Pam Ferris | |
|---|---|
 Ferris in 2012 | |
| Born | Pamela Ferris (1948-05-11)11 May 1948 (age 77) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse | |
Pamela Ferris (born 11 May 1948) is a British actress. She has starred in numerous British television series, includingConnie (1985),The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993),Where the Heart Is (1997–2000),Rosemary & Thyme (2003–2006), andCall the Midwife (2012–2016). For her role as Peggy Snow inWhere the Heart Is, Ferris was nominated thrice for Most Popular Actress at theNational Television Awards. She is best known to younger audiences for her role asMiss Agatha Trunchbull in the filmMatilda (1996).
Ferris portrayedMarge Dursley inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Miriam inChildren of Men (2006), Mrs. Bevan inNativity! (2009) andNativity 2: Danger in the Manger (2012), voiced Mrs. Bennett / Aunty Betty inEthel & Ernest (2016) and played Mrs. Faulkner inTolkien (2019). In theatre, her performance as Phoebe Rice inThe Entertainer atThe Old Vic in London saw Ferris being nominated for the 2007Laurence Olivier Award forBest Performance in a Supporting Role.
Ferris was born on 11 May 1948 inHanover,Lower Saxony, Germany,[1] to aWelsh mother and anEnglish father who was serving in theRoyal Air Force. After her parents returned to the United Kingdom, Ferris spent her childhood in theAberkenfig area, nearBridgend in Wales. Her father, Fred Ferris, was a policeman, and her mother, Ann Perkins, worked in her family's bakery business.[2]
Ferris performed in her younger years at theMercury Theatre inAuckland,[3] and later with various regional companies in the United Kingdom. She played motherly Ma Larkin in theITV seriesThe Darling Buds of May, which ran from 1991 to 1993. Ferris was the subject ofThis Is Your Life in 1991, when she was surprised byMichael Aspel while recording an episode ofThe Darling Buds of May atYorkshire Television inLeeds.[4] Ferris has also acted in a succession of television dramas, includingMeantime, in which she played theCockney mother ofPhil Daniels andTim Roth,Connie,Hardwicke House,Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit,Where the Heart Is, andParadise Heights. From 2003 to 2006, Ferris played the gardening sleuth Laura Thyme inRosemary & Thyme, starring oppositeFelicity Kendal.[5] Her roles incostume dramas include parts in television adaptations ofMiddlemarch,The Tenant of Wildfell Hall,Our Mutual Friend,The Turn of the Screw,Pollyanna, andJane Eyre.
In 1996, Ferris portrayed the brutish, authoritarian school headmistressMiss Agatha Trunchbull inMatilda (a role played by male actors in the stage musical version).
In 2004, Ferris played the foul-mouthedMarge Dursley inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In 2006, she took on the role of Miriam, a motherly British activist, inChildren of Men. Ferris voiced Mrs. Bennett/Aunty Betty in the animated biographical filmEthel & Ernest, which was broadcast onBBC One on 26 December 2016, and played Mrs. Faulkner inTolkien (2019).[6] She has also acted in productions forBBC Radio 4.
Ferris' career in the theatre has included parts inRoyal Court Theatre andNational Theatre productions. In 2007, she played Phoebe Rice in a revival ofJohn Osborne'sThe Entertainer at London'sOld Vic Theatre. That same year, Ferris took part in theBBC Wales programmeComing Home about her Welsh family history. In 2008, Ferris played Mrs. General in aBBC adaptation of theCharles Dickens novelLittle Dorrit. From 2009 to 2010, she appeared in the final series of the BBC comedyGavin & Stacey as Cath Smith. In 2010, Ferris made a guest appearance in the sitcomGrandma's House. From 2012 to 2016, she played the part of Sister Evangelina in the seriesCall the Midwife. In June and July 2015, Ferris was the guest of Sarah Walker onBBC Radio 3'sEssential Classics.[7]
In 1986, Ferris married actor Roger Frost. She lives inElham,Kent, England.[8] In a 2012 interview withThe Guardian, Ferris said, "I was obsessed with work in my youth. It's why I didn't get married until I was 38 and the reason I didn't have kids. Not having children isn't a sadness in my life, though. I know I wouldn't have been a half-bad mother, but that's what happened. There's no regretting it."[9]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Meantime | Mavis | |
| 1996 | Matilda | Miss Agatha Trunchbull | |
| 2002 | Death to Smoochy | Tommy Cotter | |
