, whom she first met in 2003. He died in May 2022, aged 76. [21]

Unlike her Downton Abbey character, Mrs Patmore, Nicol is a vegan and, by her own admission, is a "terrible" cook. [22]

Filmography

YearFilm/TVRoleNotes
1985 The Practice Jan MetcalfeTV series (13 episodes)
1986 Blackadder II Mrs PantsTV series (1 episode: "Money")
1987 Comeback Bossy BootsTV film
Brookside Shelley RimmerTV series (1 episode: "Give Us a Clue")
1988 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Mrs Beaver TV series (5 episodes)
1989 Bradley NicoleTV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 1.3")
The Nineteenth Hole Mrs AndertonTV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 1.3")
Alexei Sayle's Stuff TV series (1 episode: "Whistling Calculus for Tax Purposes")
4 Play Janet HolmesTV series (1 episode: "Dawn and the Candidate")
1990 The Silver Chair Giant QueenTV series (2 episodes)
1991 Waterfront Beat TV series (3 episodes)
Paul Merton: The Series TV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 1.4")
1991–2008 The Bill VariousTV series (3 episodes)
1994 Three Seven Eleven Mrs PudseyTV series (2 episodes)
Casualty Jayne BowenTV series (1 episode: "Chasing the Dragon")
1994–2008 Heartbeat VariousTV series (5 episodes)
1995 Castles GilianTV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 1.6")
New Voices JoanTV series (1 episode: "Grimm")
1996 Peak Practice Sally BuxtonTV series (1 episode: "Partners")
1998 The Grand Mrs MorrisTV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 2.10")
Dinnerladies Woman WorkerTV series (1 episode: "Royals")
1999 East Is East Auntie Annie
Brookside SandraTV series (1 episode)
Extremely Dangerous Gwenda PalmerTV series (2 episodes)
1999–2000 A Touch of Frost Mrs CockroftTV series (2 episodes)
2002 Holby City Eileen McMahonTV series (1 episode: "Taking Cover")
2002–2009 Doctors VariousTV series (2 episodes)
2004 The Last Detective Stella BeauchampTV series (1 episode: "Benefit to Mankind")
Rose and Maloney HeadteacherTV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 1.1")
The Courtroom Brenda RimmerTV series (1 episode: "The Postman")
2005 Marple: A Murder Is Announced Nurse McClellandTV film
2006 Hotel Babylon Mrs CordTV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 1.4")
2007 Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley JeanTV film
2008 Hancock and Joan NellieTV film
Shameless BelleTV series (1 episode: "Episode No. 5.14")
2010 West is West Auntie Annie
2010–2015 Downton Abbey Mrs Patmore TV series (52 episodes)
2013 Once Upon a Time JohannaTV series (1 episode: "The Queen Is Dead")
Free Birds Pilgrim Woman (voice)
Sarah & Duck Scarf Lady (voice)Recurring character
2014 Raising Hope EleanorTV series (1 episode: How I Met Your Mullet. Season 4, episode 21)
Hot in Cleveland MargaretTV series (1 episode: The Christmas Episode. Season 6, episode 7)
2015 Supernatural KatjaTV series (1 episode: "About a Boy". Season 10, episode 12)
George Gently Breath in the Air
2016 Goldie & Bear Fairy Godmother (voice)recurring role, credited as "Leslie Nicol"
The Catch Sybil GriffithsTV series (2 episodes)
Ghostbusters Mrs PotterDeleted scene, available on the extended cut.
2017 The Tom and Jerry Show Maid (voice)TV series (1 episode: "Downton Tabby") credited as "Leslie Nicol"
2018–2023 Summer Camp Island Ramona (voice)TV series (10 episodes)
2019 Beecham House Henrietta BeechamTV series (6 episodes)
Downton Abbey Mrs Patmore
2020 The Boys Connie ButcherAmazon Original Series (1 episode)
2021–2022 Jellystone! Winsome Witch (voice)Recurring role
2022 Father Brown Marjorie ChummyTV series (Series 9, Episode 7)
Alice's Wonderland Bakery Iris
Downton Abbey: A New Era Mrs Patmore
Doc Martin Mrs Irene MooreTV series (Series 10, Episode 4)
2023 Hogwarts Legacy Professor Matilda Weasley (voice)Video game
2024 Mr Bates vs The Post Office Pam StubbsTV series
The Wingfeather Saga NurgabogTV Series (2 episodes)
2025 Untitled Downton Abbey: A New Era sequel Mrs Patmore Post-production

Awards

Screen Actors Guild Award

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2012 Downton Abbey Cast Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Won [23]
2013 Downton Abbey CastOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesNominated [24]
2014 Downton Abbey CastOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesWon [25]
2015 Downton Abbey CastOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesWon [26]
2016 Downton Abbey CastOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesNominated [27]

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References

  1. Watts, Halina (21 June 2014). "Downton Abbey star Lesley Nicol on how she never follows the rules". Daily Mirror . UK. Retrieved 12 March 2015. At 61, ....
  2. "SAG Awards: 'Downton Abbey' Wins Best Cast in a Drama Series". The Hollywood Reporter . 30 January 2016.
  3. "Actress Lesley Nicol on Filming the Downton Abbey Movie: "It Felt Like You'd Come Home"".
  4. "Review: Lesley Nicol — Downton Abbey's Mrs. Patmore — Tells Not-Quite-All | TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. "Lesley Nicol | Characters | Downton Abbey Season 2 | Masterpiece | PBS". PBS . Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  6. "Guildhall School Annual Report 2011/12". 12 February 2013.
  7. "Have a Very Downton Christmas". independent. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  8. "Mr Bates vs. The Post Office". IMDb .
  9. "'The Catch' adds 'Downton Abbey' star Lesley Nicol". Entertainment Weekly .
  10. "Lesley Nicol". IMDb .
  11. "The Boys". IMDb . 26 July 2019.
  12. "Our House". guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  13. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
  14. "Lesley Nicol". IMDb .
  15. "InDepth InterView: Lesley Nicol on DOWNTON ABBEY Season Four, Playing MRS. Patmore, MAMMA MIA!, DOWNTON Musical? & More".
  16. "HARMONY, ASSASSINS & More Win 2022 off Broadway Alliance Awards".
  17. "Review: Lesley Nicol Charms New York Audiences with HOW THE HELL DID I GET HERE? At the McKittrick Hotel".
  18. "Official Mark Mueller Website – Songwriter of Crush & DuckTales Theme". markmueller.
  19. https://playbill.com/article/lesley-nicol-to-present-musical-autobiography-at-the-mckittrick-hotel [ bare URL ]
  20. "How the Hell Did I Get Here".
  21. Bashforth, Emily (3 May 2022). "Downton Abbey's Lesley Nicol heartbroken following death of 'warrior' husband David Heald aged 76". Metro. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  22. "Downton Abbey film: 14 things you need to know". BBC News. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  23. "2013 SAG Awards Shakeup: Argo & Jennifer Lawrence Score Upsets; Downton Abbey Topples Homeland". 28 January 2013.
  24. "The 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards".
  25. "SAG Awards: 'Downton Abbey' Wins Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series". The Hollywood Reporter . 25 January 2015.
  26. "SAG Awards: 'Downton Abbey' Wins Best Cast in a Drama Series". The Hollywood Reporter . 30 January 2016.
  27. "The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards".