Phoebe Nicholls | |
|---|---|
| Born | Phoebe Sarah Nicholls (1957-04-07)7 April 1957 (age 68) London, England |
| Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3; includingTom Sturridge andMatilda Sturridge |
| Father | Anthony Nicholls |
| Relatives | Horace Nicholls (grandfather) |
Phoebe Sarah Nicholls (born 7 April 1957) is an English actress. She is most notable for her roles as Cordelia Flyte inBrideshead Revisited (1981), and as the mother ofJohn Merrick inThe Elephant Man (1980). Other credits includeDr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965),Women in Love (1969),Van der Valk (1977),Bless Me, Father (1979),Persuasion (1995),Kavanagh QC (1995),Gulliver's Travels (1995),Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997),The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997),Shackleton (2002),Hawking (2004),The Brief (2004),Spooks (2006),The Trial of Tony Blair (2007),Lewis (2007),Prime Suspect (2003),Midsomer Murders (2003),Lewis,Foyle's War (2003),Second Sight,Downton Abbey (2012),Fortitude (2015),Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015),Doctor Thorne (2016),Transformers: The Last Knight (2017),Eric (2024), andThe Sandman (2025).
Nicholls is the daughter of actorsAnthony Nicholls and Faith Kent.[1] She trained at theCentral School of Speech and Drama.[2]
Nicholls married directorCharles Sturridge on 6 July 1985;[3] they have two sons, including actorTom Sturridge, and a daughter actorMatilda Sturridge.[3][4] Her grandfather is photojournalistHorace Nicholls.[5]
As achild actress in several films she was billed as Sarah Nicholls.[6] In her early 20s, she appeared inDavid Lynch'sThe Elephant Man (1980),[7]Richard Loncraine'sThe Missionary (1982),[7] and as Cordelia Flyte inBrideshead Revisited (1981).[7]
Cast inMichael Lindsay-Hogg's original staging ofWhose Life Is It Anyway? in 1978,[8] she later performed in Robert Strura's revival ofThree Sisters withVanessa Redgrave.[8] At theNational Theatre she appeared inStephen Daldry's acclaimed version ofJ.B. Priestley'sAn Inspector Calls[2] and inDavid Hare'sPravda (starringSir Anthony Hopkins). At theRoyal Court Theatre she appeared theOlivier Award-winning production ofTerry Johnson'sHysteria.[9] Her supporting performances in the 2008West End revivals ofNoël Coward'sThe Vortex (2007-2008),[8] andHarley Granville Barker'sWaste (2008).[10] For her role as Frances inWaste, she won theClarence Derwent Award for Best female in a supporting role in 2009.[11]
Nicholls appeared in the BBC filmPersuasion (1995),[7]Kavanagh QC (1995),[7]Prime Suspect (2003),[7]Midsomer Murders (2003),[7]Lewis,[7]The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1997),[7]Foyle's War (2003),[7]Second Sight,[7] starringClive Owen, and a Christmas episode ofDownton Abbey (2012).[7] She has also appeared in several works directed by her husband,Charles Sturridge, including his 1995 television adaptation ofGulliver's Travels (1996),[7] where she portrayed the Liliputian Empress, the filmFairy Tale: A True Story (1997),[7] andShackleton (2002).[7]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Pumpkin Eater | Elizabeth | |
| 1965 | Dr. Terror's House of Horrors | Carol Rogers | Segment: "Creeping Vine" |
| 1967 | Our Mother's House | Gerty | |
| 1969 | Women in Love | Winifred Crich | billed as Sarah Nicholls |
| 1980 | The Elephant Man | Merrick's Mother | |
| 1982 | The Missionary | Deborah Fitzbanks | |
| 1983 | Party Party | Rebecca | |
| 1984 | Ordeal by Innocence | Tina Argyle | |
| 1987 | Maurice | Anne Durham | |
| 1995 | Persuasion | Elizabeth Elliot | |
| 1997 | FairyTale: A True Story | Polly Wright | |
| 1999 | The Miracle Maker | Old Woman (voice) | |
| 2012 | The Scapegoat | Charlotte | |
| 2016 | Three Women Wait for Death | Miranda | Short |
| Starfish | Tom's Mother | ||
| Chubby Funny | Aunty Jane | ||
| 2017 | Transformers: The Last Knight | Aunt Helen | |
| Finding Your Feet | Janet | ||
| 2019 | Berlin, I Love You | Capucine | |
| 2020 | The Empty Man | Nurse Allerton | |
| 2021 | The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | Mrs. Wain | |
| 2023 | Widow Clicquot | Marie-Catherine Clicquot |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Prometheus: The Life of Balzac | Augustine de Berny | Episode: "Apprenticeship of a Genius" |
| 1977 | Van der Valk | Treesje | Episode: "Gold Plated Delinquents" |
| 1979 | Telford's Change | Jean | Episode: "1.8" |
| Bless Me, Father | Nurse Owen | Episodes: "Father Neil's First Miracle", "The Heart of a Curate" | |
| Secret Orchards | Stella | Television film | |
| 1980 | BBC2 Playhouse | Geraldine | Episode: "Hesther for Example" |
| Blade on the Feather | Christabel Cavendish | Television film | |
| 1981 | Brideshead Revisited | Cordelia Flyte | Miniseries |
| 1982 | Tales of the Unexpected | Carol | Episode: "A Harmless Vanity" |
| 1983 | Pictures | Babs | Episode: "1.3" |
| All for Love | Christine | Episode: "To the Camp and Back" | |
| 1984 | Hay Fever | Sorel Bliss | Television film |
| 1985 | Screen Two | Louie Jermy | Episode: "Poppyland" |
| 1987 | Gentry | Susannah | Television film |
| 1990 | Screen Two | Sarah | Episode: "Drowning in the Shallow End" |
| 1991 | 4 Play | Annabel | Episode: "Seduction" |
| 1993 | Heart of Darkness | The Intended | Television film |
| 1995 | Kavanagh QC | Jackie Jarvis | Episode: "Heartland" |
| Screen Two | Elizabeth Elliot | Episode: "Persuasion" | |
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels | Empress of Lilliput | Episode: "1.1" |
| 1997 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | May Thrace | Episode: "May and June: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1999 | Second Sight | Judith Bendrix | TV film |
| 2002 | Shackleton | Emily Shackleton | Miniseries |
| I'm Alan Partridge | Karen Colman | Episode: "Bravealan" | |
| 2003 | Midsomer Murders | Laura Smythe-Webster | Episode: "A Tale of Two Hamlets" |
| Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness | Shaw | Episode: "Part 2" | |
| Foyle's War | Amanda Reece | Episode: "The Funk Hole" | |
| 2004 | Hawking | Isobel Hawking | Television film |
| The Brief | Sally Graydon | Episode: "Children" | |
| 2006 | Spooks | Janet Wheeler | Episode: "5.10" |
| 2007 | The Trial of Tony Blair | Cherie Blair | Television film |
| Lewis | Caroline Croft | Episode: "Expiation" | |
| All About Me | Helen Conroy | TV film | |
| Clapham Junction | Natasha | Television film | |
| 2010 | The Road to Coronation Street | Mrs. Simpson | Television film |
| 2012 | Loving Miss Hatto | Mrs. Hatto | Television film |
| 2012–2014 | Downton Abbey | Susan MacClare | Episodes: "A Journey to the Highlands", "5.8" |
| 2013 | New Tricks | Annie Banks | Episode: "The One That Got Away" |
| 2015 | Fortitude | Dr. Allerdyce | 9 episodes |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Mrs. Wintertowne | Episodes: "The Friends of English Magic", "How Is Lady Pole?" | |
| 2016 | Doctor Thorne | Countess de Courcy | Episodes: "1.1", "1.2", "1.3" |
| 2017 | Endeavour | Caroline Bryce-Morgan | Episode: "Lazaretto" |
| 2021 | A Very British Scandal | Helen Whigham | Episode #1.1 |
| 2022 | Anatomy of a Scandal | Tuppence Whitehouse | Episode #1.4 |
| 2024 | Eric | Anne Anderson | Miniseries[12] |
| 2025 | The Sandman | Taramis | 2 episodes |
| 2025 | The Chelsea Detective | Miriam Rushland | 2 episodes: "For The Greater Good" |
| 2025 | Talamasca: The Secret Order | Twin sisters Abigail and Rose | Series 1 episode 4 |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