| 2004 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Marge Dursley | |
| 2006 | Children of Men | Miriam | |
| 2009 | Nativity! | Mrs. Bevan | |
| 2009 | Telstar | Mrs. Violet Shenton | |
| 2009 | Malice in Wonderland | The Duchess | |
| 2012 | The Raven | Mrs. Bradley | |
| 2012 | Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger | Mrs. Bevan | |
| 2013 | Saving Santa | Mrs. Claus | |
| 2016 | Ethel & Ernest | Mrs. Bennett / Aunty Betty (voice) | |
| 2018 | Holmes & Watson | Queen Victoria | [10] |
| 2019 | Tolkien | Mrs. Faulkner |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | BBC Play of the Month | Puck and Fairie | Episode: “A Midsummer Night's Dream” |
| 1984 | Dramarama | Dorothy | Episode: “Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest” |
| 1985 | The Bill | Mrs. Draper | Episode: “Death of a Cracksmen” |
| 1985 | Connie | Nesta | 13 episodes |
| 1986 | Ladies in Charge | Charlie | Episode: “Double Act” |
| 1987 | Hardwicke House | Ms. Crabbe | 2 episodes broadcast, 5 unaired and all 7 uploaded toYouTube in 2019. |
| 1987 | Lizzie's Pictures | Grace | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | Dramarama | Anne Bailey | Episode: “Peter” |
| 1987 | Casualty | Linda | Episode: “The Raid” |
| 1988 | The Fear | Brenda | Episode: “#1.1” |
| 1988 | Valentine Park | Mrs. Fox | Episode: “A Rose By Any Other Name” |
| 1988 | South of the Border | Brenda | Episode: “#1.6” |
| 1989 | All Change | Maggie Oldfield | Episode: “The Bosom of the Family” |
| 1990 | Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit | Mrs. Arkwright | 3 episodes |
| 1990 | A Sense of Guilt | Magdalen Parry | 3 episodes |
| 1991–1993 | The Darling Buds of May | Florence "Ma" Larkin | 20 episodes |
| 1992 | Mr Wakefield's Crusade | Mad Marion | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | Cluedo | Mrs. White | 6 episodes |
| 1992 | Performance | Mrs. Bryant | Episode: “Roots” |
| 1993 | Comedy Playhouse | Matron | Episode: “Once in a Lifetime” |
| 1994 | Middlemarch | Mrs. Dollop | 3 episodes |
| 1994 | The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends | Aunt Pettitoes (voice) | Episode: “The Tale of Pigling Bland” |
| 1994 | The Rector's Wife | Eleanor Ramsay | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Screen Two | Alice Hartley | Episode: “Mrs Hartley and the Growth Centre“ |
| 1996 | Wycliffe | Pat Trethowan | Episode: “Last Judgment” |
| 1996 | The Tenant of Wildfell Hall | Mrs. Markham | 2 episodes |
| 1997–2000 | Where the Heart Is | Peggy Snow | 36 episodes |
| 1998 | Our Mutual Friend | Mrs. Boffin | 4 episodes |
| 1999 | The Turn of the Screw | Mrs Grose | Television film |
| 2001 | Linda Green | Norma Fitts | Episode: “Victim Support” |
| 2002 | Paradise Heights | Marion Eustace | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | Clocking Off | Pat Fletcher | 6 episodes |
| 2003–2006 | Rosemary & Thyme | Laura Thyme | 22 episodes |
| 2004 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Elspeth McGillicuddy | Episode:“4:50 from Paddington” |
| 2006 | Jane Eyre | Grace Poole | 4 episodes |
| 2007 | Lilies | Alice Bird | Episode: “The Serpent” |
| 2008 | Little Dorrit | Mrs. Hortensia General | 9 episodes |
| 2009, 2024 | Gavin & Stacey | Catherina "Cath" Smith | 3 episodes |
| 2010 | Grandma's House | Deborah Adler | Episode: “The Day Simon Announced He Was in Control of the Universe” |
| 2011 | Midsomer Murders | Liz Tomlin | Episode: “Echoes of the Dead” |
| 2011 | Luther | Baba | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2016 | Call the Midwife | Sister Evangelina | 36 episodes |
| 2020 | Urban Myths | Madame Gaudin | Episode: “Les Dawson’s Parisienne Adventure” |
| 2021 | Beauty and the Beast: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas | Marie |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Matilda | Nominated |
| 1997 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | Where the Heart Is | Nominated |
| 1998 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | Where the Heart Is | Nominated |
| 2000 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | Where the Heart Is | Nominated |
| 2003 | Michael Elliott Trust Awards | Actress of the Year | — | Won |
| 2005 | Evening Standard Theatre Awards | Best Actress | Notes on Falling Leaves | Nominated |
| 2008 | Clarence Derwent Awards | Best Female in a Supporting Role | The Entertainer | Won |
| Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Performance in a Supporting Role | The Entertainer | Nominated |
